How to Charge Your First Rs. 10,000 for a Brand Deal

The brand finally replies: "Interested! What's your rate?"

This is where a lot of Nepali creators panic. They remember what a friend charged last year, cut it in half to be safe, and type "Rs. 3,000?" with a question mark at the end. The brand says yes immediately, and the creator spends the next week wondering how much money they left behind.

This guide gives you a method so that doesn't happen to you. You'll work out your number, package it so Rs. 10,000 looks normal to the brand, handle the usual pushback, and make sure Rs. 10,000 actually reaches your account after tax.

If you haven't landed a brand yet, start with How to Earn Your First Rs. 10,000 From a Brand Deal in Nepal, then come back here.

Your follower count is not your price

Rules like "Rs. X per 1,000 followers" are everywhere because they're easy. They're also a poor way to set a price, because followers measure how many people once tapped a button. They don't measure what a brand gets from working with you.

A brand paying you is buying some mix of four things:

• The content itself. A good 40-second Reel with a script, a shoot and an edit. A small brand would have to pay a video freelancer for that anyway.
• Attention. Real views from the people the brand wants to reach.
• Trust. Your audience acting on your recommendation.
• Reuse. The brand running your video as its own ad, on its page or in a boosted post.

Two creators with the same follower count can deliver very different amounts of each. So price the job, and use your numbers as evidence for it.

Step 1: Find your floor price

Your floor is the number below which you say no. Work it out once, calmly, so you're never deciding under pressure in a DM.

Add up the real time one piece of content takes:

Now put a value on your hour. If you already freelance, use that rate. If you don't, pick a number you'd be content earning for focused, skilled work. Say Rs. 700 an hour.

6 hours × Rs. 700 = Rs. 4,200. Add costs like travel, props or an outfit, maybe Rs. 800, and your floor is about Rs. 5,000 for one Reel.

The floor is your walk-away number. Your quote should sit well above it.

Then decide your dream number: the price that would make you genuinely excited to take the deal. Know both numbers before any negotiation starts, and quote closer to the dream.

Step 2: Ask questions before you quote

When a brand asks "rate kati ho?", resist answering with a number straight away. A price without context is a guess. Reply with a few questions first:

Happy to share! So I can suggest the right option, could you tell me:

1. What's the main goal: getting the word out, content you can use in your own ads, or direct sales?
2. What were you thinking I'd create (Reel, Stories, TikTok, YouTube video)?
3. Will you want to repost or boost the content, and for how long?
4. Would you need me to avoid posting for similar brands for a while?
5. What timeline and budget range are you working with?

Many brands will share a budget once you explain it helps you suggest the right package. If they won't, the other four answers still tell you most of what you need.

The goal matters more than people expect:

• Getting seen. They care about views and reach, so your average views are your evidence.
• Content for their own ads. They're buying a video they'll run for weeks. That's worth more than a single post, and it needs usage rights (Step 3).
• Sales. They care about orders. Consider a flat fee plus a discount code, and ask to see the code's sales afterwards so you can prove what you drove.

Step 3: Price all three parts of the deal

Beginners price only the post. Every deal actually has three parts, and each one has a cost. Before you quote, ask yourself three questions.

1. What am I making? These are the deliverables: how many Reels, Stories, TikToks or videos, and how long each one is.

2. Where will it run, and for how long? These are usage rights. Your Reel on your own page is one thing. The brand running that same Reel as a paid ad to 200,000 people for a month is something else, because they're using your face and your work as their advert. Charge for it. In global markets creators commonly add around 30 to 50% for paid-ad usage, and that's a reasonable starting point for a 30-day licence here too. Usage rights have their own guide.

3. What am I giving up? This is exclusivity. If a café asks you not to post about any other café for 30 days, you might be turning down paid work in that time. Price that in, and keep it narrow ("other cafés in Kathmandu", not "all food and drink") and time-limited.

If a brand's agreement suddenly includes "unlimited use of content" or "exclusivity for 6 months" and your quote didn't cover it, that's your cue to reprice before you sign.

Step 4: Build three packages

Don't send one number. Send three options. The brand stops thinking "yes or no?" and starts thinking "which one?"

Here's an example for a creator with about 8,000 followers whose Reels average 6,000 to 10,000 views:

Exclusivity, if they want it, is priced on top.

Why this works:

• Brands often pick the middle option, so make the middle the one you most want to sell.
• Basic lets you meet a smaller budget without cutting your price for the same work.
• Full turns usage rights into a clear product instead of an awkward extra conversation later.

Your numbers will differ. The structure is what matters.

