There are plenty of social media personalities who use their popularity as a source of income. If you want to become an Instagram influencer yourself, however, you have to know how well it pays. In this guide, the snsflow.com team answers the question, ‘How do influencers make money?’ and others you might have.

What Is an Influencer?

An influencer is someone who promotes products and services on their social media. Generally, they have a significant and loyal following. This means the influencer has the power to change a person’s purchasing choices with just one post. Brands recruit these accounts because positive product reviews from them could seriously boost an item’s sales numbers.

There are four main types of influencers, including:

• Nano-influencers (1-10K followers).
• Micro-influencers (10K-100K followers).
• Macro-influencers (100K-1 million followers).
• Mega-influencers (over 1 million followers).

Even micro and nano influencers have much to offer businesses. For example, nano influencers usually have a high engagement rate. Even if their overall reach isn’t too large, they can still get great long-term results for their clients. HubSpot’s 2024 trends research similarly shows that 64% of marketers use a micro influencer for their campaign.

Influencers generally stick to a specific industry, such as health and wellness or food. The posts these content creators make are incredibly varied, but their goal is usually still to make followers buy something. For example, the post could take the form of a full review. Alternatively, it might subtly show the product in the background.

How Do Influencers Make Money on Their Instagram Posts?

There are four key ways that social media influencers make their money. For some profiles, this can serve as a full-time job. However, the number of followers generally affects how much these accounts can charge. This is yet another reason that companies sometimes favor micro or nano influencers; they offer a good return on investment. 

The four main influencer revenue streams are:

1. Sponsored Posts

Instagram post sponsorships are simply when brands pay accounts to promote their products in various ways. This might be an obvious product recommendation or something more subtle that only loosely mentions the company. Instagram even lets you boost posts as ads to gain a much wider audience on the platform.

2. Performance Marketing

Similar to the above, performance or affiliate marketing involves creating content that inspires followers to buy a product. The main difference in this is how the brand pays its influencer. As an affiliate, you get money whenever someone buys or views the product using a personalized link on your profile.

3. Brand Ambassadorship

Becoming an official brand ambassador allows you to build a far stronger partnership with your clients. This means posting content about the company when they announce new products and updates. By making your arrangement more direct, clients might even forbid you from promoting competitors on your social media platforms.

4. Digital Services 

Instagram is also an opportunity to sell digital products, including online courses and even your own music. Becoming an influencer makes you an authority in your sector that people trust. You can then leverage your growing popularity to promote your own brand’s services, possibly with Instagram’s own shopping mode.

How Much Do Instagram Influencers Make?

While the exact numbers will always vary, we can see some broad trends in the amounts online influencers make. A profile’s follower count is always going to be a big factor in this. Brands are unlikely to spend too much on small accounts, for example. Even with nano influencers forming a key part of some strategies, they usually can’t turn this into a full-time job.

A micro influencer, however, usually makes a minimum of $40,000, assuming a steady stream of clients. Somebody with 50,000+ followers might be able to push this towards a six-figure salary, depending on the industry. Some influencers can even make millions of dollars each year. Their wage almost always relates to how much value they give to a brand with their posts.

As affiliate links require users to click on or buy a product, they’re often an unreliable source of income. This content really needs to inspire your followers, though the client may offer specifics on what to write. Some influencers still make $5,000 a month via these links, however. Don’t be afraid to experiment with these formats to find the route that works best.

How Much Do Influencers Make Per Post?

As with a monthly or annual influencer wage, the amount you could make per post is hard to nail down. A nano influencer could earn as little as $10 with only 500 followers. On the other hand, celebrity Instagrammers can easily get $1 million per post. Influencer marketing is always growing, so the answer to ‘How much money do Instagram influencers make?’ remains in flux.

According to Hopper HQ, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid influencer, getting over $3 million for every sponsored post. Dwayne Johnson, Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande, and Lionel Messi are also in the top ten. However, most of the influencers within the 100K-1 million follower bracket get at least $5-10,000 per post. The type of content they post is another factor.

