Step 1: If you have tens of thousands of Instagram followers, you are on your way.

Danielle Bernstein is just 22 and is a “personal style blogger”, who has over a million followers on her Instagram @weworewhat. But she told Harper’s Bazaar, she’s pretty selective when it comes to other Instagrammers:

“It’s super important who I associate myself with in this industry. It’s not that I don’t like other people, but there are some other bloggers that it’s random seeming to associate myself with.”

Right now, Bernstein’s rates, through Next Models, sets her range for the cost one Instagram shot, from $5,000 to $15,000. This rate can go up or down, depending the terms. If a brand wants a long-term commitment or multiple Instagram pictures. Bernstein says, laughing:

“Everything’s negotiable. I’m Jewish.”

Companies pay over $1 billion a year for sponsored Instagram posts in the hopes of profiting off of bloggers’ popularity. The trick is Step 2: Getting companies to notice you and negotiating fees.

Thomas Rankin, the co-founder and CEO of Dash Husdon, an app that allows you to cop your favorite looks on Instagram, says the biggest factor in this business is the number of followers you have. If you have hundreds of thousands of followers, you can bring in $500 to $5,000 a post, but if you have 6 million-plus followers, it’s possible to bring in $20,000 to $100,000 for EACH post.

Bernstein celebrating hitting 1 million Instagram followers with friends in NYC

Step 2 is making it organic and natural, really the only negative feedback he gives if he thinks something looks too posed. Rankin says:

“It’s not an editorial photo. We’re not trying to be in a magazine. We’re trying to create a moment.”

Step 3 is getting connected to something you LOVE, that people will follow and you do consistently. Fashion and beauty are obvious ones but sports, photography, and tech are other solid categories.

But why you are listening to ME…? I’ve clearly got the wrong idea about my own Instagram. I mostly post pictures of art, my dog Lamonte and my house in the country… I need to monetize those things, huh? But the trick is getting followers, right? With 1240, I’d get maybe $1.25 per post. But if you want to see pictures of my dog, follow me and maybe I’ll get to 1250 by tonight. @treynyc

Lamonte having a good hair day on Instagram

(Photos, Instagram; via Complex, Harper’s Bazaar)