Guide
How much to charge for whitelisting
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.
Ad products — same word, different SKUs
Briefs say “boost” for everything. On this site these are separate lines. Meta’s UI label Allow brand partner to boost means Partnership Ads permission — not the Instagram Boost button.
| SKU (say this) | Who the ad looks like | Who spends | What you grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand-account ads (paid usage / dark post) | The brand | Their ad account | File + licence (days, territory, spend) — no Partnership permission |
| Creator Boost | Your organic post, boosted | Your Meta ad account (they prepay media) | You tap Boost; set budget + duration — never share your password |
| Partnership Ads / whitelist | You (usually with the brand in the header) | Their Ads Manager | Instagram: partnership ad code or Allow brand partner to boost (= Partnership permission) |
| TikTok Spark Ads | Your TikTok video | Their TikTok Ads account | Ad authorization code (7 / 30 / 60 / 365 days) |
If they say “boost included,” ask who spends and who taps Boost — then pick one row.
Get paid before you flip the Partnership toggle
The fee table only works if money clears (or sits in a hold) before the brand can run ads as you. Prefer get paid before you shoot / grant. Pick the right money path with escrow vs deposit vs Net terms. Keep the licence on cleared funds with copyright until paid— revoke access the day after the term if they stall.
Quick calculator (content fee × cell)
Searchers want a number in under a minute. Multiply your organic content fee by the cell below, then add the spend-cap sentence from the next section.
| Content fee | 30-day one-country (~50%) | 60-day (~65%) | 90-day (~85%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400 | $200 → $600 total | $260 → $660 | $340 → $740 |
| $800 | $400 → $1,200 | $520 → $1,320 | $680 → $1,480 |
| $1,500 | $750 → $2,250 | $975 → $2,475 | $1,275 → $2,775 |
Totals = content + whitelist. Territory, multi-post, and unlimited-spend cells go higher — use the full table below.
What this whitelist fee is not
Price the Partnership / allowlist row only when they need ads that show as you. Other “can we run ads?” asks belong on different lines — see the rate card packaging guide.
| They said… | Actual product | Price where |
|---|---|---|
| “We’ll boost it from your post” | Creator Boost (you tap Boost; brand prepays media) | Creator Boost fee + prepaid media — usually below full whitelist % |
| “We’ll run the file from our ad account” | Paid usage (ads as them) | Paid-usage % — not this table |
| “Spark the TikTok” | TikTok Spark Ads | Spark fee page / own % line |
| “Keep our link in your bio” | Timed bio / Linktree slot | Flat $/days on the rate card |
| “Don’t work with competitors” | Category exclusivity | Exclusivity % — calendar lock |
| “Partnership Ads from your handle” | Whitelist (this page) | 30/60/90 table below + spend cap |
Stacking example: $800 Reel + whitelist 30d 50% ($400) + bio 7d ($120) = $1,320 — three invoice lines.
Package structure: rate card template. Definitions: what is whitelisting.
30 / 60 / 90-day fee table
Pick the row that matches the access they asked for. “Partnership Ads”, “allowlist”, and “run from your handle” all sit on this table — not on the organic post fee.
| Grant | 30 days | 60 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| One named post, one country | +40–50% | +60–70% | +75–90% |
| One named post, US + UK + CA | +50–60% | +75–90% | +95–110% |
| Up to 3 posts, one country | +55–70% | +85–100% | +110–130% |
| Account-wide / any organic | Decline or quote 2× | Decline | Decline |
Add the content fee on top. Example: $900 Reel + 30-day one-post US whitelist at 50% = $1,350.
The ad-spend clause (copy this)
Term without spend is incomplete. Paste one of these sentences under the fee so media teams cannot “just scale it”. You write the cap in the deal; the brand enforces it in Ads Manager with an account or campaign spending limit (hard stop). Daily/campaign budgets alone can overspend on a given day — do not treat them as the only ceiling.
Cap inside the fee
Default“30-day whitelist includes up to $5,000 ad spend. Spend above $5,000 is +12% of the overage, invoiced weekly.” Use this when they already know a test budget.
No cap, higher rent
Scale campaigns“Unlimited spend for 30 days is +100% of the content fee, not +50%.” Only offer this if you are comfortable with high frequency on your followers.
Agency pass-through
Agency deals“Access is granted to [legal entity]. Sub-agencies need a named invite. Extra ad accounts are +15% each.” Stops a holding company parking five buyers on your handle.
Why cap: Partnership Ads spend is their media budget on your identity. Without a ceiling, a $500 whitelist fee can sit under a six-figure flight. How (brand side): require an ad-account and/or campaign spending limit that matches the invoice max, then optional campaign/ad-set budgets underneath. Ask for a screenshot of the spending limit before you leave Instagram permission live.
How to control media budgets (whitelist vs paid usage)
Your invoice writes the ceiling. Platforms only pause spend if someone configures a budget or spending limit in Ads Manager (or on the Boost screen). Treat screenshots as part of delivery — not a Slack promise.
| Product | Who spends | How the cap is enforced | Your control lever |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitelist / Partnership Ads | Brand’s ad account as your handle | They set campaign / ad-set budgets; optional account or campaign spending limit so delivery stops at $X | Do not share the partnership code until you have a budget screenshot; revoke if spend exceeds the invoice |
| Paid usage (ads as them) | Brand’s ad account as their page / dark post | Same Ads Manager budgets + spending limits on their side — you never see the toggle | Licence line: “max media spend $X / countries named”; invoice overage or refuse renewal if they blow past it |
| Creator Boost | Your Meta ad account (they prepay media) | You set daily budget + duration on Boost; stop when prepaid $X is used | Never connect their card to your login; prepay first — see Partnership Ads vs boost |
Account spending limits and campaign spending limits are Meta tools the advertiser applies — they do not appear inside the Instagram Partnership toggle.
