Original source: TubeBuddy
This video from TubeBuddy covered a lot of ground. Streamed.News selected 6 key moments and summarises them here. Everything below links directly to the timestamp in the original video.
Understanding the goal of a brand campaign—whether it's direct sales or mass awareness—is key to pricing your content. The format of your video often dictates the brand's objective.
Long-Form Brand Deals Drive Conversions, Short-Form Drives Awareness, Says Creator
Brand deals for long-form video content are typically geared towards driving direct sales for expensive or subscription-based products, according to creator Jack Gordon. Brands leverage the deep connection long-form creators have with their audience to sell items like a $1,000 desk chair, where an endorsement carries more weight. The primary goal is conversion, and success is measured by how many people buy the product.
In contrast, short-form video sponsorships often prioritize brand awareness and virality, aiming to get millions of views rather than direct sales. This distinction helps creators understand what metrics brands value most for different content formats, shaping how they pitch and price their work.
"Long form seems to be about conversions. Short form seems to be about awareness."
Creator Advises Viewing Audience Attention as a B2B Product to Sell to Brands
Content creators should frame their work as a business-to-business operation where the product being sold is the audience's attention, according to Josh Krueger. The value of this attention is determined by demographics and interests, not just follower count. A small audience of 10,000 investors with significant savings, for example, is more valuable to luxury brands than a much larger, less targeted group.
This B2B mindset shifts the focus from chasing raw view counts to cultivating a specific, high-value audience. It explains why a LinkedIn creator with only 1,000 tech CEO followers can command premium rates from relevant brands.
"You have to think about their attention is the product that you're selling to these brands. You are a business-to-business brand."
Brand Deal for 100,000 Views Can Range from $500 to $50,000 Depending on Niche
The value of a sponsored video is not determined by view count alone, with rates for a 100,000-view video varying from $500 to as much as $50,000. The decisive factor is the content niche and the specific audience being reached. A video about finance or technology commands a much higher premium than one about carnival claw machines, even with identical viewership.
This massive price disparity underscores the importance of niche-specific pricing. Creators are advised to consult with peers in their own vertical to set appropriate rates rather than comparing themselves to creators in different fields.
"A 100,000 view video could be a $500 brand deal on some channels or a $50,000 brand deal on other channels. And I've genuinely seen both."
Creator Rates Are 'Volatile,' Not Fixed on a Rate Card, Says Influencer
The idea that content creators have a fixed rate card is a misconception, according to creator Jack Gordon. Pricing for brand deals is highly volatile and does not follow a set menu of services. Instead, creators and brands negotiate rates for each project individually based on a range of factors.
Variables such as the time of year, current audience size, viewer demographics, and a brand's specific campaign needs all influence the final price. This dynamic pricing model means creators cannot charge the same amount for every deal.
"I also think a misconception is like everyone has a rate. Like, oh, I have a rate. I charge this for a short every single time... That's not what it is at all."
Creator Secures $1,500 Bonus From Notion by Asking After Video Goes Viral
Creator Josh Krueger shared how he turned a $750 brand deal with Notion into a more lucrative partnership by simply asking for a bonus after his video performed exceptionally well. The video, which was part of a three-part deal, garnered 700,000 views, prompting Krueger to request additional compensation. Notion responded by sending an extra $1,500.
This experience highlights a key negotiating tactic for creators: building performance-based incentives into deals or requesting them after a campaign significantly exceeds expectations. It proves that brands may be willing to pay more when their investment delivers outsized results.
"I was like, 'Hey, can I get a bonus?' Why not ask? And then they sent me $1,500 extra just because I asked."
Creators Advised to Set a Baseline Rate and Increase It With Audience Growth
A practical approach for setting brand deal rates is to establish an initial baseline price and incrementally increase it as viewership grows. This method allows creators to scale their pricing alongside their channel's performance. Trying to set rates by comparing with other creators is often misleading, even if they have similar view counts.
Because the value of an audience varies significantly based on its demographics and niche, two channels with 100,000 average views can have vastly different worth to brands. This makes internal benchmarking against past deals more reliable than external comparisons.
"If my views go up, I just charge more than my last one. It's kind of hard to play the comparison game to other creators as far as rates go."
Also mentioned in this video
- The speaker reinforces the advice to ask for a bonus if a video performs well,… (1:02)
- Brand deals constitute 80% of his income due to low ad revenue on short-form… (1:12)
- With a slightly higher offer, perhaps 20% more, rather than significantly… (4:09)
- The speaker generalizes that long-form content is more about conversions and… (6:15)
Summarised from TubeBuddy · 6:57. All credit belongs to the original creators. Streamed.News summarises publicly available video content.
