How to ask a brand for a higher rate (when you've already worked together)

Raising your rate with a new brand is easy. You just quote the new number. Raising it with a brand you already work with feels much harder, because they know what you charged last time, they liked it, and you don't want to be the reason the relationship ends.

Here's the thing most creators get backwards: a returning brand is the best place to raise your rate, not the worst. They've seen your work perform. They know you're reliable. Replacing you means finding, briefing and testing someone new, which costs them time and risk. That's leverage, and it's yours.

This guide covers when to ask, how much to ask for, what to bring with you, and exactly what to say.

Signs it's time to raise your rate

You don't need a dramatic reason. Any of these is enough on its own:

• Your audience has grown. More followers is the obvious one, but more consistent views matter more to most brands.
• Your views or engagement have gone up. If your median video now does noticeably more than when you first quoted, your old price is underpriced.
• The work has grown. The brief started as one video and now includes a hook test, three cutdowns and raw footage.
• They keep coming back. Repeat bookings are the clearest sign the price is working for them.
• They're asking for more rights. Paid usage, whitelisting, longer usage periods or exclusivity all have real value.
• It's been six to twelve months. Prices go up for everything else. Yours can too.
• You're turning down other work to fit them in. Your time has become scarcer, so it costs more.

If two or three of these are true at once, you're overdue.

How much to raise it by

There's no fixed rule, but these are common starting points creators use:

Situation	A common starting point
Routine yearly increase, nothing big changed	10% to 15%
Clear growth in views or audience	20% to 30%
Scope has grown since the original quote	Re-price the new scope, not a percentage
They now want paid usage or whitelisting	Add a separate usage fee on top
You're well below what new brands pay you	Close most of the gap, possibly over two bookings

A few principles behind those numbers:

Raise for a reason you can name. "My views are up" or "the deliverables have grown" lands much better than "I'm raising prices."

Don't jump from far under to full market rate in one go if you value the relationship. If you've been charging a long-term brand $800 and new brands now pay you $1,600, going straight to $1,600 can feel like a shock. Going to $1,200 now and $1,500 next quarter is easier to approve, and you still get there.

Separate rights from content. If they want to run your video as an ad, that's a new line item, not a reason to haggle over the base fee. Keeping them separate makes both easier to discuss.

A quick example

Say you've done four Reels for a skincare brand at $900 each over the last year. Since then:

• Your median Reel views have gone from around 25,000 to around 40,000
• They've started asking for a 15-second cutdown with each one
• They've boosted two of your posts as ads

A reasonable new quote might be $1,150 for the Reel and cutdown, plus a usage fee for any post they want to run as an ad. You're not asking for more money for the same thing. You're pricing what they're actually getting now.

What to bring: the proof

The ask is easier when the numbers do the talking. Before you write the email, pull together:

1. Results from your work with them. Views, saves, shares, link clicks, discount code uses, comments asking where to buy. Anything they can take to their boss.
2. Your growth since the original quote. Median views then and now, follower count then and now. Medians are more honest than your single best post, and brands tend to trust them more.
3. What's changed in the work. A short list of deliverables then versus now.
4. Any outside signals. New brands you've worked with in the same category, press, a viral moment, a new platform you've grown on.

Keep it short. Three or four bullet points are more persuasive than a ten-page deck. The goal is to make it easy for your contact to forward one email to whoever approves budgets.

When to ask

Timing does a lot of the work.

Best: before the next booking is confirmed. When they reach out with a new brief, that's the natural moment. You're quoting anyway.

Also good: at a renewal or the end of a campaign. If you're on a multi-month deal, raise it when you discuss the next term, not halfway through the current one.

Good: right after a strong result. If a post just did very well for them, send your wrap-up and mention your updated rates for future work in the same email.

Avoid: mid-campaign on agreed work. Once a price is agreed and the work is underway, changing it is a breach of trust, and sometimes of contract. Honor the deal, then raise for the next one.

Plan around their budget cycle. Many brands set budgets quarterly or yearly. If you know when that happens, give them a heads-up before it, so your new rate goes into the plan instead of fighting for room in it.

