- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
- The practice of optimizing content to be cited by AI engines like Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity in their AI-generated answers.
- Affiliate Marketing
- A revenue model where a creator earns a commission for driving sales through unique tracking links, separate from paid sponsorships.
- Brand Deal
- A paid partnership between a brand and a content creator where the creator promotes the brand's product or service to their audience.
- CPM (Cost Per Mille)
- The cost per 1,000 impressions or views. In influencer marketing, CPM is used to calculate fair compensation based on audience reach. Average rates in 2026: Instagram $15-25, TikTok $10-20, YouTube $20-30.
- Engagement Rate
- The percentage of an audience that interacts with content through likes, comments, shares, and saves. Calculated as: (Total Engagements ÷ Total Followers) × 100.
- Exclusivity Clause
- A contract term preventing a creator from working with competing brands for a defined period. Standard pricing: +10-20% per month of exclusivity.
- Flat Fee
- A fixed payment for a deliverable regardless of campaign performance. Most micro-influencer deals use flat fees in 2026.
- Gifted Collaboration
- When a brand provides free products in exchange for content, with no monetary payment. Creators with 5K+ followers should always negotiate a content creation fee on top.
- Macro Influencer
- A social media creator with 500,000 to 1 million followers. Typically charges $5,000-$15,000 per post but has lower engagement rates than micro-influencers.
- Media Kit
- A professional document showcasing a creator's audience demographics, engagement statistics, past collaborations, and pricing rates for potential brand partners.
- Micro Influencer
- A social media creator with 10,000 to 100,000 followers known for high engagement rates (3-8%) and niche authority. Typical 2026 rate: $150-$1,500 per post.
- Nano Influencer
- A creator with 1,000-10,000 followers. Despite small reach, nano-influencers often have the highest engagement rates (5-10%) and are trusted by hyper-local audiences.
- Rate Card
- A document listing a creator's pricing for different content types and platforms. Presented to brands during partnership negotiations.
- UGC (User-Generated Content)
- Content created by a creator for a brand to use in its own marketing, without the creator posting to their own channels. UGC rates in 2026: $75-$1,200 per video depending on length and usage rights.
- Usage Rights
- Permission granted to a brand to repurpose a creator's content in paid advertising. Standard fee: +25-50% of base rate for 3-month usage; +100% for unlimited rights.
- Whitelisting
- When a brand runs paid ads through a creator's actual social media account. Creators charge a separate monthly fee of $200-$1,000 for whitelisting access.
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