Raking in the moolah- the social media way!

Branding and advertising on social media has its perks, as the digital space is currently one of the largest platforms booming with good content. Television celebrities enjoy being on social media, especially Instagram, to stay connected, gain followers, engage with fans but also as it is an alternate source of income for a lot of them. In a world commanded by digital presence, news gets viral every second and brands have found value in advertising on social media as it’s one of the fastest mode of communication.

A number of popular actors including Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, Hina Khan, Rashami Desai, Nia Sharma, Rithvik Dhanjani, Karan Wahi, among others often post about various brands including skin care, home décor, fitness, food, accessories, clothing and more. The appeal of a celebrity is measured by their number of followers. Actors with 1 to 5 million followers get R2.5 to 3 lakh for a post and R1.5 to 1.8 lakh for a story, ones between 5 to 10 million followers charge R3 to 3.5 lakh for a post and R2 to 3 lakh for a story, while those who have over 10 million followers get R4 to 5 lakh for a post and R3 to 3.5 lakh for a story.

“Charges for an Instagram story, post, repost from the client’s handle differ. Clients keep an eye on their likes posts get and the reach a post has in 24 hours to gauge the celebs worth,” says an industry insider. Shantanu Maheshwari, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, promotes perfumes, clothes to music videos and ensures that they are products that he can use and aren’t harmful in any manner.

He says, “The digital medium has become one of the biggest platforms for advertising and marketing just about anything and everything today. People are using the digital space a lot more than what it was being used a couple of years ago. From showcasing their products to promoting new businesses and so much more, the space is being widely used for reaching out to people across the world, as it has most eyeballs and traction at the moment.”

While some celebrities also get a lot of gifts from various brands who request them to post a story as barter. While many celebs indulge in them, depending on the brand, some others refuse. “Many mid-level or start-ups look for celebrities with leads of TV shows who are popular and currently in the news. Moreover, a number of celebs claim they were paid even if they post as barter. There have been times when a couple of celebrities promote one product and were paid different rates, due to their appeal and reach. For example, for a hair colour brand, one actor got R1.8 lakh for a video post while her contemporary got half the sum,” reveals the industry source.

Tinaa Dattaa, with 2.4 million followers, promotes jewellery, clothes and skin brands and chooses quality and authenticity. She shares, “Products I promote also need to have a connect with me but my followers. Social media is the right space to put your brand out there because connectivity and recall value is on all-time high!”

Shivangi Joshi admits she can’t promote a product just for the sake of it to her 3.3 million followers. She adds, “For me, the products’ quality and visibility is important. Since social media is used by all age groups nowadays, it is important to choose wisely. Quality over quantity is my mantra. I totally support the idea because with just one click, you can now convince a user for our products.”