In 2023, when you want advice on the latest gadget, who do you turn to? Until very recently the first port of call for a recommendation would be friends and family, but more and more we are seeing those all-important buying decisions swayed by a social media influencer. Offering their “subscribers” honest reviews and impartial advice at the click of a button, you shouldn’t doubt an influencer’s ability to, well, influence.
The only question is, which of the two big platforms should you turn to: Instagram or TikTok? Not all channels are created equally, and while TikTokers have, on average, a higher number of followers, Instagram is often perceived as more trust-worthy, with TikTokers often bemoaning the short format of the videos, which can make it harder to really connect with fans. While that may well be true, it certainly hasn’t stopped some technology influencers, such as Matt Upham, being able to earn a monthly income of $10,000 upwards on the platform.
Which is better paid though? The sum that influencers can command depends on the “engagement rate” of their viewers – in other words, the extent to which they interact with the content. While Instagram has an average engagement rate of 3%, TikTok’s average is an astonishing 18%, meaning that influencers who do manage to get past the short video format and connect with fans enjoy a level of interaction some 6 times higher than that of Instagram. This is not the only metric of success, however. Brands need to take into account other information about the typical end-under, so while the average age of an Instagram user is 25-34 (31.2%), the largest age group on TikTok is 10-19 year olds (25%), an audience that lacks the disposable income coveted by advertisers. (Although perhaps we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the influence of pester power!)
While looking at the engagement rate is the best way of gathering detailed information about what influencers can command per post, InfluencerMarketingHub have shared copies of their standard rate sheets for both Instagram and TikTok influencers. These are based on the number of followers an influencer has and is therefore able to reach.
Here at BanklessTimes.com, we have plotted the Instagram and TikTok rate sheets alongside each other to chart the average price per post across the two platforms.
The trend we are seeing at the lower end of the market (i.e. for nano and micro influencers) is that the average price per post is significantly higher on TikTok, at $400, than it is on Instagram, at $55.
Jonathan Merry, CEO of Bankless Times, explains:
Jonathan Merry, CEO of BanklessTimes.comThe marked difference at this level is not driven by the fact that a TikTok video can take longer to produce than an Instagram photograph, but rather the fact that TikTok videos inspire a much great level of engagement with their audiences and in turn these likes and followers translate to a wider reach. For TikTok, the average rate of viewer engagement is six times that of its rival, so what advertisers are really paying for is reach and brand awareness. In short, it’s a great way to spread the word about your business.
However, the data reveals a different picture at the top end of the market, where the cost of the average post runs into thousands of dollars. Jonathan Merry adds:
Jonathan Merry, CEO of BanklessTimes.comInstagram soon takes over as the top-paying platform. As brands start to spend more on their advertising campaigns, they are looking to pay for something more targeted, and Instagram, as the more established of the two platforms, with its older and more affluent audience, commands a real premium”.
While engagement is undoubtedly important, sometimes it simply comes down to having that certain je ne sais quoi, which explains why some brands such as Dell prefer to use nano and micro influencers to get their message across rather than work with larger influencers. It should also be noted that the average engagement rates apply to posts across all sectors, from celebrity gossip to make-up tutorials. There are obviously certain sectors that are going to do better than others on the platforms.
In 2019, Tech accounted for just 1% of all sponsored posts on Instagram and in 2022, was ranked 28th out of 30 industries doing well on Instagram measured by influencer follower size. On TikTok, the Tech industry didn’t feature in the top 10 industries booming on the platform.
This is perhaps unsurprising given that industries like beauty and fashion, with their universal appeal, tend to dominate on social media, but it does not mean that technology influencers are not handsomely rewarded for what they do, with many earning thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars per post!
We have looked at the top five tech influencers for each platform, and using InfluencerMarketingHub’s calculator to estimate their average cost per post this is what we found:
TikTok Influencers
Boored at Work (@booredatwork)
627.7k Followers
Boored at Work is a macro-influencer on TikTok who is said to make around $1,250 per post – far less than the reported TikTok average at this level (of $2,500) but nonetheless very respectable for a few seconds of video. The tech TikToker also has a YouTube channel and is a self-confessed comic book head. Despite having an engagement rate of 0.18%, less than 1% of the usual TikTok average, recent collaborations have included Playstation, Apple and Xiomai.
