18 of the highest-paid celebrities on Instagram in 2022

With the rise of Instagram has come the growth of an extensive Instagram rich list. Sponsored posts from different brands have driven pay cheques higher and higher for some of the already highest paid celebrities and Instagram influencers in the world. Now, there are countless influential people vying for the highest follower count and most interaction on a single post. If you’re a user of the platform you’ll know you don’t have to look far to find a well-known athlete, famous American actor, or some of the most popular singers in the world advertising well-known brands. These celebrities are taking on the additional title of ‘influencers’ in their quest to become or remain the top American socialite.

It’s left many wondering how they might get in on the action and become influencers to make a living off of social media platforms. Aside from the celebrities, there are a range of average joes who have made it on the social media platform Instagram and gained a massive fan following for their content creation. There’s no doubt though that among the top Instagram earners are the elite celebrities of our time with the likes of Selena Gomez, Dwayne Johnson, Lionel Messi, Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kim Kardashian and more. However, don’t let them rain on your parade. Only out of curiosity… let’s see what these top Instagram earners are being paid.

Can anyone become the highest paid on Instagram?

Don’t get us wrong, many Instagram influencers can make a decent living off of their content creation and sponsored posts if they amass a big enough following on the popular social network. Social media platforms are full of success stories from around the world with even the least likely of candidates becoming successful influencers. However, it’s blatantly obvious that the highest paid on the social media platform are celebrities who draw a higher follower count due to their non-Instagram ventures. Not a celebrity? Don’t give up. If your Instagram page can earn even a tiny nibble of what these celebrities on Instagram can earn, you’ll be rolling in it!

Is a sponsored post the only way to make money on Instagram?

A sponsored post is the way many influencers on Instagram make a living. Celebrities like Ariana Grande, Khloe Kardashian, Lionel Messi, Dwayne Johnson or Selena Gomez are some of the highest paid influencers who charge absurd prices for a single post to endorse a product. Health and fitness brands as well as food and clothing brands seek the best Instagram influencers to partner with as often as possible, and they pay big dollars for it. But the most popular football players or highest paid celebrities don’t rely on the most popular social network, and it’s paid sponsored posts for income. Instagram is a great platform to draw attention to other projects and market a business. For example, for Justin Bieber or Selena Gomez to draw attention to buying their music, or for Dwayne Johnson to gain customers for his own fitness brand. So, yes, the prices of sponsored posts you’re about to see will make your mouth water but no, they’re not the only way to make income off of social media platforms.

The Instagram rich list

Alright, time for the Instagram rich list of 2022. We’re going to look at who are the 18 highest paid Instagram influencers of the year. Amongst the list is the likes of Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo and American singer Ariana Grande. This is a list of celebrities who don’t accept second place or third place. They’re all vying for number one on the platform with more than a million followers each, and the money that comes with it.

Kim Kardashian

The American media personality, socialite, and entrepreneur Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is a businesswoman, socialite, media personality and one of the highest paid celebrities on the Instagram rich list. She’s takes second place in the Kardashian sibling line.

With hundreds of millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram, Kim Kardashian has a big online presence. With sisters Kourtney and Khloé, she started Dash, a fashion beauty brand boutique chain that lasted until 2018. In 2017, she founded KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance, and in 2019, she founded Skims.

She currently has 333 million followers on Instagram, landing her amongst the highest paid celebrity names out there.

Estimated price per post – $600,000 – $1M

Cristiano Ronaldo

Christiano Ronaldo is one of the most famous football players around. Those who know about sports should know that Cristiano Ronaldo plays forward for the Portuguese national team and Manchester United and is one of the most well-known athlete celebrities in the world.

It’s hard to find a celebrity who can endorse any sports brand better than Ronaldo. He actually writes a caption, unlike other celebrities who often just mention a brand without even bothering, making him a go-to for Instagram advertising.

Estimated price per post – $800,000 – $1M

Justin Bieber

Canadian singer Justin Bieber made it on the list, mainly because of his huge fan base with 263 million followers. Brands who want to reach his audience love him because he has such a close connection with his Instagram fan base as well as on other popular social media platforms.

He’s not the highest paid Instagram celebrity per post but he perhaps brings in more frequent business than the other highest paid celebrities.

Estimated Price Per Post – $460,000 – $780,000

Kylie Jenner

Kylie is one of the most influential people in the beauty industry and owns the beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics. As part of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, she was on “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” The whole clan rose to fame because of that show, but each member has their own success story.

She mostly endorses luxury fashion and beauty brands and charges over $600,000 per post, making her one of the highest paid celebrities on Instagram.

Estimated Price Per Post – $670,000 – $1M

Selena Gomez

A Spanish singer and actress with a huge fan following, Selena Gomez has millions of fans. Her Instagram following is huge, and she’s been one of the most popular Instagrammers for years. Her Instagram posts get an average engagement rate of 1.41%, which is higher than the norm for celebrities.

It’s not uncommon to see her promoting fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands.

Estimated Price Per Post – $630,000 – $1M

Dwayne Johnson

Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson, also known as “The Rock,” was a wrestler on the WWE show before becoming an actor. He’s mostly in action movies and is known by his 345 million followers for his solid build.

Because of that, he’s the go-to celebrity influencer for fitness and health brands who pay him up to $1 million per post. He’s also often cited as one of the 10 highest paid celebrities in the world. He recently used Instagram to promote a tv series based on his young life that was filmed in Australia.

Estimated Price Per Post – $620,000 – $1M

Lionel Messi

Argentine professional footballer Lionel Messi doesn’t really need an introduction, especially among those living in South America.

There’s no doubt that he’s one of the most talented footballers ever receiving the highest sporting honor the country has to offer and playing for Paris Saint Germain in addition to playing for Argentina’s national team.

