AI Short Drama Pricing Guide: How to Quote Your Work

⚡ Quick Answer: On Star Map's 招商短剧 channel, you don't set a per-episode price on a whim — the platform's official formula ties it together: one task fee = total project quote ÷ brand-insertable episodes (3-episode series → 3 tasks, 6-episode → 4, 12-episode → 9). So the number you can actually control is the total project quote, and everything else flows from it. The honest, bottom-up way to set it: (1) add up your real production cost per episode (our cost breakdown has the pipeline numbers), (2) multiply by the whole series, (3) add your margin, (4) sanity-check against your capacity and the follow-conversion data from your weekly review. What the official rules give you is the structure and the platform cut (3–5%) — they do NOT publish what clients pay, and neither does any reliable source, so treat any "you'll earn X per episode" number you read as unverified. This guide gives you the method, not the made-up rate.

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First, Understand What You Actually Control

There's a common beginner mistake: quoting a "price per episode." On 招商短剧 that's backwards — the unit you quote is the project, and the platform splits it per task using the insertable-episode math. From the official 巨量星图《"招商短剧"任务管理规则》:

• One task fee = total project quote ÷ brand-insertable episodes
• Insertable episodes by series length: 3-episode → 3 · 6-episode → 4 · 12-episode → 9
• Platform cut on your side: 3% (via MCN) / 5% (individual/PGC) of each task fee

So your real decision is the total project quote. Set it right and the per-task numbers take care of themselves.

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The Bottom-Up Quote Method (Four Steps)

Step 1 — Know Your True Per-Episode Cost

From our cost breakdown series, an AI short-drama episode costs real money and time even on the cheap route:

• Cash cost (tool subscriptions/credits): free route ~¥0/month, practical ~¥100/month, pro ~¥200/month (RMB; see China toolchain guide).
• Time cost (the part beginners forget): script → consistent art → image-to-video → voice → edit. Even efficient solo pipelines burn hours per episode. Your time is a cost. Price as if you were paid for it — because you are.

Step 2 — Price the Whole Series, Not One Episode

Multiply your true per-episode cost (cash + a fair hourly for your time) by the total number of episodes, then divide by the insertable episodes to see what the per-task math does. This prevents the classic trap: quoting "per episode" at a number that looks fine but leaves you bleeding on the true cost of a whole project.

Step 3 — Add Your Margin

A sustainable project needs margin above cost (for re-work, QC failures, the 30-day-ban risk if you slip). Structure your quote so a margin-over-cost survives the platform's 3–5% cut. Build the fee so that even after the cut you're over your true cost.

Step 4 — Sanity-Check Against Capacity & Data

• Capacity: can you actually deliver all insertable-episode tasks on time? Under-quote to over-deliver beats overselling and eating a penalty.
• Data: your weekly-review follow-conversion is your honest leverage. A series proven to hold viewers commands more than an untested one. But — and this is the realistic part — as a new seller you may need to quote lower initially to get your first accepted tasks and build the record (exactly what our first-order guide lays out).

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What the Official Rules Do and Don't Tell You

You get (from the rules)	You don't get (be honest with yourself)
The formula: project quote ÷ insertable episodes	What clients actually pay (not published)
Platform cut: 3% (MCN) / 5% (individual)	Market rate ranges for AI short drama (not published anywhere reliably)
Task type & settlement (one-price assigned task)	Your specific negotiating power as a beginner

The honest line: nobody publishes reliable "AI short drama rate cards" — any blog quoting exact per-episode earnings is guessing. Your starting point should be your own bottom-up cost, not a number you saw online.

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Pricing Ladder You Can Build Toward (Directional, Not Exact)

Think in stages rather than fixed rates, and raise as your data proves you can:

1. Portfolio stage: quote to cover cost + get the first accepted task(s). Build the record.
2. Proof stage: once your album holds viewers (stable watch-through/follow-conversion for a month), quote with margin. Your data is now a product, not a promise.
3. Branded stage: deliverable history + perhaps MCN positioning → lower platform cut (3%) and room to raise.

Each stage's direction is sound; the numbers are yours to set from your own cost base.

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Cost of "Too Cheap" — the Penalty You Can't quote Your Way Out Of

Remember the official teeth from the first-order guide: accept a project and fail it, and you face a 30-day (first) or permanent (second) ban from 招商短剧. So underpricing to win a job you can't deliver is strictly worse than quoting honestly. Price at a level where you can fully deliver on time, every time — because the cost of a failed task is far above any small quote you save.

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FAQ

What's the right price for one episode?

There is no published market rate for AI short drama. Set it bottom-up from your true per-episode cost + margin, using the official insertable-episode math. Any exact "per-episode rate" you see online is unverified.

Do I quote per episode or per project?

Per project. Star Map splits the project quote into per-task fees using insertable-episode counts. Your controllable number is the project quote.

How much does the platform take?

From the official rules: the client pays 5% of the project quote as tech service fee; you're deducted 3% (MCN) / 5% (individual/PGC) of each task fee.

How many brand-insertable episodes?

Official: 3-episode series → 3 tasks, 6-episode → 4, 12-episode → 9. One task fee = project quote ÷ that number.

Should I underprice as a beginner?

To get your first accepted tasks, you may need to quote at/around cost initially — but never below the level at which you can deliver on time. A failed task's 30-day/permanent ban costs far more than a lower quote saves.

How do I raise my prices?

Raise as your data proves value: stable follow-conversion and watch-through over ~a month justify margin; a delivered record and (optionally) MCN positioning justify more. Always raise from your cost base, never from a guess.

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Sources: 巨量星图《"招商短剧"任务管理规则》(2026-01-01) — the formula, insertable-episode counts and platform cut are official. Market rate ranges for AI short drama are not published by the platform or any reliable source, so this guide gives a bottom-up method rather than invented numbers. Client-paid amounts and your negotiating power depend on your execution and data. Verify current terms in the App.