How much to charge for a sponsored post in 2026 (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok)

On YouTube, charge by expected views: industry estimates put a sponsored integration at $20–$60 per 1,000 average views. On Instagram and TikTok, brands still price by follower tier, and a nano creator typically sees tens of dollars per post, not hundreds.

Why sponsorship matters more than ad revenue for small creators

Platform payouts are thin until you have a large audience. A brand deal pays for attention you already have, which is why it is often the first real money a small channel earns. If you are still deciding which platform to build on, our guide to becoming a streamer walks through the whole path from first stream to first income.

The gap is easy to see on YouTube. AIR Media-Tech's sample of 300 channels puts the median long-form RPM for Gaming at $2.05 per 1,000 views (an estimate, May 2025 to May 2026). A sponsored integration in the same video is priced at roughly ten to thirty times that per 1,000 views. If you want the full ad-revenue picture, see what YouTube actually pays per view.

Streamers face the same math. Our Twitch calculator's default channel — 50 average viewers, 100 hours a month — comes to about $309.95 a month before tax from subs, Bits and ads. A single well-priced integration can match that. The breakdown is in how much Twitch streamers really make.

YouTube: price by expected views, not subscribers

For YouTube integrations, the clearest public benchmark comes from ThoughtLeaders, a sponsorship marketplace: brands pay $0.01–$0.10 per view, typically $0.02–$0.06 (April 2026). That is $20–$60 per 1,000 views. ThoughtLeaders also notes the rate usually doesn't depend on channel size — which is good news if you have few subscribers but steady views.

Which "views" to use

Use the average views of your recent regular videos, measured at a similar age, not your best video and not your subscriber count. Brands will check this, and a quote built on one viral upload falls apart in the first reply. Leave out outliers in both directions.

A worked example

Say your recent videos average 20,000 views. At $0.02–$0.06 per view, that is $400–$1,200 for one integration. A sensible opening number is the middle, $800: high enough to leave room for negotiation, low enough that a brand with no history with you will still reply.

• Low end ($400): first deal with an unknown brand, broad audience, short mention.

• Middle ($800): a full integration in a niche that matches the product.

• High end ($1,200): a narrow, buying-ready audience (software, finance, gear) or a dedicated segment with a demo.

Plug your own numbers into the calculator below, or open the full sponsorship rate calculator to compare platforms side by side.

Instagram and TikTok: follower tiers as a starting point

Short-form platforms are still mostly priced by follower count. The most complete recent table is Meltwater's 2026 influencer rate overview (June 2026). These are per-post industry estimates, with the follower bands as Meltwater defines them:

Other sources draw the lines differently. Influencer Marketing Hub puts Instagram micro creators (10K–50K) at $100–$1,000 per post and nano creators at $10–$100 (September 2026). The ranges differ because each source uses different tier boundaries and different samples, and because rates are often self-reported — so a micro tier that stops at 50K and one that stops at 100K can't produce the same top number.

The "$100 per 10,000 followers" folk rule

You will see this rule of thumb everywhere: about $100 per 10,000 Instagram followers. It is a folk rule, not a market rate. Influencer Marketing Hub's Instagram calculator page presents it as something some influencers reported, and stresses that engagement matters more than follower count. Use it as a sanity check, never as your quote.

Add-ons: usage rights, exclusivity and boosting

Your base rate pays for one post on your account. Anything the brand does with that content afterwards is a separate line item. impact.com's guide to usage rights pricing (April 2025) gives these industry estimates:

• Usage rights (the brand reposts your video on its own channels or website): typically +20–50%. By tier, per month of usage: nano 0–50%, micro 25–75%, mid 40–100%, macro 50–125%.

• Exclusivity (you can't work with competitors for a period): +20–100%, depending on how wide the category and how long the window.

• Boosting or whitelisting (the brand runs paid ads through your account): 5–20% of the brand's ad spend.

