Charlotte Stavrou on how to get creator pricing right

Charlotte Stavrou is a creator and founder of the influencer talent agency SevenSix. She was named a 2024 Champion of Change by Vogue Business, and is frequently invited on stages to speak about how to build a fairer and more transparent creator economy. Stavrou created SevenSix Agency’s groundbreaking Influencer Pricing Report, a first-of-its-kind pricing analysis that helps creators understand their worth, and shows brands how to pay equitably. Here, Stavrou speaks to D&AD Editor Madhuri Chowdhury about D&AD’s 2025 trend report theme Full Service Creator and dives into fair pay, growth opportunities and why the audience always comes first.

“I knew loads of amazing creators from various backgrounds, and I was so confused about why they weren't being compensated for campaigns,” says Charlotte Stavrou, recalling the pay gaps and lack of diversity in influencer marketing when she first started SevenSix Agency in 2019. Stavrou had been a creator herself for almost a decade, while also working in hybrid marketing roles, when her friends started urging her to blend her talents to help fix an industry problem they all knew existed. “This was before the resurgence of Black Lives Matter, so the diversity conversation in advertising hadn’t really begun, and people seemed to lack self-awareness,” says Stavrou.

SevenSix initially started as a consultancy that helped brands collaborate with creators, and has since transitioned into an agency focused on talent management, dropping brand work to concentrate solely on supporting talent. One of the ways Stavrou supports creators is through her Influencer Pricing Report – now in its 5th year – which offers a crucial deep dive into how creators are paid.

“Since we began managing talent in 2020, we encountered odd and difficult messaging from brands and agencies that felt discriminatory, racist or displayed unconscious bias,” says Stavrou, who gives the example of two creators she worked with in the beauty industry with similar followings and engagement. One was a mixed-race Black with a lighter skin tone, loose curls and European features, while the other was a Black creator with a darker skin tone, non-European features and kinkier hair. The pay disparity, Stavrou says, was shocking. “Based on their following and engagement, both should have been offered around £2,000 for a post, but the lighter-skinned creator often received that fee or more, while the darker-skinned creator was offered only £500 or £800. We needed evidence to highlight why one creator was perceived as less deserving of their fee, and this motivated the report.”

Below, we ask Stavrou about the realities and opportunities of working in the creator economy, and how she helps the talent on her roster manage their career:

It seems like everyone wants to be a creator these days. What advice do you give creators who are just starting out in this space?

CS: We're seeing more and more people becoming creators, which is wonderful. But I'm also very aware that there are far more creators than there are brands. There's a lot of money in the industry, but not everyone will have access to it. It’s important for aspiring creators to understand that they should enter this space for a reason beyond just making money.

You have to create content with purpose. That purpose can vary, but it must exist in some form; otherwise, the lack of compensation will likely lead to boredom and disinterest over time.

A lot of people think being a creator is just posting on TikTok. What other opportunities are available?

CS: If you’re an influencer or creator and you’ve chosen to pursue this full-time without a guaranteed income, you need to think like an entrepreneur. You need to cover your rent, mortgage and other expenses, which means focusing on what your business can do to generate revenue. This might involve commission or affiliate partnerships that operate independently from brand collaborations. Or it might mean offering courses or workshops. There are also opportunities in creative direction because of the high quality of your content – your skills could lead brand campaigns that extend beyond social media. Some creators can also leverage their following and audience to become writers, actors or presenters. Being a content creator doesn’t strictly mean securing brand partnerships to promote products. There's so much in this world of the creator economy that can generate a really great income and create a really exciting entrepreneurial life.

Your pricing report serves as a valuable resource for creators. What are the data points you use?

CS: The report highlights the pay gaps we saw in the influencer space. In newer reports, we discuss race and ethnicity, as well as skin tone, since we believe that skin tone tells a significant part of the story. A person's ethnicity may be similar, but the perception based on skin tone can lead to different biases.

We use three different data points to create the report. Firstly, we gather insights on how creators feel about their diversity characteristics and their compensation when working with brands. Then we survey brands about their budgets without addressing diversity, simply to gather information. We also consult with talent management agencies to understand the typical rates. This approach tells us how creators feel, how marketers are operating and the current rates being paid. With this data, we can effectively highlight the issues in the industry. Our solution includes providing insights into how much creators could charge based on the going rates, and we inform brands and agencies about the typical rates so they can align their payments accordingly.

How do you help the creators you work with navigate their career as they grow?

CW: This is a tough one. As a creator, as you grow, you encounter more opportunities, and this is especially true for those of us from the original creator generation. We initially posted online seeking community, not money. Back then, we'd receive free lipsticks or invitations to parties, but for a lot of us, our main goal was to connect with others because we felt lonely. That was the millennial influencer experience.

Now, the industry has transformed into a machine churning out creators and content, with significant financial opportunities at play. While the influx of money is great, it also means that many creators are now focused on generating income through their content. I always remind creators to revisit their purpose: why are they posting, and why do people follow them? Losing sight of this could lead to a decline in engagement and longevity. For example, consider a fashion influencer who shares affordable clothing from fast fashion brands. If they suddenly pivot to only covering high-end designer pieces, their audience might feel alienated if they can’t afford those products, leading to disinterest. Navigating growth as a creator means taking your audience along on that journey and staying true to them.

Check out D&AD’s Full Service Creator theme in this year’s trend report, where we dive into how creators are rewriting the marketing rulebook.