13 min read · Updated December 2025
On this page
- Step 1: Price the work (creation fee) before you price the audience
- Step 2: Add deliverable fees (not everything is “one post”)
- Step 3: Charge for usage rights (this is where creators lose money)
- Step 4: Whitelisting and exclusivity (two premium upgrades)
- Step 5: Protect yourself from scope creep
- Step 6: Use payment terms that support cashflow
- Next steps
Pricing brand deals is one of the hardest parts of being a creator. Whether you’re a YouTuber, streamer, podcaster, TikToker, or UGC creator, the uncertainty is the same: “Am I charging enough?”
In this guide you’ll learn a practical, repeatable way to price deals - and protect your time from scope creep.
If you want the full creator systems framework, start with the pillar guide: Creator Business Systems (Pillar Guide).
Step 1: Price the work (creation fee) before you price the audience
A reliable pricing method starts with your creation fee - the amount you charge to produce the content regardless of performance.
Estimate your time costs:
- Planning & research
- Scripting / outline
- Shooting / recording / streaming time
- Editing
- Revisions
- Upload, captions, thumbnails, community replies
If a deal realistically takes 6 hours and your target hourly value is €60, your base creation fee is roughly: 6 × 60 = €360.
Step 2: Add deliverable fees (not everything is “one post”)
Many creators undercharge because they bundle extra deliverables into a single price.
Examples that should increase price:
- Multiple versions (9:16 + 1:1 + 16:9)
- Extra hooks or alternate edits
- Raw footage handover
- Story frames or extra shorts
- Cross-posting to multiple platforms
Step 3: Charge for usage rights (this is where creators lose money)
Usage rights are the difference between “I posted it once” and “a brand can use your content for months across ads.”
Usage variables that affect price:
- Duration (7 days vs 6 months vs perpetuity)
- Placement (organic only vs paid ads)
- Platforms (TikTok only vs TikTok + Reels + YouTube Shorts)
- Region (local vs worldwide)
A simple approach is to keep your creation fee fixed, then add usage as a separate line item (e.g. “Paid usage 30 days”).
Step 4: Whitelisting and exclusivity (two premium upgrades)
Whitelisting (running ads through your handle) and exclusivity (not working with competitors) should rarely be included for free.
Consider charging:
- Whitelisting fee per month (e.g. €250–€1,000+ depending on scale)
- Exclusivity fee (often 20–50%+ uplift depending on category)
Step 5: Protect yourself from scope creep
Scope creep isn’t always malicious - it’s often unclear agreements.
Put this in writing:
- Deliverables list
- Revision rounds included (e.g. 1 round)
- Extra revision fee
- Timeline & approval process
- Payment due date
Step 6: Use payment terms that support cashflow
A creator business becomes sustainable when cashflow is predictable.
Creator-friendly options:
- 50% deposit to book, 50% on delivery
- Net 7 / Net 14 terms (especially for smaller deals)
- Late fee language (even if you rarely enforce it)
For the invoicing workflow (and how to follow up without awkwardness), read: How Creators Get Paid Faster.
Next steps
To build the full creator business system (deals → tasks → invoices → expenses), start here: Creator Business Systems (Pillar Guide).
And for long-term sustainability, read: How to Build a Sustainable Creator Business.
If you want a single place to track deals, deadlines, invoices, and expenses, explore GoTaskhub for Creators.