Skip the public rate card. Every brand wants something slightly different, and a fixed price list in your bio anchors every conversation to your lowest number. Send packages after you've asked your questions.

Step 5: The Rs. 10,000 maths nobody tells you about

Registered businesses in Nepal deduct tax (TDS) before they pay you. If you bill as an individual with a PAN and aren't VAT-registered, the rate is 15%.

So if your goal is Rs. 10,000 in hand, invoice about Rs. 12,000.

That 15% isn't lost. It's an advance on your income tax, recorded against your PAN, and it gets adjusted when you file your annual return. If your actual tax works out lower, you can claim the difference back.

A few practical points:

• Get a PAN before your first invoice. Brands need it to deposit the TDS in your name.
• Ask for confirmation of the TDS deposit so you can match it when you file.
• You don't need VAT registration for your first deals. It only becomes mandatory once your service turnover crosses Rs. 30 lakh a year. VAT-registered creators face just 1.5% TDS, but that's a decision for later.
• Small shops sometimes pay without deducting anything. The income is still yours to declare.

Tax rules can change with each budget, so treat this as a guide and check with an accountant. This isn't tax advice.

Step 6: Send your number, then stop talking

Keep the message short:

Thanks for the details! Based on your goal, I'd recommend the Recommended package at Rs. 12,000: one Reel, three Stories with your link, a collab post, and a week in my highlights. I've attached all three options and my media kit. For first collaborations I work with 50% upfront and 50% within 7 days of posting. I can deliver the draft by the 20th.

Then wait. Don't add "but I'm flexible!" or "let me know if that's too much." Those lines invite a discount nobody has asked for yet.

Step 7: Negotiate by changing the scope, not the price

Brands in Nepal will push back. That's normal, and it doesn't mean they won't pay. The rule for almost every situation is simple: if the price goes down, the work goes down with it. Never deliver the same package for half.

These are the replies you'll hear most often, with something you can send back.

"Our budget is lower."

Totally understand. For Rs. 7,000 I can do the Basic package: one Reel, without the Stories. Would that work?

"We can give you free product instead."

Thank you, I'd love to try it! With gifted products, I share them only if I genuinely like them, and there's no fixed posting promise. For a planned Reel with a set date, my packages start at Rs. 7,000.

"Other creators charge Rs. 3,000."

That's possible, and they might be a great fit. With me you get average views, an audience that's mostly Kathmandu, aged 18 to 24, and a full results report a week after posting. If Rs. 3,000 is the budget for now, I'd be happy to stay in touch for a future campaign.

"We'll pay after we see results."

For first collaborations I work with 50% upfront and 50% within 7 days of posting. You'll get a full results report at the 7-day mark either way.

"Why pay you when we can boost a post for Rs. 2,000?"

Boosting is good for reach. What you'd be buying from me is the ad itself, made by someone my audience already listens to. The best results usually come from doing both: I make the Reel and you boost it. That's exactly what the Full package is for.

"Can you do it for exposure? We'll repost you."

Reposts are lovely, but they're a bonus rather than payment. My packages start at Rs. 7,000.

If you do give a discount, get something back for it: a two-month commitment, faster payment, or a testimonial you can use.

Step 8: Turn one Rs. 12,000 deal into Rs. 36,000

The easiest deal you'll ever close is the second one with the same brand. You already know their product, they already trust you, and nobody has to start from zero.

A week after posting, send your results report (what goes in it is covered in the earning guide). End it with a proposal for three months instead of one:

Given how the Dashain Reel did, I'd love to keep this going. Proposal: one Reel plus three Stories each month through Tihar and the wedding season. That's Rs. 36,000 for three months, billed monthly. Happy to shift dates around your launches.

A brand that says yes gets steady content from a creator who already knows their product. You get income you can plan around. Some creators take a little off the monthly price in exchange for a longer commitment, which is fine as long as you're getting something real, like three guaranteed paid months, in return.

Before you hit send: pricing checklist

• I know my floor price and my dream number
• I asked about the goal, deliverables, usage, exclusivity, timeline and budget
• Usage rights and exclusivity are priced separately
• I'm sending three packages and recommending the middle one
• My price accounts for 15% TDS
• Payment terms are clear: 50/50, method, due date
• Everything is confirmed in writing before I shoot
• I'll revisit my prices every few deals, or whenever my average views grow

Where Reffero fits

On Reffero, the fee, the deliverables and the dates are signed in a digital contract before the work starts, counter offers happen in the app and stay on record, and the payment lands in a wallet that also holds your commission earnings. Create your free account.

Read next: Usage Rights, Explained: What to Charge When a Brand Wants to Boost Your Reel