In short
- A usable rate card prices each deliverable separately and states units, usage rights, exclusivity, revisions, GST, payment terms and a validity date. Missing lines are where surprises hide.
- Read a card against the creator's average views, not followers. Check three lines first: what 'included' means, how long usage lasts, and whether GST is extra.
- Cards go stale. One booking platform reports 2026 fee rises of 40 to 70 percent for AI and tech creators and 10 to 20 for beauty. Ask for the date.
- A brand-side card with tier ceilings and add-on caps shortens negotiation. Two templates, one for each side, are below.
An influencer rate card is a price list from a creator, a manager or an agency. It states what each deliverable costs, such as a Reel, a Story set or a YouTube integration, and the terms that move the price: usage rights, exclusivity, revisions, taxes and payment. A good card takes five minutes to read. A weak one hides the extras in a WhatsApp message sent after you have said yes.
Our guide to influencer marketing cost in India gives the price ranges by tier. This post is about the document itself: what belongs on a card, how to read one line by line, the add-on levels that should prompt a question, how to counter, and a template for brands and for creators. Check any number you are given in the influencer cost calculator, and for the bigger picture read our complete guide to influencer marketing in India.
Four kinds of rate card
| Type | Who writes it | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator rate card | The creator or their manager | A first quote from a creator you found yourself | Starting prices, and extras that appear later |
| Roster card | A talent manager or agency, for several creators | Comparing many creators fast | Whether the manager's cut is inside the prices. One benchmark puts managers at 15% to 25% of macro and celebrity fees |
| Published industry card | A blog or guide, with ranges by tier | Setting expectations before you ask for quotes | These are asking prices, not deal data, and the same tier differs by 2x or more between sources |
| Brand-side rate card | You, for your own use | Setting ceilings and add-on caps before you negotiate | It needs updating at least every few months |
What a rate card should contain
| Field | What it should say | What goes wrong when it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverables and units | Reel length, Story frames, whether a post is one image or a carousel, YouTube minutes | You pay for five frames and get three |
| Base price per deliverable | A fixed number, not "starting at" | The final price is a surprise |
| Bundles | Package price for Reel plus Stories plus post | You lose the bundle discount |
| What is included | Concept, shoot, edit, captions, music, one reshoot | Hidden charges for ordinary work |
| Revisions | Rounds included, and the fee beyond that | One booking platform reports ₹5,000 to ₹30,000 for each round past two |
| Turnaround and rush | Standard days, and the rush surcharge | A rush surcharge, reported at +25% to 40% for under 48 hours |
| Usage rights | Channels, period, paid or organic | Disputes after the post goes live |
| Partnership-ad rights | Whether and for how long | You cannot boost the best post |
| Exclusivity | Competitors covered and the period | Rivals post the same week, or you pay for a ban you did not need |
| GST status | Registered or not, with a GSTIN if registered | A surprise 18% on the invoice |
| Payment terms | Advance, balance, invoice timing | Late payments and arguments |
| Audience snapshot | Average views, engagement, top cities, age split | You price on followers |
| Validity date | When the card was issued and when it expires | You work from an old price |
Your own brand-side card in four steps
- List what you buy most. Reels and Story sets cover most programmes.
- Set a floor and a ceiling per tier. Use the Reel ranges below, and replace them with your own paid history after a few campaigns.
- Cap each add-on. Use the flag thresholds further down as your caps.
- Add a views test. Decide the highest cost per 1,000 views you will pay, using your own paid-media cost as the anchor.
| Tier | Reel floor | Reel ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Nano | ₹2,000 | ₹10,000 |
| Micro | ₹8,000 | ₹80,000 |
| Mid-tier | ₹50,000 | ₹3.5 lakh |
| Macro | ₹2 lakh | ₹8 lakh |
| Mega | ₹5 lakh | ₹25 lakh |
These are the indicative asking prices used across this site, before GST. Date the card and review it each quarter, because fees move.