For example, stories last only 24 hours, so they tend to get lower rates than Instagram Reels. Stories pay between $50 and $1,250 on average. Meanwhile, reels can net a $7,000 profit. Analytics or view counts also let influencers bargain with clients for better prices. It’s important that you take all of this into account when asking, ‘How much do influencers make per post?’

Why You Should Consider Instagram Affiliate Marketing

Many influencers enjoy a successful, thriving career through affiliate posts. However, newer and budget-conscious influencers often avoid them. This is because they only guarantee payment if followers click on a link. You may prefer more consistent payments, but there are many reasons to also become an affiliate.

Here are the key benefits of Instagram affiliate marketing for influencers of any size:

• Better leverage: Affiliate posts are all about getting effective results for your clients. This format lets you see the effect you have on sales. With this, you could ask for more from every client type.
• More clients: Plenty of companies prefer using affiliate marketing to direct sponsorships. Adding this approach to your strategy can give you more clients, including ones willing to pay higher prices.
• Motivated content: This payment structure might inspire you to make better posts. If your success directly depends on building leads or increasing sales, you’ll naturally bring your best to each post.
• Account variety: Making your profile a mix of sponsored and affiliate posts or guest blog posts adds variety. This keeps your target audience engaged, which will determine if they view a client’s product.
• Personal deals: An affiliate link usually adds a discount, which people will associate with your profile. Those interested in your sector will follow you for more deals, boosting your social media presence.
• Future opportunities: If your account is successful with affiliate posts, the company might make you an ambassador. This can give you a secure long-term salary, as well as more creative freedom.

How To Create a Sponsored Post on Instagram

Creating sponsored posts begins from the moment you start building your profile. Even the first steps you take can impact how many followers you have when it’s time to recruit sponsors. Here is an end-to-end guide to getting a sponsored Instagram post:

1. Build Your Niche

You need to post content that shows you understand your industry. This also helps you get more followers who will match your client’s target audience. For example, travel influencers can share tips about their experiences in the countries they’ve visited.

2. Tag Possible Clients

A good way to make sure companies take notice of you is to tag them in your content. This may be because you want to share one of their products. A social media post that helps them look good might even inspire them to make the first move.

3. Contact Brands

It never hurts to pitch brands about promoting their services, even as a nano influencer. Offer to create exclusive content about their products, and consider mentioning your engagement rate to show your popularity. Reach out via email to avoid the message getting lost.

4. Study the Guidelines

If a brand decides to sponsor you, they will approve you as a business partner on Instagram. In the meantime, pay attention to their current campaign and read any guidelines they give. This is important for matching your posts to their audience.

5. Make the Post

Create an Instagram post, possibly showing off one of the company’s latest product lines. Make sure every part of the content suits the brand’s guidelines. Before posting, select Tag Business Partner in your Advanced Settings; this lets them approve the post first.

6. Share Your Sponsor

Now that the post is live, share it to your story. You might even want to repost this to other social media channels for greater reach. It may even be worth buying organic followers that help boost the post’s engagement rate.

Other Factors Affecting Instagram Influencer Average Salary

Beyond followers, there are plenty of factors that can affect how much you earn on Instagram as an influencer. For example, how often you post; fewer branded posts naturally means less money. Nano and micro-influencers usually make several feed posts per week. Macro influencers might instead stick to one a week, as large profiles can struggle to keep up a high engagement rate.

Another factor in the Instagram influencer’s average salary is location. Local brands will pay more for influencers in their area. This is because many of your followers will likely also form a part of their target audience. Your negotiation skills could also be a factor. Many influencers miss out on a chance for more money because they don’t barter good prices for their posts.

Ultimately, the quality you bring to a brand will be another key consideration. If you create posts that are evocative and strong advertisements in their own right, you can get higher rates. The answer to ‘How much do Instagram influencers make?’ always depends on the situation. Many influencers actually start it as a side hustle long before turning this into a full-time enterprise.

If you’re trying to become an influencer, ‘How do influencers make money?’ is probably going to be your first question. With snsflow.com’s real followers, you can build your presence and make a good impression on any potential sponsor.

After just one payment, we can help your account reach its target number of followers. We don’t use bots, so you can be sure your profile maintains a strong engagement rate. Use snsflow.com today and take your first step towards being a successful influencer.