How Much Do Influencers Really Make?

Nowadays, influencers are everywhere. Lifestyle influencer Kylie Jenner stars in her new reality show while also showing off her line of the hottest lip colors in her Instagram story. She is said to make anywhere from $40 to $100 million a year through her various income streams!

This is the high end of the spectrum, so the question remains, “How much do influencers make?” In this article, we will break down the ways that social media influencers make money, how much they earn, and what factors influence these rates. 

Ways to Make Money as an Influencer

There are tons of ways for an influencer to make money. Some opt to go with one stream of revenue, while others optimize several routes to help them rake in the cash. Here are some of the main ways. 

Sponsored Content

Sponsorships refer to promotional content that is paid for by an advertiser but created and shared by the influencer. This allows advertisers to target their core audience by discussing and promoting topics that align with their brand. 

Oftentimes there will be promotional codes within the sponsored posts. When the customer uses the code, the influencer can make a certain percentage of the sale. 

Brand Ambassadors

Influencers are often offered positions as brand ambassadors. A brand ambassador is someone who is hired by a company to promote its products, message, and image of their brand. Brand ambassadors create a buzz to get the brand trending. 

An example of a brand ambassador is Cristiano Ronaldo’s Herbalife ad on Instagram. He is using a powerful image of him kicking a soccer ball to bring attention to an electrolyte drink that will “fuel your performance” and Herbalife in hashtags. Instagram influencers like Ronaldo make $40 million a year. 

Affiliate Marketing 

Affiliate marketing is an easy way to make money off the brands you already love! Influencers promote their favorite products and earn a commission off sales that come from their channel. 

As an example, Skillshare has paid approximately $7 to $10 for each affiliate click to YouTubers that promote their online course website. They have also paid a specific direct payment for a 10-second to one-minute ad on their videos. 

Shoutouts 

An influencer does a shoutout when they mention a brand or product on social media and are paid by that company. This can be done in the form of video, pictures, or GIFs, but can also be done as a literal shoutout. Using a shoutout in brand collaborations like this allows companies the opportunity to drive more sales, get more followers, or get more traffic to their website. 

The price can range from $25 to $100 per shoutout but goes much higher the more followers someone has. Those with over 1 million followers can make four figures for one shoutout. 

Giveaways

To promote their brand, companies can also sponsor giveaways. They will send the influencer free products and allow him or her to give them away to their followers or through a contest. This creates a short-term buzz that can give a brand a lot of attention, which then creates more leads and potential sales. 

An example is Ariana Grande’s giveaway of $1 million in one month’s worth of therapy for those users who signed up for BetterHelp, the online counseling, and therapy service. 

Selling Courses and Merchandise

Social media allows influencers many possible ways to make money, including selling their knowledge. Typically they have gotten well-known due to a certain skill set they have. They can then turn this knowledge into digital products like a course or E-book they can sell to their followers. 

Additionally, they can play off their fame or skill set to create merchandise that will interest their followers. As an example, Jake Paul a former Vine star and professional boxer promotes his own products like hoodies and hats that say “Problem Child” and “Pay Fighters More”. Etsy stores are also a great place for influencers to make money off merchandise. 

Donations and Tipping

Followers often love the high-quality content of their favorite influencers so much that they will tip them or give donations. 

One popular platform for tipping is Twitch. Amouranth, a provocative live streamer, makes a heft amount of money with an average of $90,000 per month in tips. Tier-one subscriptions alone on Twitch cost $4.99, making it a good platform to make money. 

Types of Influencers and Their Earnings

How much do influencers make? In most cases, how many followers an influencer has immediately indicates how much they will be paid. We will now break down the various tiers of following and explain exactly how much each of them can earn. 

Be aware that there is debate about the exact numbers of followings per category. For example, some marketers would consider a micro-influencer as someone with 1,000 followers. 

Mega Influencers

Mega influencers have the largest number of followers on social media. They have more than a million followers on at least one platform. This kind of influencer usually becomes famous as movie and TV stars, athletes, or musicians, but they usually amass a huge following through their presence on social media. 

Mega influencers have the potential to make the most money on social media from major brands. It is not unheard of for mega influencer rates to be $1 million per post. 

Mega influencers can make per post: 

• Instagram: $10,000+
• YouTube: $20,000+
• TikTok: $2,500+
• Facebook: $25,000+

Macro-Influencers

Influencers with between 500,000 and 1 million followers count on social media are called macro-influencers. Macro-influencers are usually lesser-known celebrities or influencers who have worked hard to become successful on social media. Those macro-influencers have gained significant followings and are a prime target for brands to get their messages out to the public. They are typically skilled at working with brands due to their experience and talent. 

Macro influencers can make per post:

• Instagram: $5,000 to $10,000 
• YouTube: $10,000 to $20,000
• TikTok: $1,250 to $2,500
• Facebook: $12,500 to $25,000

Mid-tier Influencers

Somewhere in the middle are the mid-influencers, with a following of between 100,000 and 500,000. 

Oftentimes the mid-tier experience perks of their fame.  Instagram influencers make a bit more cash in their pocket with Instagram’s Reels bonus program. For instance, mid-tier influencer Lissette Calveiro earned $800 for reaching 1.77M views in one Instagram video. They will also reward her with $8,500 if she reaches 9M views in one month. 

