There is no published rate card for AI influencers, so build your own: start from the common rule of thumb of about $10 per 1,000 followers for a feed post, adjust for your engagement, weight each deliverable (reels above photos, story sets below), and add usage rights and exclusivity per 30 days. Then check the quote covers your AI production cost; for small accounts it often does not. The free calculator does every step.
There is no reliable published data on what AI influencers charge, so the honest answer is to build your rate the same way human creators do, then check it against your production cost. Start from the widely repeated rule of thumb of about $10 per 1,000 followers for a feed post, adjust for engagement and the deliverable, and add usage rights and exclusivity as separate fees.
For the full business model behind this, from offers to pricing and client work, see our AI persona business playbook.
Every dollar figure in this guide comes from that rule of thumb and the free calculator's editable defaults. They show how a rate card is built, not what any brand will pay you.
Pricing is one part of the business side of an AI persona. Our guide to how AI influencers land brand deals covers finding and pitching brands; this page is about the number you send once they reply. Open the free AI Influencer Brand Deal Rate Calculator to follow along with your own figures.
How to build an AI influencer rate card
- 1Set the base
Followers / 1,000 x your $ per 1K for one feed photo
- 2Adjust for engagement
Up if your engagement beats your niche, down if it trails
- 3Weight each deliverable
Reels above photos, story sets below
- 4Check the AI production floor
Hours x rate + credits per item
- 5Add usage and exclusivity
Separate fees per 30 days, never bundled free
1. Set the base rate
The most quoted starting point in influencer marketing is about $10 for every 1,000 followers for one feed post. It is a rule of thumb, not a market price, and plenty of creators charge well above or below it. Its value is that brands recognise it, so a quote built from it reads as reasonable. At 25,000 followers that is a $250 feed photo.
2. Adjust for engagement
Followers are a weak signal for brands; reach and engagement are what they buy. Compare your average engagement and reach with similar accounts in your niche. If yours are clearly higher, raise the base by 10% to 50% and show the numbers in your media kit. If they are lower, either price lower or quote on average reach instead of followers. AI accounts that grew through follow-for-follow or bought followers usually fail this check, and brands do look.
3. Weight each deliverable
Not every post is worth the same. A reel takes longer to generate and edit, especially with lip-sync or motion, and usually reaches more people, so it is weighted higher. A story set disappears in 24 hours and is weighted lower. The calculator starts at 1x for a feed photo, 1.2x for a carousel, 1.5x for a reel and 0.5x for a set of three story frames; change them to match your own reach per format from Insights.
The AI production floor: what most AI creators miss
A human creator's cost per post is mostly their time. An AI creator's cost is generation credits plus the time spent getting the product right in the image: correct logo, correct packaging, hands holding it naturally, then the brand's revision rounds. Products are where AI images fail most visibly, and fixing them takes time.
Once you know your hours per deliverable, write them into the brief: how many revision rounds are included, and what extra rounds cost. That protects the floor without arguing about the base rate.
Usage rights and exclusivity
The base fee buys a post on your account. Anything beyond that is a separate fee, priced per 30 days. Usage rights let the brand reuse your content: reposting on its own channels, or running it as paid ads through whitelisting or Instagram's Partnership Ads. Paid ads put your persona in front of far more people than your own post, so they cost more. Exclusivity stops you working with the brand's competitors, which costs you other deals.
- One price "per post", no formats
- Usage rights included for free
- No limit on revision rounds
- No audience numbers
- Disclosure left to the brand
- Price per deliverable and three packages
- Usage and exclusivity per 30 days
- Two revision rounds included, extras priced
- Reach, engagement and top countries
- Disclosure and AI labelling in the terms
Quoted rates vary enormously, from about 15% to 100% of the base fee per month for usage, and similar spreads for exclusivity. The calculator defaults to 20% per month for brand reposts, 30% for paid ads and 25% per month of exclusivity. Choose your own numbers, put them on the card, and negotiate from there.
