Who’s Earning The Most For Instagram Posts in 2018
For some people, Instagram is entertainment. For others, it’s a hustle. And, in many cases, it’s a very lucrative one.
Sponsored posts are one way people wring cash from their Instagram account. They get paid to include a company’s products, services or business locations in a post, creating an ad that doesn’t really feel like an ad.
Hopper, a UK-based company that offers an Instagram planner and scheduling tool, released the Instagram Rich List 2018, outlining who is getting paid the most for their sponsored posts. Below you’ll find the top five Instagram earners in eight different categories.
*Note: Number of followers and rates are based on Hopper’s count when the list was compiled.
Celebrity
#1) Kylie Jenner: $1 million/post
@kyliejenner: 110 million followers
Kylie is the youngest and reportedly the richest of the entire Kardashian-Jenner family. According to the 2018 Forbes’ list of America’s Self-Made Women, Kylie’s net worth is $900 million and she’s only 20 years old.
The majority of her wealth is attributed to Kylie Cosmetics, which she founded and 100% owns. The company is only about two years old and has racked up over $630 million in sales.
Kylie credits social media as a factor in her success. “Social media is an amazing platform. I have such easy access to my fans and my customers,” she said.
#2) Selena Gomez: $800,000/post
@selenagomez: 138 million followers
#3:) Cristiano Ronaldo: $750,000/post
@cristiano: 133 million followers
#4) Kim Kardashian: $720,000/post
@kimkardashian: 113 million followers
#5)Beyonce Knowles: $700,000/post
@beyonce: 115 million followers
Beauty
#1) Huda Kattan, CEO, blogger: $33,000/post
@hudabeauty: 26 million followers
Huda Kattan also used a beauty empire to catapult herself onto the 2018 Forbes list of America’s Self-Made Women. She’s reportedly worth $550 million.
Due to a lack of passion for the job, Kattan left her finance career to study makeup. In 2010, she launched the blog Huda Beauty, and it gained traction on social media and YouTube. Then, she started making her own lashes and borrowed $6,000 from her sister to launch a lash line in 2013, which caught the attention of Kim Kardashian.
From there it has been upward bound for Kattan who is now the CEO of Huda Beauty, a company whose products include foundations, concealers, lipsticks, eye shadows and brushes. In July, Fast Company ran an article saying Huda Beauty had already seen $250 million in retail sales this year. She also recently launched the Facebook Watch show, Huda Boss.
“I’ve been put in multiple boxes as blogging and as an influencer and not really perceived as a businesswoman, and that’s something that I’ve really had to grow into,” she says.
#2) Zoe Sugg, Vlogger and YouTuber: $16,000/post
@zoella: 10.7 million followers
#3) Nikkie De Jager, Makeup Artist: $15,750/post
@nikkietutorials: 10.6 million followers
4) Naomi Giannopoulous, Fashion Designer: $12,000/ post
@vegas_nay: 7.5 million followers
#5) Jeffree Starr, Makeup Artist: $10,500/post
@jeffreestar: 6.3 million followers
Fashion
#1) Bella Hadid, Model: $27,000/post
@bellahadid: 18.7 million followers
At age 21, Bella Hadid is the ninth highest paid model according to Forbes. In addition to walking runways, in 2017 Bella Hadid posed for over dozen brands and earned $6 million. She has inked endorsement deals with numerous brands including Dior, Magnum Ice Cream, and Tagheuer. Cosmopolitan calls her one of the most successful supermodels of her generation.
#2) Emily Ratajkowski, Model: $26,500/post
@emrata: 18.2 million followers
#3) Chiara Ferragni, Fashion Designer: $19,500/post
@chiaraferragni: 13.3 million followers
#4) Gianluca Vacchi, Retired Entrepreneur, DJ: $16,750/post
@gianlucavacchi: 11.5 million followers
#5) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Model: $11,500
@rosiehw: 8 million followers
Fitness
#1) Sommer Ray, Instagram Model $29,000/post
@sommerray: 18.7 million followers
Sommer Ray is applauded for having a banging body, particularly her butt. And she credits much of her success to being all natural, telling Cosmopolitan that her none of her body is fake and she doesn’t Photoshop it.
Her father was a bodybuilder and being a “daddy’s little girl, she began lifting weights at age 14, she told Cosmopolitan.
In 2015, while she was thinking about getting her fitness certification, she thought Instagram modeling could be a source of revenue and began taking the idea seriously. Apparently, she was right.
