2025 LinkedIn Influencer Pricing for UAE Brands to Reach US Audiences
Despite its status as the Middle East’s hub for finance and commerce, the UAE has somewhat limited influencer marketing activity on LinkedIn compared to social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.
Yet for those US brands looking to reach a professional audience in the Emirates, LinkedIn remains the most viable option, while also justifying higher prices across the board.
In this article, we’ll explore the influencer marketing pricing trends on LinkedIn in the UAE for US brands in 2025.
๐ The Market for LinkedIn Influencer Marketing in the UAE
As per YouGov, the UAE has become one of the most recognized business centres among US businesses, with 75% of those involved in international business considering the Emirates significantly important.
Moreover, according to LinkedIn itself, the UAE has the highest rate of LinkedIn users per capita globally. As of November 2023, the Emirates boasted approximately 4 million LinkedIn users out of its total population of 9 million.
Therefore, for those looking to convert leads, promote B2B products, or fill positions, working with UAE LinkedIn influencers has become the go-to option for US brands.
As per the September 2023 report produced by influencer marketing platform, Instascreener, the UAE ranked 14th for total influencer activity across the platforms they monitor, accumulating 372,286 influencer profiles.
Compared with the UAE’s population, this results in a meager 3.84% of citizens being classified as influencers, which is below the average of 5% across all countries studied, despite the UAE ranking 9th for overall influencer marketing revenue, coming in at $632 million.
Moreover, it should be noted that the majority of influencers operating across UAE social media are still focused on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat, with LinkedIn boasting the least number of influencers compared with any of the other monitored platforms.
๐ Who is Influencing UAE LinkedIn Users?
In recent years, LinkedIn influencers in the Emirates have become synonymous with tech giants, multinationals, and global luxury brands. This is due to the high concentration of professionals and executives that reside in the region.
Moreover, when analyzing the data from the aforementioned Instascreener report, business and finance influencers account for 56% of the UAE’s total influencer population, while tech-specific profiles represent another 10%.
As a result, those brands looking for more general audience influencers should expect to pay a premium for this niche expertise.
However, where general audience influencers can be found on LinkedIn in the Emirates, many operate across other platforms as well, particularly Instagram, and sometimes overlap their digital presence.
The result is that these social media-centric influencers may not be as effective at influencing purchasing decisions on LinkedIn compared to their platform-native counterparts.
Nevertheless, these cross-platform influencers generally can deliver a larger overall audience reach due to their presence across multiple platforms.
US brands should therefore ensure they work with LinkedIn-native influencers when looking to achieve measurable conversions or leads from their campaigns.
๐ค How Much Can US Brands Expect to Spend on LinkedIn Influencer Promotions in the UAE?
According to a report produced by influencer marketing agency, The Influencer Marketing Factory, UAE influencers in general charge approximately $700 per post on average. This figure can however vary dramatically depending on the number of followers the influencer boasts.
Generally, Instagram posts from influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers can cost anywhere between $100 to $700, while those with between 10k to 50k followers range from $700 to $1,500.
For those influencers with between 50k to 250k followers, this rises to $1,500 to $2,500. Finally, UAE influencers with over 250,000 followers can charge upwards of $2,500, with top-tier influencers demanding as much as $25,000.
Compared to Instagram influencer promotional costs in the Emirates, LinkedIn influencers typically charge 50% more on average for similar promotional postings.
According to a report published by Dubai-based influencer marketing agency, Veloce, the average LinkedIn influencer in the Emirates can expect to charge around $1,200 per post.
As mentioned, LinkedIn influencers are primarily focused on delivering B2B leads, which are often considered more valuable compared to B2C leads that traditional influencers deliver.
Moreover, when Veloce analyzed the influencer activity in the UAE, they found that the vast majority of LinkedIn influencers were also experts in their field, and often CEOs or founders of corporations.
This means that these influencers generally represent established brands themselves, and as such, carry more authority over their followers and connections when making purchasing recommendations.
Consequently, due to both the average higher value of B2B leads and the authority and expertise of LinkedIn influencers, their higher promotional costs are generally justified.
๐ Top Tips for US Brands Looking to Run LinkedIn Influencer Campaigns in the UAE
Although influencer marketing campaigns on LinkedIn have shown impressive returns for brands, especially when compared to other platforms, getting the campaign concept right from the outset remains crucial.
Moreover, the following tips should be adhered to ensure maximum returns and minimum wastage.
Focus on Local Influencers
Unlike Instagram, which often allows users to follow profiles from anywhere, LinkedIn is much more geo-centered. Therefore, working with UAE-based influencers on LinkedIn is crucial.
