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Digital PR · Published January 21, 2020

Ronn Torossian
Founder & Chairman, 5W

Kylie Jenner: Highest Paid Instagram Influencer

kylie jenner posing for a photo in a white dress
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Self-made billionaire Kylie Jenner had much to celebrate in 2019, and being the highest paid influencer of Instagram was likely on the list. As the former majority owner of Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie is one of the most influential people in the online beauty industry. Her Instagram posts have been valued at over one million dollars in traditional ad spending.

Highest Paid Influencer on Instagram

Somewhat surprisingly, Kylie is the first member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan to hit such a milestone; Kim Kardashian still only makes a mere $910,000 per post. Moreover, Kylie’s engagement rate between her 157 million followers is through the roof, and she posted Instagram’s most-liked picture ever when she announced the name of her daughter, Stormi. In less than a day, the post had raked in 13.7 million likes and close to 500,000 comments. "Influencer valuations move up and down like the stock market, but Kylie is methodical about consistently generating aspirational content for her social audience, without jeopardizing authenticity,” reads a statement by D'Marie Analytics CEO Frank Spadafora. “Her use of social media to personally connect with and listen to her fans enables her to deliver products they will actually purchase. This is a true case study for how brands can greatly benefit from working with social media influencers like Kylie,” he continues.

Kyle Jenner IG Strategy

Perhaps Kylie’s greatest impact as an Instagram Influencer has been enjoyed by her own beauty start-up, Kylie Cosmetics. In 2015, Kylie released her own line of Kylie Lip Kits, which were more or less a make-up tool to help customers achieve Kylie’s signature full lips. To say her Kylie Lip Kits were a hit is a vast understatement; they sold out in minutes, and Kylie went on to create an entire cosmetics brand as a result. In 2017, Kylie Cosmetics was born. Kylie’s heft on Instagram proved an invaluable tool to the firm’s initial exposure and growth, with the rising star hitting the digital marketing jackpot with her series of Instagram stories and posts that detailed her own application of Kylie Cosmetics products. The company now has more than 22.8 million followers on Instagram, and a recent video of the “KC Family” attracted more than 1.3 million views.

Kylie Jenner Cosmetics

Last year, Kylie announced that she had sold 51% of the Kylie Cosmetics brand to Coty, a multinational cosmetics company that already represents some of the world’s most recognisable beauty brands, from Rimmel to Gucci. Having been in the business for more than one hundred years, there is the expectation that Coty will help grow Kylie Cosmetics into a global brand beyond Kylie’s own Instagram platform. Even then, Kylie’s Instagram presence is no less valuable to the future of Kylie Cosmetics. This week, the billionaire CEO posted photos of the Kylie Cosmetics’ headquarters to her Instagram story, and the ensuing online dissection of the images proved to be invaluable exposure to the brand. Whether using her reign to promote other brands or her own, Kylie looks more than comfortable in the Instagram hot seat.
Ronn Torossian

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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