On the influencer side, a 25,000 follower Instagram post is $215 typical and a TikTok video at the same size is $255. On the UGC side, a 15 to 30 second video at micro tier is $225 typical with no audience component at all.
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.
Why micro is the value band
Two things happen at once between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. The tier factor has stepped down from 1 to 0.85, so you are already getting a discount on the per thousand rate, but engagement rates have usually not collapsed the way they do above a few hundred thousand. That combination is why cost per engagement is typically best in this band.
It also happens to be where UGC supply is deepest. Our index holds 24,032 UGC-qualified creators with a median of about 1,400 followers, so briefs aimed at small and mid sized accounts fill quickly. Fast filling briefs are cheap briefs, because you never have to raise an offer to close a gap.
Paying for posts or paying for content
If you want the creator's audience to see the post, pay the influencer rate. Our engine puts a 50,000 follower Instagram post at $425 and a TikTok video at $510, before any rights multiplier. If you want the video for your own ads, pay the UGC rate: $225 typical, with 3 months of paid usage adding $55.
The second structure is what most performance teams actually need, and it is usually a third of the cost. The mistake is to buy an influencer post and then discover you also need the usage licence, which multiplies the post rate by 1.4 for three months in our engine.
How to negotiate in this band
Ask for engagement figures rather than follower counts, and price against them. Our engine scales rates toward the ratio of a creator's engagement against a platform typical of 2.5% on Instagram and 5% on TikTok, capped between 0.6 and 1.6, which is a defensible frame for a conversation about why one 30,000 follower account is worth more than another.
Then buy volume. Three deliverables from one micro creator in one session is the strongest discount available, and it is the ask creators respond to best because the marginal cost to them is genuinely lower.
Building a micro creator programme
The reason micro creators are good value only shows up at volume. One post from one micro account is a small, noisy result. Ten posts from ten micro accounts in the same month is a measurable campaign with ten creative variants, ten audiences and a cost per engagement you can compare against paid social. Budget for the second and the band earns its reputation; budget for the first and it will look like a rounding error.
Operationally that means the same brief, the same deadline and the same rights across all ten, with the only variable being the creator. Uniformity is what makes the comparison meaningful and what makes ten deals administratively possible. Then reorder from the three who performed, which is where a programme starts paying back and where the rate conversation gets easier in your favour.
One warning on sourcing at this size. Follower counts in the micro band are the easiest to inflate, so check that engagement looks proportionate to audience before you agree a figure. A 40,000 follower account with 200 likes a post is priced by our engine as if the audience were real, and the engagement factor is the only part of the model that will catch it.
Questions people ask
How much do micro influencers charge?
Our engine puts a 25,000 follower Instagram post at $215 typical and a TikTok video at $255, at platform typical engagement with organic use only.
Why are micro influencers better value than macro?
The tier factor is 0.85 against 0.6 at macro, but engagement rates usually hold up much better in the micro band, so cost per engagement is lower.
What does a micro creator charge for UGC instead of a post?
Our UGC model puts a 15 to 30 second video at $225 typical, band $150 to $350, with no audience fee. Paid usage for 3 months adds $55.