How much does a sponsored post cost? The question is becoming insufficient. According to industry professionals cited by Digiday, an increasing part of negotiations revolves around usage rights: for how long, on which channels, and with what ad spend the brand will be able to repurpose the creator's content.
The difference is substantial. A video posted once on an influencer's profile is an editorial service; the same video used for months in paid campaigns becomes an advertising asset.
The creator is also a production company
Brands have discovered that creator content can perform well even outside their original audience because it speaks the platforms' native visual language. This increases the value of the material, but makes pricing far more complex.
Followers and views are no longer enough. Licensing duration, territories, platforms, exclusivity, and modification rights must all be factored in.
Professionalization runs through contracts
For many creators, the early phase of their career was informal: a fee in exchange for content. Market growth is making contracts more similar to those of the audiovisual industry inevitable.
It is a sign of maturity for the creator economy. When a video can continue to generate value well after publication, its creator starts demanding payment not just for producing it, but for every single way that value will be leveraged.
