The New Job on the Block

Influencer.

This has become the official job title for many people who have built a substantial online platform and follower base. These “influencers” gain their popularity by posting about anything, ranging from makeup to food to travel, on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Many of these influencers have found their fortune and fame through this unique, modern career path. So, I couldn’t help but wonder.. How? Random people, from varying backgrounds, have become incredibly successful for doing something that seems so simple, but I knew there had to be more to this story.

As I always do when I get curious about something, I turned to Google. Turns out, there are many different ways for influencers to make their money, but there are three that are most common.

Advertisements

Companies  will pay social media influencers to put an advertisement before YouTube videos or in the caption of their pictures on Snapchat. This is the easiest, most common way for influencers to make money.

Collaborations

Many influencers will collaborate with brands on products and the influencer will get a pay cut from sales. For example, a beauty influencer realeasing an eyeshadow palette in collaboration with Urban Decay or a fitness influencer coming out with workout gear in collaboration with Adidas.

Sponsorships

Influencers with a certain amount of followers/subscribers can get brands to sponsor posts they make on social media, which can also bring in income. For example, an instagrammer makes a post about the subscription box, FabFitFun, and they get paid for promoting the brand to their followers.

The road to becoming an influencer is very long and difficult. It requires lots of hard work and dedication, but the reality is that literally anyone can become an influencer, and make a good living off of it. So if that’s your dream, chase it!

Until next time,

K