🔥 Are UK TikTok influencers making bank in South Africa?💸

The UK is home to some of the world’s most famous TikTok influencers.

Despite having a population of only 67-million, the UK has produced a flock of stars on the short-form video platform.

With a user base of over 1.4 billion, TikTok is a natural fit for the South African marketing landscape – and UK TikTok influencers are ready to help South African brands reach that market.

But how much does it cost to hire a UK TikTok influencer, and are they making bank from South Africa when they are marketing a product?

Below, we’ll take a look at how much UK TikTok influencers charge for marketing in South Africa, and how that rate compares to local influencers.

🏷️ How much do TikTok influencers charge per post in South Africa?

When we first took a look at influencer marketing in South Africa, we found that a local TikTok influencer with an audience of around 100,000 can expect to earn between R1,500 and R8,000 per post.

When it comes to charges for UK influencers, figures are more vague. UK TikTok influencers do not typically share their charges publicly, and rates can vary wildly based on audience size, platform engagement, and how hot the influencer is at the time of the query.

In general, UK TikTok influencers can charge between $400 and $6,000 (R7,200 to R107,000) per post, with the average being around $800 (R14,400).

Using the ‘R1,500 to R8,000’ average for local influencers, we can estimate that UK influencers charge about 3x more than South African influencers of equal standing.

🏷️ What is the likely cost of hiring a UK TikTok influencer overnight?

There’s also been a major uptick in companies recruiting UK social media influencers that are willing to travel to South Africa, stay in luxury accommodation, and decorate their bodies and property with their branding.

For example, a recent promotional shoot for a Bitcoin exchange featured the British influencer Jack Wright, who is renowned for stunts made with his friends.

Reports indicate that US-based CryptoGlobe paid Wright $20,000 (R360,000) to fly to Johannesburg and perform various TikTok dance challenges at the city’s iconic sites.

Then there’s the tattooing of Bitcoin’s logo on Wright’s right arm which bespoke artist Josh Muirson worked on for about 63 hours over an undetermined amount of time.

It’s likely that there will be additional costs required to cover the influencer’s companion’s travel and accommodation fees, as well as ensure that they are entertained throughout their stay.

In addition to the €40,000 (R800,000) paid to the popular French influencer Léna Situations, for promoting Louis Vuitton in her TikTok and Instagram feed, one of the company’s executives reportedly also paid €20,000 (R400,000) to books rooms at the hotel where the influencer was staying for the same promo period.

In our research, we also discovered that visiting UK social media influencers often charge daily rates such as between $1,000 and $2,500 (R18,000 to R45,000) for spending the day with their fans.

In 2021, it was reported that the influencer Lizzi Cuppy charged N1,500,000 (R30,000) for her fans to spend just a day with her.

Cuppy’s brand was strong enough to even command such an amount late in the year when she was already firmly branded as a 2021 flop.

🏷️ How likely is a UK TikTok influencer to cheat me?

The market for influencers is highly competitive, and UK influencers are not above taking liberties for the financial reward – that’s a given in influencer marketing no matter where your brand is located.

While we are not claiming that every UK influencer is a charlatan, we’d advise South African brands to be mindful of the risks involved in marketing via an overseas influencer.

Fake followers

One way an influencer can inflate their appeal is by buying followers.

The site Klear estimates that 32% of UK influencers have fake followers.

While this is about 4% less than South African influencers – at 36% – when you’re paying big bucks for an overseas influencer, it can be a painful shock to discover that one-third of their audience is not actually connected to their brand.

Fake engagement

According to HubSpot, 65% of UK influencers submit false analytics to brands.

This sends up a red flag when you think about how many South African brands could be being hoodwinked into hiring UK influencers who submit false analytics or performance rates.

Complain to UK influencer authority

As a South African brand, you have limited recourse should a UK influencer fail to deliver on their end after payment has been made.

While UK influencer marketing experts suspect that there’s still a brand of Wild West about this landscape, that could be advantageous if you’re a brand that is fully invested in developing your influencer strategy.

🏷️ Which factors determine how much UK TikTok influencers charge for marketing in South Africa?

While estimation can give an idea of how much TikTok influencers charge for marketing, calculations are typically based on a variety of factors.

The main factors that contribute to the marketing price of a TikTok influencer include likes, comments, followers, niche, and content.

Likes

The most important TikTok metric is engagement, and almost all engagement is defined by likes.

The more likes a TikTok marketing post receives, the more impact and recognition the influencer will have.

A TikTok influencers’ total number of likes typically contributes to their rate of marketing up to 60% of the formula.

Comments

Similar to likes, the number of comments on a TikTok video is an indicator of the marketing content’s popularity.

