How Much Do KakaoStory Influencers Charge for Marketing in Korea?

In the world of digital marketing, social media influencers are proving to be more powerful than an entire army of advertising drones. More than 51% of marketers leverage influencer marketing to reach audiences.

The benefits of influencer marketing are particularly pronounced in Korea, where one of the most popular social platforms, KakaoStory, has 38 million monthly active users.

So naturally, if your brand wants to reach Korean consumers, you need to work with KakaoStory influencers.

How much do KakaoStory influencers charge for marketing? You’d better fetch your checkbook because their prices start at 1 million won and can go as high as 15 million won. That’s over $12,000 for a single promotion.

Let’s take a closer look at the pricing models and fee structures of influencers on KakaoStory.

💸 Pricing Models of KakaoStory Influencers

Depending on the number of followers and engagement, KakaoStory influencers charge different fees. They also apply different pricing models.

There are two common pricing models:

💰 Flat Rate

Influencers charge a single fee for a promotion. This is the most straightforward model, and it’s typically used for promotions that require only a single post or story.

For large-scale promotions, sponsors might also negotiate with the influencer a bundled fee for multiple posts.

🪙 Variable Rate

This model can be a bit confusing because KakaoStory influencers charge fees based on different metrics.

Every influencer has their unique pricing metric. Some charge based on the total number of followers they have. Others charge based on the number of active followers or the engagement rate.

Some influencers even charge according to the number of views their posts generate. For example, 10,000 views may cost 1 million won. Therefore, the total amount will depend on the popular influencer’s views.

📑 Pricing Based on Followers

On KakaoStory, the larger the influencer’s fan base, the larger the fee they command.

KakaoStory influencers with an average of 1,000 followers charge about 300,000 won ($225) for a single post.

Influencers with 5,000 followers charge about 1 million won ($755).

For 10,000 followers, influencers charge 2 million won ($1,510).

For 30,000 followers, those prices rise to 4 million won ($3,020).

Finally, for influencers with 100,000 followers, the average fee leaps to 12 million won ($9,050).

👩‍🤝‍👩 Pricing Based on Engagement Rate

Aside from the follower count, the engagement rate is another metric that influences pricing for KakaoStory influencers.

The average engagement rate for influencers on social media platforms is around 4% to 5%.

But the engagement rate of KakaoStory influencers is significantly higher, averaging 15%.

This high engagement rate is why influencers on KakaoStory are so effective at marketing.

However, it also means that brands need to deposit more cash in their accounts to get a post or story from a KakaoStory influencer.

KakaoStory influencers with a low engagement rate of less than 5% charge about 1 million won ($755) for a story.

But influencers with an engagement rate of over 15%, will charge between 2 million and 3 million won ($1,510 - $2,265).

💡 Pricing Based on Views

As stated earlier, some KakaoStory influencers charge based on the number of views they attract.

For example, influencers will charge a base fee of between 1.2 million and 1.5 million won ($900 - $1,130) for a story.

Then they will add 300,000 won ($225) for every 10,000 additional views beyond 10,000.

So if the total views are 40,000, the influencer will charge 1.2 million won for the first 10,000 views, and then 900,000 won ($675) for the next 30,000 views (3 x 300,000).

The total due will then be 3 million won ($2,265).

📊 Who is the Most Expensive Influencer on KakaoStory?

It’s one of K-pop supergroup BTS’s vocalists, Jungkook.

He charges 15 million won ($11,350) for a KakaoStory post. That’s a staggering amount to pay for a single post, but fans of BTS have shown they will pay anything for their idols.

In fact, BTS fans called ARMY have a history of donating money in Jungkook’s name to hospitals, charities, and for humanitarian causes.

🤝 Collaboration Models of KakaoStory Influencers

Just like pricing, the way influencers collaborate with brands to promote products varies widely. Here are the four most common sponsorship models:

📝 Sponsored Post

Sponsored posts are the backbone of influencer marketing. KakaoStory influencers will publish a post or story showcasing the sponsor’s product.

Depending on the influencer’s pricing model, brands must pay a fee to secure a sponsored post.

This price may vary widely based on the follower count or engagement rate of the influencer.

🚶‍♀️ Product Placement

KakaoStory influencers will also charge brands a fee to feature their products in a normal post or story.

This is slightly different from a sponsored post since there is no direct promotion of the product.

In other words, the KakaoStory influencer does not have to endorse or mention the brand in the caption.

👌 Creative Collaboration

Some KakaoStory influencers have a talent for video or photography.

They can charge fees to create content for brands.

This content can be licensed to the brand, who can use it across various marketing channels.

📢 Social Media Takeover

Finally, some brands will pay fees for KakaoStory influencers to take over their social media accounts.

This can include posts, stories, comments, and messages.

Social media takeovers by KakaoStory influencers are relatively rare, considering the high fees that brands must pay.

❗ Payment Methods for KakaoStory Influencer Marketing

KakaoStory influencers only accept one payment method: the KakaoPay mobile payment app.

KakaoPay is one of Korea’s most popular payment applications, with over 36 million active users and over 2.5 million merchants.

KakaoPay is also one of the most secure payment applications. It employs KYC verification and two-factor authentication with biometrics.

As a KakaoStory influencer, you can only receive payments through KakaoPay.

This security means your money is safe after you complete an influencer marketing deal.

And since the KakaoPay platform is tied to the Kakao ecosystem, there is less chance of fraud compared to PayPal.