Meta Spark Studio AR Pricing, Tips & Guides: How to charge a client
Learn how to charge clients for filter, reference mock invoices and understand how pricing differs in various countries.
Easy to read spreadsheet that makes life easy for Spark AR Creators.
The Spark AR Pricing, Tips and Guides spreadsheet has helped over 45 creators to price their Instagram filters right when the pitch to clients, agencies and brands.
Now known as Meta Spark Studio, this guide meant for the Social AR software helps creators to easily understand how pricing works in different demographics and regions when they wish to monetise their skills.
How to charge for Instagram filters?
This was one of the most important questions I saw every day on the Meta Spark Community - a Facebook group dedicated to answering questions around Meta Spark Studio and AR creator journeys.
At the time these questions became prominent, I was working on multiple different projects for clients in different countries and had to formulate a spreadsheet that would cover all aspects of pricing.
This is the same spreadsheet that you get when you buy the pricing guide.
Experience vs pricing
A lot of creators are excellent at what they do - some of them are way better than I ever will be when it comes to creating Instagram filters.
The only problem is that these creators may not always be good at business or getting the best value out of their work.
So a few issues arise from this:
- Creators undervalue their own work and charge way too less.
- Creators do not know what to charge and take the first offer on the table.
- Creators will settle to work for free or barter their work for exposure, freebies or free trials.
Impostor syndrome can also play a huge role in creators undermining their own abilities when they go out in the open market.
Per hour vs fixed pricing
We also needed to tackle this issue. Personally, there is no room for per hour pricing when it comes to Social AR.
Multiple revisions, pending approvals and an uncertainty on the client's part can lead to the project heading for 5x the expected hours. I have met scenarios where a project that was supposed to be completed in 3 business days went on for two months.
Instead, a fixed pricing model helps creators choose components they will use in their Instagram filter and adjust price according to the region and brand they are working for.
How the pricing guide helps.
The pricing guide is the best way to lead a consultation call or email when the client asks for a quote aka what will it cost to get the custom Instagram filter done.
You can simply refer to the spreadsheet, understand what you will require for the filter to work the way the brand wants it to and then quote a price after adjusting for different components.
This way, you can earn a substantial amount without the need for getting into the specifics of things.
Components based pricing
Instead of one full quote in your head canon, add up components for different features requested by the client.
While the project is ongoing, you can expect revisions from the client that add more components. This way, you can quote the add-on price for that requested feature instead of being trapped in a fixed quote jungle.
A little client story
This agency approached me to get a "This or That" Instagram filter done. The next week, they asked for a bell sound if the user tilted left or right to choose the options available.
So, the add-on meant that I had to notify them of the price inrease: $-XXXX + $XXX = final price.
The add-ons were approved and I got the work done, while being paid for the extra work.
If you are someone running an agency or a freelancer with years of experience, this is commonplace. Though, for new creators in AR who are unaware about pricing structures, this spreadsheet becomes a go-to.
About me
I am Anthony Stephen Mendes, a marketer, content creator and Social AR manager. Over the last few years, I have built systems around marketing, AR and content that I have shared through my Gumroad account.
In 2019, I started with Meta Spark Studio, then known as Spark AR Studio. Few months down the line, I was creating custom Instagram filters for brands and agencies that they leveraged to increase organic growth.
This ghost-work has allowed me to work on my own side projects and also bring in more templates people can access to get better at what they do.
Access to a spreadsheet where you can access our pricing structure, tips and guides on charging, flexible payment options and other little things you can do to get the right revenue from your work.