Want to Post Like a Kardashian? The Data Tells You How

J Lo’s Versace dress gave us Google Images(Opens in a new window). Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction launched YouTube(Opens in a new window). And while the Kardashian-Jenners didn’t inspire the creation of Instagram, they’ve arguably made it what it is today. 

The family really hit their stride on the social media platform in 2015, when Kim Kardashian became the most followed person. She had enough selfies on there to make an entire book called—what else?—Selfish(Opens in a new window). By then, every woman in the family was commanding Instagram(Opens in a new window). 

The proof lies in the extensive research of Liz Hagelthorn, CEO and co-founder of PostMarket(Opens in a new window), a licensing platform for social and digital content. Hagelthorn recently did a social-strategy deep dive(Opens in a new window) into all Kardashian-Jenner Instagram activity from 2015 to today. It’s a project born out of spite, she told PCMag (see our video, below), which is a plot line that has propelled many an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians(Opens in a new window) and The Kardashians(Opens in a new window).

Hagelthorn read a piece on a SKIMS ad (the company owned by Kim K.), and after disagreeing with the premise, proceeded to calculate Kardashian statistics and analyze them so she could use her experience to explain the extraordinary engagement they attract.

Post Like a Kardashian: PCMag talks social media strategy with Liz Hagelthorn

Combined, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie, Kendall, and Kris have 1.55 billion followers on Instagram. In the past year alone (January 2022 to January 2023), the count has increased by 24.33%. Hagelthorn, who oversees creative strategy for 127 Instagram accounts that have 300 million followers, said in her report that growth of even 2% to 6% is considered very high for those who post actively and engage meaningfully with their followers.

(Credit: Liz Hagelthorn)

What makes the Kardashian-Jenners stand out on Instagram is the illusion of intimacy they create. The family shares nearly everything, not just on their show but on their social media as well, creating a connection with followers. This became evident to Hagelthorn when she realized that Kris, who has the lowest number of followers (51.34 million), has the best-performing posts. 

Though Kris posts twice as much as the other women in her family (about twice a day), it’s her family-focused posts that put her ahead. As Hagelthorn notes in her report, Kris has mastered posting events, groups of family members (“ALL the kids, ALL of the sisters, ALL of the baby daddys in one frame”), and through-the-years look-backs. She’s also the queen of shouting out her support to her kids and extended family. 

“Public audiences want to see an ‘authentic’ family, throwbacks, and sentimental moments of the Kardashian-Jenner women especially,” Hagelthorn says. 

This love of family photos extends beyond Kris’ posts. Hagelthorn also delineates the popularity of Kim’s posts, finding that her children are consistently the driver of her top-performing posts, doing five times better than any others. 

But though Kim is the ur-Kardashian, she is no longer the favorite of Kris or of Instagram; King Kylie has replaced her in both respects. Kylie has the most followers (379.74 million) and by far the most interactions (13.58 billion). The total Instagram likes for Kylie’s posts in the past eight years (13.23 billion) is nearly 1.5 times the world’s population.

(Credit: Liz Hagelthorn)

When the Kardashian-Jenner women combine Instagram forces, the numbers are even more astonishing: Five times more people have liked or commented on one of the Kardashian women’s Instagram posts in the last eight years than have watched the Super Bowl in the last 55 years.

After reading through Hagelthorn’s findings, it’s hard not to agree with her conclusion that those who attribute the Kardashians’ appeal only to their looks or sex appeal are missing the larger picture. By looking at a Kardashian who is looking into a mirror, we can see ourselves; and if we want to expand our own social media reach, whether for work or personal reasons, we can learn something from the experience.