How sponsored rates are estimated
Industry rates vary by platform: TikTok pays the lowest per-follower rate (huge organic reach), YouTube the highest (long-form video, captive audience), and Instagram sits in the middle.
The engagement multiplier scales linearly between 0.5 and 1.8 based on engagement rate from 0% to 8%+ — high-engagement creators charge a premium because their endorsements convert better.
Per-platform per-post rates (USD per 1,000 followers)
Industry averages observed in 2024 data. Real rates vary significantly with niche and brand fit.
| Platform | Nano (1k–10k) | Micro (10k–100k) | Mid (100k–500k) | Macro (500k–1M) | Mega (1M+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | $20–40 | $15–25 | $10–20 | $8–15 | $5–10 |
| $10–25 | $8–18 | $6–12 | $4–9 | $3–6 | |
| TikTok | $5–15 | $4–10 | $3–7 | $2–5 | $1.5–3 |
| $5–15 | $4–10 | $3–7 | $2–5 | $1.5–3 | |
| X (Twitter) | $2–8 | $2–6 | $1.5–4 | $1–3 | $0.5–2 |
Influencer tiers
- Nano — 1,000–10,000 followers. Highest engagement, often 5–10%. Trusted by close audience.
- Micro — 10,000–100,000. Sweet spot for niche brands; engagement 2–5%.
- Mid-tier — 100,000–500,000. Reach + audience trust; engagement 1.5–3.5%.
- Macro — 500,000–1,000,000. Mass-market reach; engagement 1–2%.
- Mega / celebrity — 1M+. Brand-awareness plays; engagement often < 1%.
FAQ
Why does engagement rate matter more than follower count?
A 50k account with 6% engagement out-converts a 500k account with 0.5% — same number of engaged people, but the 50k creator's audience trusts them more. Most brands now pay on a CPM-of-engagements basis rather than CPM-of-followers.
What's a good engagement rate?
On Instagram: above 3% is good, above 6% excellent. On YouTube: above 5% is good. TikTok engagement is typically higher (6–12%) due to short-form viewing patterns.
Does this include platform creator-fund payouts?
YouTube AdSense is roughly approximated by the platform-payout figure. TikTok Creator Fund and Reels Play bonus are tiny per-view rates ($0.02–0.04 per 1k views) and are baked in at a low level — most influencer revenue comes from sponsorships, not platform funds.