Influencers have become an integral part of marketing and advertising campaigns in recent years. Brands are leveraging the power of influencers to promote their products and services to targeted audiences. But what exactly are the benefits that influencers get from these partnerships and collaborations?
Monetary Compensation
The most straightforward benefit that influencers get is monetary compensation. Brands pay influencers to create sponsored content and endorse their products. The actual rates vary greatly depending on the influencer’s follower count, engagement rates, niche, and more. Micro-influencers with under 10,000 followers may only charge a few hundred dollars per sponsored post. At the other end of the spectrum, celebrity influencers and mega-influencers with millions of followers can charge $10,000+ for a single sponsored Instagram photo.
According to a study by Influencer Marketing Hub, the average cost of a sponsored Instagram post across all tiers of influencers is $194. However, influencers in the upper tiers of over 100,000 followers charge significantly more on average:
Follower Count | Average Cost per Post |
---|---|
10,000 – 49,999 | $315 |
50,000 – 99,999 | $528 |
100,000 – 249,999 | $846 |
250,000 – 499,999 | $1404 |
500,000 – 999,999 | $1969 |
1,000,000+ | $2819 |
In addition to one-time sponsorship fees, some influencers negotiate longer-term contracts with brands that compensate them on a monthly retainer basis. This provides the influencer with a steady stream of income and the brand with exclusive sponsored content over an extended time period.
Free Products
Another common benefit that influencers receive is free products from brands. Sending influencers products to feature in posts is an essential part of many influencer marketing campaigns. For micro-influencers and nano-influencers, free products may wholly compensate them instead of monetary payment.
Receiving the latest products for free saves influencers money and also provides them with fresh, eye-catching content to share with their followers. Getting free products on an ongoing basis can essentially offset an influencer’s costs for items like clothing, accessories, electronics, home goods, and more.
Affiliate Sales
Influencers also commonly earn money through affiliate marketing programs. Affiliate programs allow influencers to earn a sales commission when their followers make a purchase using their special promo code or link. Rakuten, RewardStyle, Amazon Associates, ShopStyle Collective, and Skimlinks are some of the main networks that offer affiliate programs tailored to influencers.
The exact commission percentage may vary, but influencers typically earn somewhere between 5-20% of any sales driven through their affiliate links. Top influencers who drive high-ticket purchases in categories like fashion, travel, and electronics can earn significant income through affiliate commissions.
Invitations to Exclusive Events
Influencers are often invited to exclusive events like new product launches, press previews, red carpet galas, and more. For influencers, these exclusive invitations provide opportunities to connect with brands, grow their networks, and access VIP perks and experiences.
Some of the most coveted influencer invite-only events include:
- NY Fashion Week
- Coachella and major music festivals
- Star-studded award shows like the Oscars and Grammys
- Hot new restaurant and club openings
- Luxury brand parties and events
- Press trips and FAM (familiarization) trips by tourism boards
These events allow influencers to capture exclusive content and experiences to share with their audiences. Going to sought-after events also enhances influencers’ personal brands and authority in their niches.
Networking and Collaboration Opportunities
Influencers get opportunities to network with relevant brands, PR agencies, fellow influencers, and other industry professionals through sponsored events and campaigns. Networking helps influencers build relationships that can lead to future business collaborations and opportunities.
Many influencers strategically collaborate with others to cross-promote content, co-create videos or social media posts, or leverage each other’s audiences. These collaborations allow influencers to expand their reach and tap into new audiences. Some common social media collaborations involving influencers include:
- Co-creating content for Instagram Reels or TikTok
- Joining forces for a YouTube video or vlog
- Guest starring on each other’s Instagram Live or podcast
- Sharing each other’s content and coordinating giveaways
Travel Opportunities
Travel and tourism boards often sponsor influencers’ trips to promote destinations, hotels, attractions, and airlines. Influencers in the travel niche build their personal brands by showcasing exotic destinations, unique experiences, and travel tips. Sponsored travel provides influencers with opportunities to visit places and have adventures they couldn’t necessarily afford on their own.
Some of the popular travel perks that influencers receive include:
- Free hotel stays
- Complimentary tourism activities and tours
- Meals and drinks
- Airfare or transportation
- Exclusive access to attractions
Even influencers who don’t specialize in travel content can benefit from sponsored travel opportunities relevant to their niche. For example, a food influencer may get to visit exotic cuisines or a fashion influencer could be invited to fashion week events around the world.
Media Coverage and Increased Visibility
Successful influencer campaigns can lead to media coverage and increased visibility for the influencer. Journalists, bloggers, and other media outlets look to influencers for quotes, expert opinions, or content contributions about trends and topics related to their niche.
Getting featured by media provides third-party validation and exposure for influencers in front of new audiences outside their existing social media followers. Influencers may be invited for interviews on TV, radio, podcasts, or publications. Media coverage enhances influencers’ personal brands and cements their authority around their niche topics.
Professional Development
Working with brands gives influencers insight into marketing, content creation, PR, and other professional skills. Learning from collaborations and taking on new challenges enables influencers to enhance their capabilities as content creators.
Some of the professional development perks influencers can gain include:
- Gaining experience collaborating with marketing and PR professionals
- Leveling up production skills like photo and video editing
- Learning best practices for telling brand stories
- Building project management abilities
- Improving writing skills for different formats
As influencers grow their skill sets, they become better positioned to secure lucrative brand partnerships and charge higher rates.
Conclusion
Influencers earn a variety of benefits from collaborating with brands beyond just monetary compensation. Free products, events, travel, media coverage, and professional development open up growth opportunities for influencers. While getting paid is the primary incentive, these additional perks make influencer marketing rewarding and can elevate influencers’ careers.