Recommended Creator Compensation for UGC, Professional, and Influencer Partnership Brief Types

Modified on Fri, 12 Jun at 3:59 PM

Creator Compensation Guide: Recommended compensation ranges to attract quality creators and maximize campaign performance.

See below for average rates by creator type and deliverable format. 100% of creator compensation is paid to the creators. Cohley does not take a commission or fee from creator compensation rate

UGC Creators (Authentic, lo-fi content from everyday creators)

UGC Video: $200 – $400
UGC Photo: $25 – $50

Professional Creators (High-production content with sets, props & models)

Pro Video: $750 – $2,000+
Pro Photo: $75 – $100

Recommended rates will vary based on deliverable complexity and creator experience

Influencer Compensation by Tier

Recommended sweet spot rates per deliverable by follower count.

Tier	Followers	Instagram	TikTok
Nano	1K – 10K	$300 – $350	$200 – $250
Micro	10K – 50K	$400 – $600	$250 – $400
Mid-Tier	50K – 100K	$600 – $900	$300 – $500
Upper-Mid	100K – 250K	$1,000 – $1,200	$600 – $800
Macro	250K – 500K	$1,000 – $1,500	$700 – $1,000

Influencer rates reflect a single deliverable. Multi-deliverable campaigns and added whitelisting rights should be compensated accordingly.

A note on celebrity creators: Cohley does not specialize in celebrity creators (generally defined as those with 1M+ followers). While creators at this level do exist on the platform, they typically work with talent agents who manage their brand collaborations, and their rates can increase exponentially as a result. Brands seeking celebrity partnerships should expect significantly higher compensation requirements and a different negotiation process than what is standard on Cohley.

Additional variables that may warrant higher than average compensation across any brief type include:

Niche or underrepresented creator demographics – Creators who authentically represent audiences that are less common in the creator ecosystem (e.g., men over 40, navigating chronic illness or disability, parents of children with special needs, dog owners with overweight dogs/cats, etc.) While these may be large consumer audiences, fewer creators exist within these demographics, making them harder to source and therefore warranting higher compensation.
Professional expertise or credentials – "Expert" creators such as veterinarians, licensed health professionals, contractors, college athletes, or other specialists and professions whose authority adds credibility to the content.
Complex or remote shooting locations – Briefs that require travel, location scouting, or logistically challenging settings (e.g., mountain trails, beaches, construction sites, or professional facilities).
Specialized equipment or production requirements – Content that calls for high-end camera gear, drones, underwater equipment, or studio-level lighting and setup.
Exclusivity requirements – Creators asked to refrain from working with competing brands during or after the brief period.
Accelerated turnaround – Briefs with a tight production timeline, less than 2 weeks of shooting time from when product is received.
Whitelisting agreements – Creators whose content will be used in paid social amplification or influencer whitelisting campaigns.

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