How do I know if a brand's offered rate is fair?

Compare the offer against the benchmarks in this guide for your follower tier and country. If the offered rate is below 70% of the lower end of your range, either negotiate up or decline. Consider whether the brand offers other value — product access, long-term relationship potential, or portfolio value — that might justify accepting a below-market rate for a first campaign.

Should I work with an influencer agency?

Agencies are useful for finding campaigns, handling negotiation, and managing contracts, but they take 10–25% of your earnings. At small scale (under €2,000/month from brand deals), managing deals independently is usually more economical. At larger scale, an agency's access to brand budgets can more than offset their commission.

Do I need a contract for every brand deal?

Yes, for any paid collaboration. Even a simple email exchange confirming deliverables, payment amount, timeline, and usage rights provides important legal protection. For deals above €500, a formal written contract protects both parties and clarifies expectations.

Are brand deals taxed differently from platform ad revenue?

No — both are taxed as self-employment income in EU countries. Brand deals are treated as service income: you invoice the brand, collect payment (plus VAT if applicable), and declare the income in your annual self-employment return. The tax treatment is identical whether the income comes from Google, a brand, or any other source.

Guide

brand dealsEuropeinfluencer ratessponsored content2026

Brand Deal Rates in Europe 2026: What Creators Charge by Country and Tier

Brand partnerships are the primary income source for most European content creators — often outearning platform ad revenue 3:1. But rates vary enormously by country, follower tier, platform, and niche. A German micro-influencer in tech can charge double what an equivalent Spanish creator earns for the same deliverable. This guide covers actual rate benchmarks in euros for 2026, with practical advice on negotiation and what brands actually expect in return.

Last updated: February 26, 2026

Step-by-Step Guide

Calculate your base rate using the benchmarks in this guide

Start with the rate range for your follower tier in your country, then adjust up for high engagement (above 4%), premium niche (finance, tech, luxury), or audience concentration in DACH or Nordic markets. Adjust down for lower engagement or younger, less commercially active audiences.

Build a one-page media kit

Include: follower count and growth rate, average reach and impressions, engagement rate, audience demographics (age, location, gender), and 2–3 examples of previous partnerships with results where available. Update it quarterly.

Register on 2–3 European creator marketplaces

Kolsquare, Heepsy, and TikTok Creator Marketplace are the most active in European markets. Complete your profile fully — incomplete profiles are systematically skipped by brand campaign managers. Include precise audience demographic data from your analytics.

Create a standard contract template

Include: deliverables, timeline, payment terms (50% upfront is standard for European creator contracts), usage rights, exclusivity period and scope, number of revision rounds, and GDPR/content ownership clauses. Legal template services like GetTerms (DE) or Legalstart (FR) offer creator-specific templates.

Issue proper invoices for all brand deal payments

Brand deals are business income and require invoices in most EU countries. Include your tax registration number, their VAT number (for B2B invoices within the EU), your bank details, and the agreed payment terms. VAT applies if you are registered for it in your country.

How brand deal pricing works in European markets

European brand deal pricing follows a logic that is partly algorithmic and partly negotiated. Most creators start from a base rate derived from follower count, then adjust for engagement rate, audience demographics, content format, and usage rights.

The most commonly cited starting formula is €10–€20 per 1,000 followers for an Instagram post, adjusted up or down based on engagement rate. A creator with 50,000 followers and 5% engagement might charge €1,000–€1,500 per post. The same follower count with 1% engagement would typically justify €500–€750. This formula is a starting point, not a ceiling — experienced negotiators often exceed it significantly.

Audience geography matters considerably. European brands targeting German, Dutch, or Swiss consumers will pay more to reach an audience concentrated in those markets than to reach an audience split across lower-purchasing-power markets. A creator with 30,000 followers in Germany is worth more to a German FMCG brand than a creator with 80,000 followers split across Eastern Europe.

The platform also affects pricing. YouTube brand deals command the highest rates per unit of audience because of the depth of engagement — a 10-minute YouTube video gives a product far more screen time than an Instagram Story. TikTok brand deals typically run 10–20% below equivalent Instagram rates. Podcast host-read ads are priced on CPM (€12–€18 per 1,000 listeners in Western European markets) rather than fixed rates, which means established shows can earn significantly from a single ad read.

Rate benchmarks by country and follower tier

The following benchmarks represent typical rates for a standard Instagram feed post in each market. YouTube integration rates typically run 150–300% higher. TikTok video rates run approximately 80% of Instagram feed rates.

Germany (DACH market): Nano (1K–10K): €80–€350. Micro (10K–100K): €350–€1,200. Mid-tier (100K–500K): €1,200–€4,500. Macro (500K+): €4,500–€18,000+. The DACH market commands the highest rates in continental Europe due to affluent audiences and high advertiser competition.

