How & What to Charge For Your Content Creation
With Insights From a Marketing Executive in Beauty
Determining your rates as a content creator can be tricky, but it's essential to ensure you're getting paid fairly for your work.
Brands are willing to pay for quality content, but they need to understand what they're getting for their money.
Remember, content creation requires long term strategy, actively building brand relationships and ultimately, a bit of stubbornness.
Here’s a guide on how to break down your rates and why it’s important to be transparent about your pricing.
We’ve also had the pleasure of asking Marketing Executives in the beauty niche about their experience working paid with content creators, for extra insight.
Understand Your Niche
It’s a non negotiable to understand the field you’re playing on.
Identifying your niche and seeking to know it more (the norms, the community, the brands etc) leads to a deeper understanding and ultimately a better position to negotiate payment from.
"Find out what people in your niche are charging and around your following size.
Go out of your way to give all the detail you can (how many seconds your reels are, what your story sets consist of video/stills etc)." -Marketing Executive
Start by researching what other creators in your niche and with a similar following are charging. This will give you a benchmark to work from and help you understand the market rate for your content.
This may look like reaching out to trusted friends or doing lots of research. You can also find platforms like FYPM that offer up pricing examples for brands and campaigns (AKA, Glassdoor for influencers).
White Rabbit Social also has a place you can check what people in your direct niche are charging, although it is Australia specific.
Provide a Detailed Price Breakdown
A point often missed that the Marketing Executive made surrounding detail is so, so important.
It’s easy to misquote.
Ultimately, x1 Reel that’s 15 seconds and doesn’t have your face in it (product only) is priced very differently to a 90 second Reel that involves you speaking to the camera, doing B roll, going to a specific store to film etc.
This is also why a rate card can work against you often.
When asked for your rates, do your best to understand the scope of the work clearly before quoting, or quote an estimated price and explain some factors can change the quote.
It's important to detail every aspect of what you're offering.
Examples of specifics that are often overlooked may look like:
The Length of your Reel in seconds
If filming requires travel or any expenses (eg: specific nail colours, items you need to purchase)
If Story Sets are still images or video and how many slides they include, alongside how long a slide is.
Remember! Instagram once had 15 second stories as a maximum, now that time limit is 60 seconds.
Imagine quoting a Story Set for $300 thinking you were about to do x3 Still images, and the brand is expecting up to 3 mins of footage. No-Thank-You.
Pricing Varies…a lot
"I’ve seen a creator at 80,000 followers who charges $650 for one reel, which is what another creator at 7,000 charges."- Marketing Executive
It sucks for everyone.
Rates can vary widely, even among creators with vastly different followings.
The larger creators aren’t getting paid fairly, and your much smaller account is being compared to an account x100 your size.
Not to worry though! Why?
It’s known as price-value perception. It’s something we live and breath everyday, especially in the beauty community.
Summed up quickly: When you pay more for something, you value it more.
I can’t tell you all the reasons why I often find creators literally x20 the size of my account charging less than I do.
I can tell you they are undervalued not just monetarily, but also in the value that they have as a creator.
Time and time again- they’re not just being paid less, they’re being treated worse, considered less and get less opportunities.
They aren’t invited to events, they’re asked to work for free (yes, even huge accounts are asked that!) and they’re ghosted- not that all that can’t happen to anyone, of course.
They miss out on PR send outs, shocked at why a much smaller account got [Insert coveted PR send out here] but they didn’t.
This is a tangent, but an important one.
Creators often say that they are building up to charging more, or that they’re waiting for brands to approach them because they have large accounts- but they haven’t understood how little they’ve valued themselves, and brands are much less willing to engage them as a result.
They find themselves terrified to say no to a little-to-no paying opportunity, so say yes (sometimes brands even promise more in the future!) only to be passed over again and again.
It hurts to watch, and it’s a huge reason why I created White Rabbit Social.
The power of saying no is perhaps the most powerful thing we posses in our creative careers, and we should seek to use this power as often and as appropriately as we can.
Tangent over. Onward!
Highlight Your Value
"If it’s worth it, we will pay it. Highlight why it’s worth it. Direct ROI is an easy way to win us over, so include any code usage and sale details.
Beyond that, views, content quality and engagement contribute to the budget I’m willing to allocate when working with a creator." - Marketing Executive
Content Quality
Highlight the quality of your content. If you shoot in high-resolution, tell them!
Show high performing, on brand examples of your work for them to refer to.
If you have a unique style or excel at a particular type of content, highlight it.
Engagement Metrics
Provide your average engagement rate to show how active your audience is. You can also provide your engagement rate for specific ADs or posts that might be relevant.
Share insights about your audience demographics, like age, gender, and location, to show relevance to the brand.
You can include these details on your Media Kit. You can read about how to Create a Media Kit here.
Direct ROI (Return on Investment)
If you’ve worked with brands before, include data on how your content directly influenced sales or usage of discount codes.
This can include DMs from your audience showing their purchases and repeat purchases.Provide statistics on the average views and reach of your content, alongside any organic features you do to support your AD work.
Mention if you make an effort to showcase products before an AD feature- it matters!
Rates
These are ball park figures I see for accounts in my niche: Beauty, Skincare & Makeup.
Rates will vary for business / brand size, engagement, and other considerations mentioned and not mentioned in this article. Prices are in AUD.
1,000-5,000 Followers $400-$700 x1 Reel
5,000-10,000 Followers $700-$900 x1 Reel
10,000-15,000 Followers $900-$1,800 x1 Reel
15,000-30,000 Followers $1,800-$3,000 x1 Reel
From there, prices are often marked up by usage, or even marked down by brands booking in multiple pieces of content or bartering.
Usage is typically 30% of the rate charged / monthly per platform- which should be increased by particular factors.
A small business boosting your hands to 1,000 people is very different than a large business boosting a video of you shaving your armpits to millions with unmoderated comments.Read the full write up about how much to charge for boosting here.
Take Away Tips
Be Transparent
Clearly outline what’s included in your rates and why each element is valuable.
Provide Proof
Back up your claims with data and examples to make a strong case for your rates.
Stay Updated
Regularly review and adjust your rates based on market trends and your growing experience and following.
By providing a detailed breakdown of your rates and highlighting your value, you can make a compelling case for why brands should invest in your content.
Remember, brands are looking for quality, engagement, and direct ROI.
Show them that you can deliver on these fronts, and you'll be well on your way to successful collaborations.