Have you ever found yourself wondering, “What should I charge for my services as a creator?”

If so, you’re not alone. 

When I first started creating content (back in 2017), THAT👆🏻used to be a major struggle for me. 

I’d scour Google for hours, piecing together random articles in hopes of figuring out my rates.

I’d DM creators with bigger followings, asking how they priced their services.

I’d even comb through brand deal forums to find clues about industry rates.

Unfortunately, none of it gave me the clarity I needed. The advice felt contradictory and I couldn’t apply it to my situation.

I don’t want you to feel like you’re solving a 1,000-piece puzzle just to figure out how to price your services as a creator of your scale.

Which is why, I rounded up the most common questions aspiring creators ask me about setting their rates, all in one handy email.

Think of this as your go-to guide for confidently pricing your work and getting paid what you’re worth.

Excited? I hope so! Let’s dive in, FAQ style. 

Starting with…👇🏻

Q: How do I set a base fee for my services?

A:  You’ve probably heard some internet person say that you should be charging 1% – 5% of your follower count per post. But here’s something that hardly anyone tells you. ⤵️

The FEWER your followers are → the HIGHER percentage you can charge. 

Shocking, right? I swear it’s not. 

When you’re a nano-creator (less than 10,000 followers) and micro-creator (10,000 – 100,000 followers) – you have at least 4 times higher engagement rates, compared to a macro-influencer (more than 100,000 followers) because of your tight-knit communities.

As smaller creators → your followers trust your recommendations more than bigger accounts, hence the rates.

So, don’t be afraid to charge a higher percentage if you’ve got a lower follower count but competitive engagement rates. In my latest blog post, I’ve outlined a simple formula to apply to your specific follower count and engagement rate. Give it a quick glance through (or just scroll till the really handy graphic for the rate calculation formulas). . 

Q: Do I need to package my services, or is a rate card enough? 

A: Here’s why I ALWAYS recommend you go for custom proposals, instead of rate cards ⤵️

💫 Scope for personalization: All your brand collabs will require some degree of customization as per the requirements of the brands and specific deliverables they’re looking for, which is possible with a specific proposal vs a one-size-fits-all rate card.  

💫 Positions you as a partner & a professional: Proposals show that you’ve taken the time to understand the brand’s goals – which helps you stand out as a professional and partner in the campaign’s success. 

💫 Avoid pigeonholing: Rate cards have been shared throughout the industry for years. In other words, it pigeonholes you to rates you set ages ago and doesn’t consider your growth and experience accrued over the years. And as I mentioned in the first point, no two campaigns are the same. So no two rates should be the same. A reel you create for a skincare brand could take 3x longer than a reel created for a makeup pouch company. So forgo the rate card and don’t limit your earnings and negotiation opportunities!

Q: What else can I charge extra for?

A: Great question! One of the BIGGEST mistakes I see aspiring creators make is only quoting the base rates in their proposals while ignoring the extras that could increase your income by at least 40%! 

So, make sure you’re negotiating for extra chargeable like ⤵️

✅ Exclusivity

✅ Whitelisting rights

✅ Image rights

✅ High-resolution files, etc.

To give you an example, a typical $3000 contract for a creator with 15K followers and good engagement includes: 3 Reels, 3 months exclusivity, 6 months whitelisting, 2 high-resolution photos for the brand with social image rights.

Q: Ok, I love the info, Catarina. But what should be my rate? 

Glad you asked.

That’s exactly what I’m helping you with in my latest blog, “How To Price Yourself As A Creator”. 

Inside, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of ⤵️

• What to do if a brand claims they have “no budget”
• How to calculate and adjust your base rate accordingly
• Add-ons and other deliverables that increase the cost of your services
• How to build your confidence when pricing yourself

>> Click here to calculate your 2025 prices as a creator (for free!) << 

Chase those dreams, 

Catarina.