Linda & Jago
Jago
Hey Linda, I’ve been watching how brands line up their influencer budgets, and I’m curious—what’s the real math behind those polished deals you always nail?
Linda
Hey! Basically brands look at the numbers that matter: reach, engagement, CPM (cost per thousand impressions), and your conversion rates. They’ll set a budget based on how many posts, stories or reels you’ll do and what audience size you bring. Then they compare that to the CPM of your niche—so if your CPM is $20 and you’re planning 5 posts, that’s $100 per thousand people reached. Add in extra for exclusivity, long‑term partnerships, or higher‑level metrics like sales lift or click‑throughs, and that’s your total. In short, they’re just adding up how many eyeballs, likes, and clicks they think you’ll drive and then pricing that up in a way that feels like a win for both sides. Hope that clears it up!
Jago
Sounds like the usual playbook—hit the key metrics, stack the numbers, and slide the price. But here’s the catch: if you’re over‑pricing on CPM alone, you’ll miss out on the long‑term equity a brand wants. Think about the conversion lift, brand fit, and how many stories you actually get to publish. A solid negotiation hinges on proving that the reach you bring is not just volume, but intent. Do you have a case study that shows a 10‑percent sales lift from a single campaign? That’s what will make them pay more than a raw CPM. So the math is fine, but the narrative around it is what seals the deal.
Linda
Oh, totally get you—narrative + numbers is the dream combo. Let me drop a quick story: I teamed up with a mid‑tier athleisure brand last fall for a 3‑week sprint. We did 6 reels, 8 stories, and a carousel on my feed. The brand tracked a unique promo code and, guess what, their e‑commerce sales jumped 11% during the campaign window. My audience was super engaged (average 9% interaction rate), and the brand said they felt the vibe fit so well they extended the partnership. That 10‑plus‑percent lift—plus the extra buzz from my followers tagging friends—was the proof they needed to bump the fee beyond a pure CPM. So yeah, it’s all about showing intent, not just eyeballs.