The creator: size and quality of the community
An influencer’s fee generally rises with the size of their community, but follower count is only the starting point. Genuine engagement matters too, as does specialism (for a skincare brand, a creator followed for their skincare reviews can be worth more than a generalist with a bigger following), production quality and how much demand there is for the creator among brands at the time.
That’s why two creators with the same following can quote very different fees – and that’s perfectly normal.
Formats and number of posts
A set of Stories, a Reel, a carousel, a TikTok or a YouTube video each take different amounts of time to plan and produce, so each costs a different amount. The number of posts matters too, as do any location or in-store shoots and appearances at events.
- Instagram Stories: quick to produce, visible for 24 hours.
- Reels and TikToks: more work on concept and editing; the same video is often posted on both platforms.
- Carousels and posts: useful for collections and products that need to be shown in detail.
- Events and store openings: extra time, travel and social coverage before, during and after.
- Collab posts with the brand’s profile: the content also appears on the brand’s own profile.
Usage rights, paid amplification and exclusivity
This is often the line that makes the biggest difference – and the one quotes explain least clearly. If the brand wants to reuse content in ads or boost it from the creator’s profile, the fee reflects the channels and duration: ad usage rights for a limited period cost less than broad rights across several channels for several months.
Category exclusivity – the creator’s commitment not to work with competitors for a set period – comes at a price, because it rules out other collaborations. Ask for it only when you need it, and for a reasonable length of time.
Duration and continuity
A one-off campaign tied to a launch or a promotion is built differently from ongoing activity. Long-term partnerships allow better planning and a more credible relationship between creator and brand – an always-on TikTok strategy, for example, or a year-long content programme for a store.
What the agency does beyond the creators
An agency’s quote also covers the work that goes on around the content. The more services you need, the more hours go into it.
- Strategy, creator selection and negotiation.
- Contracts, usage rights and checking ad disclosures.
- Briefs and scripts for creators, content approval with the brand.
- Product shipping: in large-scale seeding, logistics is a major part of the work.
- Events and in-store activations.
- Monitoring, final report and content archive.
Is seeding cheaper?
Seeding means sending products to a network of creators with no obligation to post. There are no content fees, but there is the value of the products, the shipping and the work of selecting and coordinating creators – which is substantial with hundreds of creators per wave. If a creator does talk about the product, the content must still be disclosed, for example with “prodotto inviato da…” (product sent by…). Seeding works when the priority is reaching lots of people with spontaneous content, less so when you need precise messaging or fixed timings.
How to read a quote – and ask for a useful one
A clear quote lists, for each creator, the formats and number of posts, publication dates, usage rights with channels and duration, and any exclusivity and paid amplification. It also keeps creator fees separate from agency services. If two quotes look far apart, the difference almost always lies in one of these lines.
To get a useful proposal, share your goal, product, platforms, timing and an indicative budget, even just a range. That way the agency can suggest the right mix rather than a list of names. It’s exactly what we ask for in the quote request form on our site.
