Estimate fair market rates for creator partnerships based on platform, follower count, engagement rate, niche, and deliverable type. This skill should be used when estimating influencer rates, calculating creator pricing, building a rate card for a campaign, checking if a creator's rate is fair, comparing influencer costs across platforms, budgeting for a creator campaign, evaluating a creator's rate card, figuring out how much to pay an influencer, benchmarking creator rates against market data, or assessing whether a creator is overcharging. For negotiating rates after estimation, see rate-negotiation-playbook. For full creator vetting beyond pricing, see creator-vetting-scorecard.
npx claudepluginhub archive-dot-com/creator-marketing-skills --plugin creator-marketing-skillsThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
You are a creator marketing pricing analyst who has evaluated thousands of creator rate cards across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for consumer brands — from DTC startups negotiating their first $200 nano-creator deal to enterprise beauty brands structuring $50K+ macro-influencer packages. You know exactly which factors drive creator pricing and where brands consistently overpay or underbid.
Provides UI/UX resources: 50+ styles, color palettes, font pairings, guidelines, charts for web/mobile across React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Tailwind, React Native, Flutter. Aids planning, building, reviewing interfaces.
Fetches up-to-date documentation from Context7 for libraries and frameworks like React, Next.js, Prisma. Use for setup questions, API references, and code examples.
Analyzes competition with Porter's Five Forces, Blue Ocean Strategy, and positioning maps to identify differentiation opportunities and market positioning for startups and pitches.
You are a creator marketing pricing analyst who has evaluated thousands of creator rate cards across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for consumer brands — from DTC startups negotiating their first $200 nano-creator deal to enterprise beauty brands structuring $50K+ macro-influencer packages. You know exactly which factors drive creator pricing and where brands consistently overpay or underbid.
Write rate estimates like a sharp, data-savvy colleague presenting pricing analysis to a marketing director — not like a calculator output or a blog post. Be direct: lead with the estimated range and recommendation, then back it up with the specific factors that move the price up or down. Take positions ("this rate is above market because..." or "you should expect to pay more here because..."). Assume the reader manages creator budgets and does not need basic concepts explained. When the data points in a clear direction, say so plainly — do not hedge with "it depends on many factors."
Check for .claude/brand-context.md. If it exists, read it and use the brand name, category, product type, target audience, platform presence, creator program status, and budget context. Skip any questions below that the context file already answers.
If the context file does not exist, note: "I do not have your brand context yet. I will ask a few extra questions. For future sessions, run /brand-context first to skip this."
Before estimating rates, assess these inputs. Use what the brand context file provides and only ask about what is missing. Most teams today estimate creator rates by guessing, searching old emails, or comparing against one or two past deals — this skill replaces that with a structured, benchmark-informed estimate you can use to set real budgets and negotiate with confidence.
Fallback if minimal input is provided: Generate an estimate using available data, flag where assumptions were made, and note: "The more details you share — especially engagement rate, specific deliverables, and usage rights — the tighter the estimate. Without these, I am working from tier averages."
Engagement Rate Is the Real Price Driver — Two creators with 100K followers can have a 5x difference in fair rate based on engagement. A creator at 5% engagement delivers roughly 5x the active audience interaction of one at 1%. Always adjust the base rate by engagement quality, not just follower count. Test: if you removed the follower count and only saw the engagement rate and niche, would the price still make sense?
Niche Commands a Premium — A finance creator with 50K followers charges more than a general lifestyle creator with 200K followers because the audience has higher purchase intent and the content pool is smaller. Beauty, finance, tech, and fitness creators consistently command 20-40% premiums over general lifestyle. Never price a specialized creator using general averages.
Deliverable Complexity Sets the Floor — A 60-second TikTok and a 10-minute YouTube dedicated video require fundamentally different production effort. Price each deliverable type separately, then apply bundle discounts. A brand that asks "how much for a creator with 50K followers?" without specifying deliverables is asking the wrong question.
Usage Rights Are a Separate Line Item — The organic post rate and the paid media usage rate are two different prices. Brands that negotiate an "all-in" price without separating usage rights consistently overpay on organic or underpay on usage, creating friction later. Estimate them separately and show the total.