Back to the example: an $800 integration with 30 days of usage rights at +20–50% becomes $960–$1,200. If the brand also wants category exclusivity, price that on top rather than folding it in.

How to build a rate card

A rate card is a one-page document you send when a brand asks for pricing. It saves you from inventing a number under pressure, and it shows you know what you are selling.

1. Collect your averages. Average views per long-form video, per Short, per Reel and per TikTok over the last month or two. Add audience location and age if a brand would care.

2. Price each deliverable. YouTube from views ($20–$60 per 1,000 as the band), short-form from your tier and your views. One line per format: integration, dedicated video, Short, Reel, TikTok, story set.

3. List the add-ons separately. Usage rights per month, exclusivity per category and month, boosting. Never bundle them silently.

4. Add a multi-platform package. One concept delivered as a YouTube integration plus a Short, a Reel and a TikTok. This is often where the best deals sit.

5. Write "rates from". The card is an opening position, so state starting prices and leave room for scope.

How to negotiate without underselling

Most small creators lose money in the details, not in the headline price. Before you agree to a number, get these four things in writing:

• Deliverables. Exactly what you post, where, how long, and whether a link or code is included. "One video" is not a deliverable.

• Revisions. How many rounds of script and edit changes are included. Extra rounds cost extra.

• Deadline. When drafts are due, when the brand must approve, and the posting window. If their approval is late, your deadline moves.

• Payment terms. When you get paid, whether part is upfront, and what happens if the brand cancels after you have started.

• Don't drop your price the moment a brand says "budget is tight" — trim the scope instead (fewer platforms, shorter segment, no usage rights).

• Don't accept "exposure" or free product as payment for work that takes you days.

• Don't send your rate card without your view numbers; the number means nothing without the evidence.

Disclosure: label every sponsored post

Paid posts must be labelled, and the label is your responsibility as much as the brand's. In the US, the rules are the FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255), revised on June 29, 2023 and published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2023. The FTC's own Q and A for creators warns that a platform's built-in "paid partnership" label may not be enough on its own — the disclosure should be clear and hard to miss in the post itself.

In Hungary, the competition authority GVH's influencer marketing guidance (November 2022) expects a prominent text label in Hungarian, such as „Reklám", „Hirdetés", „Szponzorált tartalom" or „… támogatta". An English hashtag alone doesn't meet it.

This is general guidance, not legal advice — check the rules for your country and the specific deal.

Why posting on more platforms raises your rate

Brands pay for views. If one concept reaches people on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, the same deal delivers more views, and you can price a package instead of a single post. A creator with 5,000 views per video on one platform and similar numbers on two others is selling closer to 15,000 views per campaign — and the per-view YouTube math then works in your favor.

The catch is consistency. A brand will only pay for the second and third platform if you can show steady numbers there, which means posting there regularly, not just when a deal arrives. That is a scheduling problem more than a creative one: one upload, separate copy per platform, a queue that keeps every channel active between deals.

FAQ

How much should I charge with 1,000 followers?

At the nano tier, industry estimates put an Instagram post at $20–$100 and a TikTok at $5–$50 (Meltwater, June 2026). If the work takes hours, ask for a fee rather than product only, and price from your average views rather than your follower count.

How much do YouTubers charge per 1,000 views for a sponsorship?

Typically $20–$60 per 1,000 average views, within a wider $10–$100 band (ThoughtLeaders, April 2026). Multiply your recent average views by that range and start in the middle.

Should I charge extra if the brand wants to reuse my video?

Yes. Usage rights are a separate fee, typically +20–50% of your base rate according to impact.com's estimates, and they should be limited to a period. Paid ads through your account (whitelisting) are priced separately again.

Do I have to disclose a sponsored post if the brand only sent free product?

In the US, yes: the FTC Endorsement Guides apply to any material connection with the brand, and a free product counts. In Hungary the GVH guidance also expects a clear Hungarian text label whenever there is a commercial relationship.