A Food Influencer Reveals How Much Money She Makes Per Year — And Holy Cow

In 2024, being a food influencer seems like a pretty great gig. Influencers get to sit at home and bake delicious food, take pictures and videos of it, and then eat it (or give it to their friends, who will love them extra for it). As their follower counts grow on Instagram and TikTok, their feeds and Stories become populated with ads, for which we all assume they’re getting a solid chunk of change. But how much, exactly?
According to Alice, an influencer and cookbook author whose name has been changed here to protect her identity, the truth is that it varies widely. Alice has about 500,000 Instagram followers, but pay rates don’t always depend on the amount of followers someone has.
“There’s a super broad range — I know influencers who have 500,000 followers and are making $150,000 a year, and I know ones with the same following who are making a million dollars a year,” she said. “It’s all about your engagement and how you monetize.”
While Alice asked to remain anonymous, she was willing to get real about how much money she makes as a food influencer and recipe developer. Read on for all the juicy details, like how much she actually gets from ads, what her expenses look like, and exactly how much money she made in 2023 ― and how that stacks up against the mental health toll of being an influencer.
You know that sponsored reel you just watched in your favorite influencer’s feed? They probably made a lot of money on it.
“If you have 500,000 followers, you can probably expect to make about $10,000 to $20,000 on an Instagram reel, but that will depend on your engagement,” Alice said. By “engagement,” she means the number of people actually liking or commenting on posts. An influencer can have a lot of followers, but if those followers aren’t engaging with their account, a brand knows they won’t see much conversion from that.
For Instagram Stories, Alice says an influencer will probably make a little bit less. “For three to five Instagram Stories, you can probably expect to get between $1,000 and $5,000, but again, there’s a range.”
While influencers might make a lot of money, they’re also spending it.
“Expenses are high, especially for recipe development,” Alice said. “But I think a huge expense people don’t think about is looking good on camera, so lots of influencers spend a ton on hair, makeup and clothing, and feel a lot of pressure around how they look because they’re on camera all the time. I probably spend around $1,000 a month on all of this.”
She also has a team of people helping her out, and they get a chunk of her monthly revenue as well. “Your manager or agent will take 15%,” she said. “If you’re an author and have a literary agent, they take 15% of your earnings. If you pay for PR it’s $5,000 to $10,000 a month. And lawyer costs (yes, lawyers are advised) are between $10,000 and $30,000 per year.”
Now, the question you’ve all been waiting for: How much did Alice make in 2023? “I made about $900,000,” she said. “But that’s before expenses and taxes. And I had a lot of expenses last year.”
Alice also noted that while she has published three books over the past seven years, including one in 2023, they don’t bring in much money compared with what she makes from social media and other avenues. “Books are great brand builders, but they’re not huge moneymakers,” she said.
She added that for people who are pulling in salaries like hers and higher, there’s usually more to their income stream than Instagram ads and cookbooks. “The people making the most typically have other income streams like Substack, podcasts, merch, or a company they started.”
Does Alice make more money than most of us could ever dream of? Sure. But she also emphasized that there’s a mental health toll that comes from being always “on” and feeling the need to produce content for her followers 24/7 — not to mention the negative comments and messages that an influencer can expect to receive regularly.
“I took zero days off last year,” she said. “I think if you’re going to talk influencer income, you also need to talk about how the vast majority of influencers are dealing with huge mental health issues from the job.”
So while the world of influencing may be high-paying and glamorous, Alice is the first to admit that it comes with a price — and not the price you’re paying your lawyer or literary agent.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we’ll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can’t find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can’t afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women’s rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America’s future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can’t afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It’s official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can’t do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can’t afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we’ll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can’t find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can’t afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.