How Much Do Influencers Make? The 2025 Influencer Rate Guide

Influencer marketing spending reached its highest level in 2024, having tripled in just three years. That spending is for good reason and shows that brands are getting a strong ROI, which is fueling demand for brand partnerships with influencers of all sizes.

From fashion to technology, and even politics, influencers have built audiences that virtually every brand needs access to. But with that rapid increase in ad spending, it also means the rates that influencers charge can seem like they’re in constant flux.

Also, how much influencers typically charge for paid spots or partnerships can often be opaque. Payment amounts are not disclosed, which creates a bit of mystery as to how much an influencer marketing campaign may cost.

It’s more than curiosity, brands want to be able to budget their influencer marketing strategy in advance so they know exactly how much to allocate to various marketing channels.

To help you stay up to date on influencer marketing trends, this guide will outline the typical rates influencers are charging based on their audience size and other factors. This will give you a measuring stick as you strategize and budget for your own campaigns or marketing initiatives.

How Much Do Influencers On Instagram Make?

Instagram has been pivotal in the rise of influencers over the past decades. Savvy influencers used the image-based platform to create carefully curated versions of themselves that attracted millions of followers. Later, the introduction of video allowed influencers to forge even tighter relationships with their audiences and cover a wider range of topics.

All of this has led to the increase in rates that Instagram influencer marketing can earn. However, the costs can vary quite a bit between different influencers based on their following, niche, and other factors that brands deem valuable.

You’ll often hear that influencers can charge around $100 per 10,000 followers. This is an acceptable rule of thumb, but it mostly applies to those influencers who are in a specific niche that marketers want to target.

If an influencer creates general or random content, the rates can be substantially lower since brands don’t expect the ROI and engagement to be as high.

Using that criteria as well as factoring in the current rates for recent campaigns, Instagram influencers generally make the following amount per paid post.

How much do Instagram Nano Influencers make?

A nano influencer has the smallest audience size ranging from 500 to 10k total followers. While these influencers are small, they sometimes have a very dedicated and niche audience for their topics. 

Nano influencers on Instagram can charge anywhere between $10 to $100 per post. They also sometimes receive a free product instead of payment, or a combination of the two.

How much do Instagram Micro Influencers make?

Micro influencers have the next largest follower count ranging from 10k to 50k total followers. These are generally more established influencers and they have experience working with brands and executing partnerships.

Micro influencers on Instagram charge anywhere between $100 to $500 per post. Just remember that this range is pretty large and that most micro influencers are at the lower end of this range. The higher end of $500 is reserved for those in highly profitable and coveted niches that brands want to reach.

How Much Do Mid-Tier Instagram Influencers Make?

Mid-tier is the next set of influencers and these influencers are generally considered very knowledgeable in their field or niche. Because of this and their larger follower size of between 50K to 100K followers, they can command higher prices.

Mid-tier Instagram influencers charge between $500 to $5,000 per post. Similar to the other influencers, most mid tier influencers earn in the lower end of this range with the higher end reserved for specific niches or categories.

How Much Do Macro Instagram Macro Influencers Make?

Macro influencers are often recognizable names across social media, especially within their own category. Macro influencers have between 100K and 500K followers.

Macro influencers on Instagram can command rates of between $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the category and the type of content they produce.

How much do Mega and Celebrity Instagram Influencers Make?

Mega or celebrity influencers have the largest follower counts above 500K or 1 million. They also command the highest rates of $10,000 per post and up.

Depending on the category, the price can go much higher than $10,000, so there is really no ceiling on this rate if the brand feels it will receive an acceptable ROI.

Instagram Specific Factors

Something else to consider is the type of post a brand is sponsoring. Photos and time-limited Story uploads are generally less costly than Reels. In some cases, Story posts can be as much as 50% less than a sponsored Reel upload.

Overall, Instagram has one of the highest rates for paid sponsorships due to the number of active monthly users and the engagement that the platform has. This makes it more valuable than TikTok, which we’ll cover in the next section.

How Much Do TikTok Influencers Make?

While TikTok may not have the total number of monthly users that Instagram has, it currently enjoys the most buzz and the most growth among all social media platforms.

While influencers still make good money from the platform, the average rates are lower than Instagram, although influencers can make money via the TikTok Creator Rewards program which pays for views.

TikTok Nano Influencer Rate

TikTok nano influencers generally make about $5 to $25 per post. Because of the lower overall engagement, influencers on TikTok with smaller audiences tend to earn less than other platforms.

TikTok Micro Influencer Rate

Micro influencers can earn anywhere from $25 to $120 per post. This is highly dependent on the niche they are in and whether or not they can deliver engagement for the brand even with lower follower counts.

TikTok Mid Tier Influencer Rate

Mid tier influencers generally start earning more and have a wider range of rates. Influencers can make up to $1300 per post in popular niches such as travel, fitness, or beauty.

TikTok Macro Influencer Rate

Macro influencers on TikTok earn up to $2500 per post. The higher follower count allows the pricing to be more stable since the brand can better anticipate the results they’ll see from each sponsored post.

