What small creators can charge for brand deals in 2026
What brands agreed to pay creators under 100K followers on TikTok and Instagram, and what small podcasts and newsletters can charge, with sources.
From the Creator Comps desk. Figures come from the datasets behind our free sponsorship rate calculator, linked where they are used.
The short answer
If you have under 100K followers, these are the medians to price against:
| Platform | Under 10K followers | 10K to 100K followers |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok video | $138 (most deals $50 to $250) | $300 (most deals $175 to $500) |
| Instagram post | $250 (most deals $168 to $386) | $400 (most deals $250 to $504) |
| YouTube video | $300 (most deals $150 to $500) | $500 (most deals $300 to $800) |
These are agreed fees, not asking prices, from Kolect's campaigns between August 2025 and October 2026. "Most deals" is the middle half.
Price on views, not followers
Brands pay for the people who will see the ad. Per 1,000 average views, Kolect's median TikTok fee was $52.36 for 10K to 100K followers and $16.34 for 100K to 500K. On Instagram the same tiers were $21.69 and $8.91. Per-view prices fall as accounts grow, which is why a small account with strong views can charge more than its follower count suggests.
Use the average views of your last 10 to 15 posts. Leave out the one that went viral; brands will hold you to the number you quote.
Instagram formats
Reels are what most brands buy. Based on AWISEE's CPM ranges, a carousel or feed post prices at about 1.17 times a Reel and a Stories set at about 0.58 times. Quote each format as its own line.
Podcasts
Podcast ads are priced per 1,000 downloads in the first 30 days. Libsyn puts a 60-second host-read ad at about $25 CPM, a 30-second read at $18 to $22, and business shows at $30. A show with 2,000 downloads an episode is looking at about $50 per 60-second read, so small shows usually sell a run of episodes as a package.
Newsletters
Newsletters are priced per 1,000 subscribers an issue goes to. beehiiv and Paved put general-interest lists at $10 to $30 CPM, with $35 as beehiiv's consumer ceiling. Lists that reach professional buyers run $40 to $100. A 5,000-subscriber lifestyle newsletter is about $100 for the main slot; a 5,000-subscriber finance list is about $350. A secondary slot is roughly 40% of the main one.
Charge for the extras
- Usage rights (the brand runs your content as an ad): 20% to 50% of the base fee for 30 days.
- Whitelisting or Spark Ads (the ad runs from your handle): about 20% to 25% per 30 days.
- Exclusivity (no competing brands for a while): 20% to 100%, depending on length.
Kolect found 80% of single-post deals included some paid-usage or ad-code rights, so ask what the brand wants before you send a number.
A quick script for the first reply
"My rate for one sponsored [video/Reel/read] is $X, based on my average of Y views over my last 15 posts. That includes [one revision / a link in the description]. Usage rights, whitelisting and exclusivity are priced separately. Happy to put together a package if you're thinking about more than one post."
Then run your numbers through the calculator. It covers TikTok, Instagram, podcasts and newsletters, and shows its sources.