TikTok vs Instagram vs YouTube: Which Platform Wins for Influencer ROI?

Influencer marketing platforms vary widely in their capabilities. Today, we'll take you through one of the most critical areas of analysis: their return on investment (ROI).   

If you're thinking about running an influencer campaign on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, but you're unaware of how much it might cost, this piece is for you. 

We'll be crunching the numbers to help you find the right home for your influencer efforts and budget. Let's get into it.  

Understanding influencer marketing platforms 

While ROI is crucial, there are several key factors to evaluate when selecting the ideal influencer marketing platform for your needs. 

Content format 

Determine the type of content you wish to produce. Are you focusing on visually appealing images or dynamic videos? Decide whether short-form content like 10-second clips or more in-depth demonstrations align with your strategy. 

Audience 

Identify your target demographic. Understanding the typical audience profile of each platform is essential. 

Goals 

Clarify your primary objectives. Are you aiming to drive website traffic or boost sales? Are you launching a new product or leveraging influencers to enhance brand visibility and recognition? 

Awin’s influencer experts recently discussed the importance of setting the right KPIs in our webinar with LTK, Vamp, Influence Network, and The Room.  

Each of these three factors is much more important than selecting a social network based on industry benchmarks for ROI. However, getting a rough idea of your return can help when it comes to getting approval for your campaign. 

How to calculate ROI from influencer marketing platforms 

As aforementioned, whether you're running influencer campaigns on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, it still pays to have an idea of ROI for benchmarking purposes.  

This very simple calculation allows you to plug in your numbers and obtain a rough figure. 

(Total Revenue - Total Costs) / Total Costs) x 100 = ROI (percentage) 

Using this method, if our revenue was $5,000 and our costs were $4,000, we'd have an ROI of 25%, or a 4:1.  

That's useful after you know how much revenue you've generated, but how do you know what to expect?  

Using aggregated data from sources like Hootsuite, Influencer Marketing Hub, Meltwater, and input from Awin's influencer marketing specialists, let's map out your return on three key social platforms.  

How much ROI can you generate from TikTok influencer marketing? 

Key considerations 

TikTok's bite-sized videos offer rapid engagement and vast reach. Your ability to generate ROI depends on choosing the right creators, crafting compelling initial hooks, and providing straightforward calls to action.  

As TikTok aims to make it simple for users to quickly scroll through their content, it's crucial to be concise and impactful to capture their attention. Otherwise, they’ll swipe away. 

TikTok fee benchmarks and outcomes 

TikTok might be a content-first platform, but it's always been a go-to for brands looking to reach a younger demographic. A study from Dentsu shows it delivers one of the highest short-term ROIs for advertisers, with an impressive average of 11.8. That's far higher than the 8.7 managed by the other channels tracked as part of the same survey. 

Here is a rough idea of costs per TikTok post: 

• Nano influencers (<1,000 followers): $5 - $25 per post 
• Micro influencers (1,000 - 100,000 followers): $25 - $125 per post 
• Macro influencers (100,000 - 1 million followers): $1,250 - $2,500 per post 

By cross-referencing this data with ROI benchmarks from Magic Numbers, the average return for each creator type on TikTok is as follows: 

• Nano influencers (x18 ROI): $90 - $450 per post
• Micro influencers (x6 ROI): $150 - $750 per post 
• Macro influencers (x5 ROI): $6,250 - $12,500 per post 

Don't forget, these figures are based on rough benchmarks for ROI and every influencer campaign is different. You should in no way expect $12,500 from every $2,500 investment on a TikTok post. However, by mixing short, attention-grabbing concepts with clear calls to action, you can maximize your return. 

How much ROI can you generate from Instagram influencer marketing? 

Key considerations 

Instagram influencer marketing blends community and commerce. Its Grid posts, Reels and Stories create shoppable moments that move audiences from inspiration to action.  

You have a little more time to play with on Instagram than you do on TikTok, but it's still important to get to the point quickly and effectively.   

