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In a month, how much does an Instagram influencer with around 20,000 followers make?

Mary Margaret Boudreaux chose to "go all in" with her own social media presence in March 2021, after a year working at a marketing agency handling social strategy for clients.

She had been considering becoming a creator for about five years, but a variety of things prohibited her from "taking it seriously," she told Insider. She was terrified of being judged, and she wasn't sure she could take the time commitment, she explained.

However, the more time she spent in college studying social strategy and working in social media marketing, the more she was surrounded by other creators' success stories.

"I was thinking, 'OK, this could really go someplace,'" she explained. "It's working for the rest of them."

She first resolved to establish a more substantial presence on TikTok and Instagram. She started posting five TikTok videos per day, ten to twelve Instagram stories per day, one Instagram feed post per day, and one to three Reels videos each day.

It's a lot, but Boudreaux says she's learned that consistency is the key to her success.

She didn't make any money between March and June of last year. She was earning around $600 per month by July.

Then, in November, her popularity skyrocketed. She surpassed 10,000 Instagram followers, and because to the holiday season, when corporations boost up sponsorships, she was able to make significantly more, according to Boudreaux.

She considers content creation to be a full-time career while being a student at Savannah's College of Art and Design. She now has around 20,000 Instagram followers and 27,000 TikTok followers.

From November 2021 to January 2022, Boudreaux earned the following amount. With the documentation she provided, Insider was able to verify this information.

Month Earnings 

November     $1,960

December     $5,300

January        $8,300

Boudreaux's earnings came from a variety of sources.

The most money was made by partnering with brands. She made roughly $10,210 from brand sales in three months.

She learned how to negotiate and started charging for her material after working for a few months in exchange for things with some of her favorite small companies and local stores. She now charges $900 for a single brand deal. According to Boudreaux, the majority of transactions — roughly 80% — are for Instagram, with a minor fraction of collaborations taking place on TikTok.

The Instagram Reels incentive is a fantastic source of money right now, according to Boudreaux, but with fluctuating rates and a hazy future — creators have expressed frustration with the program's lack of transparency — it's not very trustworthy.

"I know others who have had it before and were not offered a second round," she said. She's completed three rounds so far and earned a total of $1,451 in incentives.

She's also expanded her reach beyond TikTok and Instagram.

She has created a virtual storefront on Amazon as part of the Amazon Influencer Program, and she earns a fee every time a user orders anything using a personalized link she offers. In three months, the storefront brought in slightly over $2,000 for her.

One-on-one tutoring with other small producers who require help breaking into the market, for which she costs $50 per session, is another growing source of money for her.

Boudreaux has made it a point to be open about her earnings once she started generating more money as a creative. She gives advice on monetizing content, landing brand collaborations, and growing on TikTok and Instagram.

"I believe that money in the influencing sector is kept under wraps, and no one likes to discuss prices," she stated. "So my ultimate goal in sharing all of my experience is to become the person I lacked when I initially started out."

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