What 'usage rights' actually means (and what to charge)

When a brand asks for "usage rights," they're asking to use your content beyond your own post. That's extra value — and it's normal to charge for it.

The three levels

• Organic usage: the brand reposts your content on its own social pages. Often included or a small add-on.
• Paid usage: the brand runs your content as an ad. This is quoted as an add-on, usually for a set period (30, 60, or 90 days).
• Whitelisting: the brand runs ads from your account handle. This is the highest add-on because it uses your name and profile.

How to quote add-ons

A common approach is to quote usage as a percentage of your base content fee, per month of usage — for example, paid usage at 20–30% of your base fee per 30 days, and whitelisting at a higher percentage. These are starting points to adjust, not fixed rules.

Base content fee: $[X]
Paid usage (30 days): +[__]% of base
Whitelisting (30 days): +[__]% of base
Usage beyond 30 days: quoted per additional month