How much should you pay an influencer?
Two numbers decide it: what the creator asks, and the most their post is worth to your store. Pay below the second. On TikTok, where creators publish their rates, the median ask we measured was $100 for 10k–50k followers and $250 for 100k–500k.
By Nick Jaffrey, founder · Last updated · rates read 24 September 2026
What creators actually charge (TikTok)
TikTok creators can publish a rate on TikTok's own creator marketplace. We read the published rate of 302 creators who list one in US dollars. These are their asks, not our estimates.
Published rates in US dollars, read 24 September 2026. Each bar runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile, so half of creators in a band ask within it; the figure on the right is the median. Bands with fewer than 15 creators are thin, so read them loosely. A negotiated deal can land above the published rate.
Two things stand out. Creators of the same size ask about ten times apart, and they pick round numbers: 42 of the 302 asked exactly $1,000, 41 asked $100 and 30 asked $50. So a rate is a starting point for a conversation, not a market price. Instagram and YouTube creators do not publish rates like this, which means every Instagram or YouTube rate table you find is an estimate; we would rather not print one we cannot check.
The most you should pay: the break-even fee
The break-even fee is the most you can pay a creator and still make $0: the revenue their post is forecast to bring in, less what those orders cost you in goods, shipping and discounts. Pay above it and the collaboration loses money even if it performs exactly as expected.
Say the forecast for a creator's post is 30 orders at your $60 average order: $1,800 of revenue. Goods, shipping and the discount cost you 40% of that, $720. The break-even fee is $1,800 − $720 = $1,080. At a $600 fee the post is forecast to make $480; at $1,500 it is forecast to lose $420.
The forecast step, from the views a creator's posts get to orders in your store, depends on your own conversion rate and order value; how influencer ROI forecasting works explains it. Whether $480 is enough profit for the effort is your call; many brands set a target for profit on ad spend, which our POAS guide covers.
What should move the price
Views, not followers
Two creators with the same follower count can get ten times different views, and views are what turn into orders. Look at the median views of their last ten posts, which we call Real Reach.
The format
A story costs less than a reel or a feed video, and a YouTube mention inside a video costs less than a video about your product. Match the format to what you need: a story for a launch date, a video for something people need to see in use.
The right to run it as an ad
Running the creator's post as a paid ad from their account, or using it in your own ads, is a separate right. Ask for it as its own line with its own price and a time limit, so you are not paying for it on posts you never promote.
Exclusivity
A clause that stops the creator working with your competitors costs extra. Keep it short and narrow (named brands, a few weeks) or leave it out.
How many pieces
Several posts in one deal are often cheaper per post than one at a time, and they let you learn which format works before you commit more.
When the ask is above the break-even fee
A great creator at the wrong price is still a loss. Before you walk away, try changing the deal rather than the number: a cheaper format, fewer pieces, or a smaller fixed fee with a commission on the sales their code or link brings in, which moves some of the risk to results. If none of that gets the fee under the break-even, the honest answer is no, or a gifted product instead. The seeding guide covers how to gift well.
Ways to pay
A flat fee for agreed deliverables is the usual deal and the easiest to compare with the break-even fee. Product only works with smaller creators who would use it anyway, when you are not asking for a deadline or specific content. Commission only costs nothing unless it sells, so it puts all the risk on the creator and suits those who already believe in the product. A fee plus commission is the middle ground when the ask is close to your break-even.
Common questions
How much should I pay an influencer per post?
Two numbers decide it: what the creator asks, and the most the post is worth to your store, its break-even fee. Pay below the break-even fee; if the ask is above it, change the deal or walk away. On TikTok, where creators publish their rates, the median we measured was $100 for 10k–50k followers and $250 for 100k–500k (302 creators, September 2026).
How much do TikTok influencers charge?
Less than most rate tables suggest. Across 302 TikTok creators with a published dollar rate on TikTok’s creator marketplace (read 24 September 2026), the median was $100 at 10k–50k followers, $250 at 100k–500k and $750 at 1M–5M. Creators of the same size ask about ten times apart, so treat any single number as a starting point, and a negotiated deal can land above the published rate.
How much do Instagram influencers charge?
Instagram creators do not publish rates the way TikTok creators do, so every Instagram rate table you find online is an estimate, including the ones built into tools. Ask the creator for their rate, then check it against what their posts are worth to your store: the views they really get, your conversion rate, your order value and your margin.
Should I pay influencers per follower?
No. Followers are not the audience a post reaches: two creators with the same follower count can get ten times different views. Price on the views their recent posts actually get, turned into revenue with your own store’s numbers.
Do small influencers need to be paid?
Not always. Many smaller creators will post about a product they like in exchange for the product itself, which is gifting or seeding. Once you ask for a specific deliverable, a deadline or the right to run the post as an ad, pay a fee.
Find a creator's break-even fee
Paste a handle into the free ROI calculator and see the most that creator is worth to your store, from the views their posts really get and your own order value.