1. The short version
- A dedicated YouTube video on a channel with 50K–100K subscribers has a union floor of $739 (middle of 9 niches, 830 channels).
- Niche matters as much as size: at 50K–100K subscribers the floor runs from $42 (Pets) to $739 (Finance).
- Price from average views, not subscribers. A channel whose videos reach more people is worth more, whatever its subscriber count.
- Usage rights are never free. Organic use has an end date; paid usage is priced separately.
2. Rate floors by channel size
A brand pays for attention, and attention is views. So the union’s floor starts from a channel’s average views per video, divided by 1,000, times the rate per thousand views brands pay in its niche, times the format: a dedicated video counts double, a 60–90 second integration once, a short less than half. The floor is the low end of that range — the level below which the union advises declining.
| Subscribers | Floor | Typical | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K–50K | $265 | $96–$810 | 2,361 |
| 50K–100K | $739 | $289–$2,439 | 830 |
| 100K–250K | $1,125 | $525–$3,423 | 1,172 |
| 250K–1M | $2,512 | $988–$6,808 | 1,565 |
| 1M+ | $8,017 | $3,052–$32,624 | 1,930 |
By niche, 50K–100K subscribers: Finance · Fashion · Fitness & Health · Entertainment · Home & Lifestyle · Travel
3. Pricing usage rights
The fee in the table pays for the video on your channel and for the brand to share it on its own channels for a limited time. Anything more is a licence: paid ads, whitelisting and Spark Ads run your face and voice in the brand’s advertising, and they are priced on top, for a set period (Fair Deal, Article III). The usage rights guide sets out how members price each.
4. When to say no
Say no, or ask for more, when an offer:
- pays below the floor for your size and niche;
- pays in “exposure” or product alone for work that takes days;
- asks for usage with no end date (Fair Deal, Article III);
- asks for unlimited revisions (Fair Deal, Article IV) or exclusivity without paying for it (Fair Deal, Article V);
- pays later than 30 days after delivery (Fair Deal, Article I).
5. 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, “The IU Sponsorship Rate Standard, 2026”, influencerunion.com/academy/sponsorship-rate-standard-2026 (2026).