Instagram rates by follower tier
Follower count is still the most common starting point for a rate conversation, even though it is the weakest signal on its own. The ranges below blend several 2026 industry benchmark reports and reflect mainstream niches at average engagement. A specific account can land well outside these ranges once niche and engagement rate are factored in, more on that below.
| Tier | Followers | Feed Post | Reel | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano | 1K–10K | $25–$150 | $50–$300 | $15–$75 |
| Micro | 10K–100K | $150–$800 | $300–$1,500 | $75–$300 |
| Mid-tier | 100K–500K | $800–$5,000 | $2,000–$8,000 | $300–$1,500 |
| Macro | 500K–1M+ | $5,000–$20,000+ | $8,000–$30,000+ | $1,500–$6,000 |
Ranges synthesized from multiple 2026 industry benchmark reports for mainstream consumer niches at average engagement. Individual quotes vary significantly by niche, audience quality, and usage rights requested, treat this as a starting reference, not a fixed price.
Nano and micro accounts often see the widest relative spread, since a highly engaged nano creator in a high-intent niche can out-earn a much larger account with passive followers. That gap tends to narrow at the macro tier, where reach itself becomes the primary value brands are buying.
Why Reels price above Feed Posts
Reels consistently command the highest rate of the three main formats, commonly 20 to 40 percent above a static Feed Post at the same account size. Two things drive that gap: production effort, a Reel typically takes longer to shoot and edit than a static image, and algorithmic reach, Reels are more likely to surface to accounts beyond a creator's existing followers, which extends the audience a brand is actually paying for.
Stories and Link in Bio placements price lowest of the common formats. Both have a short lifespan and lower production effort, and are usually sold as an add-on to a Reel or Feed Post rather than as a standalone deliverable.
What actually moves the number beyond follower count
Two accounts with identical follower counts can fairly charge very different rates once niche and engagement are factored in. Finance, legal, and health niches carry the largest premiums, often 50 to 100 percent above general lifestyle baselines, because their audiences are high-intent buyers advertisers pay more to reach. Beauty and fashion carry a moderate premium. Gaming and entertainment typically run below baseline, since those audiences convert to purchases less directly.
Engagement rate matters as much as niche. An account performing well above its tier's average engagement can justify pricing toward the top of its range or above it, while an account below average should expect to price toward the floor. Audience geography plays a smaller but real role too, a US or premium-tier audience typically prices higher than an otherwise identical account with a more global or emerging-market audience, since advertiser budgets are not distributed evenly by country.
A worked example
Here is what these factors produce against a real account profile.
SponsorCraft's Instagram calculator pricing an 85,000-follower beauty account, Reel selected as the deal format.
Notice the Reel sits well above the Feed Post reference and the Story add-on is priced as a fraction of the Reel, not a standalone deliverable. That hierarchy holds fairly consistently across niches, which is why leading with Reel pricing and treating Stories as an add-on is the more defensible way to quote a deal.
Free calculator vs. the full app
SponsorCraft's Instagram calculator applies this same logic to your own account, followers, niche, tier, engagement, and audience geography, then prices Reel, Feed Post, Story, and Link in Bio separately. It's part of the $49 one-time Creator License, which also adds YouTube, TikTok, and Shorts calculators, the multi-platform bundle calculator for creators running more than one channel, PDF rate card export, and a document bundle with a contract, media kit, and outreach email templates. There is no subscription on any tier, and the app runs fully offline as a single file with no login.
Price it against your actual account.
SponsorCraft prices Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Shorts using the same engine, then hands you a rate card ready to send.