Mid-tier influencers can make per post:

• Instagram: $500 to $5,000
• YouTube: $1,000 to $10,000
• TikTok: $125 to $1,250
• Facebook: $1,250 to $12,500

Micro Influencers

Most of the influencer marketing is done by the category of micro-influencers, who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. These are ordinary people who have become known in their niche, gaining popularity among followers of that niche. Micro-influencers are usually skilled at interacting with their followers, which is an important ingredient for the growth of their following. 

Micro-influencers have been a more common occurrence in today’s day, rising from obscurity to practical stardom. Generation Z makes up most of these influencers, which indicates their position as the influencers of the future since this generation spends a lot of time on social media.  

Micro influencers can make per post: 

• Instagram: $100 to $500
• YouTube: $200 to $1,000
• TikTok: $25 to $125
• Facebook: $250 to $1,250

Nano Influencers

Nano influencers have the smallest number of followers, but their influence packs a big punch. Usually amassing between 1,000 and 10,000 followers on social media, the nano influencers are typically experts in an extreme niche. They are known for their obscure knowledge, which is highly valuable to those that follow them. 

These influencers promote specialized products but are usually looked over by large brands due to their small following. 

Nano influencers can make per post: 

• Instagram: $10 to $100
• YouTube: $20 to $200
• TikTok: $5 to $25
• Facebook: $25 to $250

Factors That Impact Rates of Influencers

Keep in mind, that the above results will vary. Here are some of the things that can impact these rates. 

Social Media Platform

As you’ve seen, rates tend to vary depending on the social media channel the influencer is using. This is because of the popularity of these channels shifts and changes over time. 

As a result, there are different types of audiences that use different channels. For example, Gen Z tends to use Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to visit their favorite influencers, while adults Facebook over TikTok. 

These platforms have varying creator resources as well, which will make a difference in the finished post. 

Influencer Reach

As we’ve mentioned, there are several categories of influencers that depend on the number of followers or subscribers they have. Some have more reach than others; mega influencers are able to reach many more people than nano influencers. This is often the biggest factor in how high the rates are that influencers charge. 

Engagement Rates

Engagement rates refer to the rate at which followers are actively involved with the content. This would include likes, comments, and social shares. Brands use this metric to determine how effective their marketing campaigns are. 

Having a lot of TikTok or Instagram followers does not automatically mean engagement rates will be high. Some influencers are better than others at getting their followers to engage with posts by doing things like adding calls to action, creating relatable and shareable content, and sharing valuable information that draws the viewer in.

A higher engagement rate means the influencer has a greater reach and thus is more likely to convert the audience into new potential business leads. 

Niche or Specialization

Popular niches like fashion, travel, beauty, health and fitness often have many influencers on the market to choose from. As a example, a fashion influencer rate will typically be lower to compete with others on the market. 

The more niche a market may be, the more diffic

ult it may be to find the specific influencer needed. Therefore, these influencers can set their rates a bit higher and monetize their knowledge. 

Type of Content

The type of content will have an impact on how much an influencer charges. For instance, a podcast or skincare blogger will probably take more time, resources, and energy to create than a short TikTok post.

If the resources needed for content creation aren’t provided by the brand sponsoring the post, then the influencer will be charging more. 

Influencer Demand

It is easy to assume that an influencer who is well know

n will probably have a higher demand. For instance, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, comes with a heavy price tag upfront of $1.5M per Instagram post. 

Usage Rights

When it comes to influencer marketing,

 usage rights are extremely important. Usage rights determine who owns content made by the influencer, and where it can be used. Brands and influencers negotiate through an influencer contract on which additional channels the content can be used, and for how long. 

How long: 

It is common for influencers to charge more for content that is going to be reused. 

If it is used within 1 to 3 months, there is little to no incremental fee. However, after 3 months to 1 year, macro influencers can raise their fees up to twice as much. There may be a small to moderate fee for lesser-known influ

encers. If the content is repurposed after more than 1 year, there is typically a significant price tag. 

Where: 

Repurposing content on social media organically is typically not charged. However, there may be a small fee for paid social and amplification. Owned-and-operated sites, email marketing, banner ads, and programmatic ads repurpose content for modest incremental fees. When content is repurposed for Out of Home, In Store and Point of Sale campaigns, this comes at the heaviest price tag and is typically exclusive for endorsement deals or brand ambassadors. 

Exclusivity

Sometimes influencers can find themselves in a bidding war between brands that want to use them for campaigns. If this is the case, the influencer will sign a non-compete agreement or include an exclusivity clause in their contract. This will ensure they do not work with a competitor within a specified period of time. 

This gives the influencer the chance to hike up their prices since the clause is preventing them from making money elsewhere. 

Start Earning

Whether with sponsored content, giveaways, or affiliate marketing becoming a full-time influencer can be a reality. Although making a lot of money as a mega-influencer may be a bit out of reach, micro-influencers and nano-influencers are completely possible. Find your niche, open a TikTok or Instagram account, and start earning with Tappie.