London-based talent management agency SevenSix has released the fifth edition of its Influencer Pricing Report, produced with research and data analysis partner Griot Data. The report reveals the ongoing challenges creators face when negotiating brand partnerships, understanding their commercial value and accessing fair opportunities.

The report draws on responses from 805 UK creators, international survey data, brand and agency insights, talent management rate cards and industry interviews.

• 73% of Black UK creators reported being treated differently because of an aspect of their identity, compared with 28% of white creators.
• The figure was also high among mixed-heritage creators (68%) and Asian creators (66%).
• Across the UK sample, 48% of creators who answered the question reported differential treatment linked to characteristics including race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender or disability. These findings reflect creators’ reported experiences rather than a measured pay gap.

Key findings

• Exclusivity - 47% of UK creators don’t charge for exclusivity, despite restrictions potentially preventing them from accepting work with competing brands.
• Usage rights - Only 33% of UK creators know how to price usage rights, with a further 25% saying they sometimes know how and 42% saying they don’t.
• Pricing confidence - Just 35% feel confident pricing brand partnerships.
• Rate cards - Talent manager rate cards showed significantly higher asking prices than creators’ self-reported quotes within comparable follower tiers. For Instagram Reels, managed rate cards were approximately five times higher for micro creators, three times higher for mid-tier creators, and twice as high for large creators. These are asking prices, not confirmed payments.
• Diversity - 88% of UK brand and agency respondents said diversity was always considered when choosing creators, yet 38% reported challenges achieving it, with some describing diverse shortlists being rejected during client approval.

UK creators lag behind USA counterparts

For the first time, the report also explores differences between UK and USA creator experiences. In the international survey, 68% of USA creators felt confident pricing brand partnerships, compared with 46% in the UK. USA creators were also more likely to know how to price usage rights (56% vs 40%) and to charge for exclusivity (40% vs 23%). However, reported differences in treatment remained strikingly similar across both markets.

Charlotte Stavrou, Founder and CEO of SevenSix Agency, said: “We’ve made progress in talking about diversity, but that doesn’t mean we’ve fixed the problems. Brands might be putting diverse creators forward for campaigns, but who’s actually getting booked? What budgets are being offered? And what are creators eventually being paid?

“I think the industry needs to start looking beyond rate cards. Knowing what someone charges is only part of the picture. We need greater transparency around who gets opportunities, how deals are negotiated and what people actually earn.”

SevenSix is calling on brands and agencies to be more transparent about campaign budgets, pay separately for additional rights, examine who gets selected for campaigns and commit to fair payment terms.

For more information and to download the report, visit sevensixagency.com.