How much to charge for a sponsored post on Instagram and TikTok

To work out how much to charge for a sponsored post, start from the views your posts actually get, not your follower count. Take the median views of your recent posts of that format, divide by 1,000, multiply by a target CPM (the price you charge per thousand views), and adjust for the effort the format takes. Then add separate prices for usage rights, paid ads, exclusivity and rush delivery.

Picture Lucía, a running and fitness creator in Madrid with 25,000 followers. A sports retailer asks her for a Reel and some stories, and wants to run the Reel as an ad. She could guess a number. Or she could build a quote line by line that the brand's marketing manager can check in a minute. This article walks through the second option in four steps, with her numbers, and ends with a simple rate card you can keep and update.

Every number in the worked example is illustrative. It shows the method, not a market rate.

Why do brands increasingly buy creators on views?

Brands increasingly buy on views because views are now the one metric that every platform reports for every format, and because views, not followers, describe what a brand is paying for: people who see the post.

Instagram made views its primary metric across Reels, stories, photos and carousels in August 2024. Instagram's creator team explained that views give "the same metric across Instagram" so you can understand performance "regardless of its format" (Tubefilter, 7 August 2024). Meta's developer documentation now lists a views metric for feed posts, Reels and stories, and marks the older impressions metric as deprecated for media created after 2 July 2024 (Meta for Developers, Instagram Media Insights). TikTok Analytics also reports views for each video.

The second reason is how recommendation feeds work. A post can reach far more people than an account's followers, or far fewer. So brands that buy well compare creators on effective CPM: the fee divided by expected views, times 1,000. We explain that method from the brand's side in choosing creators by real views and CPM. If your quote is already built on views, the brand does not have to translate it.

Step 1: What are your median views per format?

Your median views per format is the middle value of your recent posts' views, for one format at a time. It is the number a brand should expect from a normal post, and it is the base of your price.

How to get it:

1. Open your platform insights (Instagram professional dashboard, TikTok Analytics).
2. Take your last 10 to 20 posts of one format, or the last 60 to 90 days if you post less often.
3. Sort the views from low to high and take the middle value. With an even number of posts, take the average of the two middle values.
4. Repeat for each format you sell: Reels, TikTok videos, carousels, stories.

Use the median, not the average. One viral Reel can pull the average up far beyond what a normal post does, and a brand that later checks your profile will see that. A median you can show in a screenshot is a strong argument in a negotiation.

Lucía's numbers (illustrative):

Her follower count is 25,000, but no format reaches that many people on a typical post. That is normal, and it is why a price based on followers would overstate what a sponsored post from her delivers.

Step 2: Which target CPM should you choose?

A target CPM is the price you charge for each thousand views. There is no official rate, so you set it, and you check it against three references.

• Your own past deals. Divide each fee you accepted by the views the post got, times 1,000. That is the CPM you have already sold at. If brands said yes without pushback, you may be priced low.
• Published ranges for your market. For Spain, our guide to influencer rates in Spain in 2026 compares the public price guides and shows fee bands by tier. Turn a band into a CPM with your own median views and see where you land. The Q2 2026 compensation benchmarks cover EU and Latin American compensation as well.
• Your niche and audience trust. Audiences that buy on advice (skincare, finance, parenting, running gear) can justify a higher CPM than general lifestyle content. Audiences that are mostly outside the brand's market justify a lower one.

Lucía picks EUR 25 per thousand views. It is a round, illustrative number in the middle of what her past deals implied. The point is not that EUR 25 is right for you. The point is that one number, applied the same way to every format, makes your prices consistent.

Set a floor price too

CPM pricing breaks down when views are small. A story frame with 800 views at EUR 25 CPM is worth EUR 20, which may not cover the time to plan, film and coordinate with a brand. Decide the minimum fee for any paid job, based on the hours a typical brief takes you, and quote whichever is higher: the CPM price or the floor.

Step 3: How much should a format change the price?

A format multiplier adjusts the base price for the work a format takes and how long it stays useful. A Reel with a script, a shoot and an edit costs you more than three story frames filmed in ten minutes, even at the same CPM.

Base price = median views ÷ 1,000 × target CPM × format multiplier

Set your own multipliers and keep them stable. A format that needs a location, a second person or a product shoot can go higher. A format you can make in one take can go lower.

Here is Lucía's base price for each format with the same EUR 25 CPM:

Illustrative figures, before add-ons and IVA. On a rate card, round to a clean number (EUR 360 for the TikTok video, for example). Keep the calculation for yourself so you can explain it if a brand asks.

Step 4: What do you add for usage rights, exclusivity and rush?

The base price covers one organic post on your own account, published on a normal timeline. Anything beyond that limits what you can earn elsewhere or costs you extra time, so it is priced on top. Keep each extra as its own line.

Usage rights and paid ads

Usage rights are the permissions a brand gets to reuse your content outside your post: on its website, in email, on its own social accounts or as a paid ad. A public post is not a licence. Our article on UGC rights in the EU explains why. Price usage by channel, market and duration. Paid ads deserve the highest add-on, because an ad can reach many times your organic audience for months.

