A study by influencer marketing company Whosay aims to shed new light on how much money influencers are paid per promoted post — as well as which influencers, in terms of their follower counts, are most optimal for marketers to partner with.
Whosay, which has worked with McDonald’s and Hulu, examined data from more than 130 campaigns over the past 19 months, Recode reports, and it has divided social media stars into five different categories. The first tier, which it has termed ‘Icons’, count a median of 7.4 million followers, followed by tier 2 (‘Trailblazers’), who have on average 2.8 million followers. Tier 3 (‘Influencers’) have on average 853,000 followers, while tier 4 (‘Micro Influencers’) count roughly 221,000 followers, and, finally, tier 5 — dubbed ‘Super Micro Influencers’ — have on average 50,000 followers across all social platforms.
But while tier 1 influencers like Jada Pinkett Smith and DJ Khaled may boast the largest social followings, tier 2 influencers (Nick Cannon) and tier 3 influencers (Brittany Furlan) still tend to receive more money per sponsored post, according to Recode, because they generate more organic engagement — or likes, comments, and reposts. Tier 2 influencers, per the study, are the highest paid creators of all at $32,400 per post, followed by tier 3 creators at $25,700 per post.
Subscribe to get the latest creator news
For tier 1 creators, the average cost per post is $21,500. Another reason for this is that these celebrities generally don’t need the money, and therefore accept sponsorships on a more selective basis, according to Whosay. The average cost per post for ‘Micro Influencers’ is $8,400, and $1,500 for ‘Super Micro Influencers’.
In terms of the best bargain for advertisers, however, influencers in tier 3 take the cake. Recode reports that the creators with the lowest average CPM — or the cost for marketers per 1,000 organic impressions are in tier 3. The CPM for tier 3 ‘Influencers’ is a mere $78, followed by tier 2 ($100), tier 1 ($165), tier 5 ($169), and tier 4 (a whopping $261).
For additional findings, check out Recode’s report in full right here.
