The longer answer is that the question has four missing variables, and until you fill them in any number is guesswork. Which platform, which format, what engagement rate, and what rights. Change the rights alone and the same post moves by more than the gap between two follower tiers.
The numbers
| Audiencefollowers | Instagram posttypical, then low to high | Instagram Reeltypical, then low to high | TikTok videotypical, then low to high | YouTube Shorttypical, then low to high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000followers | $60$40 to $85 | $90$65 to $125 | $60$40 to $85 | $60$40 to $85 |
| 10,000followers | $85$60 to $120 | $130$90 to $180 | $100$70 to $145 | $100$70 to $145 |
| 25,000followers | $215$150 to $300 | $320$225 to $445 | $255$180 to $355 | $255$180 to $355 |
| 50,000followers | $425$300 to $600 | $640$445 to $890 | $510$355 to $710 | $510$355 to $710 |
| 100,000followers | $700$490 to $980 | $1,050$740 to $1,470 | $840$590 to $1,180 | $840$590 to $1,180 |
| 500,000followers | $3,000$2,100 to $4,200 | $4,500$3,150 to $6,300 | $3,600$2,525 to $5,050 | $3,600$2,525 to $5,050 |
2026 planning estimates from our calculator model and public rate cards. Priced at each platform typical engagement rate with organic use only, no exclusivity and a tier-one market. Change any of those and the figure moves; the influencer rate calculator runs the same engine with every input exposed.
Estimate your own brief
The same model as the table, with your inputs. Nothing is sent anywhere and there is no signup.
Fill in the four variables
Platform sets the base: 10 dollars per thousand followers on Instagram, 12 on TikTok, 12 on YouTube Shorts. Format scales it: on Instagram a Story set is 0.4 of a feed post and a Reel is 1.5. Engagement adjusts it against a platform typical of 2.5% for Instagram and 5% for TikTok. Rights multiply it: 1.4 for three months of paid ads, 1.8 for twelve.
Work through those in order and a vague quote becomes checkable. A creator asking three times the engine figure is not necessarily wrong, they may have unusual engagement or genuine inbound demand, but you now know which variable to ask about instead of simply negotiating on the total.
The per thousand rate falls as accounts grow
Our tier factors step down from 1 at nano to 0.85 at micro, 0.7 at mid tier, 0.6 at macro and 0.5 at mega. That is why a 500,000 follower Instagram post comes out at $3,000 rather than fifty times the 10,000 follower figure.
It sounds like a volume discount and it partly is, but engagement rates tend to fall with size at the same time, so the cost per engagement often gets worse as you go up. Check that figure rather than the headline rate, and be sceptical of any recommendation to concentrate a budget in one large account.
When not to pay for an audience at all
If you want a moment of reach in front of a specific community, an influencer post is the right purchase. If you want video that will run in your own paid media for months, you are buying production and the audience fee is waste. Our engine compares against roughly $250 as the planning reference for one UGC video with no audience attached.
Our UGC model prices the same creative directly: $225 typical for a 15 to 30 second video at micro tier, with 3 months of paid usage adding $55 and 12 months adding $225. For a creative testing programme that is almost always the better structure, because you can afford to test ten variants instead of running one.
What to do when a quote comes back high
Do not counter on the total. Ask which part of the quote is production and which is the licence, then negotiate the licence. A creator will hold a production fee because it maps to hours, and will often move a long usage term because it costs them nothing today. Shortening a 12 month paid licence to 3 months takes a meaningful percentage off the total without asking anyone to work for less.
The second lever is volume, and it works in the opposite direction to intuition: asking for more deliverables often lowers the per unit figure enough to reduce your risk per test. Ask what three posts costs before you accept the single post price. The third lever is lead time, because a creator with four weeks of notice can fit you around existing work and one with four days cannot.
The fourth lever is the one brands forget: ask what the creator would charge to make the same video without posting it. A production only deal removes the audience fee entirely, and for a creative testing programme it is usually the answer you wanted. Many creators quote it happily because it is less work and carries no obligation to their followers.
Questions people ask
How much should I pay an influencer per post?
Start from our engine figures: $85 for a 10,000 follower Instagram post, $100 for a TikTok video at that size, then adjust for engagement, format and the rights you need.
Is there a standard rate per thousand followers?
Only as a starting point. Our engine uses 10 dollars per thousand on Instagram and 12 on TikTok, then steps the factor down as accounts grow, so a flat per thousand figure overprices large accounts and underprices small ones.
Why are nano influencers better value?
Because they price at the full base factor while usually carrying a higher engagement rate. The headline cost is lower and the cost per engagement is usually much lower.