Did you know that some of those famous people you could be following on Twitter may be raking in big bucks with their tweets? INSIDE EDITION has the details.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is taking Twitter by storm. Three million fans are signed up to follow her every tweet, from her hot new bikini shoot to the latest on what's up with boyfriend Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints.
But some of Kardashian's tweets are creating controversy. She often pitches products for advertisers, and her reported fee is $10,000 per tweet!
Some of her fans were angered by the news. One tweeted, "Kim Kardashian has an influence value of $10k per tweet,' that's what's wrong w/ society."
Sean Rad is the co-founder of Ad.ly, a company which connects advertisers with celebrities to sell their message on Twitter.
"A lot of our celebrities are making some serious cash," Rad tells INSIDE EDITION.
Rad says other stars who tweet for advertisers through his company include Kardashian's sister Khloe, Dr. Drew Pinsky, and reality TV's Kendra Wilkinson and Lauren Conrad. All can command between $5,000 and $10,000 per tweet.
And it's not just celebrities! Anyone who has a large following on Twitter, like a business executive, a popular blogger, or personal trainer, can earn up to hundreds of dollars per tweet and you may never know they're getting paid for posting on Twitter.
Rad says all Ad.ly tweets disclose when they are advertisements. For example, when The Hills star Lauren Conrad tweeted for Sony Electronics, it was disclosed with the word "Ad."
Sean "Diddy" Combs posts plenty of tweets about Ciroc Vodka, but he doesn't always mention he gets a cut of Ciroc profits for promoting the brand. A spokeswoman for Combs denies he's doing anything wrong, saying it's no secret that he's affiliated with the brand.
But the celebrity who's taken the most heat for some of her tweets is Kim Kardashian. She tweets about QuickTrim, but doesn't always point out that she's a spokeswoman for the company.
"OMG I officially gained about 5 or 6 lbs. Back to heavy workouts & starting QuickTrim again! I was doing so good :("
Kardashian's sister Khloe is also a spokeswoman, and the two even appeared in a commercial for the product.
Kardashian also says she loves fast food chain Carl's Jr., tweeting, "Where is there a Carl's Jr in the valley? I'm seriously craving that salad!"
It turns out she's appeared in a commercial for them too.
Kim Kardashian has denied being paid to tweet about Carl's Jr., saying "I want my fans to know what products, gadgets, food, clothes and beauty products I like and I love sharing all that with my fans."