Although there are many US-based LinkedIn influencers with large followings that may seem appealing, they often won’t hold sway within the Emirati market.
Consequently, the majority of brand messaging should be targeted toward UAE citizens, and so the influencer’s audience should reflect that target market.
Ensure Deliverables are Tailored to the Platform
Once a suitable influencer has been located, it is then crucial that the deliverables agreed upon are appropriate for LinkedIn.
The business-oriented nature of the platform means that any deliverables should avoid salesy messages or promotional fluff.
Instead, the influencer should focus on creating meaningful, insightful, and useful content that positions the US brand and its products or services as the solution to the audience’s pain points.
Reiterate Expected Audience Engagement
Alongside ensuring that the messaging itself is appropriate, US brands should also ensure that their UAE influencer engages with the audience.
LinkedIn users generally expect a two-way conversation when interacting with posts. Therefore, the influencer should not only respond to comments but also create them, leading the conversation toward the intended goal.
For example, if the US brand is promoting a cloud storage service, then the influencer could use an anecdote about retrieving a lost files last week to prompt the following questions:
- How do you guys store your files?
- What do you do in case you experience any data loss?
- Have you made the switch to the cloud yet?
โ Potential Risks When Running UAE LinkedIn Influencer Campaigns
As with any influencer marketing campaign, there can be pitfalls awaiting the inexperienced.
The following represent just some of the major risks that US brands running LinkedIn influencer marketing campaigns in the UAE should be aware of.
Influencer Fraud Is a Threat
As per the previously mentioned Instascreener report, the UAE has one of the highest percentages of fake influencers in the world compared to its share of the population.
According to the report, of the 372,286 influencers located in the UAE, almost 300,000 or 80% were found to exhibit signs that are commonly associated with fraud, such as inflated follower counts or lack of engagement.
Moreover, the types of influencers exhibiting these fraudulent signs were shown to be located primarily on Instagram, with LinkedIn influencers being the least likely to show signs of fraud.
Part of the reason for this can be attributed to LinkedIn’s own policies that make it more difficult to inflate follower numbers.
That being said, US brands should still perform due diligence when selecting influencers to work with and avoid those with inflated follower counts, engagement rates, or other common indicators.
Beware of Misrepresentation
Similar to influencer fraud, misrepresentation remains a risk when working with UAE LinkedIn influencers.
This can manifest in the influencer misrepresenting their relationship with the US brand in their posts.
For example, perhaps the influencer uses affiliate links when they have explicitly stated this would not be the case, or they have an unapproved call to action in the promotional post.
Therefore, US brands should ensure that their UAE influencer understands the importance of following brand guidelines when promoting products or services.
They should also agree on a process for the brand to review the promotional posts before they go live, to ensure everything is accurate.
Measure Metrics Carefully
Although LinkedIn provides a wealth of analytic tools for users, brands should still ensure they measure the success of their influencer marketing campaigns in the UAE independently.
This is particularly important when measuring metrics such as lead generation or conversion rates, which are essential for determining return on investment.
In this guide, we’ve explored the influencer pricing trends for those influencers located in the Emirates and operating on LinkedIn.
With suitable and authoritative influencers being harder to come by on LinkedIn, US brands are likely to pay a premium for promotions on the platform, compared to more social-centric platforms.
Consequently, influencer marketing campaigns on LinkedIn in the UAE can deliver impressive returns for those brands willing to invest the time in finding credible and suitable influencers to work with.
As always, for those brands looking to run successful influencer campaigns anywhere in the world, BaoLiba is here to help.
Feel free to reach out to us to learn how we can help you navigate the influencer space, or simply to find inspiring stories from around the globe.
๐ People Also Ask
How much do UAE influencers charge?
According to Dubai-based influencer marketing agency, Veloce, UAE influencers charge on average $1,200 per promotional post, which is approximately 50% higher than their counterparts on Instagram.
Are there many UAE influencers on LinkedIn?
Despite the UAE boasting around 4 million LinkedIn users, which is the highest per capita in the world, the Emirates ranks 14th for total influencer activity across the platforms studied by Instascreener.
What allows a user to be categorized as an influencer on LinkedIn?
Unlike other platforms, LinkedIn influencers are experts or thought leaders in a niche, often CEOs or founders of corporations. Their authority allows them to impact purchasing decisions or job seekers seeking employment.
Why do UAE influencers charge more compared to other countries?
In comparison to B2C leads, B2B leads are generally considered more valuable. As such, UAE influencers on LinkedIn charge higher rates due to their limited numbers, expertise, and authority.
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