TikTok Mega and Celebrity Influencer Rate

There is a wide range of rates with the largest follower counts and it starts at $2500 and can go up from there. The more targeted the content and audience, the higher the price influencers can charge.

However, it is generally lower than other platforms, even for accounts with the largest follower counts.

Factors That Affect How Much Influencers Make On TikTok

Because TikTok audiences tend to skew younger, brands who specifically need to target those audiences will generally pay a premium for partnerships over other social media platforms.

TikTok videos can also get a “second life” due to the specific TikTok algorithm and how it works. This means that popular videos from large creators get pushed a second time and even more. This adds more value if it’s a sponsored post but it’s hard to predict if this will happen with every video.

How Much Do Influencers Make On YouTube

YouTube can be very lucrative for influencers due to the overall watch time on the platform and the higher engagement levels. YouTube also has many more content options for creators, from live streaming to long-form videos of up to an hour-long or more.

All of this provides many advertising opportunities for brands looking to reach targeted audiences. Creators on YouTube also enjoy some of the highest ad revenue sharing of any platform.

So even if creators on YouTube don’t partner directly with brands, their video can still earn approximately $1 per thousand views from YouTube’s ad revenue sharing program.

YouTube is also home to smaller creators with very niche audiences that brands need to target. On some platforms like TikTok or Instagram, smaller audiences are generally due to the influencers being newer. On YouTube, there are highly authoritative creators within their niche who just happen to have small audiences, but they are still valuable to brands in that niche.

YouTube Nano Influencer Rate

Nano influencers on YouTube can make anywhere from $25 to $250 per sponsored post or upload. Creators in specific niches can command higher prices than those with general content.

YouTube Micro Influencer Rate

Micro influencers on YouTube have higher earning potential than most other platforms. Even with their smaller audience size, they can make between $250 and $5000 per sponsor depending on their niche and the topics they cover.

YouTube Mid Tier Influencer Rate

YouTube mid tier influencers are often considered experts in their niche and how much they make reflects that expertise. Mid tier influencers on YouTube make between $5000 and $10,000 per post at the high end. The upper end of that range is reserved for highly profitable niches and most mid tier creators earn around $5,000 per post.

YouTube Macro Influencer Rate

Macro influencers on YouTube are often recognizable names even outside of their niche or on other platforms. They make between $10,000 to $15,000 per post if they create content in specific niches.

With the larger audience size, creators who publish general content will generally earn less than these rates and charge rates similar to mid tier influencers.

YouTube Mega & Celebrity Influencer Rate

These YouTubers can earn over $15K per post for the right brand and campaign. Due to the higher rates, opportunities can be less plentiful and brands generally demand more than a simple product mention.

These types of deals are generally handled by an influencer marketing agency that creates the campaign and works with the influencer’s team to ensure everything is done properly and in alignment with the influencer campaign goals.

Just keep in mind that these rates are the optimum rates for an influencer with strong metrics and who creates quality content in a profitable niche. Brands look at far more than just follower and subscriber counts when determining how much they are willing to pay a creator.

What Do Influencers Make On Other Platforms?

TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are the main influencer platforms for creators who partner with various brands. However, newer platforms not known for influencers are starting to enter the market and are opening new opportunities for advertisers and creators.

LinkedIn, which is known as a professional social network is actively trying to attract more influencers to the platform. Recently, they’ve added influencer tools to help creators build an audience similar to other platforms such as YouTube or Instagram.

This should open the door for more opportunities in B2B and among professional industries that are underrepresented on platforms such as Instagram or TikTok due to the competing content on those sites.

Substack, a site focused on newsletters and independent journalism, has also begun reaching out to creators across various industries.

A perfect example is influencer Violet Witchel of Violet Cooks. As a food influencer, Violet has nearly 3 million followers on TikTok but recently moved to Substack where she was able to quickly gain 137K subscribers to her cooking newsletter.

According to Violet, despite the lower follower count on Substack, she makes 3 times what she was making on TikTok now that she’s moved to the new platform.

This example shows that opportunities are opening up for influencers to diversify their income streams beyond the typical sponsored posts. In some cases, they can even earn more money with fewer followers.

Interestingly, influencers like Violet can still enter into brand partnerships on Substack and marketers should pay close attention to these platforms as they could provide new ways to reach audiences that are not as active on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram.

Why Some Influencers Make More Than Others

You’ve probably noticed that for each platform, the prices can range between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars for influencers with the same approximate follower or subscriber count.

The reason for this is due to the variety of factors that contribute to the value of different partnerships. Marketers and brands take all of the following criteria into account when making an offer, which sets the pricing for rates for influencers.

Content

The type of content a creator makes can have an impact on how much brands are willing to pay for a partnership. Generally, the more in-depth the content is, the more brands are willing to pay and the more the influencer can charge.

An example of this is an influencer on YouTube who does unboxing and reviews videos within a specific niche. Brands will typically pay more to be featured in that type of content compared to a lifestyle creator on Instagram within the same niche who only posts photos and short videos.

Another factor related to this is what the campaign strategy for the brand is. A brand with the goal of building authority or credibility within a space will often pay more for a tighter relationship with the influencer’s content. 