Because the number of comments a post receives can be less predictable than likes, brands should expect that only 1% to 2% of viewers will comment, and budget for that.

That said, comments should weigh about 10% in the calculations.

Followers

TikTok marketing posts are effective due to influencers’ followers being so loyal to them.

While TikTok influencers can have different levels of followers, a rough estimate is that brands can expect to pay R1,500 per 10K followers.

So an influencer with 100K followers is going to charge R15,000 for a marketing post, while an influencer with one million followers will charge around R150,000.

While audiences with a greater following typically yield a higher rate, it’s not always the case. Smaller influencers with a more niche audience can often be more effective than larger influencers with a more general audience.

Niche

Brands should consider the niche or category of an influencer.

Some niches deliver more qualified leads and purchases than others, which influences their rate.

For example, a niche TikTok influencer specializing in retro gaming may be able to charge more than a lifestyle influencer with millions of followers.

Content

The type of content an influencer creates has a direct impact on their rate.

A high-quality influencer who creates original content can earn more than a less-experienced influencer who relies mostly on user-generated content.

🏷️ Strategy for estimating costs of hiring a UK TikTok influencer for marketing in South Africa

Although there are factors that can yield variances, it’s still possible to create a marketing formula that businesses can use when budgeting for UK TikTok influencers.

Formula

A basic marketing cost formula for determining UK TikTok influencers can be expressed as follows:

Marketing Cost = (Number of Likes/1000 x 1.5) + (Number of Comments x 0.1) + (Number of Followers/10,000) + (Niche Value) + (Content Value)

Specifications

• Likes make up 60% of the marketing cost
• Comments make up 10% of the marketing cost
• Followers count for 30% of the marketing cost
• Niche: A niche value of 3 is given to high-converting niches, while a value of 1 is assigned to general niches.
• Content: A content quality value of 5 is given to high-quality influencers, while a value of 1 is assigned to low-quality content creators.

💷 Formula example

For example:

Likes: 100,000
Comments: 200
Followers: 50,000
Niche: 2
Content: 4

(100,000/1000 x 1.5) + (200 x 0.1) + (50,000/10,000) + (2 x 1) + (4 x 5) = £150 + £20 + £5 + £2 + £20 = £197

So, this example influencer would charge around £197 for a TikTok post.

💷 Estimated total cost of hiring a UK TikTok influencer

Now South African brands can use the marketing strategy above to estimate how much they can expect to pay for a UK TikTok influencer marketing post.

• If we take the middle figure from the previous estimates, we can approximate that it would cost R34,000 per marketing post.

• That’s little wonder given how competitive the UK influencer market is.

• If you want to reach the South African market by using one of those influencers, expect to pay up for the privilege.

🏷️ When working with UK TikTok influencers, can I expect to get my money back?

While the average marketing return on investment (ROI) for every dollar spent on influencers is $6.50 (R117.00), that’s an average.

The ROI for UK influencers can be even higher given the size of their marketing audience compared to local influencers.

According to the latest data from Q1 2023, the average user on TikTok spent 91.5 minutes per day on the app.

Contrast that with the average user on Instagram, which is 30.2 minutes per day, and you see why brands are investing in TikTok influencers.

Brands targeting Gen Z are especially eager to invest in TikTok influencer marketing.

According to reports, TikTok is the most popular social network among the 16-24 age category in the UK.

Furthermore, TikTok has also overtaken Instagram as the second most popular social media platform among the 25-34 age category, according to the latest studies.

That’s likely why 2023 estimates indicated that TikTok was expected to attract 29% of the influencer marketing budget in the UK this year.

🏷️ Are UK TikTok influencers in high demand in South Africa?

As mentioned, TikTok is a prime platform for influencer marketing, especially among the youth market that brands crave.

UK influencers do have a proven track record when it comes to helping brands penetrate international markets.

In fact, 65% of UK brands that have previously worked with influencers claim that they actually made purchases based on TikTok promotions, according to the latest studies.

That number is even higher than the average conversion rates of social media, which typically ranges between 1% and 3.5%.

🏷️ How can I find UK TikTok influencers for marketing in South Africa?

Brands looking to hire UK TikTok influencers for marketing in South Africa can turn to influencer marketing platforms like BaoLiba.

These online marketplaces allow brands to search for and contact potential influencers directly or through their agents, manage influencer campaigns, and analyze their performance for more effective future campaigns.

The influencer marketplace offers brands a choice of UK TikTok influencers, including those with large and niche followings.

🏷️ Conclusion

While hiring a UK TikTok influencer can be a costly exercise, they may offer a better conversion rate than local options, which makes them worth considering for South African brands targeting that market.

If you’re not sure where to begin, influencer marketing platforms like BaoLiba can help to connect you with the right influencer for your brand.