Why limit countries — and how to enforce it
Worldwide targeting is a bigger product than “US only.” Different laws, languages, and brand-safety risk land on your comments. Price the multi-country row — or refuse WW — in writing, then make them set Locations in the ad set.
- Write territory on the invoice (“US only” or named ISO countries).
- Brand: Ads Manager → ad set → Audience → Locations → include those countries only (disable any audience expansion that would add countries you did not sell).
- You: ask for a Locations screenshot with the grant email; revoke if you see WW or surprise markets.
- UK/EU adds can change disclosure and claims risk — treat as a new cell, not a free add-on.
Worked numbers
Content fee $1,200 (one Reel). They want 60 days, US only, one post, and they mentioned a $20,000 media plan. 60-day one-country cell at 65% = $780. A $5,000 spend cap inside that cell is too low for their plan, so keep the 65% fee with a $20,000 spend cap and +12% of spend above $5,000. On $20,000 spend that is $780 + 12% × $15,000 = $780 + $1,800 = $2,580 in whitelist fees plus the $1,200 Reel. (The “unlimited spend = +100%” sentence on this page is priced for a 30-day window — do not paste it onto a 60-day grant without rewriting the term.) That is the honest quote. The dishonest one is “$1,200 including usage”.
Grant Instagram permission only after that amount clears or sits in a payment hold, or a deposit has cleared. Revoke on day 61 even if they “might extend”. Extensions are a new row on the table, paid before you grant again.
Extend / refuse ladder (day 28)
| They say | You reply | Fee move |
|---|---|---|
| “It’s working — leave access open” | “Happy to extend 30 days after the payment hold clears on the next whitelist line.” | New 30-day cell (same %) |
| “Just roll the unused days” | “Term ends on the calendar date in the SOW. Extension is a new invoice.” | No free roll |
| “We’ll add UK too” | “Territory expansion is a new cell — here’s US+UK pricing.” | Jump to multi-country row |
| “Can we whitelist two more posts?” | “Each named post is its own grant. Here’s the up-to-3-posts row.” | Multi-post row or refuse account-wide |
Revoke on the end date even while the extension invoice is open. Access is not a courtesy bridge.
DM paste (copy once)
- “Whitelist / Partnership Ads 30 days on post [URL]: +50% of the Reel (= $___), includes up to $5k spend. Above that +12% of overage. Platform payment hold before I invite.”
- “Creator Boost on my post or Brand-account ads from your ad account is a different line — say which product you need.”
- “Day 31 I revoke access unless an extension invoice is paid.”
Related guides
Whitelisting & paid ads
Whitelist fee questions
+Is link-in-bio part of the whitelist fee?
No. Whitelist/Partnership is ads-as-you access. Link-in-bio is profile inventory for X days — a flat add-on on the rate card. Do not throw bio placement into the whitelist % or you underprice both.
+How much extra should I charge for a 30-day whitelist?
BlueRateCard’s working band is 40–60% of the content fee for 30 days on one named post, one territory (default mid-point ~50%). Published industry guides often quote closer to 20–30% for 30 days — treat those as a floor when you are early, not as a reason to give account-wide access cheap. Below ~25% you are usually under-renting identity relative to the Reel.
+Should the whitelist fee scale with the brand's ad spend?
Yes if spend can exceed a few thousand. Either cap spend (for example $5,000) inside the 30-day fee, or add a 10–15% surcharge of spend above the cap. A flat 50% on a $600 Reel is not compensation for $40,000 in ads using your face.
+What if they keep running ads after the term ends?
Revoke the Instagram partnership permission the day after the end date, ask the brand for an Ads Manager spend screenshot if you need proof, and invoice a week of overage at the 30-day rate prorated daily. Put the revoke-and-invoice sentence in the quote so it is not a surprise.
+Is 90-day whitelisting worth more than three 30-day terms?
Use the 90-day row on this page (+75–90% one-post one-country) when they prepay 90 days — not “three × the 30-day cell.” Stacking three 30-day cells without the table discount overprices vs the 90-day row. Do not give 90 days for the price of 30. Access compounds: comments, frequency, and tired creative all sit on your profile.
+Do I still get paid if the ads underperform?
The whitelist fee is rent on your identity, not a performance media commission. You are not a media buyer. If they want a CPA deal, that is a different contract with a different risk — and it is not a substitute for the access fee.
+How do I quote whitelist on a $400 nano Reel?
Same % table — 30-day one-country at 50% is +$200. Do not shrink to “+$50 because you’re small.” Identity rent is not follower count. Cap spend at $2,000–$5,000 so a media team cannot turn a nano fee into a six-figure flight.
+They want to extend whitelist on day 28 — how do I quote?
Treat it as a new 30-day cell, paid before you re-allow. A fair default is the same 30-day % again (or 90% of it if they prepaid a clean first term). Do not “roll” unused days into a free month.
+Should I grant Partnership permission before the whitelist fee clears?
No. Collect upfront, a deposit, or a platform hold first — then flip the toggle. Net-60 after you grant access is how identity rent turns into free media.
Add whitelist as a 30-day toggle
BlueRateCard packages can carry an ad-rights add-on so the brand pays the extra before you grant Instagram partnership permission. Funds stay in a platform payment hold until delivery. Free for creators.