An influencer rate card is a starting menu of your services and fees. A final quote should specify the content, distribution, usage rights, revisions, timing and payment terms for one campaign. Do not price every request only by follower count: production effort and the rights a brand wants can change the value and workload substantially.
This guide provides a structure for creators in India. It is not a survey of market prices or a promise of earnings. The figures in the worked example are illustrative, not recommended market rates.
What should an influencer rate card include?
Start with your creator name, business contact, niche, content languages, audience location and a link to recent work. Date your audience statistics. Then list the formats you offer and define what each starting fee includes. State the currency, quote validity and whether applicable taxes or expenses are additional.
| Component | Define in your quote |
|---|---|
| Production | Concept, scripting, filming, editing, duration and asset count |
| Publishing | Platform, number of posts, posting window and minimum live period |
| Revisions | Included rounds and charges for changes outside the approved brief |
| Usage | Channels, territory, duration, organic reposting and advertising rights |
| Exclusivity | Named category or competitors and the restricted period |
| Payment | Amount, milestones, due dates and agreed agency fees |
Separate creating the content from posting it
A video can be commissioned for a brand’s channels without being posted to your account. That is different from a sponsored reel distributed to your audience. If a client asks for both, describe both. Similarly, delivering an edited video does not automatically include raw footage, project files or unlimited variations.
For UGC work, price the effort required to make the assets and separately define the rights granted. For a creator-posted campaign, also consider audience relevance, recent comparable performance and the restrictions that come with the brief.
Use a cost and scope worksheet
Estimate time for briefing, research, filming, editing, feedback, publishing and reporting. Add direct costs such as travel, props or a hired location. Then consider the campaign’s usage rights and commercial restrictions. Your minimum viable fee should reflect real work, but the final quote also depends on the client’s scope and negotiation.
Keep the rate card short. A client should be able to understand the starting offer and the items that require a custom quote. A long price list without definitions can create more disagreement than clarity.
An illustrative campaign quote
Suppose a creator quotes INR 6,000 for producing one short video and INR 2,000 for posting it to their Instagram account. A separately agreed three-month advertising licence adds INR 3,000. The illustrative total is INR 11,000 before any applicable taxes and approved expenses. These invented numbers demonstrate the calculation only; they are not Indian industry benchmarks.
The written quote should specify the asset’s duration, one agreed revision round, delivery and posting dates, and exactly which advertising use is allowed. If the client removes posting from the brief, the quote changes. If it asks for raw footage or a longer licence, those items require another agreement.
What should you charge for an Instagram post?
There is no universally correct amount. Start with the format and production effort, then review audience relevance, typical recent results, usage rights, exclusivity and the client’s requested schedule. A photo taken during an existing shoot and a scripted video requiring travel are different jobs even when the account’s follower count is unchanged.
Ask the client what success looks like and what budget is available. If the proposed fee is too low, reduce or adjust the deliverables rather than silently agreeing to an unworkable scope. Avoid guaranteeing views or sales that you cannot control.
Questions to ask about agency fees
Find out who pays you, whether the quoted creator fee is gross or net of an agency charge, what the agency does, and when payment becomes due. Request a worked breakdown if a percentage fee is proposed. An agency charging the brand for management is not necessarily the same as deducting a commission from the creator’s fee.
Network registration and exclusive talent representation are also different. Joining Esperto’s creator network is free and does not create exclusivity. Any campaign-specific fee and payment terms must be agreed before participation.
Make scope changes visible
Keep a record of the approved brief. If a brand changes the concept after filming or adds another platform, explain the effect on cost and delivery before doing the extra work. Specify what happens when a client delays feedback, a shoot is cancelled or a product arrives late.
For advertising use, specify an end date and how renewal is handled. Do not assume permission to post an asset organically includes permission to promote it through a creator’s identity or account. Agree any required platform permissions separately, without sharing passwords.
Keep paid and gifted work distinct
A product’s retail value is not the same as a cash fee. Record whether an offer is cash, gifts, commission or a combination. ASCI identifies free products as one possible material connection requiring disclosure; consult its official influencer guidance when planning promotional content.
A reusable quote template
- Client and campaign: [name, objective, contracting party]
- Deliverables: [format, count, duration, language, platform]
- Included work: [concept, production, revisions, reporting]
- Publishing: [dates, account, minimum live period]
- Rights: [channels, organic/advertising use, duration, territory]
- Exclusions: [raw files, travel, extra revisions, exclusivity unless priced]
- Fees: [production, posting, rights, other agreed items, currency]
- Payment: [milestones, due dates, invoice process, applicable deductions]
- Change or cancellation process: [agreed terms]
Turn the rate card into a conversation
A rate card starts a discussion; a clear campaign agreement confirms it. Keep your portfolio and evidence current, review which projects are commercially workable and adjust future quotes based on the time and costs you actually incur.
Read how to find paid collaborations, then register your creator profile with Esperto if you want to be considered for relevant opportunities. Brands can request a campaign discussion.