France: Nano: €60–€250. Micro: €250–€900. Mid-tier: €900–€3,500. Macro: €3,500–€14,000+. French fashion, beauty, and food brands are among Europe's most active influencer marketers, supporting strong rates in those niches.

Netherlands and Belgium: Nano: €70–€300. Micro: €300–€1,000. Mid-tier: €1,000–€4,000. Macro: €4,000–€15,000+. Dutch and Belgian creators benefit from proximity to both German and French advertising markets.

Spain: Nano: €40–€180. Micro: €180–€650. Mid-tier: €650–€2,500. Macro: €2,500–€10,000+. Spanish creators can often negotiate higher rates from brands wanting to access Latin American audiences through their channels.

Italy: Nano: €40–€180. Micro: €180–€700. Mid-tier: €700–€2,800. Macro: €2,800–€11,000+. Fashion and luxury brand investment supports higher rates in those categories specifically.

Scandinavian markets (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland): Nano: €100–€400. Micro: €400–€1,500. Mid-tier: €1,500–€5,500. Macro: €5,500–€20,000+. The highest rates in Europe for top creators due to premium audience demographics.

What brand deals actually include and how to structure them

Amateur creators frequently underprice their work by quoting only for content creation and ignoring usage rights, exclusivity, and revisions. Understanding what a brand deal should include prevents significant underearning.

Base deliverables are what most creators think about: the number of posts, videos, or stories. Define these precisely in any agreement — '1 Instagram Reel and 3 Stories' is better than 'one piece of content.' The base rate covers content creation and posting to your channel.

Usage rights define where the brand can use your content beyond your own channel. Brands frequently want to repurpose creator content for their own social media, website, email campaigns, or paid advertising. Each additional usage right adds value and should increase the fee. Whitelisting — where the brand runs paid ads through your creator account rather than their own — is worth an additional 50–100% premium because it uses your personal brand equity for the brand's advertising.

Exclusivity prevents you from working with competitor brands for a specified period. A 30-day exclusivity typically adds 15–25% to the fee. A 90-day or longer exclusivity should add 40–75%. Be cautious about long exclusivity periods in your primary niche — they can lock you out of significant income.

Revision policies are often overlooked. Most creators include one round of revisions in their base rate. Unlimited revisions or last-minute brief changes should either be included as a paid add-on or clarified in the contract. Brands that provide poor briefs and request extensive revisions represent a hidden time cost that eats into your effective hourly rate.

How to find brand deals and negotiate effectively

There are three main channels through which European creators find brand partnerships: inbound (brands approach you), influencer marketplace platforms, and direct outreach.

Inbound enquiries become common once you have a discoverable online presence and a profile on creator marketplaces. Make it easy for brands to find you by maintaining an updated media kit, listing your contact email prominently in every bio, and registering on platforms like Influencer.co, Modash, TikTok Creator Marketplace, and YouTube's Brand Connect (where available). Expect inbound enquiries to start materialising once you have 5,000–10,000 engaged followers.

Influencer marketplace platforms common in European markets include Kolsquare (France-based, strong in continental Europe), Heepsy (Spain-based), and IndaHash (Poland-based, strong in Eastern and Central Europe). These platforms connect creators with brands but typically take a commission of 10–20% from the deal value. They are useful for finding initial partnerships but become less economical as you build direct brand relationships.

Direct outreach is how established creators build their most profitable relationships. Identify brands whose products you genuinely use and whose audience demographics align with yours. Send a personalised email (not a template) explaining why your audience specifically would value their product, including 2–3 data points about your audience. Follow up once after 5–7 days. Expect a 5–15% response rate — low, but even one successful partnership from 20 outreach emails can be worth €500–€3,000.

Negotiation principles: quote higher than your floor rate (you can always come down), always ask for a counter-offer rather than accepting the first offer, and never discount significantly on price alone — instead offer additional value (an extra Story frame, extended usage) for a lower rate if needed.

Pro Tips

Agencies often represent both brands and creators — if a brand approaches you through an agency, ask whether the agency represents the brand (in which case they negotiate against you) or is acting as a facilitator
Payment terms of net-30 (payment within 30 days of invoice) are standard in Europe — net-60 and beyond should warrant a late payment fee clause in your contract
Ask for a purchase order or signed brief before beginning any work, even for small deals — this protects you if the brand disputes payment
Rates for Stories should be treated as separate deliverables from feed posts — bundling them 'for free' leaves money on the table
Seasonal timing affects brand deal rates: Q4 budgets are larger, Q1 budgets are frequently frozen — plan your outreach accordingly