Pricing of Collaborations with Korean Instagram Influencers
When it comes to influencer marketing, Korea is a formidable leader. With over 6 million influencers, Koreans are highly engaged with influencers across all platforms, especially Instagram, which boasts 9.5 million posts in Korea and is recognized as the go-to social media for brands looking to market to Korean consumers.
But if you’re an Indian brand looking to enter the discerning Korean market, how much would you expect to pay for a collaboration with a Korean Instagram influencer?
💸 Korean Instagram Influencer Pricing
Korean Instagram influencers can make anywhere between 50,000 KRW ($40) and 20,000,000 KRW ($15,000) for an Instagram post, depending on how popular they are. But unlike traditional marketing, influencer marketing pricing is not set in stone, and these figures can be highly variable.
The following rules of thumb can be used to estimate the pricing in 2025:
- Micro-Influencers (10K-100K followers): 50,000 KRW ($40) - 600,000 KRW ($500)
- Mid-Tier Influencers (100K-500K followers): 900,000 KRW ($750) - 1,500,000 KRW ($1,250)
- Mega-Influencers (500K-1M followers): 2,000,000 KRW ($1,670) - 5,000,000 KRW ($4,170)
- Giga Influencers (1M+ followers): 5,000,000 KRW ($4,170) - 20,000,000 KRW ($15,000)
📈 High Engagement Equals High Fees
The classic pricing model for influencer marketing is based on the number of followers an influencer has. However, this is not the only factor that dictates pricing. Korean Instagram influencers are aware that getting engagement on Instagram is far more difficult than on other platforms.
Korean brands know this as well. As a result, Korean Instagram influencers are able to charge a higher premium for engagement on their posts.
To give you an idea of how this works, let’s analyze the influencer pricing of a popular Korean Instagram influencer marketing agency, Connery.
Connery’s Pricing Model
Connery charges a base price of 1 million KRW ($830) for 100K followers, with an upcharge of 5,000 KRW ($4) for each additional follower. This means a Korean Instagram influencer with 300K followers would charge Connery 1,000,000 KRW ($830) + (5,000 * 200) = 2 million KRW ($1,670).
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. For every 1% engagement over 4%, Connery ups the price by 10%. Therefore, if a Korean Instagram influencer has 5% engagement, which is 1% over the standard 4%, Connery would charge 10% more. Following this model, a Korean Instagram influencer with 100K followers and 5% engagement would charge 1,000,000 KRW ($830) + 10% = 1,100,000 KRW ($920).
Cost Per Engagement
Another agency, Fabulist, follows a similar pricing structure. They charge a base price of 940,000 KRW ($780) for a Korean influencer with 100K followers and 4% engagement. For every additional 1% engagement over the standard 4%, Fabulist charges 180,000 KRW ($150).
Following this model, a Korean Instagram influencer with 300K followers and 5% engagement would charge:
- 940,000 KRW ($780) + 180,000 KRW ($150) + (180,000 * 2) = 1,480,000 KRW ($1,230)
The following chart summarizes two different pricing models used by two different influencer marketing agencies in Korea.
| Connery | Fabulist | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Price (100K followers) | 1 million KRW ($830) | 940,000 KRW ($780) |
| Up charge per 1K followers | 5,000 KRW ($4) | N/A |
| Charge for every extra 1% engagement over 4% | 10% | 180,000 KRW ($150) |
| Final Price (300K followers, 5% engagement) | 2 million KRW ($1,670) | 1,480,000 KRW ($1,230) |
📊 Future Trends
The future will be bright for Korean Instagram influencers and their pricing models.
According to statistics from Statista, 83% of marketers consider influencer marketing effective. At the same time, a separate study reported that 20% of customers claim that recommendations from Instagram influencers influence their purchasing decisions.
As a result, Instagram influencer marketing spend is expected to rise from 34 billion KRW ($28.2 million) in 2023 to 50.3 billion KRW ($41.6 million) by 2025.
✔️ Wrapping Up
Influencer marketing in Korea is being led by Instagram. The popularity of Korean influencers on the platform means they are able to charge a premium for their collaborations, and with continued growth in marketing spend in this area, we expect that premium to keep rising.
So if you’re an Indian brand looking to enter the lucrative Korean market, you’re going to have to pay to play.