1. The short version
- The base fee covers your post and the brand sharing it organically for a set time.
- Paid ads and whitelisting are a separate licence with their own fee and their own end date.
- Exclusivity is a cost to you — work you cannot take — so it is priced, and it ends.
2. The kinds of usage
- Organic — the brand reposts or shares your video on its own channels. Included in the base fee, for a set period.
- Paid ads — the brand runs your content as an advertisement. A separate licence.
- Whitelisting / Spark Ads — the ad runs from your account, in your name. A separate licence, and you keep the right to pull it.
- Exclusivity — you agree not to work with competitors for a time. Priced, and with an end date (Fair Deal, Article V).
3. Before you agree
- Where can the brand post it? Their own organic channels only, unless you agree more.
- For how long? A fixed period from publication, e.g. 90 days. Never “in perpetuity” for the base fee.
- Paid ads or whitelisting? A separate licence with its own fee and its own end date.
- Can they edit it? Cuts for length, yes; changing what you said, no — unless you approve.
- Raw footage? Not included unless it is priced in.
- What happens at the end? They stop running it in ads; organic posts can stay up.
4. Method
Figures use the average views of 8,277 YouTube channels IU tracks, refreshed at least every 30 days. Rate floors use IU’s published pricing method at its low end; ranges are shown only where a group has at least 20 channels. This guidance comes from creators, for creators; it is not legal or financial advice.
Cite as: InfluencerUnion, “Pricing usage rights”, influencerunion.com/academy/pricing-usage-rights (2026).
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