How Much Do Influencers Make in the UK?
Written by, Bojana Atanasovska
Updated August, 29, 2022
Quitting the regular 9 to 5 job to pursue a career as an influencer has never been more popular and with a good reason – an influencer salary can reach some pretty dizzying numbers.
But how much do influencers make in the UK and how do they make money in the first place?
Let’s find out.
How Much Do Influencers Get Paid in the UK?
(Indeed) (Vuelio) (Maddyness)
The average social media influencer salary in the United Kingdom is £32,680 per year. In comparison, bloggers in the UK make nearly £30 thousand.
In 2019, around 30% of British influencers made between £100 and £250 per sponsored post, 27% charged £100 per post, 11% earned between £251-£500 and 6% made £501-£1000 for promoting brands through their content.
When the pandemic started, influencers started earning more. A survey conducted by HypeAuditor revealed that more than half of influencers saw an increase in income since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
That same survey also revealed that influencers spend the most time creating posts, stories, and engaging with their followers and the least amount of time is spent on team management, marketing strategy and communication with partners.
How much do Instagram influencers make?
(BBC) (NerdWallet) (Maddyness)
The average Instagram influencer salary is around £2,137 a month.
Neil Patel, a widely known digital marketing specialist, says that an influencer can make money on Instagram with as little as 1,000 followers, as long as there’s engagement.
Did you know? More than 95% of UK influencers are active on Instagram!
However, Kat Richardson, creative director of influencer marketing agency WaR, says that influencers can’t expect to make millions with only a couple of thousand followers. The amount they earn also depends on the niche.
According to her, even people with 10,000 followers wouldn’t get much from brands, but once they reach 30,000 followers, they can earn up to £750 (or more) for a single fashion or beauty post.
| Follower count | Earnings per post |
| Accounts with 6,000 to 10,000 followers | £71.89 per post |
| Accounts with 50,000 to 80,000 followers | £163,38 per post |
| Accounts with 100,000 followers | £8.17 for every 1,000 followers |
| Accounts with 250,000 to 500,000 followers | £547,35 per post |
| Accounts with 1,000,000 followers | / |
Worth noting: Brands often reach out to influencers who have more than 50,000 followers and offer freebies such as designer-labeled clothing, monthly packages catered to health and wellness, or a free meal from the restaurant that’s looking for exposure, in exchange for product endorsement.
How much do influencers on TikTok make?
(BBC) (Hootsuite) (InfluencerMarketingHub)
TikTok salaries in the UK can go up to £25,000 per year.
To earn money directly from TikTok’s Creator Fund, users must be 18 years or older, have at least 10,000 followers, and have accrued at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. How much they’ll make, depends on the level of engagement and number of views among other things.
Did you know? UK influencers have an engagement rate of over 17% on TikTok!
TikTokers can also earn from sponsored posts. Here’s how much they might charge:
| Follower count | Earnings per post |
| Nano-influencers (1,000-10,000 followers) | £3–£15 per post |
| Micro-influencers (10,000-50,000 followers) | £15–£100 per post |
| Mid-tier influencers (50,000-500,000 followers) | £100–£1,000 per post |
| Macro-influencers (500,000-1,000,000 followers) | £1,000–£2,000 per post |
| Mega-influencers (1,000,000+ followers) | £2,000 + per post |
How much do influencers earn per post?
(Tribe)
According to social media specialist Tribe, here are the ballpark ranges of charges per post.
| Follower count | Earnings per post |
| 3,000-10,000 followers | £50-£100 per post |
| 10,000-25,000 followers | £100-£180 per post |
| 25,000-50,000 followers | £180-£250 per post |
| 50,000-100,000 followers | £250-£350 per post |
| 100,000+ followers | £350 + per post |
Worth noting: Follower count isn’t the only metric that determines how much influencers will charge per post. Other factors include level of engagement, content quality, and how long it took to create the content, among other things.
How much do influencers get paid for brand deals?
(WebFX)
On average, brands pay between £220 and £611 for 1,000 engagements.
However, those influencers that perform well in sales, engagement (likes and comments), and have been long-term partners with certain brands will usually get paid more. The prices can also vary depending on which platform they’re using to promote a brand’s services or products.
Who Are The Most Popular Social Media Influencers in the UK and The World?
(Hopper HQ)
Celebrities often have a large following on social media (especially Instagram) and can charge a hundreds to promote a brand or service on their accounts.
Highest-paid celebrities in the world
The most popular celebrity influencers in 2022 are Christiano Ronaldo, Ariana Grande, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. The football star has the largest number of following and charges the most per post.
