Free creator tool · 2026 industry medians

What to charge brands,
finally defensible.

Plug in your followers, engagement, and niche. Get a 3-tier rate (floor / fair / ceiling) for 13 post formats — backed by 2026 industry medians.

Updated quarterly 11 niches · 13 formatsNo signup to use

Your numbers

All fields update results live.

Rates update live as you change the inputs →

Numbers are based on 2026 industry medians + Linkos creator-network anonymous aggregates. Floor / fair / ceiling = p25 / p50 / p75 of the per-niche distribution.

Single post (fair)

$1,410

YouTube · dedicated video

Full package fair

$6,017

across 13 formats

Audience

25,000

Micro (10k–100k)

Per-format rate card

Instagram

FormatFloorFairCeiling
single post$176$235$329
carousel$212$282$395
reel$317$423$592
story (24h)$88$118$165

TikTok

FormatFloorFairCeiling
post$282$376$526

YouTube

FormatFloorFairCeiling
integration (60s)$423$564$790
dedicated video$1,058$1,410$1,974

X (Twitter)

FormatFloorFairCeiling
single post$71$94$132
sponsored thread$212$282$395

Newsletter

FormatFloorFairCeiling
dedicated send$494$658$921
blurb / placement$176$235$329

Podcast

FormatFloorFairCeiling
pre-roll (60s)$388$517$724
mid-roll (90s)$617$823$1,152

How to use these numbers

  • · Open every conversation with the fair column — never the floor
  • · Bundle 3+ formats for a 10-15% multi-post discount when asked
  • · If they push back, drop to floor only for first-time creators in their roster
  • · Add 30-50% for exclusivity windows ("don't post for a competitor for 90 days")
  • · Add 20-30% for usage rights ("they can repost on their channels")

How we built this

Three datasets, normalized, then sanity-checked.

We cross-referenced three public 2026 industry rate-card datasets, normalized to USD, then filtered to creators with comparable engagement bands. The Linkos creator-network contributes anonymous aggregates that fill the gaps on smaller niches.

Engagement adjusts the whole rate. 4% is the industry baseline; above that boosts your number, below discounts it. We cap the multiplier at 0.6×–1.8× so an outlier ER doesn't print impossible numbers.

Rates drift 5-8% YoY. We revisit the medians every quarter.

What the three numbers mean

Read the column. Anchor the conversation.

Floor

p25 · 25th percentile

The lowest defensible number. Use only when negotiating with first-time clients, doing a friend a favor, or when the brand is exceptionally valuable to you. Never your opening offer.

Fair

p50 · median

Your opening number. This is what the typical creator in your tier earns for this format right now. Drop only if there's a clear strategic reason (long-term contract, content reuse rights restricted, etc).

Ceiling

p75 · 75th percentile

What top performers earn. Earned with strong portfolios, premium audiences, exclusivity windows, or usage-rights upgrades. If you check those boxes — open here.

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