ROI Benchmarks 2025: What $1 in Influencer Spend Delivers on TikTok, Instagram & Amazon

Influencer marketing isn’t just about likes – it’s about return on investment (ROI). E-commerce brands and creators alike want to know: if I put $1 into an influencer campaign, what do I get back? In 2025, influencer marketing has matured into a data-driven channel where we can actually measure this. On average, brands see about $5.20 in revenue for every $1 spent on influencer campaigns. But not all platforms are equal. TikTok, Instagram, and Amazon’s influencer program each have different strengths in spend efficiency. Let’s break down what $1 of influencer spend delivers on each platform – from median CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) and CPC (cost per click) to CPA (cost per acquisition) – and how you can maximize ROI using smart budget splits and AI forecasting tools.

Influencer ROI by Platform: TikTok vs Instagram vs Amazon

When it comes to ROI benchmarks in 2025, TikTok and Instagram offer solid returns, while Amazon’s influencer program can be a dark horse with performance-driven payouts. Here’s a quick comparison of what one dollar can typically deliver on each:

• TikTok 

Roughly 100 impressions per $1 (median CPM about $10) and ~1 click per $1 (CPC around $1). In terms of ROI, TikTok averages about $5.78 in revenue per $1 spent.  Its viral reach means huge impression counts for your spend, though conversion rates can be lower than Instagram’s.

• Instagram 

Approximately 80–100 impressions per $1 (CPM in the ~$8–12 range) and 2–5 clicks (CPC often $0.50 or below) for that $1. Thanks to higher purchase intent, brands get around $4.21 in revenue per $1 spent on IG influencer campaigns on average. Instagram’s audience tends to click through and convert more readily via features like “Shop Now”, giving it a slightly lower raw ROI than TikTok but often a better cost per acquisition.

• Amazon Influencer Program 

Rather than paying for impressions or clicks, brands typically pay affiliate commissions (1–20%) on sales. This means no upfront CPM/CPC cost – you only spend when a sale happens. Effective results? Often 5–15% conversion rates from influencer-driven Amazon traffic (much higher than social ads) and a CPA as low as a few dollars. For example, one DTC brand’s Amazon micro-influencer campaign generated $129,280 in sales on a ~$9,917 spend – about a 13× ROI (13 dollars back per $1)! Performance-based deals on Amazon can deliver double-digit ROI for brands, making each $1 extremely efficient.

These benchmarks show that $1 on Instagram tends to buy more clicks and conversions, while $1 on TikTok buys more eyeballs and awareness (often translating to higher top-line ROI). $1 on Amazon (via influencers) can be the most profit-efficient of all, since spending is tied directly to sales results. Your mileage will vary by industry – but understanding these baselines helps set realistic expectations for 2025 campaigns.

Rough ROI per $1 spent via influencers on each platform. TikTok averages ~5.8× return, Instagram ~4.2×, while Amazon’s affiliate-style model can yield 10×+ ROI in many cases (e.g. 13× in one campaign). These figures illustrate revenue multiplied per dollar invested.

Spend Efficiency Metrics: CPM, CPC, and CPA Benchmarks

How exactly do those ROI numbers come to be? Let’s dig into the spend efficiency metrics behind them:

• Cost Per Mille (CPM) 

TikTok’s median CPM is about $10 for influencer content, meaning $1 buys ~100 impressions. Instagram’s CPM is slightly higher (around $8–$12 on average) – so $1 might get ~83–125 impressions. Essentially, TikTok currently offers a bit cheaper reach per dollar, thanks to its viral algorithm boosting content beyond followers. Both are far cheaper than traditional ad channels. Amazon doesn’t have a CPM here since there’s no cost for impressions – influencer content could rack up thousands of Amazon page views at no charge to the brand.

• Cost Per Click (CPC) 

TikTok clicks cost more, around $1 each on average. Instagram’s cost per click is typically much lower – often $0.20–$0.50 in influencer campaigns (businesses report ~$0.40–$0.70 for IG ads). This means $1 of spend might drive 5 clicks on Instagram vs 1 click on TikTok. Why the difference? Instagram’s shoppable posts and older demographic convert curiosity into clicks more readily, whereas TikTok users engage quickly but may scroll past external links. Amazon again differs: you’re not paying per click at all – many Amazon influencer clicks are “free” traffic that only cost something if a purchase happens.

• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) 

Ultimately, CPA tells you how many dollars to get one customer. On TikTok, if we assume ~2% of those clicks convert, a $1 click and 1 in 50 converting yields a rough $50 CPA (just an illustrative median). Instagram, with cheaper clicks and perhaps a 4% conversion, could see CPAs more in the $10–$20 range. In fact, brands often see 30% lower CPA using influencer-generated content compared to their own ads. For Amazon, the CPA is effectively whatever commission or fee you pay per sale – which in many categories is just 3–10% of the sale price. For a $50 product at 5% commission, that’s a $2.50 CPA – incredibly cost-effective. No wonder Amazon influencer partnerships can achieve such high ROI!

In summary, Instagram is king of cost-efficient clicks and acquisitions, TikTok offers massive reach per dollar (and still solid ROI, due to its scale of impressions), and Amazon’s influencer program flips the model to pay purely for results (often yielding the lowest CPA). Savvy marketers will use each to their advantage: e.g. TikTok for awareness blasts, IG for driving traffic to shop, and Amazon for closing sales with minimal cost.

Median cost metrics for influencer campaigns on TikTok vs. Instagram in 2025. TikTok’s CPM ($10 per 1k impressions) is comparable to Instagram’s ($9 here, often $8–12). However, TikTok’s average CPC ($1.00) is higher than Instagram’s ($0.50 or less for link clicks). Bottom line: Instagram tends to deliver clicks more cheaply, stretching each $1 further in terms of driving traffic.

Tip: Don’t forget to factor in engagement and content value. A TikTok post that gets 100k views for $500 has a CPM of $5 – great. An Instagram Story that gets 200 swipe-ups for $500 has a CPC of $2.50 – also great. Both might yield a couple dozen sales. Beyond the immediate numbers, consider the quality of engagement (e.g. comments, saves) and how each platform’s audience fits your product. ROI isn’t just about cost, it’s also about alignment.

Budget Allocation Scenario: Maximizing ROI Across Platforms

Knowing the benchmarks, how can an e-commerce brand allocate budget to get the best bang for the buck? We’ve created a downloadable ROI scenario model (Excel/Google Sheet) where you can plug in your budget and see projected impressions, clicks, and sales from different platform mixes.

Imagine you have a $10,000 influencer budget for Q4 2025. Here’s a hypothetical split and outcome:

• Budget Split

50% to TikTok creators, 30% to Instagram influencers, 20% to Amazon influencers (affiliate commission or hybrid deals). This diversifies across the funnel – TikTok for awareness, IG for traffic, Amazon for conversions.

• Projected Outputs

TikTok ($5k) → ~500k impressions, ~5k clicks, ~100 sales (assuming 2% conversion). Instagram ($3k) → ~300k impressions, ~15k clicks, ~300 sales (assuming 2% conversion but higher intent). Amazon ($2k in free product commissions) → let’s say 200 sales directly attributed (since you only pay when a sale happens!).

• Estimated ROI

TikTok might generate ~$5k–$6k in revenue (near 1:1 ROI in this scenario, given many impressions but fewer conversions). Instagram’s 300 sales at an average order value (AOV) of $30 would yield ~$9k (3:1 ROI). Amazon’s 200 sales at $30 AOV yield $6k revenue – and because spend was just product samples/commission, that’s roughly 3:1 immediate ROI – not counting the lasting boost in Amazon ranking and organic sales that often follow. Overall, the blended $10k campaign would drive about $20k+ in direct sales, a healthy 2:1 blended ROI, plus tons of brand exposure on TikTok.

In the downloadable model, you can tweak assumptions like conversion rates and AOV to fit your business. The key is to balance your spend: high-ROI channels (Amazon/IG) with high-reach channels (TikTok) to both drive sales and grow your brand. Many brands find an optimal mix where TikTok fills the top of the funnel, and Instagram/Amazon capture the intent and purchases – yielding an overall ROI well above 1:1.

