Earlier this month, Instagram scheduling tool, Hooper HQ, released their 2018 Instagram Rich List.
The list uses internal and publicly available data to reveal the highest paid celebrities and influencers on the platform, with Huda Beauty coming out on top for the second year in a row.
With her 26 million followers, Huda can reportedly charge $33,000 (£25,141) per post. Another influencer who made the list is 19-year-old American YouTuber James Charles, earning a reported $9,750 (£7,430) per post.
While it's important to bear in mind these figures are only estimates, they don't take into account the money influencers earn from Adsense on their YouTube videos, sponsorship opportunities with brands, collaborations and merchandise etc.
James Charles however, has taken to Twitter to argue that not only are we way underestimating how much YouTubers actually earn, but that compared to traditional 'celebrities', there is a YouTube pay gap.
In his thread, James compared YouTubers to "typical celebrities" stating that YouTubers bring the "same assets" to the table when it comes to number of followers, influence to sell products and press coverage. With the only difference being the "pay gap" and lack of respect by brands and media.
Everyone's clicking on...
It appears that James clearly struck a nerve, as other people including influencers were quick to support him.
However, not everyone shared the same opinion.
In terms of the new era of celebrity, James makes a valid point. One of the reasons that celebrity perfume is dying, is because teenagers today idolise a new breed of 'celebrity'. You only have to watch a YouTube video of Jeffree Star being escorted out of a shopping centre by police due to crowds of screaming girls, to understand that.
The reach of YouTube is pretty phenomenal, it's reported that 97% of all 18-24 year olds in the UK use the site. However, if a brand is looking to target older audiences, 'traditional celebrity' endorsements might have more impact.
One thing's for sure, there are plenty of pay gaps in the world that need to be discussed, but we're pretty sure the one between celebs v YouTubers is somewhere near the bottom.
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Laura is a former writer for Cosmopolitan UK, covering everything beauty and fashion related and specialises in makeup, plus-size fashion and the world of YouTube. Her favourite pastime is reminding everyone of that one time she met Charlie Hunnam and Jason Momoa. Please don't ask to see the pictures...
