The Influencer Pricing Report 2026: What 805 UK Creators Reveal About Pay, Pricing and Opportunity

Five editions of research. Thousands of creator responses. And an industry still struggling with the same questions about money, fairness and transparency.

How much should an influencer charge? What should brands pay for usage rights? And are creators really being offered the same opportunities?

These are questions we've been asking at SevenSix Agency since launching our first Influencer Pricing Report in 2021.

Five editions later, we're still asking them.

Our latest Influencer Pricing Report 2026, based on research collected in 2025, examines what happens beyond the rate card: how creators negotiate their fees, the rights they're being asked to give away and the inequalities that continue to shape their experiences.

The findings reveal an industry that's grown commercially but still has significant work to do when it comes to transparency and fair treatment.

Download the full Influencer Pricing Report 2026

What did we research?

This year's report combines several sources of research and industry insight, including:

• 805 UK creators, combining responses from SevenSix's direct survey and an external creator survey.

• 1,470 international creators surveyed across the UK, US, Canada and Ireland.

• 54 UK brand and agency respondents, sharing their experiences of creator selection, budgets and payment.

• Rate-card information covering 52 creators represented by UK talent management agencies.

• Industry interviews with talent managers, creators and agency professionals.

Working with research and data analysis partner Griot Data, we brought together these findings to look at the bigger picture of influencer pricing.

Here's what we discovered.

1. Creators are still experiencing unequal treatment

73% of Black UK creators reported being treated differently because of an aspect of their identity, compared with 28% of white creators.</text>

The figures were also high among mixed-heritage creators (68%) and Asian creators (66%).

Across all UK creators who provided valid answers to this question, 48% reported experiencing different treatment linked to at least one aspect of their identity, including race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion or disability.

These are self-reported experiences, rather than a measured pay gap. But they raise an important question: if we want influencer marketing to become more inclusive, are we looking closely enough at who actually gets the opportunities?

Our research also found that while 88% of surveyed UK brands and agencies said diversity was always a consideration when selecting creators, 38% reported challenges achieving it.

Some respondents described diverse creator shortlists being put forward but not approved.

The takeaway: Diversity can't stop at the shortlist. Brands need to look at who's getting booked, who's being rejected and whether opportunity is being distributed fairly.

2. Almost half of UK creators don't charge for exclusivity

Imagine agreeing to promote a brand, then discovering you can't work with any of its competitors for the next six months.

That restriction could prevent you from accepting other paid opportunities. But are creators being compensated for it?

Our research found that:

• 25% of UK creators charge for exclusivity.

• 28% charge sometimes or depending on the brand.

• 47% don't charge for it.

Exclusivity is a commercial restriction, and it should be treated as such.

For creators, this means understanding exactly which brands or categories you're restricted from working with, where the restriction applies and how long it lasts.

For brands, it means being upfront about exclusivity requirements from the very first brief, rather than introducing them at contract stage.

3. Only a third of UK creators know how to price usage rights

A creator agreeing to produce an Instagram Reel or TikTok isn't automatically agreeing to let a brand use that content in paid advertising.

Yet usage remains one of the most confusing parts of influencer pricing.

Only 33% of UK creators surveyed said they knew how to price usage rights, while 25% said they sometimes knew how and 42% said they didn't.

Even talent managers don't follow a single universal pricing method.

Some calculate usage as a percentage of the original content fee, while others negotiate flat rates or different structures depending on the campaign.

And that's because usage depends on what the brand actually wants: where the content will appear, whether it will be used organically or in paid advertising, for how long and in which territories.

The takeaway: Content creation and content licensing are separate parts of a commercial agreement. Both should be clearly discussed, priced and agreed before a campaign begins.

4. Talent management rate cards reveal a striking difference in asking prices

How much does representation affect creator pricing?

When we compared UK talent-manager rate cards with creators' self-reported fees at similar follower levels, we found substantial differences in Instagram Reel asking prices.

Managed rate cards were approximately:

• 5× higher for micro creators.

• 3× higher for mid-tier creators.

• 2× higher for large creators.

These are differences between quoted or advertised prices, not confirmed final payments. The research doesn't establish that talent management alone caused the differences.

But it does highlight an important issue: creators aren't necessarily entering negotiations with the same information, resources or commercial support.

Only 35% of UK creators surveyed said they felt confident pricing brand partnerships.

Greater transparency, access to industry knowledge and a better understanding of commercial rights could help more creators negotiate from a stronger position.

5. UK creators have lessons to learn from the US

We also compared responses from UK and US creators who completed the same international survey.

The differences were noticeable.

In the US, 68% of creators felt confident pricing brand partnerships, compared with 46% in the UK.

US creators were also more likely to know how to price usage rights (56% versus 40%) and charge for exclusivity (40% versus 23%).

However, the two markets reported similar experiences of unequal treatment.

Among Black respondents in both countries, 77% said they had been treated differently because of an aspect of their identity, compared with 26% of white respondents.

Greater pricing confidence doesn't automatically mean a fairer industry.

Knowing your worth isn't the same as getting paid it

One of the biggest questions this report raises is something we still don't have enough information about:

What happens between a creator quoting their fee and actually getting paid?

We know what creators say they charge. But we don't consistently know what brands initially offer, who gets selected, what changes during negotiation or what fee is ultimately agreed.

And payment matters, too. Some talent managers interviewed for the report described waiting up to 120 days for payment after content went live.

Transparency needs to go beyond publishing rate cards.

We need a clearer understanding of the full process, from the initial brief to the final payment.

What needs to change?

After five editions of research, we're calling for four practical changes across the industry.

1. Share budgets. Brands should include realistic budget ranges in briefs so creators can make informed decisions about the opportunities they pursue.

2. Pay for rights. Content creation, paid usage and exclusivity are different things. Requirements should be clear upfront, with fair compensation for everything included.

3. Make diversity count. Track who gets shortlisted, approved and booked, rather than treating diverse casting lists as the final measure of success.

4. Pay on time. Agree clear payment terms before a campaign starts and honour them.

For creators, the message is equally important: understand what you're agreeing to, question unclear terms and keep records of your quoted fees, negotiated agreements and final payments.

Five editions later, we're still pushing for change

We launched the first SevenSix Influencer Pricing Report to make conversations about influencer fees more open and accessible.

This fifth edition shows why that work still matters.

The industry doesn't need every creator to charge the same amount. It needs creators to have the information and opportunities required to make informed decisions about their work, and brands to take greater responsibility for how they commission, negotiate and pay.

Because knowing your worth is only the beginning.

Download the Influencer Pricing Report 2026

Read the full findings, explore the research and share the report with your team.

About SevenSix Agency

SevenSix Agency is a London-based talent management agency founded in 2019 to champion greater diversity and inclusion in influencer marketing. Alongside representing creators across commercial partnerships, media and special projects, we work with brands and industry organisations to share expertise and help build a fairer creator economy.

Research acknowledgements

This report was developed with research and data analysis support from Griot Data, led by founder Hazaud Regis Gnaly. International survey data was provided through CXS, a specialist beauty platform for nano and micro content creators, and Menza AI supported the analysis of industry interviews.

We're also grateful to the talent management agencies, industry specialists, creators and brand representatives who contributed their time, data and experiences.