Q4 creator rates run 25-45% above Q1 floor

Q4 creator rates run 25-45% above Q1 floor

Same creators, indexed to their January rate.

— Jan-Feb 1.00x ████████
— Q2 1.08x █████████
— Q3 1.15x ██████████
— Nov-Dec 1.38x █████████████

Demand compresses into the holiday window while supply is fixed, so the auction for attention spikes. Booking the same post in January often costs a third less for identical deliverables.

So what: lock Q4 talent in Q2 at off-season rates, or shift evergreen content to the January trough.

Benchmark: n=260 creators, monthly rate-card tracking, 2023-24.