Getting paid to post on social media is nothing to scoff at. But if you want to live the good life, you first have to ask, how much do influencers make?

Are you looking to monetize your social media presence? Or integrate influencer marketing into your strategy? Then one of the most important first steps is to find out how much it’s going to be.

This article sheds light on how much influencers make. And it shows you how to make money on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. At the end, we’ve included influencer-related resources for marketing managers or business owners.

Bonus: Get the influencer marketing strategy template to easily plan your next campaign and choose the best social media influencer to work with.

How do Influencers make money?

Social media influencers make money with sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, merchandising, and direct donation (tipping, subscriptions, etc.).

If you have ever daydreamed about lying on a sunny yacht, peacefully floating over the Mediterranean, and paying for it all with a single social media post, that is how it’s done.

Read on to solve the mystery of how much social media influencers make and how they do it!

Sponsored posts

Sponsored posts are one of the most popular ways for influencers to make money. A sponsored post is when an influencer gets paid to post about a product or service on their page. When an influencer vouches for a brand, their followers are more inclined to trust that brand.

You’ll see the ‘Paid Partnership’ tag below the influencer’s name for sponsored posts on Instagram.

Often, influencers with a larger reach can charge more for sponsored content. What you can make off of sponsored posts typically depends on:

  • your following size
  • the industry you’re in
  • how well you market your services

Here are two general rules to measure your rates:

  • Engagement rate per post + extras for type of post (x #of posts) + extra factors = total rate
  • The unspoken industry standard is $100 per 10,000 followers + extras for type of post (x # of posts) + additional factors = total rate

At Hootsuite, we organize influencer types by the following sizes:

  • 1,000–10,000 followers = Nano-influencer
  • 10,000–50,000 followers = Micro-influencer
  • 50,000–500,000 followers = Mid-tier influencer
  • 500,000–1,000,000 followers = Macro-influencer
  • 1,000,000+ followers = Mega-influencers

It’s generally true that influencers with larger followings make more money. But don’t stress if you’re in the nano- or micro-influencer categories.

In fact, many smaller brands are looking to partner with nano- and micro-influencers. On Instagram, there is a clear preference for micro-influencers.

Here’s how to make it as a new nano-influencer.

Brands looking for smaller or newer influencers might have a smaller budget. But they’re less likely to worry if you’re partnering with other brands too.

Remember, long-term relationships are often lucrative over time, much more than one-off posts.

If you’re smaller, work on building your niche or specialty. And fostering relationships with your clients.

Brand Ambassador

A brand ambassador partnership is an agreement between an influencer and a company. The influencer typically agrees to promote the company’s products or services, often exclusively. Or generally, be affiliated with the brand.

In exchange for their endorsement, the company provides the influencer with compensation. This can take the form of cash, free products, or other perks.

As an influencer, you can make money off these partnerships. You can charge a per-post fee, receive a percentage of sales, or even have a salary. The amount of money an influencer can make varies depending on their following and engagement rates.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing. A business rewards affiliates for each customer brought by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. In this case, the affiliate is you, the influencer.

You can expect to generally make 5-30% commission in affiliate marketing contracts. Often, bigger influencers are at the 8-12% range.

Have you seen influencers who promote a discount on a product or service with a personalized code or URL? Those people are likely affiliate marketers.

They want to incentivize sales and track customers, so they can get paid a certain amount per sale.

You can make a significant amount of money through affiliate marketing. How much you make will depend on:

  • the affiliate contract you’ve worked out
  • the number of followers you have
  • the number of brands you’re working with
@ashlelnok

#greenscreen Fancy meeting you here @knixwear #periodunderwear

♬ Pennies from Heaven – Louis Prima

Off-site website advertising

Off-site website advertising is another type of online marketing. It involves promoting a brand or product on a website or platform that is not the product’s home page.

For example, let’s say I sell buttons and reach out to you, an influencer, to write a blog post reviewing my product. I pay you a predetermined amount for every lead I get from your post.

Many of these tactics can share titles. The above review is an example of off-site advertising, affiliate marketing, and a sponsored post.