A rate card template for creators
Copy this structure and fill every line. It works for a creator or a manager.
| Deliverable | Specification | Base price |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reel | Up to ___ seconds, ___ revision rounds | ₹ ____ |
| Story set | ___ frames, link sticker | ₹ ____ |
| Static post or carousel | Single image or up to ___ slides | ₹ ____ |
| Bundle | Reel plus ___ Stories plus post | ₹ ____ |
| YouTube integration | ___ seconds | ₹ ____ |
| YouTube dedicated video | Up to ___ minutes | ₹ ____ |
| Add-on | Terms | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Organic repost on brand handle | ___ days | + ____% |
| Paid usage in ads | ___ days, named handles | + ____% per ___ days |
| Partnership-ad access | ___ days | + ____% |
| Exclusivity | Named competitors, ___ days | + ____% |
| Rush | Delivery in under ___ hours | + ____% |
| Extra revision round | Beyond ___ rounds | ₹ ____ each |
Terms to print under it: GST status and number, payment split, date issued, valid until, and the creator's audience snapshot with the date it was taken. Creators who want help with the rest can read our page for creators.
A quote comparison sheet for brands
Put every quote on one sheet, in the same units, and compute cost per 1,000 views for each.
| Creator | Average views (last 10 to 15) | Format and units | Base fee | Add-ons | GST | Total | Cost per 1,000 views |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ____ | ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ |
| B | ____ | ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ |
| C | ____ | ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ | ₹ ____ |
Cost per 1,000 views is the total divided by average views, times 1,000. Compare creators of the same tier and niche with each other, and compare all of them with your own paid-media cost per 1,000 views.
How to read a card line by line
The card below is invented to show the questions behind each line.
| Line on the card | What it means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Reel, 30 to 45 seconds, 1 revision: ₹28,000 | Base price, with one round of changes | Average Reel views? Two rounds is a common standard, so ask for a second |
| Story set, 3 frames: ₹9,000 | Three frames, no stated link | Is the link sticker included? How many taps does the creator usually get? |
| Bundle of Reel plus 3 Stories: ₹32,000 | ₹5,000 off ₹37,000 separate, a 13.5% discount | One booking platform reports 20% to 35% for bundles, so ask for more |
| Repost on brand handle, 30 days: included | Organic use only | Does "repost" cover your Stories and website? |
| Paid usage: +40% per 30 days | ₹11,200 for each 30 days of ads | Inside the published +20% to 50% per month. Confirm which handles and which posts it covers |
| Exclusivity: +50% for 30 days | ₹14,000 for the ban | At the top of the 30% to 50% range, so narrow it to named competitors |
| Rush under 72 hours: +30% | ₹8,400 on the Reel | Avoidable with a brief sent two to three weeks ahead |
| GST extra | 18% on the total, if registered | Ask for a GSTIN, and whether the creator is registered at all |
| 50% advance, 50% on posting | Split payment | Fine. Ask for a signed brief before the advance |
| Valid 30 days | A time limit | Fine. Ask for the issue date as well |
Flag thresholds: when an add-on is out of range
Published cards give ranges for each add-on. Use the top of each range as a flag. None of these is a rule, and a creator can have a reason to ask for more.
| Add-on | Published range | Ask a question if the card asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Organic brand repost | +25% to 40% | More than 40% |
| Paid usage, per extra month | +20% to 50% | More than 50% a month |
| Perpetual usage | +80% to 150% | More than 150% |
| Whitelisting or partnership ads | +60% to 120%, or +20% to 50% per 30 days | More than 120% in one go |
| Exclusivity, 30 days | +30% to 50% | More than 50% |
| Exclusivity, 90 days | +80% to 150% | More than 150% |
| Rush under 48 hours | +25% to 40% | More than 40% |
| Brand-written script (some mid-tier creators) | ₹15,000 to ₹50,000, plus 15% to 25% for revisions | More than ₹50,000 |
| Revisions beyond two rounds | ₹5,000 to ₹30,000 each | More than ₹30,000 |
The ranges come from published cards, and several carry low confidence. Our guide to influencer contracts in India shows how each term should be written.
Why a rate card goes stale
One booking platform reports year-on-year fee rises for 2026 that run from +5% to 15% for food and travel creators up to +40% to 70% for AI and tech creators, with personal finance, health and real estate in between. These are a platform's claims about asking prices, not audited data, but they point one way: cards in fast-moving niches age quickly. A tech creator's card from last year is not this year's price.
Check for three things. The issue date, the date of the audience snapshot, and whether the creator's average views have changed since. A card with no date is a card you cannot trust. See our post on influencer fees by niche for what the premiums look like.
GST and payment lines
GST at 18 percent applies only to registered creators, and registration is required above ₹20 lakh of annual turnover, per CBIC's GST FAQ (₹10 lakh in special-category states). An influencer platform's 2026 survey, covered by Campaign India, found that 15.2 percent of creators are registered as a business entity or GST individual. For a micro or nano creator, that usually means no GST on the invoice, but it means no GST invoice either.
