If I had a dollar for every time a blogger asked me this question, or I saw this question posted in a blogging group, I’d be rich. The question of how much should bloggers charge for sponsored posts is a hot topic, not just because it’s a good question, but because the answer seems so elusive. Many bloggers are tight-lipped about how much they charge or have been paid, either by choice or by force due to non-disclosure agreements. It is especially hard to determine pricing when you’re a new blogger, or your ‘numbers’ are much smaller than other influencers. How do I measure up?
Black Woman At Laptop
I found the best answer as I was reading Influencer Marketing for Dummies, which is a resource for brands who want to use influencers to help market their products and/or services. But it is also a great resource for those of us who are influencers, so that we understand how influencer marketing works from the brand’s perspective. This will help you see your value in the market place, and how your blog, YouTube channel, and social media accounts can help you create a platform that can provide a service to brands that you can make money from.

The thing about rates for influencers, is that there will never be a set rate because there are so many variables involved. In Chapter 4, this is discussed. Using a formula to determine payment won’t work, simply because there isn’t a number that measure quality content, which is what all brands want, regardless of how many people are in your audience. I recall working with a brand once on a sponsored video, and they used a formula to determine how much they paid for video content. With their formula, I would’ve gotten paid $25 simply because of the size of my subscribers. But does that factor in my influence or my hard work in creating an awesome video? Nope. Fortunately they recognized this an compensated me more appropriately that the formula suggested.

If we all know the going rate in the industry right now, then we have something to work within. According to Influencer Marketing for Dummies, here are the going rates in 2015 for each platform:

  • Blogs: $175-$5000 or more
  • Instagram: $75-$3000 per image
  • Facebook: $40-$300 per post
  • Twitter: $5-$5000 per tweet
  • Video: $500-$5000 or more per video

In the book, there is a lot more detail given as to what factors come into play to determine where you should fall within this rate range. This book was truly helpful so that I can understand what value I can bring to the table. It also included information on making the most of each social media platform, how to ensure your marketing campaigns are success, as well as case studies as examples of brands who’ve used influencer marketing the right way. If you are a business owner who is using a blog or social media to help market your products or services, this book is a great resource for you as well. It speaks in every day language which is inline with the ‘For Dummies’ brand, and I loved it.

With this resource, I now have the ‘backstage’ knowledge of how the brand/influencer game works. Once you know the game, you can play it so much better. If you’re interested in this book, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.