In addition to sports and fitness brands, he’s a celebrity who endorsed several others in a range of industries.

Estimated Price Per Post – $650,000 – $1M

Ariana Grande

It’s no secret that Ariana Grande is an award-winning singer, actress, and songwriter. Most prominent music billboards across the world have featured her latest single, “Just Look Up.”.

Getting a message out to her 165 million followers requires a simple mention on her Instagram feed.

Average price per post -$610,000 – $1M

Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner is Kylie Jenner’s sister and part of the Kardashian family featured in the TV show, “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” She’s one of the highest paid influencers just like her sisters.

In the past, she’s worked with Victoria’s Secret and Estee Lauder as a model. Because of her popularity and huge social media following, she gets paid collaborations all the time.

Estimated Price Per Post – $470,000 – $780,000

Khloe Kardashian

The Jenner-Kardashian clan has another businesswoman and socialite: Khloe. She’s takes third place in the Kardashian sibling line and like her sisters, has more than a hundred million followers on Instagram.

Her company, Good American, makes apparel. Additionally, she designs several collections and fragrances for Kylie’s beauty brand. Charging more than $500,000 per sponsored post, she is up there close to the highest paid Instagram celebrity.

Estimated Price Per Post – $480,000 – $800,000

Jennifer Lopez

Often called J.Lo, Jennifer Lopez is an actress, singer, dancer, fashion designer, producer, and businesswoman. After earning more than $1 million for a film in 1997, she became Hollywood’s highest-paid Latin actress.

Additionally, after venturing into the music world she got a number one album and film in the same week in 2001, making her the first woman to achieve that in the world.

She’s a spokesperson for multiple fashion labels, including Guess denim and is undoubtedly one of the highest paid celebrities on Instagram (per post) for a sponsored post within the fashion and beauty industry. With 226 million followers, it’s easy to see why.

Estimated Price Per Post – $410,000 – $690,000

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is an American singer and songwriter who has a global audience. The artist has several record-breaking singles and is one of the top-selling artists of all time.

There are 10 Grammys and one Emmy, 12 Country Music Association Awards, and 23 Billboard Awards to her name. This fame places her as one of the highest paid celebrities on Instagram as brands fight for a sponsored post in her Instagram feed.

They’ll have to pay up though with Swift charging up to $690,000 per post as a result of her 230 million followers.

Estimated Price Per Post – $410,000 – $690,000

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is Indian cricket’s current captain. There’s no doubt he’s one of the best batsmen in the world right now and one of the highest paid celebrities on Instagram (per post). As a domestic cricketer, he plays for Delhi and in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The Forbes list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world ranked Kohli 66th in 2020, with $26 million in earnings. In 2018, he got the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sports honour.

Per post he can charge on average around $500,000 making him one of the highest paid celebrities on Instagram. This is due to his 222 million followers.

Estimated Price Per Post – $390,000 – $650,000

Kourtney Kardashian

In Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney Kardashian stars with her sisters. Retail and fashion are her things, and she’s launched several fragrances and clothing lines. She’s not the highest paid Instagram celebrity on our Instagram rich list but she still gets paid a whopping average of around $450,000 per post due to her 203 million followers.

Her Instagram account and other social accounts have been used to endorse products like waist slimming pants, prescription drugs, beauty products and Coca-Cola.

Estimated Price Per Post – $350,000 – $580,000

Nicki Minaj

The rapper, singer, songwriter, model, and actress, Nicki Minaj, is one of the biggest names in music. Six American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and 11 BET Awards have gone to her for her music. There were 10 Grammy nominations for her, but she didn’t win any.

In her Instagram posts, she often mentions luxury brands and is arguably the highest paid Instagram celebrity within that industry.

Estimated Price Per Post – $370,000 – $630,000

Neymar da Silva

Neymar da Silva is a recent phenomenon who’s quickly risen to fame and is now considered one of the 10 highest paid celebrities on Instagram (per post).

If you’re looking for a celebrity to endorse your sports or fitness brand on Instagram, this international football star and his 181 million followers are a go to for many.

Estimated Price Per Post – $340,000 – $570,000

Katy Perry

Katy Perry is an American songwriter, singer, and judge on television. One of the Boys, her second album, made her famous in 2008. The next three albums all hit the top of the charts.

Her credits include nine number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, five American Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award. She performed at what became the most-watched halftime show in history during Super Bowl XLIX.

Using Instagram Stories for marketing has been a game changer for her. The Katy Perry Collection was teased via Instagram in 2017 and she has quickly become one of the highest paid Instagram celebrities with 178 million followers.

Estimated Price Per Post – $320,000 – $530,000

Miley Cyrus

A singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer, Miley Ray Cyrus is from America and now one of the highest paid celebrities on Instagram (per post). When she played Hannah Montana on Disney Channel, she became a teen idol.

During her time as Hannah Montana, she had two number-one albums and three top-ten albums on the country chart. In her own right, three of her albums have been number one in the U.S. That’s why she’s often cited as an example of a successful child actor who turned into a singer. This success has gained her 186 million followers on the Instagram platform.

Her Instagram account helped her re-brand from innocent Nickelodeon star to pop star. During 2018, she briefly deleted her account, but it didn’t last after her 186 million followers begged her to return.

Estimated Price Per Post – $340,000 – $560,000

Give it a crack!

Alright, so you might not be up the top with Dwayne Johnson, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ariana Grande, or Khloe Kardashian… but you could still join some of the successful Instagram influencers out there who started from more humble beginnings.

Let’s not get onto Instagram expecting hundreds of thousands per post straight away, but let’s not say it’s impossible to find your name on an Instagram rich list in the future. Gain a few million followers and you’ll be well on your way!