CPE (Cost per Engagement)
The cost per like, comment, share, or save on a creator post — the engagement-focused complement to CPM.
CPE varies dramatically by platform and niche, so published averages are of little use. Brands targeting consideration-funnel goals (newsletter signups, app downloads) often use CPE as their primary efficiency metric.
In practice, CPE is the metric brands use when the campaign goal sits mid-funnel: the post should make people do something (save, comment, share, click through to a profile) rather than merely see it. Brand-side, CPE works best as a portfolio metric — computing it across ten bookings shows which creator profiles produce active audiences at efficient cost. Creator-side, engagement is the one metric a creator can influence content by content, which makes CPE the fairest efficiency number to be judged on: it rewards resonance, not audience size.
An illustrative calculation: a €600 Instagram booking that generates 2,000 total engagements lands at €0.30 per engagement. The same fee producing only 1,000 engagements doubles CPE to €0.60, a signal to check audience-product fit before rebooking.
European creators: profiles and prices
1k–10kAlicia Rodríguez reyFrom €50Tomelloso, Spain
1k–10kPatricia - Maria BoțogFrom €50Cluj-Napoca, Romania
50k–100kZeus RiccelliFrom €1000Vlijmen, Netherlands
1k–10kNoëlle CapiteijnsFrom €250Dénia, Spain
- Public prices per service
- Payment held until approval
- No subscription required
Search
Filter creators by niche, platform and location.
Book and pay
Creators set public prices. Your payment is held until you approve the delivery.
Receive the content
The content is delivered inside the platform and you review it before payment is released.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an engagement in CPE?
Likes, comments, shares, and saves on the sponsored post. Some brands also count sticker taps and profile visits where the platform reports them, but the comparable core across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube is the like-comment-share-save set. Define the set once and keep it constant across creators, or the comparison breaks.
What is a good CPE?
There is no reliable universal benchmark: platform, niche and audience country move CPE substantially. The stronger use of CPE is comparing creators within one campaign, or against the brand’s own past campaigns, rather than against a global average.
CPE vs engagement rate — which matters more?
They answer different questions. Engagement rate (interactions ÷ followers) measures audience quality before booking; CPE (spend ÷ interactions) measures cost efficiency after the post runs. Vet with engagement rate, evaluate with CPE.
What this means for your brand
For a brand, this term comes down to one booking decision. The table shows what you pick on Collabios for each need.
| If you need | You book on Collabios |
|---|---|
| A fixed price per deliverable | Each creator lists public prices per service, and you compare them before you book. |
| Paying only when you book | No subscription: you pay the creator’s price plus a service fee on each booking. |
| Control over payment | Your payment is held until you approve the delivery. |
| A creator who does not accept | If the creator declines or does not accept, you are refunded in full, service fee included. |
Creators on Collabios are based across Europe, and the search covers all of them: filter by country, platform and niche to see who fits.
Ready to look at real profiles? Browse European creators on Collabios and compare their public prices.
How to book a creator on Collabios
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| Search | Filter creators by country, platform and niche, and compare their public prices. |
| Choose a package | Pick the service you need; package prices start at €50. You pay the creator’s price plus a 10% service fee at checkout, with no subscription. |
| The creator accepts | The creator has 72 hours to accept. If they decline or do not accept, you get a full refund, service fee included. |
| Review and approve | The content arrives in the order. Your payment stays held until you approve the delivery. |
Agency, freelancer or marketplace?
| Agency | Freelancer | Collabios (marketplace) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs the work | The agency plans and manages it for you. | You brief and manage one person directly. | You do: you choose the creators and the packages. |
| How you pay | Usually fees or a margin on top of the creator costs. | The freelancer’s quote, agreed case by case. | The creator’s public price plus a service fee; payment held until you approve. |
| Commitment | Often a retainer or a project contract. | Usually per project. | No subscription; you pay per booking. |
| Best when | You want someone to run a full campaign. | You have a recurring need and one person you trust. | You want to compare creators and book them yourself. |
Booking creators: questions from brands
Where can I book creators for this?
On Collabios you can browse European creators by country, platform and niche, compare their public prices and book a package directly. An agency or a freelancer is the alternative if you want someone to run the whole campaign for you.
How does payment work when I book a creator?
You pay at checkout and the payment is held until you approve the delivery. If the creator declines or does not accept in time, you are refunded in full, service fee included.
Do I need a subscription to book creators?
No. There is no subscription today: you pay per booking, and nothing if you do not book.
For creators: get booked on Collabios
Brands book creators like you at the prices you set. Joining is free for creators based in Europe.
- You set your own public price for each service you offer.
- The brand’s payment is held until it approves your delivery, then paid out to you through Stripe.
- There is no subscription: Collabios charges a flat 15% commission on a completed order.
Three steps to start
- Create your free profile with your platforms and niche.
- Set a price for each service you want to sell.
- Accept bookings within 72 hours, deliver in the order and get paid once the brand approves.
Questions from creators
How do I get paid as a creator on Collabios?
The brand pays when it books, and Collabios holds the payment until the brand approves your delivery. After approval the money is paid out to you through Stripe.
Your next step
Brands can browse European creators by country, platform and niche and compare public prices; for the full process, read the guide to hiring influencers.
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