transparency moment: i got my first-ever four-figure deal as a micro-influencer!

In a recent post discussed the various ways creators make money on social media. Whether through brand deals, or paid directly from different platforms, creators can make a pretty good amount of money on social media, especially if they are consistent.

Photo by: Victoria Olaniyi

As a creator who’s writing this blog to give the ins and outs of content creation, it’s only right for me to be transparent with my rates and deals that I’ve done. I’ve only done brand deals on TikTok and Instagram, while I’ve also gotten paid directly from Pinterest as a creator within the rewards program. This year I decided to take things up a notch and raise my rates, especially since I’ve been creating more beauty content. I made the decision to start at $1k and only take deals that are $1k or more. This was a decision I needed to make because I do want to one day work full-time as a creator once I’m out of school, and that wouldn't be possible if my rates stayed in the hundreds.

At first I was a bit nervous, since negotiating deals can be a bit stressful, but my creator friends helped me get over that fear and ask for the money that I deserved for my work. Since July I’ve signed three four-figure deals which is absolutely insane for someone with my amount of followers on the platforms I use.

For some context, I have a little over 4,600 followers on Instagram, 35k on TikTok, and over 300 followers on Pinterest with 11k monthly viewers. I still categorize myself as a micro-influencer, and hope to grow my Instagram with time over the next few months.

My first ever four-figure deal came in July with Milani Cosmetics at $1.5k. This was for one TikTok and one Instagram Reel, the exact same video just posted on both accounts. I created a one minute makeup routine that hopped on the “Clean Girl Aesthetic” trend that was all over social media during the summer time. This was a very simple video, and I decided to play around with some edits and text options to take it up a notch. I did this on net60 and received payment in October.

My second four-figure deal came in August with Giorgio Armani, a luxury beauty brand. I worked with Collectively for this collaboration, and all communication as well as feedback instruction was seamless through this company. I signed for $1.3k for this deal which included one in-feed Instagram post with 4 images. This was posted in August, and on net60 as well, so I will be receiving payment for that collab fairly soon. To learn more about net payment terms, check out this blog post!

My most recent four-figure deal came in this month, with Thrive Causemetics, a vegan and cruelty free makeup brand. I signed for $1.2k and this collaboration doesn’t require me to post on my accounts at all. This company simply wanted user-generated-content (UGC) for them to use on their socials. This will just be a 1-2 minute video of me applying their makeup products, featuring b-roll, and a finished look. I will provide the brand with an edited video with text and a voice-over as well as an unedited one. I find myself wanting to do more UGC content, since I want to move a lot of my social media presence to my blog so this collaboration really is helping me get into the swing of the UGC world.

Do you guys think that I’m selling myself short for the work that I do, or are my rates fine where they are at the moment? Let me know below, I've been thinking about increasing my rates very soon and would love some feedback! Check out any of my work on my socials!