How Much Money Influencers Make: Instagram Paychecks

Money doesn’t grow on trees—but it does come from likes.

This year, #RichTok exploded on social media with content creators like Becca Bloom documenting their caviar-coated and Van Cleef-adorned lifestyles for all to see online.

Back in September, makeup influencer Mikayla Nogueira showed off her massive designer shopping haul, saying on TikTok she “completely blacked out” while buying dozens of luxury items—including bags, heels, sneakers, jewelry and clothing from Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Miu Miu and more—totaling an estimated $186,000. 

And when beauty influencer Jaclyn Hill recently asked why her videos weren’t getting the same engagement as usual, her followers were brutally honest: It’s about the money, honey.

“We’re tired of watching influencers rub their wealth in our faces,” one person commented on her Dec. 4 video, while another noted, “I can’t connect to a $10,000 purse or shoe haul when $10,000 would pay off all my loans and change my life.”