Convert the quote into a cost per thousand views and compare it to what you already pay for paid media on that platform. If the creator's number is in the same range, it is fair. If it is several times higher, you are paying for follower count, not attention.
The problem
The usual version: a creator sends a rate sheet with one flat price per post, justified by follower count. The number is not obviously crazy and the audience looks like the right customer. The question is whether the price makes sense, and follower count cannot answer that.
Followers are not what you are buying. You are buying views from the creator's audience, once, on one post. A 200,000-follower account that averages 8,000 views per Reel is selling you 8,000 views. Price it that way.
The fix, in three steps
1. Get average views, not followers. Ask the creator for average views across their last 10 posts in the format you are buying. Most will send a screenshot of their insights. If they refuse, that tells you something too. If you cannot get it, use the public view counts on their recent Reels or TikToks and average them yourself. Skip the one viral outlier.
2. Turn the quote into a CPM. Divide the quoted price by average views, then multiply by 1,000.
Quote $1,200. Average views 8,000. CPM = 1,200 ÷ 8,000 × 1,000 = $150 per thousand views.
3. Compare it to paid media on the same platform. You know, or can pull from your ad account, what a thousand impressions costs you on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Sponsored content earns a premium over a cold ad, because the creator's endorsement carries trust that an ad does not. It does not earn a 10x premium. If the creator's CPM is a modest multiple of your paid CPM, negotiate on the details. If it is an order of magnitude higher, counter with a number built from views, and show the math.
The Influencer Pricing Calculator does this arithmetic for you and prefills a starting CPM per platform and format. The ranges and the reasoning behind them are on the influencer CPM rates page.
What legitimately raises the price
Three things justify paying above the base CPM. Each one is a separate product, so price each one separately instead of letting it hide inside the flat rate.
- Usage rights. Running the creator's content in your own paid ads, or whitelisting their handle, is a different purchase than one organic post. Expect to pay more for it, and agree on the duration in writing.
- Exclusivity. If the creator cannot work with your competitors for a period, you are paying for their lost income. Thirty days is a reasonable default ask.
- Engagement quality. A creator whose comments are real conversations with the audience is worth more per view than one whose comments are emoji from other creators. Check it in the engagement rate calculator before money moves.