“Are you here for the right reasons?” is a question a contestant asks on just about every season of The Bachelor. It’s no secret that while some ladies sign up for “the right reasons,” many step out of the limo for the clout and B-list celebrity stardom.
Throughout the run of The Bachelor (and The Bachelorette), well-liked, popular, or highly controversial contestants have received a slice of the limelight—and plenty of cash.
Even if they walk away from the show brokenhearted, contestants also usually walk away with a massive increase in Instagram followers and Instagram contracts with brands that pay per post. Season after season, we’ve watched contestants go from small-town sweethearts to full-blown LA-based Instagram influencers.
This got us thinking: How much can contestants on The Bachelor actually earn per Instagram post? We cracked our knuckles and did the math to find out.
Methodology
To start, we sifted through The Bachelor contestants from seasons twenty-three and twenty-four with public Instagram accounts. From there, we used Influencer’s Marketing Hub to find each contestant’s average like rate, estimated engagement rate, follower count, and estimated earnings per post (since there’s no way to completely know how much each brand pays them per post).
To calculate how much a contestant’s Instagram following had increased during the season, we used information from Cabletv.com and Bustle. Turns out the average percentage follower increase of each contestant from the start of a season to the end was a massive 11,403%.
Since influencers are paid based on their follower count and engagement rate, we analyzed their current estimated earnings. All data was based on the follow and engagement rate each contestant had prior to the show.
Interesting Findings
• Hannah Brown, a fan favorite in season twenty-three, averages anywhere from $5,260–$8,767 per sponsored Instagram post. With 2,600,000 followers, she has the most followers of any contestant from the past two seasons, and she has the highest number of average likes (292,988).
• Madison and Hannah Ann, the final two contestants on The Bachelor season twenty-four, may have been neck-and-neck for Peter’s heart, but Madison’s average likes count of 211,096 was more than double Hannah Ann’s (100,274).
• By the end of the season, almost every contestant on The Bachelor season twenty-four had over 3,000 Instagram followers, qualifying them as micro-influencers (typically someone with anywhere from 3,000 to 50,000 followers). Small creators, as they’re dubbed, can earn anywhere from $100 to $2,000 per post, plus brand products and swag.
• Victoria Fuller, a contestant on season twenty-four, currently has the highest estimated engagement rate of any contestant from either season (13.8%). She has a higher engagement rate than Madison Prewett (11.73%), even though Madison was the favorite to win and Victoria was the season’s villain.
• After each season of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, many Bachelor alums move to the greater Los Angeles, CA, area. Hannah Ann moved to LA after her season, Cassie Randolph followed Colton Underwood, and Becca Tilley planted her roots there too.
• While there’s no rhyme or reason for why former contestants make the move to LA, it’s clear that once you’re in the Bachelor world, you’re in it for the long haul. Many alums end up on Bachelor in Paradise too—a PG-13 spin-off of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
How to Watch the Final Rose
Want to gear up for the next season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? Don’t miss a moment of tears, champagne-stealing, or dramatic two-on-ones—find a way to stream on AT&T TV.
