Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers earn anything from nothing (or a few free company products) to millions of dollars a year. They are paid per campaign or on a post-by-post basis. Some earn additional income by receiving advertising revenue that is generated at their site, and/or by selling their products (books, albums, etc.) or services (consulting, design, etc.).  

Microinfluencers—those with 10,000 to 50,000 followers—can earn a few thousand dollars a post, according to Joe Gagliese, the co-founder of Viral Nation (a well-known influencer agency), who was interviewed regarding the emerging career of influencing at Vox.com. Influencers who have up to 1 million followers can earn $10,000/post, while those with more than 1 million followers can charge anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 a post. In terms of annual salary, Gagliese says that nanoinfluencers (those with fewer than 10,000 followers) earn $30,000 to $60,000 a year, while microinfluencers can earn $40,000 to $100,000 a year. 

Influencers who are represented by an agency must pay a portion of their earnings to the agency—20 to 30 percent of profits for well-known celebrities, and 30 to 50 percent of profits for lesser-known influencers.

An influencer who is a full-time, salaried employee of a company will often receive benefits such as paid vacation, health, disability, life insurance, and retirement or pension plans. The majority of influencers are self-employed and must provide their own benefits.