Off-site website advertising is also achieved through:

  • banner ads
  • sponsored posts
  • links in the sidebar of a blog

Influencers can make money off of this type of advertising by charging for ads placed on their site. Or by earning a commission on sales generated from clicks on the ad.

Some influencers also offer consulting services. These can help brands maximize their reach and effectiveness with off-site website advertising.

Merchandising

Merchandising is a term used in marketing and retail. It refers to the range of activities that promote the sale of products to customers. When we talk about influencers merchandising, we’re talking about influencers producing merchandise for their brand.

This can be anything from Kylie Jenner’s lip kits to a photography influencer selling prints.

Merchandising can be a very lucrative revenue stream. Especially for influencers with a dedicated following.

 

Direct donation, tipping, subscriptions

Let’s face it; free stuff is the best stuff. Subscriptions, tips, and donations are just a few of the ways that you can make a passive income.

But what exactly are these things? And how can an influencer make money off of them?

Subscriptions are probably the most well-known of the three. By subscribing to someone, you’re essentially paying them a monthly fee in exchange for access to their content.

This can be anything. Think, exclusive videos and photos to behind-the-scenes looks at their life and work. Influencers can incentivize subscriptions by offering discounts or freebies to those who sign up. For example, they may offer a free month of content for every six months that you subscribe.

Patreon is a popular subscription-based platform. Influencers can offer tiered levels to subscribers. Each tier can have different, exclusive, and interesting content.

Patreon subscription-based platform select a membership level

Source: Patreon

Tipping is similar to a subscription in that it’s a way of showing support for someone’s work. However, instead of paying a monthly fee, one simply makes a one-time donation.

Many influencers include their PayPal or Venmo tipping information when doing Live Streams. They might attach it to their bios or websites or even just ask in a post.

Tipping is often reserved for content creators who produce high-quality work. So it’s more like a bonus than a necessity, as you’ll be creating the work regardless. Nonetheless, your followers know it’s always appreciated!

@ashlelnok

#greenscreen I DO NOT KNOW WHY I WAITED THIS LONG TO ADD VENMO TO MY ACCOUNT. #venmo #tiktok #bio #wtf #bestdecisionever @papaterence

♬ original sound – Ashley

Finally, we have donations. These are usually made to a charity or GoFundMe-type campaigns. But fans can also give them directly to an influencer.

Donations are completely voluntary, and there is no expectation of anything in return. Many influencers may offer perks like shoutouts or signed merchandise as a thank you.

How much do influencers make per post?

To determine how much money influencers make per post, you’ve got to consider a few things:

  • What kind of post or content is being created?
  • What’s the industry average?
  • What kind of reach or follower size does the influencer have?
  • Do they have impressive engagement rates from a previous campaign they can leverage?
  • What does your media kit look like?

To try to get a gauge on your own pricing. Look at what others in your industry and of your size are charging for particular pieces of content. If you have engagement rates and data from successful past campaigns, use them!

All of this can influence the amount you can charge per post. Because there are so many factors to consider, it can make getting averages difficult.

We will be referencing the influencer size tiers mentioned above in the next section. And we will be discussing general averages for potential earnings within these tiers. So take ’em with a grain of salt.

Bonus: Get the influencer marketing strategy template to easily plan your next campaign and choose the best social media influencer to work with.

Get the free template now!

How much do Instagram influencers make?

Instagram marketing has the highest share of influencer marketing dollars, according to eMarketer. It’s currently beating out Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.

Psst: Here’s how to make money off your YouTube channel, your Instagram account, and your TikTok strategy!

According to Statista, the global average minimum price per post for an Instagram macro-influencer was $165. The average maximum was $1,804.

That being said, there are exceptions to the rule. Celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo allegedly make a million plus per post. Micro-influencer Obebe claimed $1,000 for one Instagram carousel post with two photos.

Keep in mind that averages are calculated with a wide range of data. This includes influencers from all walks of life and industries and with varying capabilities.

General averages, according to Statista:

  • A nano-influencer can make $195 per post on Instagram
  • A mid-tier influencer can make $1,221 per post on Instagram
  • A macro-influencer can make $1,804 per post on Instagram

According to Influence.co, micro-influencers are looking at $208 per post. In contrast, mega-influencers can expect $1,628 per post on Instagram.

