Audience research
Part of Sponsorship rates audience research turns guesswork into a defensible price
Influencer rates: choosing survey tools
For influencer rates, compare paid panels, DIY forms and platform polls, and see how survey evidence can support a sponsorship negotiation.
What to take away
- A Manchester creator pricing a three-post bundle does not need a national panel. For influencer rates, a 200-response follower poll can support a rate card using sponsorship rates survey tools.
- Paid panels such as Prolific, Pollfish and YouGov document the sample and method, which suits agency procurement.
- Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Tally, Instagram, X and LinkedIn polls are cheap and fast. Record question wording and sample size yourself.
- The survey answers what the audience will bear; competitor pricing sits alongside it. Budget for the tool: a £150 panel bill beats an unexplained discount.
Why the tool choice matters
A survey is evidence. When a brand asks why a sponsored video costs £900 rather than £400, the answer should be a collected number, not a feeling.
The tool decides how much weight that number carries. A paid panel with a stated sample frame stands up in a negotiation. A poll of your own followers describes your followers, and nothing wider.
Both are valid, and the audience research guide sets out where each fits in a pricing file.
Paid panels: Prolific, Pollfish, YouGov and Kantar
Paid panels recruit to a specification and report the sample; you pay per completed response.
Prolific is self-serve and popular with academic researchers; participant rewards typically £8 to £12 per hour, plus a platform fee. Pollfish offers a self-serve UK panel; completes often cost £1 to £5 depending on targeting.
YouGov and Kantar Profiles sell custom research, quoted per project, commonly thousands of pounds for a UK sample. Fieldwork takes days to a fortnight.
For example, 500 responses at £2 each costs £1,000. That is illustrative, not a market rate; quotes vary with audience narrowness.
Where survey invitations amount to direct marketing by email or text, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) apply. The ICO's direct marketing guidance explains consent and the limited soft opt-in; having a follower relationship alone does not qualify.
The weakness is cost and delay: a panel study can take a fortnight, and a rate negotiation rarely waits.
DIY forms and platform polls: Google Forms, Typeform and Instagram
Free form builders cost nothing and reach your followers, the audience a sponsor is buying.
Google Forms, Microsoft Forms and Tally are free; Tally allows unlimited responses. Typeform's free tier caps responses, and paid plans start around £25 a month.
Instagram, X and LinkedIn polls cost nothing, field in minutes, and allow two to four options. They sample followers only, so a brand may treat them as weaker evidence.
Ask what a viewer would pay, how often they buy in the category, and whether they have bought after seeing a post.
Record the sample size and date. A creator with 40,000 followers and 300 replies has a usable figure if they can show the question.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 tightened consumer protection rules around online advertising; evidence any claim you build from survey data.
Running the survey in five steps
- Define the rate or bundle you need to support and the audience a sponsor is buying.
- Choose the sampleuse followers for audience-specific evidence, or a paid panel for a wider sample or comparison group.
- Ask neutral questions about category buying and responses to sponsored posts; avoid leading respondents towards your preferred rate.
- Record the question wording, recruitment method, field dates and number of responses.
Running the survey in five steps
- Write the pricing question first
- Choose the samplepanel or poll
- Draft no more than six questions
- Field survey and log dates
- Compare result with rivals
For a published cross-check, use Influencer Marketing Hub's influencer pricing guides as a broad directional benchmark, then compare public UK creator media kits or rate cards with similar audiences and deliverables. Account for format, usage rights and exclusivity rather than treating broad benchmarks as like-for-like quotes.
Where the rules bite
If sponsored content touches gambling, alcohol or a health claim, the survey does not exempt you from the advertising codes. The ASA's CAP Code section on gambling is one example of rules that apply beyond audience tolerance.
Sustainability claims are another. Survey data showing followers care about green products does not make a vague environmental claim acceptable.
Choosing between them
Pick a paid panel when the number must survive client scrutiny, the audience is hard to reach, or you need a comparison group.
Pick a DIY form or platform poll when you set your own rates, speed matters, and your followers are the audience being sold.
Many England creators run both: the poll sets the working rate, and a panel study once or twice a year gives the rate card a second leg.
Common questions
Do I need a paid panel for my rates?
No. If your own followers are the audience a brand is buying, a poll of them is direct evidence. A panel helps for a documented, wider sample.
How many survey responses are enough?
No single threshold. More responses reduce noise, but a described sample of a few hundred beats a vague claim of thousands. State the number and method. For panels, set the target around the precision needed and any subgroups to compare; ask the provider to explain the sample design.
Can I survey followers by email?
Only within electronic marketing rules. The ICO guidance linked above explains consent and soft opt-in for creators and agencies.
Are free survey tools enough for a brand deal?
They can be, if you keep the question wording, sample size and dates. Accuracy comes from how you field and report, not the tool's price.