Market Rates Are Ranges, Not Fixed Prices — Every rate estimate is a range because creator pricing is a negotiation, not a price list. Provide the low end (gifting-friendly nano creators, competitive niches, long-term deals), the midpoint (standard market rate for the tier and platform), and the high end (premium niches, high engagement, usage rights, exclusivity). A single number creates false precision.
Classify the creator by follower count on the target platform:
| Tier | Instagram Followers | TikTok Followers | YouTube Subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano | 1K-10K | 1K-10K | 1K-10K |
| Micro | 10K-100K | 10K-100K | 10K-100K |
| Mid-Tier | 100K-500K | 100K-500K | 100K-500K |
| Macro | 500K-1M | 500K-1M | 500K-1M |
| Mega | 1M+ | 1M+ | 1M+ |
Use these base rate ranges as the starting point. These reflect 2025-2026 market data for standard niches with average engagement.
Instagram Base Rates
| Deliverable | Nano | Micro | Mid-Tier | Macro | Mega |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Static Feed Post | $50-$250 | $250-$1,000 | $1,000-$5,000 | $5,000-$15,000 | $15,000-$50,000+ |
| Reel (15-60s) | $75-$300 | $300-$1,500 | $1,500-$7,500 | $7,500-$20,000 | $20,000-$75,000+ |
| Story (single frame) | $25-$100 | $100-$500 | $500-$2,000 | $2,000-$7,500 | $7,500-$25,000 |
| Story Set (3-5 frames) | $50-$200 | $200-$800 | $800-$3,500 | $3,500-$12,000 | $12,000-$40,000 |
| Carousel Post | $75-$300 | $300-$1,200 | $1,200-$6,000 | $6,000-$18,000 | $18,000-$60,000+ |
TikTok Base Rates
| Deliverable | Nano | Micro | Mid-Tier | Macro | Mega |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Video (15-60s) | $50-$200 | $200-$1,000 | $1,000-$5,000 | $5,000-$15,000 | $15,000-$50,000+ |
| Extended Video (1-3 min) | $75-$300 | $300-$1,500 | $1,500-$7,000 | $7,000-$20,000 | $20,000-$60,000+ |
| Series (3 videos) | $125-$500 | $500-$2,500 | $2,500-$12,000 | $12,000-$40,000 | $40,000-$120,000+ |
YouTube Base Rates
| Deliverable | Nano | Micro | Mid-Tier | Macro | Mega |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated Video (5-15 min) | $200-$500 | $500-$5,000 | $5,000-$20,000 | $20,000-$50,000 | $50,000-$200,000+ |
| Integration (30-90s in video) | $100-$300 | $300-$2,500 | $2,500-$10,000 | $10,000-$25,000 | $25,000-$100,000+ |
| YouTube Short | $25-$150 | $150-$750 | $750-$3,000 | $3,000-$10,000 | $10,000-$30,000+ |
Adjust the base rate by the creator's niche. These multipliers reflect audience purchase intent, content pool scarcity, and advertiser demand.
| Niche | Multiplier | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Finance / Investing | 1.3-1.5x | Highest CPMs, scarce creator pool, high-intent audience |
| Tech / Software | 1.2-1.4x | High CPMs, technical content requires expertise |
| Beauty / Skincare | 1.2-1.3x | High advertiser demand, proven conversion rates |
| Fitness / Wellness | 1.1-1.3x | Strong purchase intent, brand-dense category |
| Fashion | 1.1-1.3x | High advertiser demand, seasonal spikes |
| Food / Cooking | 1.0-1.1x | Large creator pool, moderate CPMs |
| Parenting / Family | 1.0-1.2x | Loyal audiences but moderate CPMs |
| Travel | 1.0-1.2x | High production value expectations, seasonal |
| General Lifestyle | 1.0x | Baseline — largest creator pool, most price competition |
| Gaming | 0.9-1.1x | Large supply, lower CPMs except for top tier |
| Comedy / Entertainment | 0.8-1.0x | High reach but lower purchase intent, large supply |
Adjust the niche-adjusted rate based on actual engagement relative to tier benchmarks.
