Threads Influencer Advertising Costs in Japan

In Japan, campaigns that utilize Threads influencers can be quite expensive. The top influencers charge outwardly high prices, which is a positive sign since charging high increases the influencer’s perceived value.

However, the costs can easily scare off brands, especially smaller brands.

📊 Prices of Threads Influencers in Japan

Although most of their rates are hidden from public view, we at BaoLiba have done extensive research on their prices. The estimates we came up with are as follows:

• Macro Influencers: $1,000 to $5,000

• Mid-Size Influencers: $200 to $500

• Micro Influencers: $50 to $150

• Nano Influencers: $25 to $50

Generally speaking, the rates of influencers in Japan are among the highest in the world when you compare them to the rates of influencers from other countries.

This is especially true for macro influencers whose prices start from a flat rate of $1,000. Thus, if you want to work with a Japanese influencer with more than a million followers on Threads, expect to fork out at least $1,000.

👨‍💻 Walnuts Are Expensive Nuts

This high pricing is not surprising at all since Japanese influencers are known to charge high prices. They charge high prices largely because it is part of their culture to oversell themselves.

In Japan, when someone is selling something or advertising their services, they will always inflate their price, so as to appear more valuable. 

This is a cultural nuance known as ’tatemae’ or ‘honne’. In the twee industry it is exemplified by the pricing of Japanese influencers.

Tatemae refers to the principle of projecting a statement or action that is at odds with you true feelings or wants. In this case, Japanese influencers boost their prices, which are incongruous to their actual worth (their audience and engagement rates).

Honne is the opposite. It refers to the principle of being honest with your true feelings and wants. If the Japanese influencers mirrored their underlying value in their prices, they would only charge a fraction of what they are charging.

📱 How to Engage Japanese Threads Influencers

Japanese influencers can be engaged by sending them a DM on Threads. They will usually reply very quickly and will tell you their rates upfront.

This means that you will know how much you will have to pay before you commit to working with them.

Also, most influencers in Japan actually have their prices on their profiles. This saves you the trouble of jumping into their DMs.

💵 Payment Methods

The following are the payment methods you can use to pay Japanese Threads influencers:

• Cash: You can pay in cash. This is still a common practice in Japan. 

• Bank Transfer: You can pay by wire transfer. This is probably the easiest and most common way to pay Japanese influencers.

• PayPal: Some influencers also accept payment via PayPal.

• Remittances: Remittance services like Western Union are also acceptable payment methods.

🛑 Legal Status of Influencer Marketing in Japan

Like in many developed countries, influencer marketing is legal in Japan.

However, there are regulations that marketers must adhere to or risk penalties. These regulations are aimed at protecting consumers from misinformation and outright fraud.

One consumer protection regulation that marketers must adhere to is the FTC endorsement guidelines that require influencers to disclose their relationship with a brand when they create promotional posts.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Japan (ASAJ) advises influencers to be transparent and disclose paid collaborations.

They require influencers to do this via captions. For instance, a Japanese influencer can write ‘advertisement’ or ‘advertised’ above the post.

Other acceptable forms include using hashtags like ‘#sponsored’, ‘#paid_ad’, ‘#paid’, or ‘#ad’ in the body of the post.

An influencer can also use images to disclose their relationship with a brand. For example, they can use a sticker banner that reads ‘ad’ or ‘advertisement’.

🎉 Conclusion

Japanese Threads influencers are quite expensive. However, they reflect this high price with a large audience, high levels of engagement, and high-quality deliverables.

You should reach out to at least three influencers so that you can have options to choose from when deciding who to work with.