Rate card template at three account sizes
Here is what those defaults produce at three follower counts, using $10 per 1,000 followers, no engagement adjustment and a $65 production floor per item (2 hours at $30 plus $5 of credits). An asterisk marks prices set by the floor:
| Deliverable | 5K followers | 25K followers | 100K followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed photo | $65* | $250 | $1,000 |
| Carousel | $65* | $300 | $1,200 |
| Reel or short video | $75 | $375 | $1,500 |
| Story set (3 frames) | $65* | $125 | $500 |
| Paid usage, per 30 days | +30% | +30% | +30% |
| Exclusivity, per month | +25% | +25% | +25% |
Source: $10 per 1K followers x 1.5 reel weight; calculator defaults, not market data
Offer packages rather than single posts. A small starter package (one feed photo and a story set), a standard package (a reel, a carousel and two story sets) and a campaign package with 30 days of paid usage give the brand an easy yes at three budgets. The calculator prices all three for your account.
Disclosure is part of the deal
Brand deals for AI personas carry two disclosures. The FTC's Endorsement Guides, revised in 2023, name virtual influencers explicitly, so a paid post needs a clear disclosure, such as Instagram's paid partnership label. Meta also asks creators to label realistic AI-generated video and audio. Write both into your terms so a brand cannot ask you to drop them; an undisclosed deal is a risk to your account as well as theirs.
Before you send the quote
- Audience snapshot from the last 30 days of Insights, not lifetime numbers
- Price per deliverable plus three packages
- Production floor checked for every format
- Usage rights and exclusivity priced per 30 days
- Revision rounds and delivery time stated
- Paid partnership and AI disclosure in the terms
- Payment terms: deposit, due date and currency
Building a persona brands want to pay is the bigger job. The AI Influencers program covers creating a consistent character, growing it in a niche brands care about, and pitching and pricing deals.
AI influencer rates: FAQ
How much do AI influencers charge per post?
There is no published rate data for AI personas, so treat any precise average with suspicion. Most start from the follower-based rule of thumb used for human creators, often quoted as about $10 per 1,000 followers for a feed post, then adjust for engagement, the type of deliverable and usage rights. Small AI accounts should also check that the quote covers their production cost.
Do brands pay AI influencers less than human influencers?
It depends on the brand and the audience, and there is no reliable data either way. What an AI persona offers is control: no travel, quick reshoots, a consistent look and no scheduling risk. What it cannot offer is genuine use of the product. Price on the reach and engagement you can show, and let the brand negotiate from there.
How many followers does an AI influencer need for brand deals?
There is no fixed threshold. Small accounts with a clear niche and strong engagement get product-for-post and small paid deals; larger accounts get cash deals more often. What brands look at first is whether your audience matches their customer, so a focused 5,000-follower account can be worth more to the right brand than a broad 50,000.
What should an AI influencer rate card include?
A short audience snapshot (followers, average reach, engagement, top countries), a price per deliverable (feed photo, carousel, reel, story set), two or three packages, usage-rights and exclusivity add-ons priced per 30 days, what is included (revision rounds, delivery time) and your disclosure terms. Keep it to one page.
How much should I charge for usage rights?
Charge it separately from the post, per 30 days. Brand reposts on its own channels usually cost less than paid ads that run your content to new audiences. Quoted rates range from about 15% to 100% of the base fee per month, so pick a starting point, write it on the rate card, and expect to negotiate.
Do AI influencers have to disclose sponsored posts?
Yes. The FTC's Endorsement Guides, updated in 2023, explicitly cover virtual influencers, so paid posts need a clear disclosure such as Instagram's paid partnership label. Meta also asks for labels on realistic AI-generated video and audio. Put disclosure in the contract so the brand cannot ask you to drop it.
Know your number. Then build the persona brands pay for.
AI Influencers, included in All Access, covers consistent characters, growth, and pitching and pricing brand deals, with the other three programs, live coaching and the private community in one subscription.
Price your next deal, free
Enter your followers, deliverables and usage terms and get a quote with three packages. Then join the free Telegram channel to compare notes with other AI creators.