Instagram and TikTok money calculator
A rough starting rate for one sponsored Instagram post or TikTok video, worked out in four visible steps. Treat it as a conversation opener, not a price list.
How the estimate is built
The result comes from four steps, and each one is printed under the figure so you can see exactly where the number came from.
- Base. Instagram starts from followers: $4 to $12 per 1,000 followers for one feed post. TikTok starts from average views per video instead: $6 to $18 per 1,000 average views. TikTok gets a view-based base because its For You feed shows videos to people who don’t follow you, so follower count says less about how many people a sponsored video will reach.
- Engagement. If you enter it, the calculator works out a rate (interactions per follower on Instagram, per view on TikTok) and compares it with a middle band: 1–3% on Instagram, 4–10% on TikTok. Inside the band, nothing changes. Below it, the range shrinks in proportion, to no less than half (Instagram) or 60% (TikTok). Above it, the range grows in proportion, to at most double (Instagram) or 1.6 times (TikTok).
- Format. Instagram: feed post or carousel × 1, Reel × 1.3, Story × 0.45. TikTok: one video × 1, a video plus 30 days of the brand using it in ads × 1.5, a bundle of three videos × 2.6.
- Niche. General and food × 1, parenting and home × 1.05, beauty, fitness and travel × 1.1, finance, tech and B2B × 1.35, gaming × 0.9.
The final range is rounded to tidy numbers. Under $15 at the top end, the calculator says so instead of showing a figure, because at that size most offers are free products, if anything.
Two worked examples
An Instagram home cook
Say an account has 12,000 followers and averages 320 likes and comments per post. That’s 2.67% per follower, inside the middle band, so there’s no engagement adjustment. For a Reel in food: 12 × $4–$12 = $48–$144, × 1.3 for the Reel = about $62–$187. Rounded, the calculator shows roughly $60–$190.
A TikTok fitness creator
Say videos average 8,000 views, with about 560 likes, comments and shares each. That’s 7% per view, inside TikTok’s middle band. For one video in fitness: 8 × $6–$18 = $48–$144, × 1.1 for the niche = about $53–$158, shown as roughly $55–$160. Ask for 30 days of ad usage on top and the multiplier becomes 1.5, taking it to roughly $80–$240.
These are our numbers, not the market’s. We picked the base rates, bands and multipliers to keep the arithmetic readable. Two creators with identical stats can be offered very different amounts, and plenty of accounts never receive a paid offer at all.
What actually moves a rate
- Who’s paying. A national brand with an agency budget and a neighborhood coffee shop are working with different numbers.
- Usage rights. If the brand wants to run your video as an ad or put it on its site, that’s worth more than a post that lives on your profile.
- Exclusivity. Agreeing not to work with competitors for a period costs you future deals, so it should be priced in.
- Proof of results. Past campaigns with clicks, codes used or sales attributed make a much stronger case than follower count.
- Audience fit. A smaller account whose followers are exactly the brand’s customers can be worth more than a bigger general one.
- Negotiation. A first offer is often a starting point. A clear one-page media kit helps.
Bought followers and sponsorship maths
We sell followers, so it’s worth being direct about this. A bigger follower count raises the Instagram base in this calculator, but it doesn’t raise engagement, and the engagement step will pull the estimate down if likes and comments don’t keep pace. Brands and agencies check the same thing, often with tools that flag sudden jumps and low interaction rates; our guide on how to spot fake followers shows what they look for. In the US, the FTC’s 2024 rule on fake reviews and testimonials also covers buying fake indicators of social media influence to misrepresent it for commercial purposes. If you’re pitching for paid work, share your real engagement and reach figures. We’re not lawyers, and this isn’t legal advice.
To check the engagement input first, use the Instagram engagement rate calculator or the TikTok engagement rate calculator, and read engagement rate explained for what the figure means.
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1,000 followers, $13.99A package can make a small profile look less empty while you build the real numbers brands care about. 1,000 Instagram followers usually finish the same day, and TikTok views start within minutes. Neither brings engagement, and neither should be presented to a brand as organic reach.