Guide
Brand trip influencer rates
This page is not legal, tax, financial, or other professional advice. For a live deal, talk to a lawyer and a tax or finance specialist in your jurisdiction — BlueRateCard is not either.
Day rate + content SKUs
Split the quote into two layers. Layer one is presence: every working day on the ground (shoot, events, required dinners, brand training). Layer two is content: the posts, Stories, Lives, and raw files they actually want published or handed off. Creators who invoice only “trip package $X” without a SKU list get asked for a fourth Reel on night three with no leverage.
Build the day rate from your normal on-site logic — often a multiple of a single native post — not from the retail value of the hotel. Cover meals and incidentals in per diem or have the brand pay them directly. Your fee is labor and attention, the same principle as gifted vs paid: product and hospitality are not payroll.
| Component | Default | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-site day rate | 1.5–3× native post | $900 / day | Events + shoot hours |
| Travel day (no content) | 0.5× day rate | $450 / day | Optional if long haul |
| Native Reel / TikTok | Your card rate | $400 each | 1 revision each |
| Story sequence (3-frame) | ~0.35× native | $140 each | Link sticker extra |
| Raw UGC handoff (no post) | UGC card rate | $250–$500 | Usage separate |
| Live / appearance | Hourly or flat | $300–$600 | Cap hours in SOW |
Usage, whitelist, Spark, and exclusivity never hide inside the day rate. Add them as toggles with days.
Refuse free-trip table
Use this when the invite is all hospitality and the brief still lists deliverables. Same energy as seeder spam — nicer venue, same unpaid ask.
| They say | You hear | Your reply |
|---|---|---|
| “All expenses paid experience” | No creator fee | Send day rate + SKU list |
| “Just document your stay” | Unlimited content | Cap posts/Stories in SOW |
| “Exposure to other creators” | Not payment | Ignore; price as usual |
| “Post if you feel inspired” | Soft pressure later | If optional, no brief — else pay |
| “Usage included for the trip photos” | Ads rights grab | Organic only unless usage paid |
| “We’ll sort fee after the trip” | Free labor risk | Deposit before booking flights |
Optional: attend with zero required content and no brief. The moment there is a date, caption, or asset list, invoice.
Worked quote: 3-day resort launch
Inputs: two full work days on site, one travel day each way with no content, deliverables of 2 native Reels + 2 Story sequences, organic only, flights and hotel paid by brand. Native post fee $400; day rate $900.
| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| On-site days (2) | 2 × $900 | $1,800 |
| Travel days (2 × 0.5) | 2 × $450 | $900 |
| Native Reels (2) | 2 × $400 | $800 |
| Story sequences (2) | 2 × $140 | $280 |
| Flights / hotel / transfers | Brand direct | $0 to you |
| Paid usage / ads | Not sold | $0 |
| Trip total (creator fee) | Sum of fee lines | $3,780 |
| Deposit before tickets | 40% via milestones | $1,512 |
Stage the rest: e.g. 30% on arrival, 30% on content delivery. See payment milestones for Net terms and kill fees if they cancel after deposit.
Their counter of “we’ll cover the $2,000 room so your fee should be $1,000” is a refuse. Room cost is their production budget, not a coupon against your labor. If budget is real but lower, cut SKUs (one Reel instead of two) or days — do not erase the day rate to protect their hospitality line.
Contracts, milestones, and on-site creep
Trips fail in the logistics, not the caption. Lock passport timing, content deadlines after return (often 7–14 days), who owns raw files, and whether tagging other attendees is required. Put kill fees in writing before anyone buys a ticket — the payment milestones pattern (deposit → on-site → delivery) exists for this.
Scope creep on site
Extra Reel, unplanned Live, or “quick TikTok at midnight” = change order or overtime hour rate. Smile, then price.
Exclusivity
Competitor silence for 30–90 days around the trip is a paid calendar lock, not a thank-you for the suite.
Safety / opt-out
You can refuse unsafe activities without killing the whole fee if the SOW lists required vs optional events.
Revisions: one round per content piece after you deliver drafts. A brand that waits until you are home and then asks for a full reshoot on their dime needs a new travel day — or a remote reshoot fee — not unlimited polish inside the trip total.
What brand-trip pricing is not
- Not a gifted product seeder with nicer scenery — same refuse logic, higher stakes.
- Not a retainer; multi-city tours need a tour schedule or separate SOWs.
- Not automatic whitelisting of every photo from the weekend.
- Not “pay after we see the vlog performance.”
Publish a simple trip row on your rate card: day rate range, typical content add-ons, and “hospitality ≠ fee.” When the PDF invite arrives, you paste the worked structure, cut SKUs to fit budget, and hold the deposit line. That is how brand trips stay work — not a free vacation that somehow still needs four Reels.
Related guides
Rate cards & media kits
Brand trip rate questions
+Is a free hotel and flights enough payment for a brand trip?
No, if they require content, posting dates, or usage. Travel is a cost they cover so you can work — it is not your fee. Quote a day rate plus content SKUs, same as any on-site shoot.
+How do I set a brand-trip day rate?
Start from what you would charge for a full on-site shoot day (often 1.5–3× a single native post fee), then multiply by working days on the ground. Travel days with no content can be 0.5× day rate if they need you in transit.
+Who pays if the trip is cancelled two weeks out?
Use staged payments and a kill schedule: deposit non-refundable after flights are booked; higher kill once you are on site. Tie details to your payment milestones — do not rely on a handshake.
+Do brand trips include exclusivity against competitor travel?
Only if paid. A weekend hospitality trip does not silently lock your calendar for 90 days. If they want category exclusivity around the dates, add an exclusivity line.
+Should I invoice content separately from the day rate?
Yes. Day rate covers your time and presence. Each Reel, TikTok, Story sequence, or UGC handoff is a SKU. Bundling into one trip package is fine — still show the math so scope cannot creep.
+What if they call it a “press junket” and expect unpaid posts?
Treat it like gifted seeding with travel. If a brief, caption, or go-live is required, it is a paid deal. Send the refuse table and your day-rate + SKU quote.
Package trip day rates and content SKUs
BlueRateCard helps you show day rate + deliverables so hospitality never pretends to be payment. Free for creators.