How to Create Your Influencer Rate Card & Get Paid as an Influencer in Malaysia

So you have been sharing your passion for a while, maybe made some money from affiliate marketing, and one day, you receive something that looks like this in your DM: Hi, we love your content and would love to explore possible collaborations! Can you send us your influencer rate card?

To which you reply back: of course! To which email shall I send it to?

This has happened to me quite a few times over the past few years, so much that I’ve streamlined my client onboarding processes. So I figure, let me just share what I do so you can use it as a guide (leave a comment if you use a better way, so all of us can learn :).

Before that, quick side note on what is an influencer rate card, and who it is for.

What is an influencer rate card? And can I use it if I’m not an influencer but still kinda famous in my circles?

When people hear the term ‘influencer’, what usually comes to mind is lifestyle influencers – ie people who share beauty, travel, fashion and food-related content, usually on social media or blog.

However, influencers can talk about anything, not just those topics. The word literally just means someone who influences their audience. If that’s what you do in *your* niche, then you – for all intents and purposes – are an influencer.

How you feel about the word is up to you. You can use it proudly (I respect people who do), but if it doesn’t sit right somehow, you can also call yourself a KOL (key opinion leader), a content creator, a community builder, a speaker, whatever floats your boat.

Protip to influencers: don't call yourself an influencer. Orang tak suka. Altenatives: Content creator, [niche] enthusiast, video producer, blogger, YouTube broadcaster, reviewer, etc

— Suraya | suraya.eth (@surayaror) February 20, 2019

With that clarified, let’s get into the core topic: how to create your rate card as an influencer, so you can send it over to the potential client and hopefully score a lucrative gig.

There are 2 main ways to do it: send a media kit, or email over your services and rates. Let’s go over both of them.

#1 – Send a Media kit

The first way to send your influencer rate card is by sending over a media kit, which is basically a (or a series of) pdf or jpg containing these key infos:

• Image
• About me
• Key statistics
• Services and Rates
• Past collaborations/work
• Contact details

You can DIY, or use the influencer rate card template from Canva. You can also search the term ‘media kit’ for more template options. It looks something like this:

You can use the free options, or you can subscribe to Canva Premium to use the premium ones (with crown logo).

(Another advantage of using Canva Premium is you can use their invoice templates, social media templates, ebook templates, course templates and others too. Not bad for RM250 per year)

(To compare, I’m currently paying RM350~ per year for accounting platform alone. As a content creator slash speaker, I only send max 5 invoices out per month so this is a bit of an overkill, so I’m gonna jump to Canva Premium when my subscription ends. Save money and I get all the other add-ons in the price too, worth it).

The common question here is, how much should you price your services? The answer is in another article, 5 Methods to Figure Out Your Rates.

#2 – Send an email with your services and rates

The second way to send out your influencer rate card is via email.

Personally, I prefer sending an email because I can send more details. However, I do think if you’re visual-focused (instagram, Youtube), then Media Kit (#1) is the better approach. Leave a comment if you disagree.

Regardless, this is how my email template looks like. This is what I send to clients who are interested to engage in my services.

Hi X, As promised, sending you my services, rates and statistics below. Three options are available: Social media package, Live event (webinar etc) and sponsored post. Based on what we discussed, the option you are looking for falls under [Option X]. Here are the breakdown of each package: — Option 1: Social media package (3 x mix and match: Instagram post; Instagram Story; Facebook post; Twitter thread*) *min 5 tweets in a thread  Suitable for: one-off campaign (for example, to promote an event or a limited-time offer) This option is: – Inclusive of copywriting rates – Image provided by client – Inclusive of keyword and hashtag research (where applicable) – Inclusive of all administrative and logistical charges  – [Sponsored] tag and disclosure must be included; no native advertisement   Cost: RMxxxx per package, 50% advance deposit required Option 2: Live event  Suitable for: one-off campaign (including speaking sessions) This option is: – Inclusive of content creation and marketing consultation  – Inclusive of sharing across my social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)   – Inclusive of all administrative and logistical charges (within Klang Valley) – [Sponsored] tag and disclosure must be included; no native advertisement   Cost: RMxxxx for up to half-day event (including event-day prep time), 50% advance deposit required Option 3: Sponsored Post on Ringgit Oh Ringgit (500-1000 words)  Suitable for: long-term SEO/brand awareness   This option is: – Inclusive of content creation and marketing consultation  – Inclusive of all aspects of the writing process, including keyword research and search engine optimisation (SEO) – Inclusive of sharing across my social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) – Inclusive of all administrative and logistical charges  – Unlimited revisions until your complete satisfaction – [Sponsored] tag and disclosure must be included; no native advertisement Cost: RMxxxx per article, 50% advance deposit required Note: New articles stays on the front page of ringgitohringgit.com for ~6 weeks Article will be auto-shared in perpetuity in Twitter and Facebook platforms (rotation-based) How the sponsored post process usually works is: – Confirmation of engagement and deposit  – Ideation, drafting and writing process with continuous feedback from your team – Content optimisation (SEO etc)  – Publishing and promotion – Final payment – Submission of statistics from my end post 1-week and post 1-month of content publishing  Happy to receive an offer from your end for other types of work not included above, or in a different combinations 🙂 Past work with clients You can have a look at my past sponsored content from various companies here:  https://ringgitohringgit.com/tag/sponsored/ .    I have helped many clients with their campaigns, would be glad to do the same for your organisation.   For your information, my current stats are: Ringgitohringgit.com website – approx xx monthly traffic (H2 2022 data) Facebook page – xx followers Twitter – xx followers Instagram – xx followers Youtube – xx subscribers   The reach of each post varies based on the type of content. Optimisation tips will be covered during the consultation and throughout the content creation and marketing process.  If you are happy to proceed, we can have a chat to discuss further. Let me know if you have any questions, happy to answer them 🙂  Best,  Suraya

You might notice that I put 50% deposit as one of the requirements. As I shared in my How I Get Great Clients Who Pay & Treat Me Well article, this method helps me weed out non-paying clients. The last thing I want for you is wasting time working for a non-paying client and running out of savings.

Be clear about payment for your work

Some clients will reach out already with budgets. But don’t assume – some clients may just hope for free content from you, in exchange for free (or just discounted!) product or service.

So sending your influencer rate card sends a clear message that engaging you will be a PAID job. You want to be firm that you are not offering your services for free.

What if they have a paid job… but offering super low rates? I quite like the take below. There are other great replies as well, go check it out.

Negotiation tip: if you’re dying to work w/ a client no matter what, when they say a low budget, say, “You know, I’d do this no matter what the budget is. I’m doing this to work with you, not for the money. But I’m wondering, is there any more in the budget?” Then be silent.

— Chris Do (@theChrisDo) September 5, 2022

Note: it is absolutely fine to do free/low-paid work if you truly love the product or service, or if its a social enterprise. There’s no hard and fast rule. But you have to remember – every unpaid job takes time away from paid jobs. You gotta eat, so prioritise paid jobs

(When you do decline, do it nicely, don’t burn bridges. There are ways to say no without being adversarial. Who knows they’re just out of marketing budget for the month/quarter/year, and can engage you when they get more).

That’s all I have for you today. Don’t forget that income from promotional activities are taxable income – read 3 Things You Must Do When You Start Your Small Business in Malaysia to set up your biz right 🙂 Being an influencer is fun but challenging, so wishing you all the best out there, you can do this!