Top Celebrity Influencers in 2023

Celebrities are perhaps the most influential people on social media. They easily create a strong online presence thanks to their huge fan base. For this reason, social media is flooded with celebrity influencers who partner with brands to promote a range of products. Whether it’s food and travel or hotels and vitamin supplements, celebrities reach wide audiences due to their established fame in various industries. Anyone ranging from athletes to models is the perfect match for brands to gain exposure and ensure the success of their marketing services.

Celebrity Influencers vs. Social Media Influencers

Nowadays, there is a fine line between celebrity influencers and social media influencers. What’s the difference? 

Celebrity influencers typically get their large followings outside of social media. They are famous for their professions, which usually come from industries such as sports and entertainment. From reality TV to live sporting events, celebrity influencers already have exposure on television, which is why they attract millions of followers on platforms like Instagram. This makes celebrity influencers an asset for brands who are seeking partnerships. 

Social media influencers get their colossal followings purely from social media. They are not traditional celebrities but have become famous due to their original and authentic content that receives constant media attention and loyal fans. Whilst celebrities normally have millions of followers, it is not unusual for social media influencers to have a minimum of 1000 followers. As a result, celebrity influencers are in danger of being dismissed in favour of social media influencers – their smaller followings and personable content is a cheaper option for brands, which still guarantees a large number of product sales. Celebrity influencers on Instagram are also less likely to engage with their audiences on an intimate level by reposting stories and replying to comments, which gives social media influencers a bit of an edge. However, social media influencers are known for specialising in niche content. Influencers such as fitness influencers and beauty influencers have a specific target audience, whereas celebrity influencers usually offer an extensive range of content, appealing to mass audiences. Ultimately, the type of exposure that brands can receive from celebrity influencers is unmatched. 

Some celebrities are considered the OG celebrity influencers on Instagram. Socialites such as the Kardashians are some of the first celebrities to utilise brand endorsements on this social network. This has inspired many people across social media to imitate these celebrity methods in order to grow their followers and become recognised as prominent social media influencers.   

Social media platforms can often be overwhelming in terms of finding the right celebrity influencers that align with a brand’s goals and values. As Instagram is one of the most popular social networks, we have produced a list of celebrity influencers who are a top priority for brands to collaborate with on this site.

The Top Celebrity Influencers on Instagram in 2021

1. Kylie Jenner

Image sourced from E! Online

As the youngest sister of the Kardashians, Kylie Jenner is a force to be reckoned with. At 23 years old, she is one of the world’s youngest billionaires. The socialite is also one of the highest-paid celebrity influencers on Instagram. With 212M followers, she reportedly earns over $1.2 million per sponsored post on the social media site. 

Kylie has created her own beauty collections, Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin, which have accumulated millions of likes on her Instagram page. In 2020, Kylie Skin collaborated with the coffee brand Alfred, with Kylie posting a photo of their coffees to her personal Instagram account. The post received just under 3 million likes and over 40,000 comments. The same picture was posted to Alfred’s Instagram account, which received three times the number of likes compared to their everyday content. This demonstrates that celebrity influencer marketing is clearly effective when partnered with a powerful celebrity influencer.

2. Cardi B

Image sourced from Elle

Cardi B is a rapper who rose to fame from her breakthrough single ‘Bodak Yellow’, which currently has 956M views on YouTube. She has since collaborated with artists such as Bruno Mars and Megan Thee Stallion. Before fame, Cardi B was already popular on social media, but gained more publicity after becoming one of the most successful female rappers in the industry. 

She is due to release new colourways of her Club C Cardi and Club C Double footwear collection with Reebok. This collaboration was posted online to her 81.6M Instagram followers. The initial release in October 2020 sold out in just 18 hours. The post received over 5 million likes, making Cardi B one of the best celebrity influencers on Instagram.

3. The Rock

Image sourced from IndieWire

Dwayne Johnson AKA The Rock is one of the most famous people on Instagram. He is currently the highest-paid actor in the world, which makes Instagram an ideal influencer marketing platform for reaching out to distinguished celebrities such as himself.  

The former wrestler turned actor has 214M Instagram followers. Each sponsored post earns him over $1 million, with each post receiving at least 1 million likes. As a fitness fanatic, he is known to promote brands within that industry. His collaboration with fitness brand Under Armour has proved successful, after his Project 1 Sneaker sold out in less than 24 hours. The partnership also has its own hashtag, #ProjectRock, which has been used 262,000 times on Instagram.

4. Gigi Hadid

Image sourced from The Business of Fashion

As one of the highest-paid models on Instagram, Gigi frequently documents her daily life on the app. Having appeared in campaigns for fashion houses like Tom Ford, Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier, she has attracted worldwide attention for her looks. 

She has 63.2M Instagram followers and is paid around $300,000 for each sponsored post. She became the global brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger in 2018, with the release of their own Barbie doll receiving over 1 million likes on Instagram. She has recently gone viral on social media for her Vodka pasta recipe, with millions of people across the world posting their versions of the recipe.

5. Kevin Hart

Image sourced from Pinterest

Comedic genius Kevin Hart is loved by the world for his stand-up comedy and film roles. He has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Ride Along. 

He has 103M Instagram followers, where fans can keep up to date with both his family and work life. Kevin is not just known for his comedic persona. He is sponsored by Fabletics, and frequently posts the brand’s menswear on his Instagram account. He makes over $500,000 for each sponsored post, proving him to be a powerful celebrity influencer.

Our Influencer marketing agency and Social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

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