Imagine this: You’re sitting at home just minding your own business when a company emails you a few lines to send out as a sponsored tweet. You do so, and that company sends you a check for $140,000.
Welcome to the world of LeBron James.
The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar is one of many athletes whom companies are utilizing to help market their brands. Having these stars endorse their products is a great way for advertisers to reach their target audience. Yet it’s also really expensive, and apparently James — who boasts 23.2 million Twitter followers — garners the highest price tag.
According to Opendorse, a company that helps athletes connect with advertisers, a single sponsored tweet from James is valued at $139,474, the highest of any U.S. athlete.
Spending $1,000 per character on a sponsored tweet may sound ludicrous, but Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence points out the tactic is quite cost-effective when compared to other ad strategies.
“We’re basically saying that the value of one LeBron tweet is worth $140,000,” Lawrence told ESPN.com. “And with that, you will reach 23 million people. It would cost you five times more to reach that many people with a TV ad.”
James is far and away the most coveted athlete on Twitter, according to Opendorse. Kevin Durant, the second-most “expensive” athlete, demands $66,553 per tweet, while Kobe Bryant comes in third at a paltry $42,389.
That’s obviously still a lot of money, but not all advertisers have to break the bank to get their messages across. Lawrence says ad companies typically pay athletes between $1,000 and $2,500 per tweet, and the most Opendorse has ponied up for a “one-off tweet” was $20,000 to an undisclosed New England Patriots player during last season’s playoffs.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