That brand will likely want more control over the content, which may require higher rates depending on the influencer.

Brands that have a goal of increasing brand awareness may be satisfied with just a quick mention of their product without a need for much else.

Overall, the type of content the influencer produces and the type of campaign the brand is running will influence the rates and the negotiations for a sponsorship.

Niche

The niche the creator exists in is also a significant contributor to how much they can make from brand sponsorships.

Typically, the more their content conforms to a specific niche, the more money that brands are willing to pay due to the audience being highly targeted.

General content such as influencers who cover cultural trends or various topics tend to earn less given the same amount of followers or subscribers. Creators with more general content will need a larger audience to command the same rates as more niche creators.

There can be some exceptions to this rule for the largest celebrity influencers, but the general rule is that creators who stay in a niche will have a higher earning potential.

Brand Safety

When a brand partners with an influencer, they are placing a trust in that influencer to honestly represent the brand and not cause reputational damage. In marketing, this is a part of brand safety, which is the act of protecting how and where brand messages are displayed related to content.

Influencers who appear to be a risk to brand safety will not be able to charge as much for brand partnerships. Part of this is due to the fact that large brands likely won’t partner with risky influencers, so it reduces the overall demand.

As with anything, there can be exceptions to this rule and some boutique brands may have no problem taking risks. However, due to the lower overall demand, the amount the influencer can charge will be lower than a safer influencer.

Engagement

Engagement is another key factor that determines how much an influencer can make from brand partnerships. Engagement is the measure of how an audience interacts with a specific piece of content. This can be something as simple as a like or a share. It can also be a comment or when audiences create their own content related to the influencer’s post, such as with a challenge.

Engagement can vary across different types of content even if they’re from the same creator. So brands typically measure the average engagement the influencer gets for similar posts the brand is considering sponsoring.

The higher the average engagement, the more brands are willing to pay the influencer. There are also ways the influencer and the brand can increase engagement, but these may raise the price the influencer charges.

For example, if the brand wants the influencer to create a challenge or giveaway to increase engagement, the influencer will charge more for that type of content.

Audience Demographics

Demographics and the makeup of an influencer’s audience also play a big part in how much they make. The more attractive the audience is to brands, the more that influencer can make.

For many years, younger audiences were deemed to be the most valuable, and that’s still mostly true today. However, many influencers with older audiences are finding lucrative sponsorships for brands that target older consumers who are now getting much of their information from social media influencers and podcasters.

Size Of The Brand

Since the specific rates that influencers charge are often private, there is room for them to adjust their rates depending on the brand approaching them. If a small startup approaches a tech influencer, they may charge a different rate than if Apple or Samsung approached them to be part of a campaign.

This doesn’t always mean smaller companies get cheaper rates or pay less, but it can factor into the negotiating process and influencers know larger brands have deeper pockets.

Finding Out How Much A Specific Influencer Makes

As we touched on earlier, the specific rates for each influencer can vary based on a lot of factors. However, most established influencers will have a displayed rate when you contact them.

If they work with a management company, the management company will provide you with the influencer’s rate card. The rates may be a starting point for standard sponsored posts.

More complex requests will generally deviate from the standard rates and those details will have to be negotiated.

If you’re interested in working with a specific influencer, you can contact them directly through email or DM. Their management company will usually respond and you can ask for rates or other details about a possible partnership.

Getting The Best Rate Possible When Paying Influencers

While most rates are standard with influencers, taking a few steps can help you get the relationship started on the right foot, which can help your chances of getting an advantageous deal.

Be Familiar With The Influencer’s Content

Make sure you’re familiar with the influencer’s style and content before making contact with them. Influencers get a lot of random requests and many are from people who have no idea what the influencer even produces.

This comes off like a spam email and the influencer or their management team will often be put off by this type of communication.

Take a few moments to research the influencers and what they do to find out what makes them so popular with their audience. This will help when you make contact and will show that you respect the content and the influencer’s audience.

Be Up Front About Your Expectations

Always be upfront about your expectations. Whether it’s about your content brief or another attribute of the campaign, be upfront and open. Avoid springing any details on the influencer after you’ve agreed to terms or late in the process.

This is unprofessional and can cause the influencer to raise the rates to deal with the sudden change.

Be Open To Feedback From The Influencer Or Their Team

Influencers or their management team know exactly what their audience expects. If you propose a content brief or a script and the influencer asks for changes, you should consider those and implement them if they’re reasonable.

The Highest Rates Don’t Always Mean The Highest Return

Just because a specific influencer charges a high rate doesn’t mean a brand will get a high ROI. The ROI of an influencer marketing campaign is much more dependent on the research conducted by the brand before starting the campaign and securing influencers.

Throwing money at influencers will generally not yield good results if a brand hasn’t carefully researched the influencer’s audience and engagement to ensure it aligns with the customers they’re seeking.

Finally, an influencer with the largest audience isn’t always the best fit. Influencers with smaller yet highly targeted audiences can often give advertisers the best results and a high ROI percentage compared to larger influencer audiences.