Mary Bautista (@marybautistayt)
780.1k Followers
Mary is a Filipino macro-influencer who is reported to charge $1,600 per post. The tech girl boasts an average engagement rate of 6.03% which, while fantastic by Instagram standards, is well below the TikTok average of 18%, which may show that tech influencers have a harder time breaking onto the platform. Despite this, her three most recent collaborations have been with Samsung, Honor and Anker.
Marques Brownlee (@mkbhd)
1.7m Followers
The first tech influencer on our list to surpass the million-follower mark, TikToker Marques has only 76 posts on the platform at the time of writing. With an engagement rate of 15.53% he still sits below the average for a TikTok influencer, but Marques can nonetheless command up to $4,087 for a post and has worked with Apple, Vivo and Ford.
Jukay (@jookstogo)
6.6m Followers
Jukay is less tech influencer and more a mass of pink and kawaii, but it’s a formula that works well with her target audience and allows her to earn an estimated $10,560 to $15,840 per post. Jooks to go has over 1,500 posts, but, unusually, one of the lowest levels of engagement on TikTok at just 1.48%. Perhaps tech brands are taking notice, as despite having some videos from Samsung and Sony, Jukay is more likely to post about Sanrio and stationery.
Kris HC (@kallmekris)
48.8m Followers
You may recognise Kris from her recent ad campaign with Intel. She’s by far the biggest TikTok influencer on the list with a following of 48.8m but while she has been influencing us to buy technology, funny videos are more her bag. Perhaps this is the appeal of Kris, as her low key fun approach has earned her over 2.2 billion likes, meaning that she can charge up to $117,123 per post. Despite such a large number of likes and followers, Kris’ engagement is just 0.20%, a far cry from the reported average.
Instagram Influencers
Tom (@thetechchap)
134k Followers
Although the Tech Chap would only be defined as a mid-tier influencer, he has an engagement level of 1.29% on Instagram, which is nearly six and a half times that of mega TikTok influencer @kallmekris. Perhaps part of this reason for his success is that Instagram (unlike TikTok) offers its influencers detailed metrics about their audiences. We can tell, for example, that 90% of Tom’s viewers are interested in machinery, computers and gadgets, making it easier for him to tailor his content and build up successful marketing campaigns. Tom is able to command between $433.50 and $722.50 per post.
Arun Marini (@mrwhosetheboss)
1.4m Followers
Arun is the first influencer on our list to surpass the average engagement threshold. With an engagement rate of 5.61% to Instagram’s average 3%, Arun is able to seek between $2,814.75 and $4,691.25 per post. In the past he has worked with Xiaomi, Samsung, Snapdragon and Apple, and has received the Diamond Play Button for 10 million subscribers on YouTube. His aim is to build the greatest tech community on the planet.
Tom Cassell (@Syndicate)
1.4m Followers
Tom boasts the same number of followers as Arun, but a far lower engagement rate at 3.60%. He is estimated to earn between $2,781.75 and $4,636.25 and has a following mainly interested in machinery and technology. While Tom does share the odd tech post on his Instagram, his followers are more likely to see a glimpse of his family life on this platform, while tech videos are assigned to Youtube.
Justine Ezarik (@iJustine)
1.6m Followers
Justine is undoubtedly the largest female tech influencer on the ‘gram, and with 2 million followers she has an estimated earning level of between $3,285 and $5,475 per post and an engagement rate of 0.45%. Her recent collaborations have included Apple, Nintendo and even BMW. Justine heads up the podcast Same Brain, with her tech-influencer sister Jenna Ezarik and has been creating content for over two decades.
Lewis Hilsenteger (@Unbox Therapy)
2.3m Followers
Who could have predicted the simple allure of an unboxing video, giving us tech with a side of ASMR, Instagrammer Lewis can charge between $4,692 and $7,820 just to open the latest boxed tech goods. In the past week, he has collaborated with Nissan, Anker and Samsung, despite the fact that his engagement rate is just 1.96%.
Interestingly, the rates per post in this very specific industry depart markedly from the trend illustrated by our above chart, with TikTok influencers at all levels pulling in more money per post than their Instagram counterparts. Part of this may be down to the phenomenal success of TikTok collaborations with major players like Apple and Intel, but it is likely to be driven by the priorities of tech companies competing in a crowded and fast-changing marketplace, for whom selling a brand and becoming a house-hold name often takes precedence over selling a particular product. For them, reach is everything, and nobody does that better than TikTok.
