Instagram Stories, priced by audience size
Instagram Stories are priced differently from every other format on this site: by reach, not views, because a Story frame set disappears after 24 hours and never gets the second wave of algorithmic distribution a Reel or feed post can. Stories sit in a richer rate band than Reels precisely because that 24-hour life is scarce inventory — the brand gets one shot at your audience, and the frame set has to work in that window. Quote from your average Story reach over your last 9 to 12 similar frame sets, not your views, and always confirm with the brand how many frames the rate covers; a rate agreed for one frame and delivered as three is the most common scope disagreement on a Stories deal. Stories are also the format brands most often ask to cross-post to their own channels, since the low production bar makes a second placement cheap to request — price that as the separate 15–25% cross-posting premium in our rate guide, never as an assumed freebie.
Negotiating at 250,000 followers
250,000 followers is the entry point of the Macro tier — 250,000 to 1,000,000 followers, with Reels views typically running 100,000 to 800,000 — where Lumanu's annual figures jump sharply from mid-tier's $185,000 average, though the spread inside this band is enormous: a 250,000-follower account and a 900,000-follower account are both "macro" and can be worth very different numbers on the same brief. At this size, expect brands to negotiate through a manager or agency more often, expect usage-rights and exclusivity asks to be the largest line items on the quote rather than an afterthought, and expect perpetual-usage requests — which our rate guide prices at a 200% floor, not a fair price — to show up more frequently than at any smaller tier. Decline perpetual rights or price them at that floor; a brand large enough to be at this stage of the conversation has the budget to pay for a long fixed term instead, and offering one protects your ability to work with a category competitor later.