Onalytica recently released a report looking at the average rates influencers were charging across varying activities. Our aim was to show what brands can expect to pay, and to show B2B influencer rates that should be charged based on industry averages.
B2C influencer marketing has been around for around 15 years and is pretty well-established, set to be worth a whopping $15 Billion this year. B2B influencer marketing is still finding its feet and as such, is very much like the wild west; pretty lawless and no-one really knows what’s going on.
In light of this, we thought it best to start adding some structure to the industry. So, what did we do?
2021 B2B Influencer Compensation Report
Through the use of the unique influencer data provided from our B2B Influencer marketplace, MyOnalytica, and in collaboration with Convince and Convert, we were able to have a look at the current rates that influencers are charging and get averages across a variety of activities. Within the report we had a look at following influencer service offerings:
- Authoring books
- Consulting
- Podcasts
- Video
- Blogs & articles
- Event coverage
- Twitter chats & LinkedIn Lives
- Speaking gigs
Within each section we took the mean, median and mode averages, as well as looking at the differences in rate cards between Europe and North America to showcase the disparities you see globally, reflecting the location and size of audiences you’re reaching.
Buyers in B2B are turning to industry experts & content more and more to inform their purchasing decisions. Collaborating with these influential voices is a great way to put your brand on the map and build credibility & trust with your target audience.” – Tim Williams, CEO, Onalytica
What B2B Influencers Get Paid and Why? Listen on Social Pros: https://bit.ly/3AWBy9M Click To Tweet
Influencer Compensation Findings
Below are the key B2B influencer insights from each section of the report.
Authoring Books & White Papers
An Author is someone that writes longer-form content such as a research report, eBook or White Paper. This kind of content is of much higher value than a blog post or article.
19% of all influencers surveyed author books, including C-Suite Executives, Entrepreneurs and Academics. Typically, influencers charge in the range of $200-$2K per 1,000 words.
Globally, on average you can expect to pay anywhere between $300 (median) – $500 (mean) per 1,000 words.
When we compare geographies, there are some differences. In Europe, on average you can expect to pay $350 per 1,000 words, whereas in North America, you can expect to pay $650 per 1,000 words.
Consulting
Influencers that offer consulting services are experts in their field and will work with brands either on a project or retainer to share their experience, expertise & advice.
77% of influencers offer consulting services, including C-Suite Executives, Entrepreneurs, Authors & Analysts. They typically charge a daily rate of between $200 – $12K.
Globally, on average you can expect to pay $2.9K (mean), or $2.5K (median/mode) per day.
There’s a slight difference in price between Europe and North America, in Europe the average sits at $2.4K per day, whereas in North America it rises to $3.6K per day.
Video Creation
A Video Creator is someone that films, produces & edits video content for their own social media channels (for example, they have a YouTube account or post natively on LinkedIn & Twitter) and/or they appear as a guest on brand channels.
35% of influencers offer video creation services and on average they charge per episode in the range of $150 – $22.5K.
Across the globe, there is an average of $3.5K (mean), or $2.5K (median/mode) per episode. Looking at specific regions, again there are some differences; on average influencers in Europe charge $2.2K per episode, and in North America, there is an average of $3.15K per episode.
Podcasting
A Podcaster is someone that either has their own podcast that brands can pay to feature on as a guest, and/or they will come onto a brand’s podcast as a guest to share their experience, expertise and raise awareness among their audience.
40% of influencers offer podcasting as a service and the B2B influencer rate is between $200 – $15K per episode.
The Global average is $2.5K (mean) or $1.5K (median/mode) per episode.
The European average is $2.1K per episode, compared to the Northern American average of $3.4K per episode.
Buyers want value. They want thought leadership that tells them something, they want content that has credibility and gets them thinking. And that means quality content. And content created with influencers is just that. It has value. For the business and for the buyers. It should be part of your marketing investment, part of your brand ethics and part of your sales process.” – Katy Howell, CEO, immediate future
40% of influencers offer podcasting and they charge between $200 – $15K per episode. More in the B2B Influencer Report: https://bit.ly/compensationreport Click To Tweet
Writing Blogs & Articles
This is someone who likes writing longer form content in the form of blogs, online articles, or newsletters. They will write for their own blog and/or for a third-party blog.
