Build the deal before you price it
Price an integration only after you know what the brand wants and how your video can help. Share the idea and value first. Get the brand's interest. Then check normal views from at least 10 recent videos like the next one. Write down the full work. Add any paid use or rival-brand limit. Now set one fee for that scope. Use sponsor CPM to check the math, but do not let CPM set the whole price.
First, know what you are pricing
An integration is a paid ad placed inside a long-form video. The ad may stand on its own. Or it may fit the topic and become part of the story. We call the second kind a native integration.
In our work, native ads often give the viewer, creator, and brand a better result. The ad feels useful because it fits the video. Still, both kinds are integrations.
A dedicated video is a different job. The whole video is about the brand or its product. Do not turn every integration into a dedicated video by accident.
Standard ad
The ad sits inside a long video, but it is not tied to the main topic. It can stand on its own.
Native integration
The product fits the topic. The creator may use it, show it, or compare it as part of the story.
Dedicated video
The full video is about the brand or product. Plan and price it as a new job.
The word "integration" does not tell you how much work is in the deal. Ask what the brand wants. A short ad, a product demo, and a full video plan are not the same job.
These steps can help creators in any field. We use many finance and business examples because that is where we have the most deal data.
Get these six things clear before the fee
The brand's goal
Ask what the brand will count as a win. It may want reach, clicks, trials, app use, leads, or sales. You need the goal before you can plan the video.
Your idea and value
Show how your video could help this specific company. You may spot a missing demo, a hard point that needs a plain answer, or a useful way to compare the product. Make the value clear in a few lines.
Brand interest
See if the brand likes the plan. Do not rush to a rate while the value is still a guess. A reply or call can tell you what the team wants to keep or change.
Normal views
Use at least 10 recent videos that are like the next one and had time to reach their normal view level. Remove clear outliers. Add the views. Divide the sum by the number of videos you used. Call this a view plan, not a promise.
The full work
Write down the video idea, sponsor part, demo, link, due date, script checks, edit rounds, post date, and report. If the brand wants raw clips or extra cuts, add them too.
Rights and limits
Ask where the brand may use the work. Check if it wants to run paid ads with it. Name any exclusivity, or rival-brand block, the products it covers, and how long it lasts.
Now set the fee
Set one fee for the value and scope above. Put the fee next to what the brand gets. Keep any added work, paid use, or rival-brand block clear.
Use sponsor CPM as a check
Sponsor CPM lets you compare the creator fee with the planned views. It is useful, but it is only one check. It cannot measure the strength of the idea, brand fit, past sales, hard-to-find ad space, or extra work.
Planned sponsor CPM = creator fee ÷ expected views × 1,000
Name the fee scope and view plan each time you use this math.
A planning range, not a price rule
Creators Agency's deal records cover more than 4,000 sponsored deliverables that we negotiated and helped deliver from 2021 through July 2026. About 75% of the sample was finance and business YouTube mid-roll ads. More than 95% were U.S. campaigns. All fees were in USD.
About 90% of those finance and business mid-rolls fell between $50 and $200 sponsor CPM. The median was near $100. There were deals below and above the range, with more outliers above it.
In this data, sponsor CPM is the creator's gross fee to make and post the ad per 1,000 expected views. It does not include paid use, a rival-brand block, or other deal terms. The free market sets the final fee.
Reviewed by Apple Crider on July 21, 2026. Read the full method in our YouTube sponsorship rate guide.
A full pricing example
This is based on a real finance deal we helped with. We changed the brand, creator, product, and numbers so the two sides cannot be found. The deal lesson is real: the creator did not start with a number.
An investing tool wants the right new users
- Creator value
- The creator reaches people who care about money. A native ad can show where the tool fits in a real cash choice.
- Brand interest
- The brand likes the idea because it reaches the type of person it wants as a user.
- View plan
- 45,000 expected views, based on 10 recent finance videos after clear outliers are removed.
- Work
- One native ad in a long video, a short demo, one script check, one edit, a link, and a 30-day report.
- Rights
- The post stays on the creator's channel. Paid ads are not part of the deal.
- Limits
- No rival-brand block is part of the deal.
The details above were changed for privacy. The math uses the sample median as a check. It does not say every deal with these views should cost the same.
The creator can now put the price beside the value:
"You want to reach people who are already thinking about where to keep their cash. My next finance video speaks to that group. I can build your tool into the lesson and show one clear way to use it. My similar videos reach about 45,000 people. For that value and the plan above, my fee is $4,500. It covers the native ad, demo, script check, one edit, link, and report. It does not cover paid ads or a rival-brand block."
The real test gave the brand useful proof and led to more work. That did not make the old fee the rule for the next deal. Each new deal still needed a fresh goal, scope, and price.
If the scope changes, price the new work. Do not make the first fee stretch to cover a new job.
Keep added terms easy to see
Put each added term on its own line. This helps both sides see what the fee covers.
| Brand request | What to ask | What to write down |
|---|---|---|
| Paid use | Where will the ad run? For how long? | Sites, apps, ad accounts, and end date |
| Rival-brand block | Which products count as rivals? For how long? | Product group, start date, and end date |
| Extra edits | What may the brand change after the first review? | Edit rounds, limits, and added fee |
| Raw clips or new cuts | Which files and sizes does the team need? | Files, cut length, due date, and use |
| Fast turn | What date is fixed? What can the team approve on time? | Due dates and who must reply |
What else can move the price?
Two creators with the same views may bring very different value. Look at the full deal.
- Past sales or sign-ups that match the brand's goal
- Repeat sponsors, since they show that brands came back
- Past clicks, searches, comments, or other signs of interest
- How steady the creator's views are
- How well the brand fits the creator and the video topic
- How much open sponsor space the creator has
- Where the viewers live and where the brand can sell
- Where the sponsor part sits in the video
Past results can support the plan. They do not promise the next sale. The creator shapes the message and video. The brand still owns its offer, price, site, and sales path.
Want help with the math?
Use the separate calculator after the goal, idea, interest, and scope are clear.
Check your quote before you send it
- The brand's goal is clear.
- Your idea shows the value you can add.
- The brand has shown interest in the plan.
- Expected views come from recent, like videos.
- The work, edit rounds, and report are listed.
- Paid use and rival-brand limits are clear.
- The fee sits next to the value and scope.
Want more plain brand deal tips? We share real lessons for creators on Instagram.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a paid ad placed inside a long-form video. The ad may stand on its own, or it may fit the video's topic and become part of the story. We call the second kind a native integration. A native fit often gives the viewer, creator, and brand a better result.
Start with the brand's goal and the idea you can make for it. Get the brand's interest. Then use at least 10 recent videos like the next one. Give them time to reach their normal view level. Remove clear outliers. Add the views and divide by the number of videos used. Write down the work, paid use, and any rival-brand limit. Set one fee for that scope. Use sponsor CPM only as a check.
No single number sets the fee. Recent views are often more useful than total subscribers because they show how many people may watch the next video. Brand fit, past results, the video idea, ad placement, open ad space, and the full work also matter.
Only if the written scope says so. A fee to make and post the video does not have to cover paid ads, use on other channels, or a block on rival brands. Name each term, where it applies, and how long it lasts. Price added terms after the brand asks for them.
Show your audience, recent views, past sponsor work, and the formats you can make. Wait to give a fee until you know the brand's goal, have a useful idea, and see brand interest. Then send one scoped fee with the value and work beside it.
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