So, how much does it cost to book a celebrity?
This is, of course, the most asked question we receive and the most difficult to answer.
First, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered in order to estimate a cost. Here are some examples.
If it is for an event/private event:
How large is the venue?
How many people will be there?
What date? Do you have an exact date or open?
Is it a ticketed event?
Is it a day or night event?
Is it for charity?
Will there be any "high status" people there?
How long do you want the celebrity there for?
What would you like the celebrity to do? Sing? Walk through? Hosting?
Are they required to travel?
If it is for a social media campaign:
What type of content are you expecting from the celebrity?
Short-form videos (Reels/TikToks) or an Instagram grid post?
Simply a story on Instagram?
How many posts in total?
What is the length of the campaign?
How much freedom will the celebrity have on the posting style?
What type of brand are you? (For example, if you're considered a taboo brand, celebrities may charge a higher fee or not want to work with you)
Are you starting to see how varied a price can be? Well, there's more! Of course, the price will hugely depend on which celebrity you want to book.
Although celebrities name their price, we can estimate pricing to an extent, but there are many variations.
Social media following/engagement plays a massive part in pricing.
Has the celebrity won any major awards? (Oscar's/Grammy's etc)
Is the celebrity busy? Have they recently launched an album/film/tv show?
Is the celebrity on tour currently?
Does the celebrity have any interest in doing your event?
Do you want photos with the celebrity? Videos of the event? This can be off-putting for a celebrity.
Is the event public? Press present?
How long do you want the meet and greet, for example? 20 minutes? 45 minutes?
Once we agree on the celebrity's booking fee, we have to focus on which booking extras are needed, such as:
The price of flights if necessary (usually Business or First depending on the celebrity), from our experiences - 80% are happy with business class.
The price of hotel accommodation for the celebrity and whoever they need to bring with them. 85% of the time, a celebrity would like a suite.
The price of local ground transportation for the celebrity and their team to arrive and leave your event.
Catering & rider requirements.
Power, labour & an onsite production staff (if needed).
For performances, there will be production elements, including but not limited to staging, sound, lights & backline equipment (artist's "gear")
Again, this will not apply to every booking. It simply depends on what your event is. For example, we have organised A-List celebrities to speak locally at an event in LA, and it will only cost their booking fee and the price of a taxi to and from the event.
So, we haven't answered the question yet, but hopefully, you can understand why!
Here are some pricing examples to give you an idea if you plan to book a celebrity:
Client's needs: A small private party based in London, UK, asking for an acoustic performance and a 25-minute meet and greet.
With: Let's say it is with a well-known US singer who lives in New York, has won a Grammy, has six million followers on Instagram, recently launched an album.
Final cost: £185,000 / $225,000
Client's needs: To have a singer partner with their globally recognised brand, feature on a TV commercial, feature on billboards, post six times on their own social media channel about the partnership, engage with every post the brand posts about the partnership.
With: A singer with 30 million followers, grammy nominated, recognised globally, highly relevant.
Final cost: £2,500,000 / $3,022,000
Client's needs: To arrive at an opening, cut the ribbon and stay for 30 minutes to speak with the guests in London.
With: A TV star known nationally in the UK with 750,000 Instagram followers.
Final cost: £30,000 / $36,000
Client's needs: To produce a song for their 'taboo' brand and promote the brand and song with eight posts on the artist's Instagram account
With: An artist with 24 million Instagram followers, who's known globally and has recently launched an album.
Final cost: £1,500,000 / $1,812,000
Client's needs: To have a celebrity speak at an event local to them and speak and take photos with guests for 30 minutes.
With (example 1): An artist with two million followers, who has recently been on tour and is known worldwide.
Final cost: £250,000 / $302,000
With (example 2): A reality star with over 300m followers on Instagram.
Final cost: £1,500,000 / $1,812,000
With (example 3): A YouTuber with 500,000 subscribers and 600,000 Instagram followers.
Final cost: £5,000 / $6,000
Client's needs: Nightclub appearance, where they will take photos, be on stage and do a meet and greet.
With: A reality TV star known nationally and local to the nightclub with 1.2 million followers
Final cost: £25,000 / £30,000
We hope these examples give you a rough idea of what you can expect to spend with a celebrity or influencer. If you're looking for advice on booking a celebrity for your event, get in touch with Request London today!