Dwayne Johnson is no longer the highest-paid Instagram celebrity. A report by the BBC once listed “The Rock” as Instagram’s most valuable star. With 187 million followers on the app at the time, the wrestler-turned-mogul commanded more than $1 million per post from potential sponsors. At the time, too, the BBC reported that Cristiano Ronaldo commanded about $889,000 per post, while Kim Kardashian commanded around $858,000 per post. Interestingly, however, the outlet said that all these numbers were approximations. As such, there was no way to really know who was the highest-paid Instagram celebrity. “The rankings and cost per post were arrived at after speaking with so-called social media “influencers” themselves, along with brands and marketing companies, and using publicly available pricing information to estimate how much each account could charge,” they said. “However, marketers tend to be secretive about how much they pay, or the posts may be part of a wider deal – as is often...

Influencer marketing has increased in popularity over recent years. More and more brands are leveraging social media influencers to connect with their audience and gain their trust. If you’re looking to become a social media influencer, you’ve made a great step in the right direction to growing your following. Follow this step-by-step process to become the next big influencer in your niche. HOW TO BECOME A SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: A QUICK GUIDE 1. CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORM If you want to attract a large audience, it’s best to focus on 1-2 social media platforms.  After you’ve chosen your channels, the next thing to do is optimize your profiles by switching to a business account, creating an engaging bio, and adding a profile picture. 2. GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Before you start posting on your social media platforms, it’s important to know your audience. Figure out what type of content they like to see from influencers. To do this, look at your current follower base to learn about their...