What to Put on a Creator Rate Card

A rate card is not just a list of prices. It is the first chance to define what a brand is buying, what counts as extra work, and what happens after you deliver. A number without those boundaries invites a negotiation where the scope keeps expanding and the fee does not.

You do not need a complicated media kit to make this work. One clear page is enough.

Start with the base deliverable

For every standard package, name the platform, format, length range, and what is included. For example: "One TikTok video, 30 to 60 seconds, posted to my account, including concepting, filming, editing, caption, and one revision round."

The point is not legal precision. It is preventing a brand from reading "one TikTok" as a TikTok, a Reel, a Story set, raw footage, and three cutdowns. If they want more, give it a separate line item.

Raw footage deserves particular care because it gives a brand the source material for future edits, not only another file format. This raw-footage rights guide explains how to scope the files and license separately.

Useful add-ons include:

• Extra platform cut or aspect ratio
• Additional revision round
• Raw footage or unedited selects
• Rush turnaround
• Link in bio or newsletter placement
• Paid usage or whitelisting
• Category exclusivity

Put rights and exclusivity on their own lines

Organic posting on your account and the brand reposting content organically are often included in a base fee. Paid use is different. If a brand wants to run ads using your face or handle, list the term, territory, and media separately.

Do the same for exclusivity. "No competitors for 30 days in the skincare category" is a scope you can understand. "Exclusivity included" is not. Usage rights and exclusivity clauses explain why each deserves a price rather than a footnote.

State the terms before the negotiation gets busy

Your card can say "payment terms available on request," but you should already know your baseline:

• Deposit, if you require one
• Payment timing after invoice, delivery, approval, or publication
• Number of included revisions
• Kill fee if a campaign is cancelled
• Late-payment fee or interest, where appropriate
• How long a brand has to return feedback

These details save awkward conversations later. In particular, payment on publication can leave a creator unpaid after completing the work if a brand changes direction. What you are owed when a brand rejects a video covers the clauses to check.

Give prices context, not false precision

Rates depend on audience fit, production effort, rights, and campaign timing. Your card does not need to publish every possible number. Use "starting at" pricing where the scope varies, and invite a brief that includes the actual deliverables and intended usage.

That keeps your first response fast while leaving room to price the deal in front of you. It also helps a good brand understand that a one-off organic post and a six-month paid campaign are not interchangeable products.

Keep it current

Update the card when your audience, production quality, or demand changes. Keep a dated version so you know what you quoted. And before accepting a deal, compare the contract to the card: contracts sometimes quietly add rights, deliverables, or revision obligations that were not in the initial scope.

The takeaway

Use your rate card to describe the work, not only its price. A base deliverable, a few clear add-ons, separate pricing for rights and exclusivity, and explicit payment and revision terms will make better deals easier to recognize.