Let's Talk Numbers: The Real Math Behind My Brand Deal Pricing

The first time a brand asked me my rate, I panicked and said "$150?" with a question mark, like I was asking them permission. It was an Instagram post for a candle company. I spent six hours on it. I made about twelve dollars an hour after editing time.

I've thought about that moment a lot, because the truth is nobody teaches creators how to price their work. Agencies won't tell you what their other clients pay. Other creators go quiet. So we all guess, and most of us guess low.

Not anymore. Here's my actual system, unredacted.

The Baseline Formula I Actually Use

I start with a simple calculation: my average reach per post over the last 90 days, multiplied by a rate somewhere between two and four cents, depending on the deliverable. Then I add a creative fee on top, because the content itself — the filming, the editing, the scripting — has value separate from the distribution.

That means a single Instagram post, one deliverable, full usage of my organic content, lands in a specific range. I won't drop the exact figure here because rates shift with engagement, and any number I publish today would be stale in six months. But the formula is the gift. You can run it on your own numbers tonight.

My Tiers, Explained

Here's how I structure everything:

• Story set — my entry point. Three frames, swipe-up link, 24-hour lifespan. This is the lowest-cost way for a brand to work with me, and I price it accordingly.
• Single feed post — the workhorse. Includes one round of revisions and organic posting only.
• Video/reel package — priced higher because production time roughly triples. If they want me on camera speaking, add more.
• Full campaign — multiple deliverables across platforms, usually with a content shoot day. This is where I bundle and where brands get the best per-post value.
• Usage rights — this is the line item everyone forgets. If a brand wants to run my content as paid ads, that's a separate fee, typically starting at 25% of the base rate for 30 days.

What I Share With Brands — and What I Keep Private

I hand over screenshots of my audience demographics, average reach, save rates, and story completion percentages. Brands deserve real data, and honest numbers build trust that gets you rebooked.

What I don't share: my other clients' rates, my exact follower-to-engagement ratios (too easily weaponized), and my ceiling. If a brand pushes on price, I don't negotiate down — I negotiate scope. Fewer deliverables, shorter usage window, no paid amplification. Same rate, adjusted work.

The $150 Lesson

That candle post taught me something I repeat constantly now: a lowball rate doesn't just cost you money, it costs you positioning. Brands talk. The next agency that found me had seen the candle campaign and opened with "$200?" See the problem?

Steal My Template

I keep a one-page rate card — logo at top, three tiers, usage rights spelled out, payment terms (50% upfront, always) — that I send as a PDF within an hour of any inquiry. Fast response plus clear numbers reads as professional, and professional gets you the deal.

Build yours this week. You don't need my exact figures. You need a formula, a floor you won't go below, and the nerve to say the number without a question mark at the end.