Sources and updates
A pricing calculator is only useful if you can see where its numbers come from. This page is the public record of the references we use, of what each one backs and of when we last reviewed them.
Sources consulted
Grouped by type. The official ones mostly cover definitions and platform mechanics; the market ones, orders of magnitude.
Official platform documentation
-
CPM, RPM and revenue analytics
Open the source CPM, RPM and revenue analytics
What it backs
- What YouTube's advertising CPM measures and how it differs from a sponsorship CPM
Limitations Official source for platform definitions and mechanics. It does not set commercial sponsorship rates.
-
Brand deals and paid content
Open the source Brand deals and paid content
What it backs
- That a brand deal is priced separately from advertising revenue
Limitations It describes the framework and disclosure duties, not amounts or market ratios.
-
Official Spark Ads documentation
Open the source Official Spark Ads documentation
What it backs
- That advertising from a creator's account requires their explicit authorisation
- That the authorisation can be limited in scope and duration
Limitations Official source for mechanics and permissions. It publishes no pricing percentage.
Market reports and rate cards
-
2026 Influencer Marketing Report
Open the source 2026 Influencer Marketing Report
What it backs
- Order of magnitude of a UGC package: around 180 USD on average
- Average creator payout around 154 USD and average campaign cost around 197 USD
- Reference ranges for the smaller audience tiers
Limitations Data from its own marketplace, not from the whole market.
-
UGC pricing in Spain
Open the source UGC pricing in Spain
What it backs
- Approximate average of 74 EUR for a 30-second UGC video in Spanish campaigns
Limitations A Spanish figure drawn from active campaigns on its own platform. It is an average, not a scale by experience level.
-
UGC and creator pricing
Open the source UGC and creator pricing
What it backs
- UGC campaigns from around 100 USD per video, rising with experience and scope
Limitations Data and practices from its own marketplace and managed services.
-
Creator licensing and whitelisting
Open the source Creator licensing and whitelisting
What it backs
- Content licensing surcharge in the region of an additional 15–30%
Limitations Its marketplace's practice. It differs materially from other industry guides, which is why the surcharge is left manual.
-
Influencer pricing benchmarks
Open the source Influencer pricing benchmarks
What it backs
- Orders of magnitude by audience tier and by format
Limitations A creator-marketing guide and set of observations, not a published statistical sample.
-
Usage rights and allowlisting
Open the source Usage rights and allowlisting
What it backs
- Whitelisting surcharge around 30–50% in certain scenarios
Limitations A creator-marketing guide. Its range does not match Insense's: that divergence is why the surcharge is not automated.
-
Influencer pricing 2026
Open the source Influencer pricing 2026
What it backs
- Orders of magnitude by audience tier
- That differences between platforms are material
Limitations An aggregated market guide, not an official rate card.
-
Influencer rate guide 2025
Open the source Influencer rate guide 2025
What it backs
- Orders of magnitude by audience tier
- That differences between platforms are material
Limitations Rate cards collected from its own network's programmes, mostly from the US market.
What we record for each source
Every entry in the log carries these five fields:
- Source
- Who publishes the figure: an industry report, a study, a platform or a publication.
- Link
- The original address, so you can check the figure yourself. Where we have not checked the exact address ourselves, the entry is marked as link pending instead of carrying an approximate URL.
- What it backs
- Which specific variable in which calculator relies on that reference.
- Review date
- When we last checked that the figure still holds.
- Limitations
- The caveats to keep in mind: geographic scope, sample size, the commercial interest of whoever publishes it, or how far the figure reaches.
How often it is reviewed
Industry prices move, so an undated reference is worth little. The latest review is dated 24 August 2026, and that same date appears under every methodology table.
When a review changes the output of a calculator, it will be flagged next to the corresponding entry. If a reference stops supporting a value, the value is withdrawn rather than kept out of inertia.