CreatorScore▸ Rate cards · 2026 rates, refreshed quarterly
YouTube Influencer Rate Card (2026)
The highest-production creator economy, and the highest-conversion.
▸ YouTube
YouTube rate cards are structured fundamentally differently from every other platform because YouTube creators produce long-form content with real production costs, and YouTube content has the longest organic tail of any platform. A YouTube integration watched today can still drive traffic 18 months from now. Rates reflect this: YouTube premium sponsorships often exceed Instagram or TikTok equivalents by 2-3x at the same follower tier, and retainer relationships are the dominant commercial structure.
▸ By tier
YouTube rates by tier
Headline rates for the primary YouTube deliverable (Integrated Sponsorship (60-90 second integration)) across all 5 creator tiers. Open a tier for every deliverable, a negotiation playbook and sample deals.
- Nano-creator<10K subscribers$100 to $500Typical engagement 5–10% (eng / view ratio). Single integration, typically 60-second mid-roll.See full nano rates →
- Micro-creator10K–100K subscribers$500 to $2.5KTypical engagement 4–8%. Mid-roll integration + community post, sometimes dedicated video.See full micro rates →
- Mid-tier creator100K–500K subscribers$2.5K to $10KTypical engagement 2.5–6%. Series partnerships, multi-video deals, brand integration into creative arc.See full mid rates →
- Macro creator500K–1M subscribers$10K to $25KTypical engagement 1.8–4%. Dedicated videos, anchor partnerships, often annual deals.See full macro rates →
- Mega creator1M+ subscribers$100K to $500KTypical engagement 0.9–2.1%. Endorsement-tier deals, full episode integrations, franchise partnerships.See full mega rates →
▸ Rate drivers
What moves YouTube rates up or down
YouTube rates are driven by subscriber count less than any other platform. Views-per-video is the real metric. A 200K-subscriber channel that averages 400K views per video prices very differently from a 200K-subscriber channel that averages 40K. 2026 rates reflect CPM-based pricing models where $20-$40 per 1,000 views on the first 30 days is the common baseline; dedicated videos (long-form sponsored content) price at 3-5x that rate.
- 01
Average views per video on the last 30 days (single most predictive signal)
- 02
Niche CPM (tech, finance, luxury = $40-$60 CPM; lifestyle = $15-$25 CPM)
- 03
Integration length (60-second talk-to-camera vs 3-minute embedded storytelling)
- 04
Placement (pre-roll vs mid-roll vs end-card; mid-roll commands 60-80% premium)
- 05
Dedicated video vs integration in a standard video
- 06
Usage rights (YouTube-only vs cross-platform)
▸ Before you pay the rate
A rate card assumes the audience is real.
- Every range on this page prices reach. If a share of the followers are bots or the engagement comes from a pod, the creator belongs lower in the range than their follower count says.
- CreatorScore reads the whole footprint, every platform the creator posts on, and gives one score from 1 to 100 with the reasons behind it.
- Brand-safety findings come with the post behind them, so you see the risk before the contract, not after the campaign.
▸ Questions
YouTube rate FAQs
Are YouTube CPMs really $30-$50 per 1,000 views?
For sponsored integrations in premium niches (tech, finance, luxury, B2B SaaS), yes. For general lifestyle or entertainment content, the CPM sits at $15-$25. The 'brand category' matters more than the creator's niche: a tech reviewer sponsored by a kitchen brand will often price closer to lifestyle CPMs. When you see a YouTube rate quoted, implicitly back it out against claimed view counts and niche CPM to sanity-check.
Dedicated video vs mid-roll integration: which is better?
Dedicated videos drive 3-5x the conversion of mid-roll integrations per dollar, but they take 2-3x the production time and commit the creator's creative energy for a full video. For high-consideration purchases (software, education, major CPG launches), dedicated videos are the clear winner. For brand awareness or low-consideration products, mid-roll integrations in the creator's existing format-fit videos deliver better ROI per dollar.
Why is YouTube slower to publish than Instagram or TikTok?
YouTube content takes 10-40 hours of production per video at mid-tier and above. Creators don't publish day-of; they publish against a video calendar. A YouTube sponsorship signed today will typically publish 2-6 weeks out depending on the creator's schedule and production complexity. Budget this into campaign timelines.
Should I negotiate usage rights for YouTube sponsorships?
For the YouTube video itself, no. The content lives on the creator's channel in perpetuity by default. For cross-platform repurposing (clipping the integration for TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn), yes. This adds 20-50% to the base rate. Some creators offer cross-platform as a package add-on; most price it per platform.
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