If you have 5K followers and a brand just slid into your DMs, you're probably wondering how much to charge for a brand deal with 5K followers. This one is built for accounts your size.
Here's the number you came for: at the 5K follower tier, Selah's base rates run $50–$275 per deliverable, depending on the platform and format. But if your engagement is strong for your size, that floor moves up.
This guide covers base rates by platform, how your engagement rate changes the math, what add-ons to charge for, and when to stop accepting gifted deals and start charging real money.
The Short Answer: How Much to Charge for a Brand Deal with 5K Followers
Your engagement rate is doing more work than your follower count.
Here are base rates for common deliverables at the 5K follower tier:
| Platform + Deliverable | Base Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reel (single) | $150–$275 | Most common first deal |
| Instagram Feed Post | $75–$150 | Carousels command a small premium |
| Instagram Story Set | $50–$75 | Low production lift |
| TikTok Video (single) | $125–$200 | High engagement tier here |
With strong engagement for your size, quote the top of each range; otherwise, start in the middle.
Selah's benchmark rates are calibrated against published 2026 pricing guides, including Influee and Hootsuite.
These are base rates — add-ons are not included. Usage rights, exclusivity, and boosting each add to the total.
Why Engagement Rate Matters More Than Follower Count at This Tier
At 5K followers, engagement rate is your leverage. A nano creator with 5K followers and a 7% engagement rate is delivering more actual eyeballs per post than someone with 25K followers and a 1.2% rate.
Brands running savvy influencer campaigns already know this. If they reach out to you specifically, they've looked at your engagement. You should be pricing from the same place they're evaluating from.
How to calculate your engagement rate: take the average likes + comments on your last 10 posts, divide by your follower count, multiply by 100. The higher it is compared with accounts your size, the further toward the top of the range above you can push.
What Goes Into the Price
At any follower tier, the deliverable is just the starting point. Brand deals have layers, and nano creators are just as entitled to price those layers as anyone with 100K followers.
The Core Variables
Deliverable type and quantity. One TikTok video is one fee. Two TikTok videos plus a Story set is three fees — or a bundled rate that accounts for the creative lift. Never assume the brand's ask covers everything for a single flat number unless you define it clearly.
Platform. TikTok and Instagram Reels typically price at a slight premium over static posts or Stories because they require editing, audio selection, and more production time. Price accordingly.
Content exclusivity. If the brand wants you to avoid posting about competitors for a set period, that's an exclusivity add-on — a separate line item on top of your content fee. Here's how to price exclusivity in a brand deal →
Usage rights. If the brand wants to use your content anywhere outside your own posts — their website, email marketing, paid ads — that's a usage rights fee. It's not free. Here's how much to charge for usage rights →
Ad boosting. If the brand wants to boost your post as a paid ad — including through Spark Codes on TikTok — that's a boosting rights fee on top of your base rate. Brands are counting on you not realizing this is a separate ask.
The Add-Ons That Change Your Total
Add-ons are where most creators leave money on the table.
Even a simple brief can come with terms you don't see at first, such as usage rights, exclusivity, or boosting.
Here's what to look for and what to add:
Usage rights (3 months): Add 20% of your base rate if the brand only reposts it on its own channels, 53% if it runs the content as a paid ad.
Category exclusivity (30 days): Add 30% of the content fee. If they want 90 days, 40%. Exclusivity means you're turning down other deals in that category — that has real cost.
Spark Code / ad boosting rights: Add 75% of the video fee for 30 days, more for longer. If a TikTok brand asks for a "Spark Code," that's an ad rights request. It belongs on the invoice as its own line item. Here's what a Spark Code actually means →
Link in bio (30 days): Add 10–15% of your rate. Your link in bio is high-conversion real estate. A brand asking you to hold it for 30 days is asking for something with real value. Here's how to price a link in bio →
A Worked Example Breakdown at 5K Followers
Let's put real numbers to a realistic first deal.
Creator profile (hypothetical): 5,400 Instagram followers, lifestyle niche, strong engagement. No previous paid deals.
Brand ask: Say a skincare brand reaches out asking for one Instagram Reel, one Story set (4 frames), and they mention in the brief that they "may want to repost the content on our own channels." They don't mention exclusivity.
Here's what that deal is actually worth:
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1× Instagram Reel | $225 |
| 1× Instagram Stories | $75 |
| 3-month organic usage rights | $100 |
| Total | $400 |
The usage line is triggered by the "repost" language in the brief. Without flagging it, she might have quoted for the Reel and Stories alone and called it done.
That gap is common at the nano tier — not because creators are naive, but because the brief is written to obscure it.
Get a quote for your next deal →
When to Start Charging vs. Accepting Gifted
Gifted versus paid is the question underneath the question most nano creators are really asking.
Gifted deals — where a brand sends product in exchange for a post, with no cash payment — are sometimes fine. They're also sometimes a way for brands to extract content, usage rights, and audience access from creators who don't know yet that they could charge.
Here's a practical framework for the 5K tier:
Gifted is reasonable when: The product has genuine retail value you'd be glad to receive, you were going to buy or try it anyway, the brand has no exclusivity or usage rights requirements, and you have creative control. This is free product in exchange for an honest post — a fair exchange if the product is relevant.
Start charging when: The brand wants specific messaging, approval rights over your content, multiple deliverables, usage rights (including "the right to repost"), exclusivity in any form, a Spark Code, or a link in bio hold. Any one of these tips the exchange from "gifted collab" to "paid work."
Also worth naming plainly: if a brand with a real marketing budget is reaching out to you, they have a line item for influencer marketing. They are not sending you product because they can't afford to pay you. They are sending product to see if you'll post without asking for more. The moment you ask, many of them will pay.
What "I Don't Have a Budget" Usually Means
It often means they were hoping not to pay. It does not mean they have no budget.
A reasonable response: "I totally understand — I'd love to work together. My rate for one Reel is $225. If product-only works better for this campaign, I'm happy to keep you in mind for future paid partnerships."
That's not aggressive. That's professional.
How Your Rate Compares to the 10K Tier
Since published guides often start at larger audiences, here's how the 5K tier compares so you have a reference point:
| Follower Tier | Instagram Reel (Base) | TikTok Video (Base) | Story Set (Base) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5K | $150–$275 | $125–$200 | $50–$75 |
| 10K | $300–$500 | $200–$350 | $100–$150 |
Engagement narrows the gap. A highly engaged 5K creator can deliver more attention than a less engaged 10K creator, and should quote the top of her range without apology.
Selah is built for the creator side — and the rates above reflect what this tier can actually command, not what brands prefer to pay.
How to Calculate Your Rate
Base rates give you a starting point. Your actual rate depends on your specific engagement, the deliverables in the brief, and whatever the contract is actually asking for.
A brief that says "one Instagram post" and a contract that includes "90-day digital usage rights, Spark Code access, and category exclusivity for 60 days" are two very different deals. The brief is what brands use to get you on the hook. The contract is what you're actually agreeing to.
Read both before you quote a number. Price what's in the contract, not just what's in the brief.
Get a quote for your next deal →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for a brand deal with 5K followers in 2026?
Nano creators at the 5K tier can charge $50–$275 per deliverable as a base rate, depending on platform and format. If your engagement is strong for your size, price at the higher end of that range. Add-ons like usage rights, exclusivity, and Spark Codes are separate line items on top of the base fee.
Is my engagement rate more important than my follower count at 5K?
Yes. A highly engaged 5K creator can deliver more active attention per post than a 20K creator whose audience rarely interacts. Price from your engagement rate, not just your follower count.
When should I stop accepting gifted deals and start charging?
Start charging the moment a brand asks for specific messaging, usage rights, exclusivity, approval rights, multiple deliverables, a Spark Code, or a link in bio hold. Any of those elements means the brand is extracting real commercial value — they should be paying for it.
What's a fair rate for a TikTok video at 5K followers?
For a single TikTok video at the 5K tier with strong engagement, a fair base rate is $150–$200. If the brand also wants a Spark Code to boost it as a paid ad, add 75% of that fee for 30 days. The Spark Code is an ad rights request — it's not included in the content fee.
How do I negotiate if a brand says they have no budget?
Respond professionally and hold your rate: "My rate for this deliverable is $X. If that doesn't work for this campaign, I'd love to stay on your radar for future paid partnerships." If they genuinely can't pay and the gifted exchange is fair (no usage rights, no exclusivity, no specific messaging requirements), you can evaluate on those terms. But don't assume they can't pay before asking.
Do I need to charge for usage rights at this follower tier?
Yes — if the brand wants them. Usage rights aren't tied to follower count. If a brand wants to repost your content, use it in their email marketing, or run it as a paid ad, that's a usage rights request regardless of how many followers you have. For 90 days, that's 20% of your base rate for reposts on the brand's channels and 53% for paid ads.