Build your rate card

Think of your rate card like a restaurant menu. Instead of dishes, you list deliverables — posts, stories, appearances, shoutouts. Each item has a price, a description, and exactly what's included.

• It's pre-priced. No back-and-forth haggling over every deal.
• It's public. Brands browsing NILify can see your card before they ever message you.
• It scales. One brand buys a $200 story. Another buys a $5,000 season package. Same card, different orders.

Brands — especially local businesses, startups, and regional chains — don't have time to negotiate bespoke deals with every athlete. They want to browse, compare, and buy.

• Speed — a brand can place an order in under 2 minutes if your card is clear.
• Transparency — no hidden fees, no surprises. They know exactly what they're paying for.
• Budget planning — marketing managers can slot your deliverables into their campaign budgets instantly.

Athletes with clean, well-priced rate cards get 3–5x more brand inquiries than athletes who list nothing.

Start with what you're already doing. Don't invent new skills — package the ones you have. Most rate cards include 4–6 core deliverables:

• Social post — feed post on IG, X, or TikTok. Static image or carousel. One caption, tagged brand.
• Story series — 3–5 frames on IG/TikTok Stories. Polls, stickers, swipe-up link.
• Video integration — brand mention or product placement inside your regular content (vlog, workout, day-in-the-life).
• Shoutout — personalized video message to a fan, powered by NILify's shoutout engine.
• Appearance — in-person event: store opening, camp, autograph session, or brand activation.
• Usage rights — license your image/likeness for brand ads, billboards, or website use.

You don't need all six. Start with 2–3 you're confident delivering consistently and build from there.

Pricing is part math, part positioning. Too low and you signal amateur. Too high and brands scroll past. The sweet spot depends on your follower count, engagement rate, and niche.

• Social post — $50–500 depending on followers (10K = $50–100, 100K = $300–500).
• Story series — $30–200. Shorter lifespan than feed posts, but higher engagement.
• Video integration — $100–800. Depends on production quality and average views.
• Shoutout — $15–150. NILify handles the recording and delivery.
• Appearance — $200–2,000+. Factor in travel time, event length, and your local market.
• Usage rights — $500–5,000+. Depends on duration (30/90/365 days), placement, and exclusivity.

Formula: Base rate = (followers ÷ 1,000) × $3–10. Adjust up for high engagement (5%+), down for low engagement (under 1%).

Individual items are great. Packages are better. A brand that wants a campaign will pick a bundle over piecing together single deliverables.

• Starter — $150
  1 feed post + 3 story frames + tagged mention
• Growth — $400
  2 feed posts + story series + 1 video integration + usage rights (30 days)
• Season — $1,200
  Monthly posts (4) + weekly stories (12) + 2 appearances + full usage rights (90 days)

Discount packages 15–25% vs. buying à la carte. Brands love feeling like they got a deal, and you lock in larger commitments.

From your NILify marketplace dashboard, go to Rate Card and tap Add deliverable. For each item:

• Name — clear and specific. "IG Feed Post (1 image + caption)" beats "Social post."
• Description — what's included, turnaround time, and any requirements (e.g., "Brand provides caption guidelines").
• Price — set in dollars. You can edit anytime.
• Platform — Instagram, TikTok, X, or multi-platform.
• Turnaround — how fast you deliver. 48–72 hours is standard for posts. 7 days for video integrations.

Toggle Active when you're ready for brands to see it. Toggle Off if you're booked solid or it's out of season.

Your rate card lives on your NILify profile, but you should also push it actively to brands you want to work with.

• Link in outreach — when you DM or email a brand, include your nilify.ai link with a note: "Here's my rate card if you're looking for athlete partners this season."
• Pin it on X/IG — "Working with brands this fall. Full rate card → nilify.ai/@yourhandle"
• Add to your link-in-bio — make the Rate Card section visible on your NILify profile so any visitor can see it.
• Mention it in content — a casual "DM me for collab rates" in a vlog drives inbound without being pushy.

Your rate card is a starting point, not a ceiling. Brands will ask for custom packages, bulk discounts, or trade deals. Here's how to handle it:

• Never discount more than 20%. Anything deeper and you're training brands to always ask.
• Trade for value, not products. Free cleats are nice, but they don't pay rent. If a brand offers product-only, counter with product + cash or pass.
• Add value instead of cutting price. "I can't drop the price, but I'll throw in an extra story frame and tag your CEO."
• Get it in writing. Verbal agreements vanish. Every deal — even small ones — goes through NILify so there's a paper trail.

Your rate card prices should be your "walk-away" floor, not your opening ask. Open 10–15% higher if a brand seems eager or the scope is vague.

Clear terms prevent disputes. Set them up front so brands know what to expect before they click Buy.

• Payment upfront — NILify holds the funds in escrow and releases them when you deliver. No chasing invoices.
• Revisions — specify how many rounds. One round for posts, two for video integrations is standard.
• Content approval — brand gets preview before posting? Set that expectation. Most athletes give brands 24 hours to request changes.
• Usage rights — if a brand wants to reuse your content in ads, that's a separate line item. Don't give it away free.
• Cancellation — if a brand cancels after you've started work, specify what percentage is non-refundable.

Brands judge you on the quality of delivery, not just the post itself. Professional athletes get repeat deals. Amateur athletes get ghosted.

• Hit your turnaround. If you promise 48 hours, deliver in 36. Early beats on-time.
• Follow the brief. If the brand asks for a specific hashtag, angle, or product placement — do it exactly. Then add your own creative flair on top.
• Send a preview. For larger deals, DM the brand a screenshot or draft before going live. It builds trust and catches issues early.
• Track the post. Screenshot the live post and DM the analytics (views, likes, link clicks) 24–48 hours later. Brands love data.
• Archive nothing. Keep all deliverables visible for the contract period. Deleting a sponsored post mid-campaign is a breach.

A stale rate card hurts more than no card at all. Update it when your situation changes:

• Follower growth — every 10K milestone, raise prices 15–25%.
• Seasonal demand — prices can float. Charge more during your competitive season when your visibility peaks.
• New deliverables — started podcasting? Add "Sponsored podcast mention." Launched merch? Add "Co-branded product drop."
• Sold out — if you're fully booked, raise prices or mark items as paused. Scarcity drives urgency.

Review your rate card monthly during active seasons, quarterly in the off-season.

Your rate card is live. Now drive traffic to it and close your first brand deal:

• Share your profile link — post it on X, IG, TikTok, and your link-in-bio.
• Reach out to 5 local brands this week — restaurants, gyms, apparel shops, supplement stores. Local deals close fast.
• Track what sells — if story series book out and appearances sit empty, adjust your mix.