Pricing a booking: building a reference range by channel size

No published creator rate card is reliable, because real prices are not disclosed anywhere and every contract has different terms. What you can do is build a cost-per-interaction reference range from 8–10 channels in your own niche, then use it to tell whether a quote is high or low.

Why every rate card online is off

Three reasons, none fixable:

Real prices are not public. The figures in articles come from asking, and the people asked have reason to overstate.

A "booking" is not one thing. Some are post-only; some include six months of advertising rights; some include a livestream. Three times the price, all called one post.

Prices move with season. Q4, when brands run year-end campaigns, looks nothing like March.

Building your own range

Step 1 — take 8–10 channels in the same niche at a similar size. Use find creators by niche keyword.

Step 2 — run channel report on each. 5 credits per channel, 60 most recent videos. Record median views and engagement by views.

Step 3 — calculate absolute interactions per video: median views × engagement by views.

Step 4 — ask all 8–10 for a price, including ones you do not intend to work with. Asking costs nothing.

Step 5 — divide price by absolute interactions to get cost per interaction, then take the median. That median is your range.

Ten channels is 50 credits. The number is true for your niche and usable for a quarter.

Using the range in a negotiation

A quote above the median is not automatically expensive. It is expensive when there is no reason attached. Valid reasons:

• The channel edits noticeably better, so the content is reusable in ads.
• Their audience matches your customer more tightly — verify with audience analysis, 12 credits.
• The deal includes advertising rights, a longer post duration, or a competitor exclusivity commitment.

If none of those three apply, that is where to negotiate.

Three things to settle before discussing price

Rights to reuse the video in paid advertising, how long the post stays up, and the number of revisions. These three change the price more than anything else, so settle them first and the final figure will mean something. Details in the 12-point checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a general reference figure? CIA does not publish a rate card, because any figure would be wrong for most readers. A range built the way above is far more accurate.

Can I pay on performance instead of a flat fee? With some channels, usually through a unique discount code. Many creators decline because they do not control your sales page or pricing.

Is the data official platform analytics? No. It is an estimate from public data the platform displays.