Guide
How much to charge for exclusivity
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.
Category lock calendar
Clock starts on first live branded post, not on signature. If they delay posting, you are not exclusive in the gap unless they pay for a pre-post freeze (price that as 50% of the 30-day cell).
| Lock | Narrow category (named SKUs) | Broad category (e.g. all beauty) | Whole industry / all sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | +25–40% | +50–70% | Decline or 2× fee |
| 60 days | +45–65% | +80–100% | Retainer |
| 90 days | +70–90% | +110–140% | Retainer |
| 12 months | Quarterly retainer | Agency contract | Employment, not a post |
Example: $1,000 Reel + 30-day narrow lock at 35% = $1,350. Usage rights still extra.
Write the category in one sentence
Good
“No other SPF facial sunscreen brand, including [A], [B], [C], for 30 days from first post. Moisturiser and makeup allowed.”
Bad
“No competing products.” Competing according to whom? Their lawyer will decide it is your entire For You page.
Parent companies
If they own five brands, exclusivity is of the product you posted, not of Unilever. Say so. They can buy a broader lock at the broad-category rate.
What exclusivity does not include
- It does not include paid ads. Ads are usage. You can sell 30-day exclusivity and still refuse whitelist.
- It does not include taking down old organic posts unless they pay a takedown fee.
- It does not include your TikTok if they only bought Instagram — unless the lock says “all platforms”. All-platform is +15–25% on the cell.
- It does not survive if they never pay. No funds, no lock. Do not go dark for a PO that is “coming Monday”.
If two brands want overlapping windows, the first one who pays owns the lock. Screenshot the end date in your calendar. Brands forget; you will be the one who accidentally double-booked a serum.
Stacking exclusivity with usage
A brand will ask for 60-day exclusivity “because we’re putting media behind it”. Those are still two products. Media is usage. The lock is the calendar freeze. Quote both. Example: $900 Reel + 30-day whitelist 50% + 30-day narrow exclusive 35% = $900 + $450 + $315 = $1,665. If they drop the lock to save $315, they can still buy whitelist. If they drop whitelist, they can still buy the lock. Do not let them bundle into “campaign rights” as one mushy number you cannot unwind later. Monthly ambassador retainers that include rolling exclusivity: see influencer ambassador retainer rates.
Worked stack: $900 Reel + whitelist + exclusive
| Line | % / days | Amount | Droppable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel (organic) | — | $900 | Core |
| Whitelist 30d (ads as you) | +50% | $450 | Yes — keep Reel |
| Narrow exclusivity 30d | +35% | $315 | Yes — keep Reel + whitelist |
| Total if they buy all three | — | $1,665 | Show this PDF first |
Exclusivity does not include whitelist. Whitelist does not include exclusivity. Name competitors in the exclusive line.
Opportunity-cost quote (when % feels too low)
Use this when you regularly book the locked category. A flat +30% on a quiet month can underpay the freeze; opportunity cost keeps the number honest.
| Step | Example input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Deals/month in that category | 2 paid posts | 2 |
| Average fee when you say yes | $800 | $800 |
| Lock length | 60 days (≈2 months) | 2 |
| Gross opportunity | 2 × $800 × 2 | $3,200 |
| Recovery factor (70–90%) | 80% | $2,560 exclusivity line |
| Compare to % uplift | $800 Reel × 60% narrow cell | $480 — quote the higher |
If opportunity cost is higher than the % table, lead with opportunity cost and show the math in the email. Brands understand “blocked revenue.”
Reply script when they want exclusivity “included”: “Happy to lock the category — exclusivity is a separate line at $___ for ___ days covering [named competitors]. Or we keep the base rate and drop the lock.”
Related guides
Usage rights & licensing
Exclusivity fee questions
+Can I show a stacked total for exclusivity plus whitelist?
Yes — and you should. Example: $900 Reel + 30d whitelist 50% ($450) + 30d narrow exclusive 35% ($315) = $1,665. Let them drop a line to save money; never merge into one “campaign rights” blob.
+What is a fair exclusivity window for a single post?
Thirty days from the first live post, in a named category, is the default. Sixty or ninety days is a campaign lock and should look like a percentage of the content fee, not a handshake.
+How do I define the category so it is not the whole industry?
Write three competitor examples and the product type: “SPF face sunscreen, not all skincare, not the parent CPG company.” “No other brands” is how you lose a month of income.
+Should exclusivity be a percentage or a flat fee?
Percentage of the content fee scales. Flats are fine for tiny deals if the number still hurts to give away (do not sell 90 days for $50). Stacking exclusivity on a $300 Reel at +50% is $150 to not work with rivals — often too cheap.
+How do I price exclusivity with opportunity cost instead of a flat %?
Estimate deals you usually close in that category per month × average fee × months locked, then take about 70–90% of that as the exclusivity line (booking is never certain). Compare it to the % uplift table — quote the higher of the two when the category is busy.
+Can two non-competing brands run in the same month?
Yes if categories do not overlap. A coffee brand and a sneaker brand can both be live. Two protein powders cannot. Put the test in the quote: “Would a reasonable viewer think these compete?”
+What if I already have a competing post live?
Disclose it before they pay. Either wait until that post ages out of the window they want, or they buy a shorter exclusivity, or you decline. Burying a rival post is how you get a clawback.
Toggle exclusivity on the package
BlueRateCard treats category exclusivity as an add-on next to usage rights, so it cannot hide inside the Reel price. The brand pays before you lock the window. Free for creators.