YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing platform. The company was founded in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees. Then in November 2006, YouTube was sold to Google for $1.65 billion, and now the platform operates as a subsidiary of the tech giant.
The reason why YouTube is so popular is that it has several features that are commonly found in social media platforms, which allow users to interact with the site and content in an interpersonal way. Users can like, dislike, share, and comment on YouTube videos just like how they would on a social media site. This makes the site a lot more robust and interactive than most other video-sharing platforms.
It’s because of this unique structure of YouTube that users are so inclined toward the platform. But if you are not yet convinced about how significant of an impact YouTube has on the current digital world, here are a few things that you may not have known:
- Currently, there are 1.7 billion unique monthly visitors and 14.3 billion visits per month.
- In the U.S., 62% of users visit the site every single day.
- On average, users spend approximately 19 minutes on YouTube each day.
- Almost all the users of YouTube are on social media platforms.
- According to Semrush, YouTube currently holds second place in the list of the world’s most visited websites.
- Approximately 694,000 hours of content are streamed on YouTube each minute.
These are some seriously impressive stats for a website that is only 17 years old. In turn, this has led to the rise of YouTube influencers who have become prominent figures on the entire platform. And businesses are aware of this phenomenon as they are trying to leverage the prominence of YouTube and its influencers to market their products to the widest demographic possible.
However, this leads to the question – how much do influencers actually charge? To find that out, we have to first discuss the factors that affect it.
Factors That Affect How Much a YouTube Influencer Charges?
There are several factors that determine how much money a YouTube Influencer will charge. But for the sake of convenience, we have narrowed it down to a few key components.
Size of the Audience
One of the most important factors that determine how much an influencer will charge will depend on the size of their audience. On YouTube, this information can be found in the influencer’s subscriber count. The larger the size of the subscriber base, the more the influencer will charge.
Type of Content
Generally, the type of content will determine the amount of time commitment required. A fully fleshed-out industry analysis with animation, text, and transitions, will require a lot more effort and time to create than a simple discussion-type video. In other words, the cost of the content will be higher if requires more labor to produce.
Engagement Rates
Influencers that can generate more engagement via likes, shares, comments, etc. are considered very valuable. Hence, influencers that can create great engagement for your business, product, or service, usually charge more. Typically, engagement rates between 2-3% are considered average whereas 4-6% is excellent. However, content with engagement rates higher than 12% is considered to have gone viral.
Exclusivity
If you are able to find an influencer that is able to connect with your target audience in a very natural and organic way, then you can hire that influencer to work with your brand exclusively. However, this will probably mean that you will have to pay them significantly higher than what you are paying them now as you will have to compensate for potential lost income.
How Much Do YouTube Influencers Charge?
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question. As per the factors mentioned above, every influencer charges a different amount. However, it is important to establish a certain benchmark. So, if we were to take into consideration the size of the audience, the following tier can be established:
| Influencer Tier | Follower Count |
| Nano-influencers | 1,000-9,999 |
| Micro-influencer | 10,000-49,999 |
| Mid-tier influencer | 50,000-199,999 |
| Macro-influencer | 200,000-499,999 |
| Mega-influencer | 500,000-999,999+ |
As per the information presented by IZEA, here is a chart of how much each influencer from their respective tiers charges.
| Influencer Tier | Cost per post (approx.) |
| Nano-influencers | $800 |
| Micro-influencer | $1500 |
| Mid-tier influencer | $3000 |
| Macro-influencer | $5000 |
| Mega-influencer | $7000 |
Keep in mind that these values are a very rough estimation. Brands can find influencers that charge as low as $50 per post. Whereas the average cost of a sponsored YouTube post can be more than a few thousand dollars. That is because YouTube allows its influencers to set their own prices.
Key Takeaway
Influencer marketing is the most lucrative form of promotion in the current digital era. That is why it is important for businesses and brands to properly utilize their budgets to invest in influencers. And this is especially true for YouTube influencers.
With so many people consuming content on the platform, YouTube marketing is still somewhat of an untapped source of revenue. Several smaller brands and startups have been utilizing the potential of the platform to make a name for themselves, but large conglomerates still have a long way to go.
In summary, if you are a large brand, then you can definitely make use of YouTube Influencers to promote your brand and products in a very positive light to your target audience.