TDS on creator payments depends on how the payment is characterised, and some commentators disagree on the section. Ask your CA, and see our guide to TDS 194R and GST on influencer payments. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Negotiating from the card: a counter-offer sheet
Move the lines, not just the total. This sheet shows common counters and what to give in exchange.
| Their line | Your counter | What you offer |
|---|---|---|
| Base Reel price | A price tied to average views | A repeat order across two or three months |
| Exclusivity, 30 days | Three named competitors only | A firm posting date |
| Paid usage per 30 days | One 30-day period, with an option to extend at the same rate | Written approval of the usage plan in advance |
| Bundle price | The published 20% to 35% bundle discount as a reference | Reel, Stories and post booked together |
| Rush surcharge | None, because dates are agreed up front | A brief sent two to three weeks ahead |
| Extra revisions | Two rounds included | A clear brief and one consolidated round of feedback |
Our post on micro influencer rates shows how to price a creator from views, and our guide to agency fees covers what an agency adds on top of the creator's card.
Red flags on a rate card
- "Starting at" with no specification. The real price arrives later.
- The same price for every brand. The creator prices followers, not audiences.
- No audience data. You cannot check the price against views.
- "All rights included" for a low fee. It rarely survives a legal read.
- No GST status and no payment terms. You will have both conversations later, at a worse time.
- No date. You do not know whether the card still applies.
A card is only the start of a quote. For creators with their cards checked, average views attached and our fee on its own line, see our Instagram influencer marketing service and send us a brief. Our team reviews each creator's card as part of the plan we send within 48 hours of the brief call.
Sources
- Coverage of a 2026 India creator-economy report: creator registration, engagement and cost by city tier, Campaign India (21 May 2026)
- Influencer fees in India: complete pricing guide, Indian talent-booking platform guide (low confidence) (20 Mar 2026)
- Influencer marketing pricing in India 2026: rate card, agency fee models and minimum budgets, Indian digital agency guide (low confidence) (20 Apr 2026, updated 16 Sep 2026)
- Instagram brand deal rates in India 2026, Indian brand-deals guide (low confidence) (4 Mar 2026)
- Influencer rate card India 2026: Instagram Reel, Story, YouTube video pricing, Indian media agency rate guide (low confidence) (11 May 2026)
- Micro influencer rates in India: what to actually charge in 2026, Indian creator-education platform guide (low confidence) (14 Aug 2026)
- FAQ on GST (registration threshold for services), CBIC (undated)
- Guidelines for influencer advertising in digital media (ASCI Code and guidelines), Advertising Standards Council of India (Addendum II, 6 Mar 2025)
Frequently asked questions
What is an influencer rate card?
An influencer rate card is a price list from a creator, a manager or an agency. It states what each deliverable costs, such as a Reel, a Story set or a YouTube integration, and the terms that change the price, including usage rights, exclusivity, revisions and taxes. See how much influencers charge for the ranges.
What should an influencer rate card include?
Deliverables with clear units, base prices, bundle prices, what is included, revisions, turnaround and rush terms, usage rights, partnership-ad rights, exclusivity, GST status, payment terms, an audience snapshot and a validity date. The table in this post lists all of them with what goes wrong when a line is missing.
Are influencer rate card prices negotiable?
Usually yes. A card is an opening ask, and the easiest levers are scope, usage period, exclusivity and volume, not the base price. Offer clear briefs, fixed dates and prompt payment in exchange. Read our post on Instagram influencer rates for bundle brackets.
How often do influencer rate cards change?
Often. One booking platform reports 2026 year-on-year fee rises of 40 to 70 percent for AI and tech creators and 5 to 15 percent for food and travel. A card more than 12 months old is likely out of date, so always ask when it was last updated and whether it still applies.
Do influencer rate cards include GST?
Most published cards do not say. GST at 18 percent applies only if the creator is registered, which is required above ₹20 lakh of annual turnover. One 2026 survey found 15.2 percent of creators registered. Ask 'plus GST?' every time. See TDS 194R and GST on influencer payments.
How do I compare rate cards from different creators?
Put them on one sheet with each creator's average views, add the add-ons they charge, add GST, and divide the total by average views to get cost per 1,000 views. The brand-side template in this post does this. Then compare creators of a similar tier and niche against each other.