The first brand DM is exciting right up to the line "What are your charges?" Quote too low and you train every brand to expect it. Quote too high and the conversation ends. Most creators guess, copy a friend's number or say "you tell me".
There is a better way. This guide is for creators: what brands in India actually pay in 2026, how to work out your own rate from your numbers, and how to build a rate card you can send without second-guessing. The figures come from the real rate cards of the creators we manage.
Start with what the market pays
Here is what brands pay for one Instagram Reel on the SocialBridge roster, before GST — the median and the range most creators fall in:
- Under 10K followers (nano): about ₹2,500, most between ₹1,750 and ₹3,500.
- 10K–100K (micro): about ₹11,000, most between ₹11,000 and ₹13,000.
- 100K–500K (mid-tier): about ₹38,000, most between ₹30,500 and ₹56,500.
- 500K and above: about ₹43,000 and up.
The full table, including Stories, UGC and YouTube, is in our Creator Rates Report 2026.
Then adjust for your views
Follower count is where the market starts, but brands are getting smarter: more of them now divide your price by the views your Reels usually get. That is cost per view (CPV), and across the creators we work with the median is about ₹0.86 per view.
To check yourself:
- Note the views on your last 10–12 Reels, skipping any posted in the last three days.
- Take the middle number (the median), not the average — one viral Reel shouldn't set your price.
- Multiply by ₹0.86. That's roughly what a brand buying on views would pay.
If that number is well above the market rate for your size, your Reels are doing better than your follower count — quote with your views. If it's well below, a brand that checks will push back; more views per Reel is the fastest way to raise your rate.
Want it done for you? Our free rate calculator reads your recent Reels and works out both numbers in about 20 seconds.
Price the rest from your Reel
Once your Reel price is set, everything else follows from it. On the cards we manage, typical ratios are:
- Collaboration Reel (posted on your profile and the brand's): about 1.2× your Reel.
- UGC (a video for the brand to post, not on your feed): about 0.8×.
- Video Story: about 0.35×.
- Story: about a quarter.
- Reshare: about a fifth.
- Ad rights, if the brand wants to run your video as an ad: priced per month — about 45% of your Reel a month for organic use, and about 90% for Meta ads.
Keep the numbers round and consistent. A rate card that follows a pattern looks professional; one with random numbers invites haggling.
What should raise your price
- Usage rights and ads. Never let a brand run your content as an ad without paying for it, in writing, for a set number of months.
- Exclusivity. Agreeing not to work with competitors for a period costs you deals — charge for it.
- Extra work. Scripts, multiple revisions, travel, a second shoot day or raw footage are all extra.
- Rush. A brief today for a post tomorrow costs more.
- Your niche. Tech, finance and beauty audiences are worth more to brands than general entertainment.
What can justify a discount
- A bundle. A Reel plus two Stories from one shoot costs you less time; you can price the bundle below the sum.
- A long-term deal. Three months of work from one brand is worth a better rate than three one-offs.
- A product you genuinely love. Fine — but say it's a special rate, so it doesn't become your rate.
Mistakes that keep creators underpaid
- Saying "you tell me". The brand will name the lowest number they think you'll accept.
- Working for barter you didn't want. Products don't pay rent. Barter is fine when you'd have bought it anyway.
- No written agreement. Deliverables, dates, payment terms and usage rights belong in writing before you shoot.
- Skipping the disclosure. Every paid or gifted post needs a clear label under the ASCI guidelines. It protects you as much as the brand.
- Chasing payments alone. Agree when you'll be paid before you start.
Or let someone negotiate for you
Pricing, negotiating, contracts and chasing payments are the parts of the job most creators like least. That is what SocialBridge does for the creators we manage: we set your rate card, bring you brand campaigns that fit, and handle the paperwork and the payment — read how it works, or apply to join.