Instagram sponsored post rates: how much to charge (2026)

When the first offer from a brand arrives, most creators get stuck at the same point: how much should I ask for? Too low and you sell your work cheaply; too high and you lose the deal. There is no single correct fee on Instagram, but you need a range you can defend before you sit down to negotiate. This guide explains how we calculate that range, what pulls it up or down, and the disclosure rules that apply when you post.

The formula and the rate table

fee per post = (followers ÷ 1,000) × rate per 1,000 followers × engagement multiplier

The most common starting point in the industry is a rate per follower. Our calculator uses the ranges below. All three rows are our own estimates; there is no official rate card published by Instagram or any trade body, and real deals can fall outside these ranges.

The top of each range is three times the bottom. That width is not arbitrary: a fashion account and a finance account with the same follower count get very different offers from the same brand. The low end fits general-interest accounts, and the high end fits accounts that reach an audience with strong purchasing power in a specific field.

The engagement multiplier

The second half of the formula accounts for how many of your followers actually react. Our calculator treats 3% engagement as 1.0 and scales in proportion, with a floor of 0.5 and a ceiling of 2.0. For an account with 100,000 followers and a US audience:

The 3% baseline is our assumption. In Socialinsider's 2026 report covering 447,613 pages, Instagram's average engagement rate is 0.48%; that sample is weighted toward brand pages, though, and personal creator accounts usually see higher rates. Our engagement rate guide walks through the calculation step by step.

Audience country

Brands pay for followers who live where their customers are. An account with 100,000 followers is worth far more to a US retailer if those followers are in the United States than if they are spread across countries the retailer does not ship to. That is why the three columns in the table differ by a factor of three, and why your audience breakdown belongs in every pitch.

You can see the breakdown in the insights of Instagram's professional dashboard. Putting a screenshot of that screen in your media kit is the quickest way to back up a claim about where your audience is.

A worked example: an account with 120,000 followers

Take a travel account with 120,000 followers. Its audience is mostly in the United States and the average engagement rate over its last 12 posts is 2.4%. A hotel chain asks for a quote for three posts a month.

1. Base: (120,000 ÷ 1,000) × ($5–$15) = $600–$1,800.
2. Multiplier: 2.4 ÷ 3 = 0.8.
3. Per post: $600–$1,800 × 0.8 = $480–$1,440.
4. Three posts a month: $1,440–$4,320.

That range is the opening frame for negotiation. Travel is a field with strong advertiser interest, so this account can aim for the middle and upper part of it. If it could lift engagement to 3%, the same three posts would be worth $1,800–$5,400, which makes the rate a lever you can move faster than follower count. You can run the same sum with your own numbers in the Instagram money calculator.

What the formula leaves out

Followers and engagement give you a base price. When you prepare a quote, discuss these items separately, because each one changes the scope of the work:

• Format. Shooting a Reel takes more work than a single-photo post, and a Story disappears after 24 hours. Price formats separately.
• Usage rights. If the brand wants to use your content on its own account or in paid ads, that is a separate right and should be written down with a duration.
• Exclusivity. If the brand asks you not to work with competitors for a period, it is normal to ask to be compensated for the income you give up.
• Revisions and deadlines. Agreeing the number of revision rounds and the approval process up front protects both sides.
• Free product. Sending a product is not payment. A post made in exchange for product alone is still advertising and falls under the rules below.

There is no widely accepted fixed multiplier for these items; the number comes from the brand's budget and your alternatives. To present your quote as a one-page rate card, see our media kit guide.

You have to disclose the relationship

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission's guidance for influencers rests on one idea: if you have a "material connection" to a brand, your audience should be able to see it. The FTC describes that connection as a personal, family or employment relationship, or a financial one, for example if a brand pays you or gives you free or discounted products. Its guidance also warns against assuming that a platform's own disclosure tool is good enough.

Instagram's branded content policies separately require you to tag the brand with the paid partnership label on organic branded content. The two are not substitutes: the label is Instagram's rule, and a clear disclosure in the post is what consumer protection law expects. Other countries have their own versions. In Türkiye, for example, the Advertising Board's 2021 guidelines require a tag such as #Reklam ("advertisement") together with the advertiser's name on every paid post, visible for the whole duration of a Story.

Wherever you are based, the practical rule is the same: disclose in the post itself, in plain words, where a viewer will see it without tapping "more". A brand that asks you to hide the relationship is asking you to carry the legal risk for it.

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