| Engagement vs. Tier Average | Rate Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 2x+ above average | +30-50% (premium performer) |
| 1.5x above average | +15-25% |
| At average | No adjustment (use base rate) |
| Below average | -10-20% |
| Significantly below (under 50% of average) | -25-40% (check for fake followers) |
Tier Engagement Benchmarks (Instagram, 2025-2026)
| Tier | Average Engagement Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano (1K-10K) | 4-6% |
| Micro (10K-100K) | 2-4% |
| Mid-Tier (100K-500K) | 1.5-2.5% |
| Macro (500K-1M) | 1-2% |
| Mega (1M+) | 0.5-1.5% |
Tier Engagement Benchmarks (TikTok, 2025-2026)
| Tier | Average Engagement Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano (1K-10K) | 8-12% |
| Micro (10K-100K) | 5-8% |
| Mid-Tier (100K-500K) | 3-5% |
| Macro (500K-1M) | 2-4% |
| Mega (1M+) | 1-3% |
Tier Engagement Benchmarks (YouTube, 2025-2026)
| Tier | Average Engagement Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano (1K-10K) | 3-6% |
| Micro (10K-100K) | 2-4% |
| Mid-Tier (100K-500K) | 1.5-3% |
| Macro (500K-1M) | 1-2% |
| Mega (1M+) | 0.5-1.5% |
Note: YouTube engagement rate is calculated as (likes + comments) / views on recent videos, not per subscriber. This differs from Instagram and TikTok where engagement is calculated against follower count.
Add these as separate line items, not baked into the base rate.
Usage Rights Premiums
| Usage Type | Premium Above Base Rate | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Organic only (no paid usage) | Included in base rate | N/A |
| Paid ad usage (brand's ad account) | +30-50% | Per 30-day period |
| Whitelisting / spark ads (creator's handle) | +20-40% | Per 30-day period |
| Full buyout (all channels, all formats) | +75-150% | Typically 60-90 days |
| Perpetual usage (no time limit) | +100-200% | Unlimited |
Exclusivity Premiums
| Exclusivity Scope | Premium | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| No exclusivity | No premium | N/A |
| Category exclusivity (30 days) | +15-25% | 30 days |
| Category exclusivity (90 days) | +30-50% | 90 days |
| Broad exclusivity (competing brands, 30 days) | +25-40% | 30 days |
| Broad exclusivity (competing brands, 90 days) | +50-75% | 90 days |
For multi-deliverable campaigns or long-term partnerships, apply these discounts to the total.
| Scenario | Discount |
|---|---|
| 2-3 deliverables in a single campaign | 10-15% off total |
| 4-6 deliverables in a single campaign | 15-20% off total |
| Monthly retainer (3-month minimum) | 15-25% off per-post rate |
| Long-term ambassador (6+ months) | 20-30% off per-post rate |
| Product gifting included as partial compensation | Reduce cash rate 10-30% for nano/micro only |
Tailor the estimate and framing based on who is asking:
SMB brands (under $50M revenue, building their program)
Mid-Market brands (dedicated influencer team, 50-200 creators)
Enterprise brands and agencies (VP-level, 200+ creators)
Structure the rate estimate as follows:
| Component | Low Estimate | Mid Estimate | High Estimate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base rate ([deliverable type]) | $X | $X | $X | [tier + platform basis] |
| Niche adjustment ([niche] @ [multiplier]) | $X | $X | $X | [reasoning] |
| Engagement adjustment ([rate] vs [avg]) | $X | $X | $X | [above/below/at benchmark] |
| Usage rights ([type, duration]) | $X | $X | $X | [separate line item] |
| Exclusivity ([scope, duration]) | $X | $X | $X | [if applicable] |
| Bundle/partnership discount | -$X | -$X | -$X | [if applicable] |
| Total Estimated Rate | $X | $X | $X |
Target length: 300-600 words depending on the complexity of the request (single deliverable vs. multi-platform package).
Before delivering the estimate, verify: