How Much to Charge for Instagram Feed Posts: The Complete Breakdown
A brand emails you and asks for a static feed post. Maybe a carousel. The brief is clear, the product fits your niche, and the money question lands in your inbox:
"What are your rates for an IG feed post?"
You pause. You've priced Reels before. TikToks, too. But a feed post feels different — lower stakes somehow. It lives on your grid permanently. It anchors your profile. And brands know exactly why they're asking for it.
This guide gives you a direct answer to the question of how much to charge for an Instagram feed post — with the variables, the breakdown, and a real example you can work from.
The Short Answer
For a mid-tier creator — 50K to 500K followers — a single sponsored Instagram feed post typically runs $800 to $5,000, depending on your follower count, engagement rate, niche, and whether the brand is asking for anything beyond the post itself.
Here's a directional rate table by tier:
| Follower Count | Feed Post (Base Rate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 50K–100K | $800–$1,800 | Higher ER can push toward the top |
| 100K–200K | $1,500–$3,000 | Niche authority matters at this tier |
| 200K–350K | $2,500–$4,000 | Add-ons become a larger % of the deal |
| 350K–500K | $3,500–$5,500 | Brand-direct deals at this tier should land here |
These are base rates — content fee only, no add-ons included. If the brand wants usage rights, exclusivity, boosting access, or a link in bio, each of those is a separate line item.
What Goes Into the Price
Feed posts aren't priced the same way as Reels or Stories. They're a distinct deliverable with their own logic, and the pricing reflects that.
The Content Fee (Your Base Rate)
This is what you're charging for the creative work — concept, shooting, editing, copywriting, and publishing. For a static feed post, production effort is usually lighter than a Reel. That's reflected in the base rate. But permanence matters. A feed post stays on your grid indefinitely. It contributes to your profile aesthetic. It's the version of your brand that new followers and potential brand partners see first.
That's not free. Don't price it like it is.
Engagement Rate Adjusts the Number
A creator with 100K followers and a 4% engagement rate should not be charging the same as a creator with 100K followers and a 1.5% engagement rate. Brands know this — and if they're savvy, they'll offer a lower number to lower-ER accounts. The inverse is also true: if your engagement is strong, use it as leverage.
For reference, Instagram feed posts typically see lower engagement rates than Reels. That's a platform dynamic, not a performance signal. A 2–3% engagement rate on a feed post at 100K is healthy. Above 3% is excellent, and your rate should reflect it.
Niche Affects the Rate More Than You Think
Beauty and fashion creators have historically commanded higher rates for feed posts because the format performs for those verticals — product photography, aesthetic shots, brand integration that looks native to the grid. Finance, fitness, and parenting also hold strong CPMs at the mid-tier.
If you're in a high-CPM niche, your feed post rate should trend toward the top of the range for your tier, not the middle.
Carousel Posts vs. Single Images
A single static image and a carousel are not the same deliverable. A carousel requires more images, more thought, and often performs significantly better — carousel posts tend to generate higher engagement rates and longer viewing time than single-image posts. If a brand is asking for a carousel, add a 20–35% premium on top of your base rate.
The Add-Ons That Change Your Total
This is where most creators leave money on the table. The base content fee is just the starting point. Every right the brand asks for beyond "publish this once" is a separate billable item.
Usage Rights
If the brand wants to repurpose your feed post in their own advertising — on Meta, in email, on their website — that's a usage rights fee. Duration matters: 30-day usage is priced differently than 6-month or perpetual usage.
A standard usage rights add-on typically runs 25–100% of your base content fee, depending on duration and scope. You can read the full breakdown in Selah's usage rights pricing guide.
Don't skip this line item. Brands often include usage rights in the brief as a given — as if it were included in your content fee. It isn't.
Exclusivity
If the brand is asking you not to work with competitor brands for a defined period, that's exclusivity — and it has a real cost. You're giving up potential revenue from other deals during that window. Pricing exclusivity correctly depends on the duration and how narrow the category restriction is.
As a starting point: add 20–50% of your base content fee for 30 days of exclusivity. Longer windows cost more.
Boosting / Ad Access
If the brand wants the ability to boost your post from their ad account — or run it as a paid placement — that's ad boosting access, and it's a separate line item. They are using your content to run paid media. You don't post anything new, but your face and account are attached to paid distribution.
Brands are counting on you to include this in your content fee because you don't know to charge for it. You do now.
Add 25–75% of your content fee for boosting rights, depending on duration.
Link in Bio
A link in bio placement is high-conversion real estate. If the brand wants you to swap your link in bio for the duration of a campaign, that's a separate fee — typically $200–$500 per week, or negotiated as a flat add-on to the deal. Here's how to price a link in bio in full detail.
A Real Example Breakdown
Here's what a feed post deal looks like when you build it out with line items.
Creator profile: 130K followers, beauty/lifestyle, 3.2% engagement rate on feed content.
Brand ask: One sponsored Instagram feed post (carousel), 30-day usage rights for Meta advertising, 30-day category exclusivity (beauty/skincare).
| Line Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Feed post (carousel) — base content fee | $2,200 |
| Carousel premium (+25%) | $550 |
| Usage rights — 30 days, Meta | $825 |
| Exclusivity — 30 days, beauty/skincare | $660 |
| Total | $4,235 |
Without the add-ons, this creator might have quoted $2,200 for the content and called it done. The brand would have walked away with usage rights and exclusivity included by default — because they're typically included in the brief without being called out as separate items.
Most guides online recommend lower rates here. Selah is built for the creator side — you should be paid what you're worth.
Feed Posts vs. Reels: What's the Pricing Difference?
This is worth naming directly because it trips up a lot of creators.
Reels generally command higher base rates than feed posts because they require more production effort — video, editing, music, motion — and because Instagram's algorithm has consistently favored video content since 2022. The reach on an organic Reel is typically higher than on a static feed post for the same account.
That doesn't mean feed posts are worth less. It means they're priced on a different axis.
Feed posts hold value for brands because of placement permanence, grid aesthetic, and the trust signal of a polished, branded image anchored to your profile. A Reel lives in the algorithm's feed. A feed post lives on your page. For discovery-focused campaigns, brands specifically want the grid placement. Don't discount it.
As a rule of thumb: price a single static feed post at 65–80% of your single-Reel rate. Price a carousel at 85–100% of your Reel rate, given the production requirement. If a brand is bundling a feed post with a Reel or Stories, those are separate line items — not one bundled price.
How to Calculate Your Rate for Instagram Feed Posts
The ranges in this guide are directional. Your actual rate depends on your specific follower count, engagement rate, niche, and what the brand is asking for beyond the content itself.
The cleanest way to arrive at a number you can stand behind — and defend when a brand pushes back — is to build your quote with every variable accounted for. That means starting with your base content fee and adding each line item: usage rights by duration, exclusivity by category and window, boosting access if requested, carousel premium if applicable.
Get a quote for your next deal →
Selah builds your quote from these variables automatically. You enter what the brand is asking for; it returns the number. No guessing, no rounding down, no second-guessing yourself after you hit send.
When a Brand Pushes Back on Your Feed Post Rate
Expect it. Brands often open with a lower number because they expect negotiation. "Our budget for a feed post is $800" from a mid-size brand is usually not the ceiling — it's the opening.
When you counter, anchor to specifics: your engagement rate, the carousel premium if applicable, the duration of usage rights they're asking for. Don't negotiate against your base rate. If something needs to give, the first item to adjust is a shorter usage rights window or a narrower exclusivity clause — not the content fee itself.
If they ask you to "keep the base rate but include usage rights" — that's a no. Usage rights are a separate right, not a rounding adjustment. Here's how to respond when a brand lowballs you with tactics you can use in your reply today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for a single sponsored Instagram feed post? For most mid-tier creators (50K–500K followers), a single sponsored feed post runs $800–$5,000 depending on your follower count, engagement rate, and niche. That's the base content fee — before usage rights, exclusivity, or boosting access are added.
Is a carousel post more expensive than a single image post? Yes. A carousel requires more assets, more creative work, and typically delivers stronger engagement than a single image. Add a 20–35% premium to your base content fee when a brand requests a carousel.
Do I charge separately for usage rights on a feed post? Yes, always. Usage rights are a separate line item regardless of the deliverable type. If a brand wants to repurpose your feed post in their ads, that's an additional 25–100% of your content fee depending on the duration and scope.
How does a feed post rate compare to a Reel rate? A single static feed post is typically priced at 65–80% of your Reel rate. A carousel can run 85–100% of your Reel rate, given the production volume. If a brand is bundling both deliverables, price them as separate line items.
What if a brand says their budget for a feed post is fixed? A fixed budget is rarely truly fixed. Counter with your full quote and let the brand adjust scope — shorter usage rights window, narrower exclusivity, or fewer deliverables — rather than discounting your base rate. Your content fee is the floor, not a negotiating point.