Instagram fee benchmarks and outcomes  

Though returns vary according to your industry, particularly in B2B vs B2C, a good return from an Instagram ad is around 3:1. It's a lot lower than the estimates for TikTok influencer marketing, but it still shows its compatibility with advertiser goals.  

Now let's take a look at the typical costs per Instagram post:  

• Nano influencers (<1,000 followers): $10 - $100 per post 
• Micro influencers (1,000 - 100,000 followers): $100 - $500 per post 
• Macro influencers (100,000 - 1 million followers): $5,000 - $10,000 per post 

By cross-referencing this data with ROI benchmarks from Magic Numbers, the average return for each creator type on Instagram is as follows: 

• Nano influencers (x18 ROI): $180 - $1,800 per post
• Micro influencers (x6 ROI): $600 - $3,000 per post 
• Macro influencers (x5 ROI): $25,000 - $50,000 per post 

While these benchmarks serve as a rough guide, your actual return on Instagram is driven by engagement quality (saves, comments), on‑brand storytelling, and creating a frictionless path to purchase. 

How much ROI can you generate from YouTube influencer marketing? 

Key considerations 

YouTube combines intent, trust and evergreen discoverability. In YouTube influencer marketing, content continues attracting views through search and recommendations, compounding ROI over time.  

Audiences on YouTube also have much longer attention spans, giving you more room to relay your message. 

YouTube fee benchmarks and outcomes 

Studies show reliably strong click-through rates on YouTube ads, especially against shorter-form platforms like TikTok. That means you could stand to generate a higher ROI from this platform, even if you have to pay more.   

In terms of influencer marketing, here is a rough guide of your cost per post: 

• Nano influencers (<1,000 followers): $20 - $200 per post 
• Micro influencers (1,000 - 100,000 followers): $200 - $1,000 per post 
• Macro influencers (100,000 - 1 million followers): $10,000 - $20,000 per post 

By cross-referencing this data with ROI benchmarks from Magic Numbers, the average return for each creator type on YouTube is as follows: 

• Nano influencers (x18 ROI): $360 - $3,600 per post
• Micro influencers (x6 ROI): $3,600 - $6,000 per post 
• Macro influencers (x5 ROI): $50,000 - $100,000 per post 

Returns on YouTube can be higher than other social platforms. Time is the advantage here, as users may still find influencer-supported content months or years after it’s posted.  

Which influencer marketing platforms are right for you? 

It’s fun to speculate about how much your influencer marketing could deliver, but a word of warning: do not choose a social platform based on a rough guide of your ROI. Choose it based on your distinct objectives and preferences. 

Each of the three options above has its strengths: 

• Short‑form video (TikTok): Designed for immediacy, discovery and high shareability for rapid awareness and fast‑moving offers. TikTok influencer marketing is characterized by quick reach, frequent iterations and momentum‑driven campaigns. 

• Visual‑first feeds (Instagram): Interested in lifestyle storytelling, aesthetic consistency and community dialogue? Try Instagram influencer marketing. Carousel posts, Reels and shopping features support the full funnel, from inspiration to conversion. 

• Long‑form video (YouTube): Depth, authority and evergreen searchability make YouTube influencer marketing a solid long-term investment. It's best for product education, reviews and tutorials that influence higher‑consideration purchases. 

How do you track ROI from influencer marketing platforms? 

Of course, it’s all well and good picking a social network, recruiting a team of influencers, and forecasting a return of $1,000 per post. But you need a way of actually tracking your spend back to real results.  

According to research from CreatorIQ, nearly half of marketers (43%) experience challenges measuring a return on their influencer marketing efforts. That’s where Awin comes in. 

Find pre-vetted creators for any niche on our global network, share your campaign assets and creative briefs, generate trackable links, and use flexible commissioning models to set up ROI-friendly campaigns. Track and manage everything via our platform, or tap into an even broader selection of tools and insights through our integrations with several specialist influencer marketing platforms. The choice is yours.