‘The Bachelorette’ Katie Thurston Hints at How Much She Gets Paid as an Influencer
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette leads don’t often talk about whether ABC pays them, but there’s no doubt contestants and leads alike make a solid income as influencers. Katie Thurston made a splash on Matt James’ season, and she then went on to star as the Bachelorette. More recently, she discussed how much past participants make as influencers.
‘The Bachelorette’ contestant Katie Thurston took to Instagram to talk about influencer earnings
Katie Thurston is well known for her stint as the lead of The Bachelorette. She and Blake Moynes from Tayshia Adams/Clare Crawley’s season hit it off as soon as he joined the cast, and they ultimately ended up together. Unfortunately, they’re not together anymore, but Katie found love with contestant John Hersey. While she’ll forever be known as a part of Bachelor Nation, she’s also joined the influencer lifestyle with many other alumni.
Reddit users saw Katie take to Instagram to talk about influencer life.
“I want to believe in the product if I’m promoting it,” Katie told a fan who questioned influencer authenticity. “I recently backed out of a lash deal after testing them out at a wedding and not feeling the cost and quality was worth it.”
As far as influencer income goes, Katie said many influencers “make six figures.” “Some can easily make a million if they say yes to everything,” she added. ” … While at first it was shocking to learn what brands pay, it’s still cheaper than other forms of marketing ….”
Is Katie Thurston rich? What to know about her income
With this in mind, where does Katie Thurston stand with her income? According to her posts, it seems she takes influencer deals she deems worthy. But she doesn’t take every brand that comes her way.
Refinery29 reports Sarah Boyd, the founder of the digital influencer agency Simply, says 100,000 followers brings in anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 per post. One million followers translates to about $10,000 per post. Katie has 881,000 followers, so she likely makes about $7,000 per post.
Katie told her followers that influencer life brings way more money than she needs. “I was perfectly happy in my middle-class career that I could always go back into,” she posted to Instagram, according to Reddit. “The influencer life provides more than necessary based on what my needs and wants are. However, I will be branching out once I’m legally allowed to.”
Additionally, Katie said she only spends two hours daily on social media, so she reaps the rewards of high payment without posting all day long.
We can’t forget that Katie likely earned a good chunk of money from starring as a lead in the ABC series. StyleCaster reports she likely made around $100,000 for two months of filming.
Do ‘Bachelor’ or ‘Bachelorette’ contestants get paid?
While the leads for The Bachelor and The Bachelorette receive payment, contestants do not. MarketWatch reports the contestants are responsible for their wardrobe and makeup in addition to no payment from the network. This can put a serious financial strain on anyone heading on the show for love.
“I had remortgaged my house, and I spent something like $8,000 on clothing,” Bachelor contestant Jillian Harris wrote. “Other contestants have been more thrifty, signing sponsorship deals with clothing labels or borrowing from friends.”
As for Bachelor in Paradise, the stars reportedly get paid either per day or per episode. This might come to about $7,000 to $15,000 per contestant each season — not enough money to make the show worth it for many past contestants.
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