Setting your creator rates in West Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Senegal)

The logic: a price per deliverable, not per follower

The common reflex is to price "by number of followers". It is a poor basis: two accounts with 20,000 followers can have very different audiences, and the brand is not buying your followers. It buys a piece of content, delivered on a date, with certain rights.

1. How long does it take me, from idea to publication (shooting, editing, exchanges with the brand, corrections)?
2. What real costs: travel, buying the product if not provided, props, data, sometimes someone to film?
3. What value for the brand: a dedicated video on your main account is not worth the same as a mention in a 24-hour story.

Then list your typical deliverables: dedicated TikTok video, Instagram Reel, set of stories, photo post, UGC video delivered to the brand for its own channels, event appearance. Each line has its price.

Reference points, not a price list

There is no official rate card for creators in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso or Senegal. The points below come from what creators themselves declare in conversations, groups and interviews. They vary widely by city, sector, brand and season. They are not a Koolab price list and not a recommendation.

• A beginner with a few thousand followers often mentions a few tens of thousands of CFA francs for a dedicated video, sometimes less, sometimes a product exchange.
• An established creator with tens of thousands of followers and past collaborations tends to mention several tens to a few hundred thousand CFA francs per dedicated video.
• Very large audiences, long formats and multi-content campaigns are negotiated case by case, often in hundreds of thousands of CFA francs and beyond.
• A single story, a mention or a repost is paid markedly less than a dedicated video.
• Sectors that spend most on marketing (telecoms, drinks, banking and mobile money, cosmetics) generally pay better than small local brands, which sometimes compensate with products or visibility.

What raises the price

• Usage rights: if the brand wants to reuse your video in its own ads, on its website or on billboards, that is an additional right. State the duration (three or six months, for example) and the media.
• Exclusivity: committing not to work with a competing brand for a period means giving up income. It is paid for.
• Deadline: a video wanted in two days costs more than one planned three weeks ahead.
• Number of revisions: one or two are normal. Beyond that, plan a supplement.
• Travel: a shoot outside your city, or over several days, adds to the content price.
• Production: if the brand wants advert-level quality (lighting, sound, long edit), it is no longer simple creator content.

Conversely, you may make a gesture for a first collaboration with a brand you love, or for a series of several pieces. Say it clearly: "launch rate" or "series discount". The base price stays visible.

How to display your rates on your profile

Showing indicative rates saves time: brands whose budget does not match do not contact you, and those who do already know where they stand. The word "indicative" leaves you free to adjust.

• Write "from" or give a range, never a single fixed number.
• One price per deliverable, in CFA francs, with the format specified (length, network, number of stories).
• Use "on quote" for what depends too much on context (events, long campaigns).
• Update your rates when your audience or demand changes.

On Koolab, the "Services" section of your profile is made for this: each service has a name, a description and an indicative rate in CFA francs. They appear on your public page and in your media kit. You can change or remove them at any time.

Answering "how much do you charge?"

When a brand asks, do not answer with a bare number. First ask for the expected deliverable, the deadline, the usage rights and whether there is any exclusivity. Then send a written proposal, even a short one, that restates those elements with the price.

Thank you for your interest! To make you a fair proposal I need three details:
– the format (dedicated TikTok video, Reel, stories…) and the number of pieces;
– the target publication date;
– whether you want to reuse the content on your own channels, and for how long.
My indicative rates are on my profile: koolab.cc/@name. I will send a detailed quote as soon as I have these.

• If the announced budget is below your rate, propose a lighter deliverable rather than lowering the price of the same one.
• Note the outcome (accepted, declined, negotiated): in three months you will know whether your prices are right.
• Ask for a deposit or something in writing before producing, especially with a brand you do not know.