Sponsorship Pricing for Creators: How to Value Your Deals

The Basics of Pricing

Sponsorship pricing comes down to one concept: CPM, or cost per thousand impressions. If a brand pays you $5,000 for a video that gets 100,000 views, that's a $50 CPM. Industry benchmarks range from $15-50 CPM depending on niche, platform, and engagement.

But here's what the CPM formula doesn't capture: your audience's purchasing power, your engagement rate, your authenticity, and your ability to actually sell the product. A gaming channel with 1M teenage subscribers and a finance channel with 100K adult professionals might have the same CPM—but the finance audience is worth far more to most advertisers.

Your rate should reflect your views, yes—but also who's watching and how they respond when you recommend something.

Rates by Platform

Each platform has different norms because the content format, audience behavior, and advertiser expectations differ. Here's what typical rates look like in 2026:

These are starting points. Your actual rate should be personalized to your metrics. Our Rate Calculator can help you find your number.

What Affects Your Rate

Beyond raw views, several factors push your rate up or down. Understanding these helps you justify higher rates to brands—and know when you're being undervalued.

Niche matters enormously. Finance, business, and tech audiences are worth 2-3x entertainment audiences because those viewers have money and purchase intent. A finance creator with 50K subscribers often out-earns a gaming creator with 500K. Brands selling $500 software care about reaching buyers, not teenagers.

Engagement rate signals quality. If 10% of your viewers comment and engage, you have an active community that trusts you. If you get 2M views but 12 comments, something's off. Brands increasingly ask for engagement metrics, not just subscriber counts.

Audience demographics affect value. US/UK/Canada/Australia audiences are worth more than audiences in lower-income countries—because brands can actually sell to them. If you have geographic data showing 80% US audience, you can command premium rates.

Track record builds leverage. If you can show that your last 5 sponsorships drove measurable results—app downloads, signups, sales—you can charge more. Start collecting these case studies early.

Exclusivity costs extra. If a brand wants you to avoid their competitors for 3 months, that's not just one video's worth of value—that's several potential deals you're turning down. Exclusivity should add 25-50% to your rate minimum.

Negotiation Strategy

The single most important negotiation tactic: don't quote first. When a brand reaches out, ask about their budget range before sharing your rates. "What's your budget for this campaign?" gives you information. Maybe they were planning to offer $3,000 when you would have asked for $2,000. Now you know.

If they insist you quote first, quote high. You can always come down; you can never go up. Add 20-30% to what you'd actually accept, and leave room for negotiation. If they accept immediately, you probably underpriced.

Have a floor—a number below which you won't go. This keeps you from accepting deals that aren't worth your time. A $500 brand deal that takes 10 hours of work is $50/hour before taxes. You can probably make more money creating regular content.

And always get it in writing. A brand's verbal agreement means nothing. A signed contract with payment terms, deliverables, and deadlines means everything.

Red Flags & Deal Terms

Not all brand deals are created equal. Some contracts contain terms that can hurt you for years. Know what to watch for:

"Exposure" offers are almost always bad deals. If a company has budget for a product, they have budget for payment. The exception: genuinely small startups offering equity or products you actually want and would buy anyway.

When in doubt, ask other creators. Communities like r/NewTubers, creator Discord servers, and Twitter creator communities can quickly tell you if a brand is legitimate or known for problematic behavior.

Getting Your First Deals

Brand deals typically start coming organically around 10K-50K subscribers—though this varies wildly by niche. Finance and tech creators get approached earlier; gaming and entertainment creators may need larger audiences.

Don't just wait for inbound. You can pitch brands directly. Identify products you already use and love, find the marketing contact on LinkedIn, and send a brief pitch: who you are, your audience, and why you'd be a good fit. Most won't respond, but some will. One "yes" can lead to a case study that attracts more brands.

Influencer platforms (AspireIQ, Grin, Creator.co, etc.) connect brands with creators. The rates tend to be lower than direct relationships because the platform takes a cut, but they're a good starting point for building experience and case studies.

Start a media kit: a one-pager with your stats, audience demographics, sample engagement rates, and past collaborations. Make it easy for brands to say yes. Update it quarterly as your numbers grow.