Swipe-ups on Instagram Stories or links below YouTube videos don’t serve a purpose other than to share a link. It’s how many influencers earn money.
If someone clicks through a trackable URL or uses a specific code to purchase a product on a website, the influencer who posted it may earn a commission. This is called affiliate marketing.
Influencers often use affiliate marketing to generate income beyond sponsored posts and ad revenues on videos. Affiliate marketing can also be used by emerging “micro,” “nano,” or “micro” influencers who have between 1,000- 100,000 followers and are looking to make money as content creators and collaborate with sponsors.
It also depends on what commission rates brands and platforms have in place.
A few finance influencers, for example, can earn a substantial portion of their income by simply linking to affiliate sites. They may also be involved with investing apps like Robinhood, Acorns, or Acorns.
Find out more information about the compensation that influencers receive from finance companies and apps through affiliate marketing.
Tori Dunlap (personal-finance influencer) told Insider that she made more than $200,000 in less than eight months.
Finance isn’t all that lucrative.
Vi Lai, a skincare influencer, said that she earns more than $5,000 per month from her affiliate links. Other influencers claim to make a few hundred bucks here and there.
Influencers have various options to make a commission by promoting products via social media, from Amazon to third-party marketing platforms.
Find out how much one influencer earns using Amazon affiliate link
Influencers have begun to text their follower’s connections to their favorite products to increase sales. Instagram and other platforms are tapping into this space by creating their affiliate marketing programs.
How much do influencers earn using affiliate marketing to make a living?
We talked to a few influencers about how affiliate links are integrated into their content. A few of these influencers shared details about their monthly income. They varied from approximately $50 per month to more than that $25,000/month.
Here’s what 8 creators earn from affiliates.
- Tori Dunlap, an influencer in personal finance on TikTok, has 860,000 followers
- Ryan Scribner, a personal-finance YouTuber who has 706,000 subscribers
- Vi Lai, a skin influencer who has 580,000 followers on TikTok as well as 130,000 on Instagram
- Charlie Chang is a YouTube creator that has 350,000 subscribers. He posts personal finance and real-estate content.
- Charli Prangley, the part-time YouTube creator, has around 200,000 subscribers
- Kim Pratt, a YouTuber and skincare influencer with over 108,000 subscribers, uses Amazon’s affiliate program.
- Erika Kullberg, an attorney with 94,000 YouTube subscribers.
- Kayla Compton, a lifestyle “nano” influencer with 3,400 YouTube Subscribers and 1,900 Instagram Followers