AI Forecasting Tools: Improving ROI Predictability & Cost Control

One of the biggest game-changers for 2025’s influencer campaigns is the rise of AI-powered forecasting and optimization. Gone are the days of blindly throwing money at an influencer and hoping for the best. Modern AI tools help e-commerce brands and influencers predict ROI and tighten cost controls in a few ways:

• Predictive ROI Modeling

Using machine learning on historical campaign data, AI can forecast expected impressions, engagement, and even sales for a given influencer before you commit. For example, Meta’s algorithms now analyze an influencer’s audience overlap and past performance to predict which partnerships would yield the maximum ROI for your brand. This means you can prioritize creators who are statistically likely to drive cheaper CPC or higher RoAS. Brands are literally asking upfront: “What RoAS can I predict before I even sign the contract?” – and AI is giving an answer. This helps avoid costly misalignments and focus your $1 on the right influencers.

• Real-Time Budget Optimization

AI doesn’t stop at predictions – it adjusts on the fly. Platforms like Instagram’s Advantage+ use AI to auto-optimize influencer ad placement and budgets in real time. If one creator’s content is delivering a super low CPA, the algorithm will push more budget there; if another’s is underperforming, it pulls back spend. This dynamic allocation tightens cost control and boosts efficiency. Some brands report AI-driven campaigns consistently outperforming manual targeting – even 30% higher ROI in A/B tests. Fewer wasted dollars, more results.

• Cost Control via Performance Deals

AI is also enabling new performance-based payment models. For instance, some influencer platforms (like Stack Influence and others) use AI to track attributable sales so brands can pay influencers bonuses for hitting ROI targets. In 2025, flat fees are being complemented by “cost-per-acquisition” deals where AI tracking ensures you only pay if a creator drives a sale. This tight alignment of cost to outcome keeps your ROI predictable and positive (and motivates influencers to bring their A-game!). In fact, many brands and creators are embracing these ROI-driven partnerships, finding that performance-based campaigns deliver ~40% higher ROI than old-school flat fee arrangements.

• Fraud Detection & Brand Safety

Let’s not forget AI’s role in eliminating fake followers and inflated metrics. By automatically vetting influencers for bots and suspicious engagement, AI ensures your $1 is spent on real audience exposure. This improves true ROI (since fake impressions never convert) and prevents costly mistakes. AI-powered vetting tools have saved brands from wasting budget on fraud, thereby indirectly boosting the ROI on the legitimate campaigns. It’s like an insurance policy for your influencer spend.

In short, AI helps take the guesswork out of influencer marketing. When you can forecast outcomes with 80–90% confidence and automatically course-correct campaigns, every dollar is spent more wisely. As one case study showed, a company using AI agents to run a global influencer campaign saw a 30% jump in ROI compared to a human-managed prior campaign. That’s the power of letting the machines optimize those CPMs and CPCs in your favor!

If you or your brand is interested in influencer marketing, try utlizing an influencer marketing platform like Stack Influence!

Conclusion to ROI Benchmarks 2025: What $1 in Influencer Spend Delivers on TikTok, Instagram & Amazon

Influencer marketing in 2025 is more transparent and ROI-driven than ever. E-commerce brands can confidently allocate budget knowing the benchmarks: roughly $4–$6 return per $1 on major social platforms, and potentially much more with Amazon’s performance-based system. By understanding metrics like CPM, CPC, and CPA, you can tailor your strategy – maybe leveraging TikTok for cost-effective reach, Instagram for efficient clicks and sales, and Amazon for risk-free conversions.

Importantly, strategy and tools matter. Using an ROI scenario model helps in planning the optimal budget split for your goals (feel free to grab our template and play with the numbers!). And embracing AI forecasting and optimization ensures that once you deploy that budget, it works as hard as possible – targeting the right audiences, predicting results, and minimizing waste. As Stack Influence’s 13× ROI case proves, combining micro-influencers with data-driven execution can yield incredible returns.

So, whether you’re an e-commerce brand investing your next marketing dollar or an influencer pitching your value to brands, keep these benchmarks in mind. Every $1 can deliver outsized impact if you channel it through the right platform with the right approach. Here’s to squeezing the maximum ROI from your influencer spend in 2025 – and turning those dollars into impressions, clicks, and conversions like never before! 🚀✨

Sources: Latest industry reports and case studies were used to ensure data is up-to-date. Key stats and projections were cited from HypeAuditor, Influencer Marketing Hub, CreatorDB/Stack Influence case studies, and platform-specific analyses for 2024–2025. All ROI figures are actual or projected benchmarks for 2025, but remember that results vary by campaign – always test and learn for your unique situation.