6 micro-influencers explain how much they charge from brands to promote products on Instagram

You don't need millions of followers on Instagram to make money as an influencer.

Some micro-influencers — those with between 10,000 and 100,000 followers on Instagram — earn thousands of dollars from promoting items. Hiring this type of influencer, many of whom work part-time, is common for brands.

They look for them because they offer very high engagement rates. This follows a broader online trend, such as hiring female creators with small audiences, who may be more authentic and cost less than more famous ones.

From the sector they explain that the number of followers is important, but their engagement is more important and how their audience converts it when negotiating agreements with brands.

However, micro-influencers face some obstacles as creators because they don't have big teams behind them. Some of them have told Business Insider that they are often offered little money or a gift in exchange for the content.

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One method that two micro-influencers acknowledge using is to establish standard rates for sponsored content as a starting point for negotiations with brands.

"I always tell my clients that when you're dealing with brands, you have to make sure you're not putting yourself down," explains Britney Turner, a micro-influencer with 27,000 Instagram followers who is also a creator coach.

The rates that influencers use are a basis for negotiations and can vary according to requirements, such as the use of rights or exclusivity. The use of rights refers to the ways in which the brand can use the influencer's content, while exclusivity implies that the influencer cannot work with any competitor for a certain period of time.

Business Insider spoke to 6 influencers who have fewer than 70,000 followers on Instagram about how they set their prices when negotiating with brands.

This is what they have said:

Emma Cortes, 38,000 followers on Instagram

Emma Cortes is a fashion and lifestyle influencer from Seattle who has 38,000 followers on Instagram.

She started her blog in 2014 and launched her first promotion with a brand in 2016, as an unpaid ambassador for American Eagle Outfitters. She now works with brands on a regular basis since 2019 and has billed 34,000 euros.

Cortes attributes her ability to get paid deals to her negotiating strategy, which she discussed with Business Insider.

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She charges brands for many things, such as the hours, exclusivity and use of the content, as well as the actual scope of the work and its results.

"If there's no exclusivity, I don't charge them the full fee," she explains. "But if I can't work with another brand for the next 3 months, yes."

For a publication in the feed or a few stories, Cortes usually charges between 1,300 and 2,100 euros. When negotiating, she uses ranges, not fixed rates, she adds.

For creating a video for TikTok or Reels, Cortes explains that she bundles them into a content package if a brand is interested and charges 75% of what a feed post costs.

Nick Cutsumpas: 65,000 followers on Instagram

Nick Cutsumpas is a plant micro-influencer and is known as Farmer Nick on his social media where he posts about sustainability and caring for plants.

Cutsumpas has some 65,000 followers on Instagram and works part-time as a micro-influencer, while he runs his own project where he advises plant owners and works with clients on landscaping.

"The last 3 months have been the most successful to date," he tells Business Insider.

He attributes his growth and recent success to increased interest in houseplants and sales during the pandemic, as well as 'The Big Flower Fight', which premiered in May.

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Her standard rates are:

When starting negotiations with a brand, Cutsumpas wonders what value he can really add to the company.

He makes sure that he sends the brand a portfolio and checks that he understands the content and values ​​of the brand.

Lindy Goodson: 20,000 followers on Instagram

Like many recent graduates, Lindy Goodson was still sleeping in a dorm as a girl and wasn't quite sure where she was going to work.

She now works full-time as a content creator in Illinois, after closing deals with several brands in recent months.

Goodson's social media career skyrocketed this summer when she began focusing on her own TikTok account, where she has 67,000 followers.

Her Instagram account has also benefited from these followers, which number 24,000.

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Goodson often lands deals with brands because they seek her out and send her direct messages or emails.

As she has gotten used to being a full-time content creator, she has set rates depending on what they offer her and what other influencers charge.

Her rates for promoting her products are:

She doesn't have any set rates for Instagram stories or Reels, but she says she offers a negotiable range depending on how much content the brand asks for and that she charges less for a story than for a static post.

Ashley Jones: 45,000 followers on Instagram

College student Ashley Jones has about 46,000 followers on Instagram and about 26,000 subscribers on her own YouTube channel.

This summer she has decided to take the channel more seriously (she started on YouTube when she was only 12 years old) and take advantage of her social networks.

"The change was made definitively a year ago," Jones told Business Insider. "When I really started getting serious about fashion and brand deals. I started creating content more consistently and started looking at brands for endorsements."

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Like many influencers, Jones earns most of her money online from product promotions, but compared to those who have agents, she is the one who chooses and negotiates with the brands.

She assures that she has seen many videos on how to charge for content and when she started working with brands she established rates:

"I think it's not cool to email brand customer service or direct on Instagram," she adds. "I take care of asking for her public relations manager or I try to get her contact."

Britney Turner: 27,000 followers on Instagram

Britney Turner is a fashion and lifestyle micro-influencer on Instagram. She is also a coach for content creators and works closely with other influencers to get brand deals and sell themselves.

Turner believes that all content creators, especially micro- and nano-influencers, should set fees when working with brands because brands take advantage of creators of that size and pay them with gifts or less than they should.

She makes sure to include her rates in her portfolio, a summary of her engagement rates and previous content she shares via email in the first moments of contact with a brand,

"Most of the time I don't have to say anything, I just wait to see if you're willing to pay me what I ask and if it's more, I charge that," explains Turner, who has 27,000 followers.

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She considers that these rates are a first step — negotiable with the brand according to time slots, relationship, etc.

Her standard rates are:

Caitlin Patton: 22,000 followers on Instagram

Caitlin Patton's digital brand is her main source of income, she explained to Business Insider in October 2019.

Patton earns money by promoting products for brands online and through affiliate links.

After graduating from college, Patton moved to Chicago and worked for a marketing company. After her, she began freelancing, both on her "Chicago Blogger" brand and as a social media growth consultant for local businesses.

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When she set her rates, she followed the standard of 85 euros per 10,000 followers, used by influencers when they are starting out, but later she learned to change them depending on the contexts in which the brand could use Patton's content.

In October last year, Patton earned €850 for a post on Instagram.

"Having a good, strong support system in the industry is key," she explains. "I started with the industry standard until I understood the rest of the dynamics (use, exclusivity) because that's what drives the numbers beyond the base. I think my favorite campaigns, and the ones that are most successful, are the ones that count with multiple posts.