The Value of a Kendall Jenner Instagram Is Astonishing

Lauren Tuck
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Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid take a selfie backstage at Balmain. Photo: Instagram

Kendall Jenner ruled Instagram in 2015. She became the most followed model (43.9 million — her sister Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift have just a few more), has the most popular post of the year with 3.3 million likes, as well as the highest liked throwback. So really it should come as no surprise to learn in the age of social media supermodels that product placement with @kendalljenner comes at a costly premium. According to CR Fashion Book, the Estee Lauder model, as well as her peers Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid, receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single post.

With the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star reportedly the highest earner, Delevingne and Hadid are close behind, with the models, in descending order reportedly “valued between $125,000 and $300,000 for a single post across their portfolio.” A former casting director, Frank Spadafora, explained that “if you want to reach a model’s audience, you’re going to have to pay a hefty additional fee for that.“

Those three are certainly at the high end of the spectrum, but even Karlie Kloss, Behati Prinsloo, and Miranda Kerr can charge $25,000 to $50,000 for a share on different portfolios.

It’s obvious that as a model these days, creating a powerful brand requires more than just walking in runways and booking ad campaigns. In fact, it seems that in order to even get those jobs and contracts, an established army of supporters is a requirement.

For Hadid, who isn’t your traditional model, she’s been able to reach the upper echelons of the industry — walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, scoring a Maybelline deal — because of her popularity with the tuned-in audience. Delevingne, who has 23.9 million followers, was even able to parlay her modeling career into an acting one.

It’s a good lesson for up-and-comers: start sharing your #tbts, #ootds, and brunch pics now.

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