Instagram influencers are typically posting sponsored feed posts or Stories. They also go Live to discuss product endorsements.

With the rise of Instagram Shopping, you’ll also see influencers with affiliate links or tagged products in their feed.

Instagram’s Reels Bonus program is also a popular way to monetize your Instagram account. It compensates creators based on video views. Alex Ojeda, for example, reported earning $8,500 in a single month.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alex Ojeda 🇲🇽 (@alexojeda)

How much do TikTok influencers make?

TikTok influencers will overtake Facebook in 2022 and YouTube in 2024 in popularity. So, it might be a good idea to start building your following on TikTok now. The app’s only growing stronger! And that means the answer to ‘how much do TikTok influencers make?’ is only going to get larger with time.

US influencer marketing spending share, by platform, 2019-2024

Source: eMarketer

According to this Statista report and this report:

  • Nano-influencers can make $181 per TikTok video
  • Macro-influencers can make $531 per TikTok video
  • Mega-influencers can make between $1,631 and $4,370 per TikTok video

Influencers on TikTok will often create sponsored video content to promote a brand. Brands can host ‘Takeovers’, giving an influencer control of their account for a set amount of time. Or, they can monetize their own account with Gifts.

TikTok Sleepfluencer (yes, that’s a thing!) Jakey Boehm has gamified Livestream Gifts. He livestreams himself sleeping and has coded a script that reads the chat out loud.

The live chat sounds trigger different prompts. The sound of gifts will activate music, turn on machines, or light up his room as he sleeps.

Plus, the larger the gift you buy, the greater the interruption.

Fans pay big money to wake Jakey up, and they love it. He reported making $34,000 in one month from TikTok Live. At 819.9K Followers, Jakey’s a macro-influencer making above-average for his videos. So, when we answer ‘how much do influencers make on TikTok’ with averages, keep creators like Jakey in mind.

@jakeyboehm

Join the live everyone is talking about! The ORIGINAL TikTok Interactive Sleep Stream. Control my room

♬ original sound – jakeyboehm – Interactive Sleep

How much do influencers make on Twitter?

Twitter appears to be the least lucrative platform for influencers. It could have something to do with other apps having eCommerce integration. Or it might have something to do with engagement levels.

But, many influencers will offer package deals. A sponsored Tweet can be used as a piece of content that sweetens the deal.

Here are Twitter influencers’ general earnings per post according to Statista:

  • Nano-influencer can make $65
  • Micro-influencers and above can make $125

Influencer content on Twitter will often be sponsored posts or use brand-specific hashtags. Twitter Takeovers are also a potential revenue stream.

In the example below, Chrissy Tiegen might just really like Old Dutch Dill Pickle chips. Or, she could be a Twitter chip influencer who is very good at natural brand endorsements.

How much do Facebook influencers make?

Facebook might be trending out of favor with a younger demographic. But Facebook is still a social media giant, the largest by many metrics. Facebook influencers are still pulling in money from things like:

  • sponsored posts
  • brand ambassador contracts
  • affiliate marketing
  • merchandising
  • Live videos promoting products or services

Here are Facebook influencers’ general earnings per post according to Statista:

  • Nano-influencer can make $170 per post
  • Micro-influencer can make $266 on Facebook

How to hire a social media influencer

If you’re a marketing manager or business owner, influencer marketing is a smart tactic. But, there are a lot of moving parts to deal with.

You need to find the right influencer that fits your brand and budget. Plus, you should understand how they set their rates.

Then, you need to work out how they fit into your marketing strategy. And, of course, measure your results following your campaign.

Hootsuite’s experts have come up with an Influencer marketing guide. And, great news, it’s designed specifically for folks like you.

It covers everything, from influencer etiquette to influencer marketing tools. And it includes a list of potential influencers you can reach out to.

Make influencer marketing easier with Hootsuite. Schedule posts, research and engage with influencers in your industry, and measure the success of your campaigns. Try it free today.

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The post How Much Do Influencers Make in 2022? appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.