According to Business Insider, she’s struck deals with businesses in the fashion, food, energy drink, hotel, beauty clinic and car rental industries. She also launched a fitness app called Evolve. Her net worth is reportedly $3 million.
#2) Michelle Lewin, Fitness Model: $22,500/post
@michelle_lewin: 13.3 million followers
#3) Jen Selter, Fitness Model: $19,250/post
@jenselter: 12.2 million followers
#4) Ana Cheri, Fitness Model: $18,000/post
@anacheri: 11.2 million followers
#5) Anllela Sagra, Fitness Model: $16,600/post
@anlella_sagra: 10.5 million followers
Food
#1) Jamie Oliver, Chef and Restaurateur: $8,000/post
@jamieoliver: 6.4 million followers
From there he has built an empire that includes books, a self-titled magazine and Jamie’s Italian, a restaurant chain that at its peak had over 40 locations, according to the Guardian.
The Richest says Oliver has a net worth of about $400 million.
#2) Gordon Ramsey, Chef: $5,500/post
@gordongram: 4.4 million followers
#3) Rosanna Pansino, Chef: $4,500/post
@rosannapansino: 3.6 million followers
#4) Yolanda Gampp, Chef: $3,500/post
@yolanda_gamp: 2.8 million followers
#5) Joe Wicks, Chef / Personal Trainer: $2,650/post
@thebodycoach: 2.1 million followers
Lifestyle
#1) Huda Kattan Huda Kattan, CEO, blogger: $33,000/post
@hudabeauty: 26 million followers
See Above for profile
#2) Eleonara Pons, YouTuber, Actress, Singer: $32,500/post
@lelepons: 25.6 million followers
#3) Zach King, Vine Star, YouTuber, & Film Maker: $30,000/post
@zachking: 21.5 million followers
#4) Sommer Ray, Instagram Model: $29,000/post
@sommerray: 18.7 million followers
#5) Cameron Dallas, Actor & YouTuber: $25,000/post
@camerondallas: 21 million followers
Sport
#1) Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer Player: $750,000/post
@cristiano: 133 million followers
In 2017 alone, Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly made $93 million from his soccer salary and his endorsements, which includes a lifetime contract with Nike.
In July, he announced he was leaving his position as a forward for Real Madrid to go to Italian Club Juventus, which is said to be paying him $131.5 million for a four-year contract.
Ronaldo makes more money from sponsored social media posts than any man on Earth, and he’s the third-highest paid of all celebrities for social media posts, says Goal. He advertises products including Nubia phones and Herbalife beverages. At 33-year’s old, Ronaldo has a net worth of about $400 million, according to Sports Illustrated.
#2) Neymar da Silva Santos Jr., Soccer Player: $600,000/post
@neymarjr: 101 million followers
#3) Lionel Messi, Soccer Player: $500,000/post
@leomessi: 95.3 million followers
#4) David Beckham, Soccer Player: $300,000/post
@davidbeckham: 47.7 million followers
#5) Gale Bale, Soccer Player: $185,000/post
@garethbale11: 34.9 million followers
Travel
#1) Garret & Jessica Gee, Travelers/Bloggers: $23,000/post
@thebucketlistfamily: 1.2 million followers
As the story goes, Garrett Gee sold a mobile scanning app to Snapchat for $54 million. Then, in 2015 he and his wife sold all their possessions to go on a six-month world journey. Fast forward to now, and traveling is their current hustle.
According to Bravo TV, they’ve visited 50 countries so far and they supposedly didn’t do it with money from the app. They’re doing it by monetizing their blog and social media platforms, which they operate under the brand The Bucket List Family.
Family?, you ask. Yep. Their professional traveling lifestyle includes three kids, and one of them is only months old.
#2) Paul Nicklen, Photographer: $9,250/post
@paulnicklen: 4.3 million followers
#3) Chris Buckard, Photographer: $8,800/post
@chrisbuckard: 3 million followers
#4) Jack Morris, Photographer: $8,250/ post
@doyoutravel: 2.8 million
#5) Lauren Bullen, Photographer: $6,000/post
@gypsea_lust: 2.1 million followers
All-in-all, with her ability to command $1 million per sponsored post, Kylie is the top Instagram hustler for 2018. She’s made a major jump from last year when she placed fourth on the list as was reportedly only up to $400,000 per post.
But higher rates for sponsored posts was a trend seen overall in 2018. According to Hopper HQ, Huda Kattan was the winner in that arena with an increase of 83% compared to 2017.
