Brands overpay influencers when they price on follower count. What you are buying is attention, and attention is priced per thousand views, the same CPM math you already use for paid media. This calculator prices a sponsored post the way a media buyer would: expected views, times a CPM, adjusted for engagement and rights.
The CPM defaults are editable starting points, not quotes; the full CPM ranges by platform are published with the reasoning behind them. Niche, audience quality, and content quality move real rates in both directions, so treat the output as your opening range for negotiation. If you can get the creator's actual average views from their last 10 posts, use that instead of the follower estimate; it is always more accurate. And before money moves, check their numbers in the engagement rate calculator.
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Price it like media: expected views times a CPM for the platform and format, then adjust for engagement quality, usage rights, and exclusivity. Flat follower-based rules of thumb overpay for large inflated accounts and underpay strong small ones.
Views, whenever you can get them. Followers are a proxy that inflates with account age and bought audiences. Average views across the last 10 posts is the closest thing to the impressions you are actually buying. This calculator accepts either and treats views as the better input.
It varies by platform and format, which is why we publish the working ranges we negotiate from, with the reasoning, at our influencer CPM rates page.
Because they are separate products. A post buys the creator’s audience once. Usage rights let you run their face in paid ads; exclusivity takes them off the market for competitors. Both have real value to you and real cost to them, so both price above the base post.