Scripts you can copy

When they send a new brief

Hi Jordan, thanks for sending this over, it looks like a great fit again.

Quick heads-up before we lock it in: my rates for new bookings have gone up since we last worked together. My median Reel views are now around 40,000 (up from about 25,000 when we started), and our last two posts drove 300+ code uses between them.

For this brief (one Reel plus a 15-second cutdown), the fee would be $1,150. Paid usage would be quoted separately if you'd like to run it as an ad.

Happy to talk it through if it helps with approvals.

At the end of a campaign or retainer term

Hi Priya, here's the wrap-up for the last three months: total views of around 480,000, average save rate of 4.1%, and the March video is still your top-performing creator post by clicks.

I'd love to keep going. For the next three months, my monthly rate will be $2,600 (up from $2,200), which reflects the growth on my end and the extra cutdowns we've added along the way. Same deliverables otherwise.

Let me know if you want to jump on a quick call before your planning.

Advance notice, no booking on the table

Hi Sam, just a friendly heads-up so it doesn't land as a surprise: from January, my rates for new bookings are going up by about 15%. Anything booked before the end of December stays at the current rate.

Thanks again for a great year working together.

That last one also gives them a reason to book now, which is a nice side effect.

Handling the replies

Most of the time, a returning brand will say yes, ask a question, or counter. Plan for each.

"We don't have budget for that"

Often true, sometimes a test. Don't drop your price immediately. Offer to adjust the scope instead:

Totally understand. If $1,150 doesn't fit this quarter, I can do the Reel on its own at $950, without the cutdown. Or we keep the full package and move to the new rate next quarter. Which works better?

You protect your rate and give them a real choice.

"Our other creators charge less"

They might. That's fine. You aren't other creators, and they came back to you for a reason.

That makes sense, and I know rates vary a lot. What I can point to is how our posts have performed for you, which is why I'm comfortable with this rate. Happy to share the full numbers if that helps internally.

"Can we keep the old rate for one more booking?"

This is a reasonable middle ground if you value the relationship. Agree, and get the new rate confirmed in writing for after that:

Sure, I can do this one at the current rate. From the next booking, it'll be $1,150. I'll note that on the invoice so it's on record.

They counter with a smaller increase

If their number is still above your old rate and the relationship is good, it's often worth accepting. A small raise you get is better than a big one you don't. You can always raise again in six months.

Silence

Give it a week, then follow up once with a simple nudge (there's a whole guide on that). Silence after a price increase usually means "I'm checking with someone", not "goodbye".

What if they walk away?

It's possible, and it's worth deciding in advance what you'll do.

Ask yourself: if this brand left, could you fill that slot with someone paying your new rate? If yes, losing them at the old price isn't a loss, it's a swap. If not yet, consider a smaller step up, or holding the old rate for them only while you build up other brands.

Either way, losing one brand over a fair, well-explained increase is rare. Brands budget for creators raising rates. What they don't like is surprises.

Mistakes to avoid

Apologizing. "Sorry, I hate to do this, but..." invites a no. State it plainly, with a reason.

Raising without proof. A number with no context is easy to reject. One line of results changes everything.

Changing the price on agreed work. Raise for the next booking, never the current one.

Bundling everything into one number. Keep usage, whitelisting and exclusivity separate so the base fee stays clean.

Waiting too long. The longer you stay at an old rate, the bigger the eventual jump has to be, and the harder it is.

Forgetting to update your records. Note the new rate, the date it starts and anything you agreed as a transition. That way next year's conversation starts from the right number.

The short version

• A returning brand is the easiest place to raise your rate, because replacing you costs them time and risk.
• Raise for a reason you can name: growth, bigger scope or more rights.
• Common steps are 10% to 15% for a routine increase and 20% to 30% when your numbers have clearly grown.
• Bring three or four bullet points of proof, not a deck.
• Ask when a new brief arrives or at renewal, never mid-campaign.
• If they push back on budget, offer a smaller scope instead of a smaller rate.
• Keep a record of what you charged and when. If you track deals in Vantr, each deal keeps its fee and deliverables, so it's easy to see what a brand paid last time before you quote the next one.