Here’s how much he and other rich influencers charge per post:
| Name | Cost per post | Followers |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $2,397,000 | 458 million |
| Kylie Jenner | $1,835,000 | 351 million |
| Selena Gomez | $1,735,000 | 329 million |
| Lionel Messi | $1,777,000 | 340 million |
| Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson | $1,713,000 | 323 million |
| Kim Kardashian | $1,689,000 | 319 million |
| Ariana Grande | $1,687,000 | 318 million |
| Beyonce | $1,393,000 | 264 million |
| Khloe Kardashian | $1,320,000 | 255 million |
| Kendal Jenner | $1,290,000 | 244 million |
| Justin Bieber | $1,281,000 | 243 million |
| Taylor Swift | $1,142,000 | 215 million |
| Jennifer Lopez | $1,130,000 | 215 million |
| Nicki Minaj | $1,031,000 | 195 million |
| Miley Cyrus | $928,000 | 176 million |
Highest-paid UK celebrities
Some of the highest-paid UK social media celebrity influencers are Dua Lipa, David Beckham, and Emma Watson. Dua Lipa is estimated to charge $451,000 per post.
| UK influencers | Cost per post | Followers |
| Dua Lipa | $451,000 | 84.6 million |
| David Beckham | $397,000 | 74.2 million |
| Tom Holland | $365,000 | 67.3 million |
| Emma Watson | $361,000 | 66.9 million |
| Gareth Bale | $255,000 | 47.6 million |
Highest-paid non-celebrities in the world
(CreditDonkey)
The highest-paid non-celebrities in the world are Lele Pons, who gets around $180,000 per post, and Charli D’Amelio, who charges $173,000 per post.
| Name | Charging per post | Followers |
| Lele Pons | $180,000 | 49 million |
| Charli D’Amelio | $173,000 | 48.8 million |
| Addison Rae | $156,000 | 40.4 million |
| Sommer Rae | $108,000 | 26.5 million |
| Dixie D’Amelio | $100,000 | 25 million |
Highest-paid influencers in the UK
(The Tab)
The highest-paid influencer in the UK is Olivia Bowen. She earned a staggering £1.4 million despite charging less than other influencers on the top 5 list.
| Name | Cost per post | Followers | Estimated earnings |
| Olivia Bowen | £5,400 | 3 million | £1.4 million |
| Vicky Pattison | £9,700 | 5.1 million | £1.1 million |
| Scott Timlin | £6,000 per post | 3.1 million | £887k |
| Molly-Mae Hague | £12,400 | 6.4 million | £810k |
| Chloe Ferry | £7,300 | 3.8 million | £661k |
How Do Influencers Make Money?
Most influencers leverage social media to create multiple income streams, including through:
Affiliate marketing
One of the most popular ways to get paid on social media is through affiliate marketing. Influencers close deals with brands that are in their niche to promote their products and services on their social media accounts, for which they earn a commission.
Sponsorships
Many influencers sign deals with popular companies and brands to promote their product regularly on social media and on their websites. Unlike affiliate marketing, sponsorship isn’t commission-based and the influencer is expected to provide use and/or wear the product or have it displayed in all posts and videos.
Merchandising
Influencers with a solid following and a fan base create and sell merchandise. They sign up for a merch company that offers print-on-demand products and handles the delivery and then promote their products on their social media accounts.
Events and appearances
Speaking engagements are big revenue streams for some influencers. They are often invited to events and gatherings to generate a buzz about a product or service and are paid a solid rate for making an appearance.
Tips on How to Make Money on Social Media
Paid membership
A great way to monetize your content is to create a paid membership community and put some of your content behind a paywall. Many platforms offer this option, including YouTube and Twitch.
Join an influencer marketing platform
A monetization platform like ShopYourLikes allows users to connect and collaborate with brands and earn a commission for leads, site visits, and app downloads.
Ads
Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, and YouTube offer ad opportunities that can help you generate income, including through in-stream ads for YouTube and Facebook, fan subscriptions, branded content, and subscription groups, among other things.
Did you know? Digital video advertising spending accounted for over 50% of the total display ads spending.
Bottom Line
Regardless of where they fall on the popularity scale, influencers nowadays have plenty of revenue-generating options to choose from to make money online. While celebrities on social media make billions solely via their accounts, non-celebrity influencers can still (and many do) earn millions – with the right strategy.
Bojana is my name and writing is my game. I am a content writer from Bitola who is always interested in the latest research in almost all areas of life. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and a perfectionist character, both of which help me find the most accurate data and information available. Although I have my head stuck in studies and reports most of the time, I still have a bit of free time during which I enjoy knitting and watching classic 90’s Disney movies.