How to price your brand deals: a guide for Indian creators

Part of the guideThe creator’s guide to brand deals in India

“What’s your rate?” is the question most creators dread. Say too much and the brand disappears. Say too little and you are stuck doing a week of work for the price of a day. Here is a simple way to build a rate you can explain and defend.

Start from views, not followers

Brands are paying for attention. Work out your typical views per format over your last 10 to 15 posts. That number, not your follower count, is the base of your price.

Price each format separately

• Story: quick to make, lasts 24 hours. Your lowest price.
• Reel or Short: idea, shoot and edit. Keeps getting views. Your core price.
• YouTube integration: a segment inside a long video. Priced higher because of watch time and search life.
• Dedicated video: the whole video is about the brand. Your highest price.

Charge extra for the things brands often slip in

• Usage rights: reposting, ads or website use, priced by how long and where.
• Exclusivity: not working with competitors costs you income. Price it.
• Extra revisions: include one round, charge for more.
• Rush delivery: less than a week’s notice costs more.
• Raw files: unedited footage has value to a brand’s editor.

Offer bundles

A Reel plus three Stories plus 30 days of ad usage is easier for a brand to say yes to than a list of separate prices. Bundles also raise your average deal size.

Free product is not a fee

Gifting is fine when you genuinely want the product and there is no obligation to post. If a brand expects a post, it is paid work, and it needs a fee and an ad label.

How to answer “what’s your rate?”

Ask first: “What formats, dates and usage do you need?” Then reply with a bundle price and what it includes. It sounds professional and stops you underpricing a deal that turns out to include a year of ads.

If you would rather someone else had these conversations for you, that is what we do. Join the roster, it is free.