It’s not unheard of for influencers to charge a pretty penny for sponsored posts, ads and services.
But one YouTuber caused quite a stir on social media after screenshots surfaced claiming she was selling the opportunity to receive an Instagram DM from her — for the low price of $10,000!
Emma Chamberlain’s team is speaking out after a viral Tweet of a screenshot from the influencer’s website started making its rounds, garnering over 9.8 million views.
why is emma chamberlain charging 10K for an instagram DM this is wild pic.twitter.com/vO0ghF34TK
— Layla ? (@itslaylas) March 18, 2023
The image from Chamberlain’s website advertised a “Personal thank you note from Emma in Instagram DM” alongside a photo of the influencer priced at $10,000 with the option to break it down into multiple monthly installments of $902.58.
What a bargain!
Thousands replied in disbelief at the exorbitant price for the simple gesture.
“I need to know whose idea this was because this is so unlike her,” one person wrote in defense of the entrepreneur, who founded Chamberlain Coffee in 2020.
“She’s an entrepreneur,” another pointed out. “She knows what she’s doing and how to make money.”
However, Chamberlain’s team, Cozack, Inc., quickly jumped to shut down the influencer’s entire website and released a statement claiming that the offer was a back-end test and “was never planned to be sold or purchased,” nor had any of it been developed or tested with the approval of Chamberlain herself.
“The test program was never discoverable on the main page or product listing site, which is another reason that Emma had no knowledge of this,” the statement read. “With the internet’s tendency to create false narratives around sensationalized stories we wanted to provide you with the truth firsthand and from the source. The site is currently down for internal review.”
Chamberlain’s merchandise site was still inaccessible as of Wednesday afternoon.
The 21-year-old first gained mass popularity as a YouTube vlogger in 2017, known for her relatable, sarcastic sense of humor and unfiltered look at her daily life.
Chamberlain’s self-proclaimed coffee addiction lead to the creation of her own coffee-delivery company, Chamberlain Coffee.
She’s since moved on to become an ambassador for Louis Vuitton, a Met Gala red carpet correspondent for Vogue, and was named one of 2019’s “25 Most Influential People on the Internet” by Time.
Chamberlain’s estimated net worth is $12 million per Celebrity Net Worth.
