Influencer Asks R52k for 30-60-Second Video, Stuns Entrepreneur: “What’s a Fair Rate?”

• Cape Town business owner Mena Kooger, who owns the local brand Silki Skincare, was shocked to hear an influencer's rates
• The person, who had fewer than 100 000 followers on Instagram, quoted the company R52 000 for a 30- to 60-second video
• Some social media users were just as confused as Mena, while others tried to explain the reason behind the costs

Mena Kooger, the founder of the popular South African brand Silki Skincare, recently shared that she couldn't understand how an influencer, who had 60 000 followers on Instagram, shared a quote asking for R52 000 for a 30 to 60-second Instagram video.

What confused Mena was that the influencer, whose name she didn't disclose, asked for all that money when one of their sponsored content posts had only received 121 likes and seven comments. While scrolling, she noticed that other posts were also low in numbers.

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Mena, who has over 161 000 followers on her TikTok account, shared her opinion that these days, the number of followers an influencer has doesn't play a factor anymore, but rather how many people engage with their content.

"I know there's a huge discourse between content creators saying that brands aren't paying them their worth. I completely understand the conversation. I do believe you should be paid what you're worth, or paid for your engagement."

She also said to social media users:

"I can't justify paying R52 000 for a 30 to 60-second video for that kind of engagement. Yes, the quality of the videos is amazing, but then we also have to pay you for your expertise, and that goes into lighting, sound, and the conceptualisation."

Mena then asked people in the industry how influencers are paid, wondering how the rates they charge are fair, while taking into consideration the engagement of previous posts.

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After sharing that she was open to understanding the process, she concluded her video:

"How do we justify this as a brand? I want to know from other brands, content creators and agencies. I'm trying to wrap my head around it. What is a fair rate?"

South Africans enter the chat

Thousands of local social media users took to the comment section with their thoughts about the rates influencers charge businesses.

Aisha Baker, an entrepreneur and influencer who has been in the game for many years, told Mena:

"The price is not dependent on following or engagement, actually, it’s dependent on whether the influencer is a key opinion leader (KOL), an influencer, or a social content creator. Each one garners different rates. A KOL, for example, may not have engagement, but people value their opinion. They’re considered an 'authority.' A great example would be Kiss Blush Tell. Her audience, and even people who don’t follow or engage with her content, value her opinion and will likely buy a product she promotes. She’s earned it basically. I hope this makes sense."

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Daiy Abrahams, the content creator behind the TikTok sound 'Only in Cape Town,' asked:

"60 000 followers on Instagram? What?! Who’s so greedy?"

@melishamaharaj shared their views, writing:

"As a small content creator, I think brands should start looking more at smaller creators who push quality over quantity."

@eupherasis11 added under the post:

"As a consumer, I don’t engage in comments. If I’m interested in buying a product, what I will do is download the video or screenshot or favourite it, so that I can go back to it when it’s time to buy. I don't know how many people do that, but I think that should count more than comments."

After hearing what the influencer charged, @kawchella, assuming it was a woman, said with a laugh:

"Maybe she added a zero by mistake."

@asmara.parisa wrote to Mena:

"You and your team are giving us awesome content! No need to waste time with people who want R52 000 and up."

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Watch the TikTok video below:

3 Other stories about local influencers

• In another article, Briefly News reported that Johannesburg-based influencer, Lerator Nxumalo, showed how she spent her money. She documented her purchases before treating herself to a luxury spa experience.
• Controversial content creator Chris Excel shared that he was allegedly offered R100 000 to lead a smear campaign against media personality MacG. South Africans applauded the influencer for rejecting the deal.
• Media personality Lasizwe Dambuza slammed SARS's decision to tax influencers. A content creator himself, he explained that they didn't have it as easy as people thought.

Source: Briefly News