How food influencers make money

Alex Jewell is a Chicago-based principal software engineer for blockchain, financial, and decentralized technology at the institution.However, on Instagram, he is known as @Best Food Alex, and social media influencer specializing in food here in Chicago. He mostly covers local restaurants, occasionally reviews products, and manages to maintain a loyal following. Currently, he has over 32,000 of his Instagram followers.

His photographs are filled with oversaturated colors, stretchy cheese pulls, dripping cheeseburgers, and brightly colored drinks. It’s what makes you salivate and wonder if you’re hallucinating at times. We have a carefully calculated plan to make it happen. I spoke with Jewel on the phone to discuss the crux of how this whole influence works.

The Takeout: How did you start making an impact?

Alex Jewell: When I started, the term wasn’t very common yet. That goes back to his 2013, 2014, posting content for where he is. Since I was in a hospitality relationship, I naturally posted on Instagram where I was and what I was doing.

Around that time, people were moving away from traditional media sources and starting to follow people [on social media]Hashtags started to proliferate, and people looked up specific hashtags and locations to try to find food.

Then Nev [Schulman]from catfish [the TV show]came to DePaul and spoke [University], and I posted that photo, and he reposted that photo. And within that short amount of time, all of a sudden, I got all these followers. And what they were most interested in was food.

TO: Is that the case with other people as well?

AJ: I think it has changed dramatically. People are now creating brands with the intention of becoming influencers. Because we know the benefits. That contingent is not so common now. It was a bit more conventional, an organic process back then, but now it’s very intentional.

TO: How far in advance do you plan to post? Do you have a schedule?

AJ: It depends on what my contract is. If I sponsor content, there may be a timeline that I agree with.I will post these 3 stories of her on this day and post the reel [Instagram video] Posted the last 3 on this date [Instagram] story of the day. If it’s part of a broader campaign, sometimes I have to follow that agreement regardless of what my usual queues are.

So a lot of what I still post is still organic, something I want to eat, something I enjoy. If I get a free meal somewhere and really enjoy it and want to post content from there, I will post relatively quickly. That way, the restaurant knows I’ll be right there and back.

TO: Do I get anything in exchange for what I post?

AJ: Yeah it’s very common. Almost everything I post is compiled. And if a post marked as “advertising” or a “sponsored” hashtag or his official Instagram sponsored tag appears on a post, that’s where he actually gets paid.

TO: I’m assuming they pay pretty good salaries.

AJ: One thing to know about pricing is that it’s still kind of like the Wild West depending on which platform you’re posting to and who your client is.

Sometimes they come to you how much they are willing to pay and you have to decide if it fits your budget. There are many things to do. It depends.

TO: What is low end? What is high end?

AJ: In general, it also depends on the size of your followers and when you’re running a particular campaign. I charge between $600 and he $1,200 for a particular mail package.

This includes one or two feed posts. [Instagram] the story that accompanies it. An influencer of similar size may charge him $3-4,000 for the same thing. I know someone who charges a lot less, somewhere between $75 and $500, maybe a little less. There is a range.

You might have clients like Panera who come to you with a budget of $1,200 for two posts. Like Dunkin’, you may have clients who bring you more. I worked with the Chicago Bears who had a much larger budget but required a fair amount of extra work and travel. By taking a picture and posting it on the Internet, you can make a good profit.

TO: Do you approach people or do people approach you?

AJ: some people [influencers] When you try to get an advertiser’s attention, they may reach out directly and say they really like your product.

The reality is that if you post good content and post it consistently, advertisers will see some of your posts doing very well. Not necessarily, but seeing consistent growth and consistently high-quality content can help build a relationship with PR. [firms].

To be completely honest, I say no to more things than I say yes. And it’s a pretty constant stream of choices when building those PR relationships. If you are doing the right things, they will contact you often.

TO: Is this the code of ethics that good influencers follow?

AJ: There are various ideological camps. I think it’s probably a mixture of both. Personally, I don’t need to convert all the time because it’s a side income stream and I’m doing it for fun. So not making so much money on all the content allows me to be louder and more relaxed.

I’m not saying I’m against everyone reaching out to advertisers, but personally I don’t think you should if you’re doing the right thing.

TO: I want to build relationships with people I can trust.

AJ: exactly. I don’t want to be someone who’s always reaching out and asking to be paid for content. You’ve done such a great job with what you’ve created, and you want to be someone they think you deserve for their campaign.

TO: How many paid posts do you think you do on average?

AJ: In a month, I’m probably doing two or three. Those who work full-time may do so two, three times a week, or more. It depends on how much you want to squeeze out of it and how picky you are about alignment.

You may say no to many things that don’t resonate with your audience. In that case, it’s not a good match in terms of what the client’s returns will be. If they’re trying to sell protein bars, my followers aren’t following me for healthy food. [laughs].

It should be a successful campaign for your customers. You want your clients to see the rewards of working with you.