Exclusivity

Exclusivity means you turn down a brand's competitors for a period. "No other running footwear brands for 30 days" is a modest restriction. "No sportswear brands for six months" can cost you several deals, so price it higher or narrow it.

Rush delivery

A brief that needs a post within a few days pushes other work aside. A rush fee covers that. If you cannot meet the date at a good standard, say no instead.

All percentages are illustrative. Choose your own and apply them the same way every time.

Worked example: Lucía's full quote

The sports retailer's brief asks for one Reel and one story set of three frames, the right to run the Reel as a paid ad in Spain for three months, no other running footwear brands for 30 days, and posting within five days.

Illustrative figures, not market rates. Lucía can round to EUR 960 when she sends it.

Why this quote is easier to approve than "my rate is EUR 1,000":

• The brand can check it. The marketing manager divides EUR 455 by 14,000 views and sees an effective CPM of EUR 32.50 for the Reel, including the format factor. That number can go straight into a comparison with other creators.
• Negotiation removes lines, not value. If the budget is EUR 750, Lucía can offer to drop the paid ads and the rush fee (EUR 635 plus exclusivity, EUR 730.25) instead of cutting her CPM.
• Tax is separate. In Spain, IVA is added on top of the fee and the brand may withhold IRPF. Say "before IVA" on every quote. The creator's guide to brand deals covers invoices and payment terms. This is general information, not tax advice: ask your gestor about your own case.

What if the brand offers commission or product instead?

Compare the offer with your base price. If a brand offers product worth EUR 120 for work you would price at EUR 635, ask for a hybrid deal: a smaller fee plus product or commission. Commission deals carry more risk for you, because no sales means no income, so ask how sales are counted, the attribution window and how refunds are handled. The four creator compensation models explains each structure.

Turn the method into a rate card you can keep

A rate card is a short price list per format that you send to brands or keep for yourself. Build it from the four steps, and update it every one or two months, when your median views change.

Two habits keep a rate card honest. First, write the median views next to each price in your media kit, so the brand sees where the number comes from. Second, change the CPM rarely and on purpose. Prices move because your views move, not because of the brand in front of you.

How cyrqle helps

cyrqle for creators is open as a waitlist, and the Creator plan is free. It is built around the same idea as this article: brands judge you on recent performance, not on follower count alone.

• Your performance, visible to brands. You connect Instagram and TikTok to your profile. Brands searching in cyrqle see estimates built from observed post data, such as estimated reach and a cost estimate. These are estimates for comparing creators, not your price. Your quote is still yours to set.
• Invites that state the deal. In cyrqle, a brand cannot send campaign invites until the campaign's compensation is complete. Every invite you receive shows the deal type (cash payment, commission on every sale, product gift, or a combination) and the terms.
• Usage rights in writing. You sign a Creator Collaboration Agreement by e-signature, and the agreed terms are saved as a fixed snapshot. Campaign and content-wall use are part of every agreement. Paid-ads use is included only when the brand ticks it on the offer, so you see it before you sign and can price it. See compensation and contracts.
• Views after the post. For tracked campaigns on Instagram and TikTok, the brand sees each post's views and effective CPM. Your next quote can rest on what your last post delivered.
• Payouts. When you deliver, a payout is scheduled, and a person on the brand side releases it. Creators in Europe and the US are paid in euros through Stripe Connect, with a statement per payout.

If most of your work is content for brand channels rather than your own feed, see cyrqle for UGC creators, where you publish a UGC rate card.

FAQ

How much should I charge for a sponsored Instagram post with 10,000 followers?

Price on views, not on the 10,000 followers. If your Reels have a median of 5,000 views and you choose a EUR 25 CPM with a 1.3 Reel multiplier, the base price is about EUR 160 (illustrative). If that is below your minimum fee for the work, quote the minimum.

Should a TikTok video cost the same as an Instagram Reel?

Not automatically. Use the same CPM and multiplier, but each platform's own median views. Check how much your TikTok views swing from video to video, and if they swing widely, take the median over more videos before you set a price.

Is it OK to charge per follower instead?

You can, but it is harder to defend. Brands that buy on views convert every quote into cost per thousand views. A per-follower price that hides low views gets cut, and one that ignores high views leaves money on the table.

How much more should I charge if the brand wants to use my content in ads?

Price paid ads as a separate line, based on duration and markets. In the illustrative example it is 30% of the content used for three months in one country. Longer periods, more markets or running the ad from your own account justify more.

Do I include IVA in my quote?

No. In Spain, quote the fee before IVA and say so on the quote. IVA is added on the invoice, and the brand may withhold IRPF. This is general information, not tax advice; ask your gestor.

Sources

• Instagram makes views its primary metric across formats: Tubefilter, 7 August 2024
• views metric and impressions deprecation for media after 2 July 2024: Meta for Developers, Instagram Media Insights