67% of influencers write blogs or articles and charge $150 – $5K per 1,000 words.
The Global averages are $980 (mean), $425 (median) and $300 (mode), all per 1,000 words.
In Europe the average cost is $950 per 1,000 words, whilst in North America the average is $1.7K per 1,000 words.
Event Coverage
Event coverage is a service that influencers offer to drive sustained engagement pre, during and post-events. This may take the form of event round-up blogs, videos & posting frequently on their social media handles using dedicated event hashtags.
41% of influencers offer event coverage services and they charge in the range of $200 – $20K per event.
Globally, the averages are $5.85K (mean) or $5K (median/mode) per event.
There’s a difference in prices looking at regions. In Europe the average price per event is $5.3K, and in Northern America it is $6.6K.
Twitter Chats & LinkedIn Lives
A Twitter Chat is an organized event focused on a specific topic, with multiple questions shared by the host, for their audience and participants to comment on. Influencers are often included as a co-host or to share their insights. LinkedIn Lives entail a live streaming of a panel, interview, or presentation.
49% of influencers participate and host Twitter Chats and LinkedIn Lives. They charge per event in the range of $200 – $5K.
The Global mean average is $1.8K, and the median and mode is $1.5K.
For these events, the average price in Europe is $1.65K, and in North America it is $2K.
Event Speaking
An Event Speaker is someone that regularly gives talks and presentations at in-person or virtual industry events, including a brand’s event. They may also sit on panels with other experts. Events are a large part of their revenue stream.
74% of influencers do event speaking and they charge between $300 – £30K per event.
The Global average is $7K (mean), or a median/mode of $5K per event.
In Europe, the average is $5K per event, and in North America the average is $10K per event.
Considerations for B2B Influencer Rates
Because influencers are people and not programmable ad units, B2B influencer compensation will always be negotiable to some extent, and factors such as relationships, attractiveness and relevance of the brand, and even timing will influence (pun intended) the incentive required to seal the deal with an influencer.” – Neal Schaffer, Author of The Age of Influence
Audience: Start with your target audience. Where is your audience based? What are they interested in? Who are they influenced by? What channels are they on? What kind of content do they like to consume?
Brand-Fit: Does their online brand complement your brand’s? Are they someone you trust? Are they corporate enough, or too corporate? Not only is this important to ensure their content is on-brand, but in a world where authenticity is everything, you can feel confident in leaving them to it. Prioritize.
Goals: What is the most important quality you are looking for in the influencer? Is it more important to you that they are an expert on the topic so that you can create high quality, relevant content, or are you after someone with a large audience and high engagement? Or maybe they need to have production abilities to create agile thought leadership content?
Effort: Be clear on what you’re asking them to do and how much effort is required. Some collaborations just require an influencer to show up, others require lots of planning and prep, which will be reflected in their rates.
Content Repurposing: This is something that won’t necessarily impact their rates, but it may help you think about how you can maximize return on your investment by creating multiple content assets to drive significantly higher engagement. $10K for 1 video interview seems expensive, but $10K for 6 sound bites, 4 short videos and 10 image assets is a smart investment.
Whose Channel: Are they appearing as a guest on your channel or are you a guest on theirs? Again, this comes back to priorities and overall campaign goals. Going on their channel will give you access to their audience and greater credibility. If they feature on yours, it will give you the ability to combine their insights & expertise with brand messages and internal Exec Leaders & Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
One-off or Series: Think about how you can work together longer-term to build out a successful campaign. Like anything, package deals are often cheaper and far more effective over time and deliver better results.
More B2B Influencer Marketing Insights
Throughout this report you’ll also find:
- How to complement paid activities with organic engagement
- How influencers know their worth when setting their rate cards
- The typical collaboration packages that we see with our clients that drive maximum ROI
- The typical industry points that we see relating to influencer compensation and payments
- Expert tips and tricks from influencers and influencer marketing experts
We really hope you find the report and its findings useful as you figure our B2B influencer rates, if you have any other questions, please feel free to get in touch!
