Ten years ago, if someone used the word influencer in casual conversation, it would have been meaningless. Social media hasn't become as part of our cultural fabric as it is today, and people certainly don't make a living by posting on social media apps. That said, the idea of an influencer is certainly not a new idea. Dating all the way back to ancient Rome, gladiators often endorse products in the way of today's top athletes. Similarly, the first modern influencer collaboration dates back to the 1760s, when the fine porcelain maker Wedgwood conspired with the British royal family to promote its tea set.
Today, the influencer market is worth $13.8 billion. What's more, as of 2021, there are about 500,000 active Self-Media accounts on Instagram alone. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly had an impact on the growth of the industry, but culturally speaking, we now seem to prefer to be marketed by individuals rather than by companies or agencies. Whatever the reason for the growth, it's safe to say that personal influence is an area that will continue to exist.
We've compiled a list of 10 trendy influencers. Through interviews and newspaper articles, we are taking a closer look at how these people got started and the various methods they use to increase their following and influence. From TikTok's most famous creators to up-and-coming travel Instagram users, these people have some really interesting stories.
Charli D'Amelio is the most talked about content creator on TikTok, with over 128 million followers as of November 2021. Alessandro Bogliari, CEO of Influencer Marketing Factory, explained her success to Distractify, saying that D'Amelio has been able to grow so successfully because she consistently posts, participates in dance challenges, and uses hashtags in an almost professional way. D'Amelio, popular with Gen Z audiences, has proven that TikTok is not only suitable for the younger generation, but has also turned her online fame into a true celebrity status. Last year, she signed a reality show deal with Hulu in addition to the deal for the podcast "2 Chix." She also ventured beyond the typical one-time sponsorship deals offered to many influential people, working with big brands like Dunkin' and Invisalign, and effectively turning herself into a multimillion-dollar brand.
Felix Kjellberg is a living proof that one can turn an obsession with video games and internet culture into a full-fledged profession. The Swedish native started on YouTube in 2006 as "Pewdie" ("Pie" was added in 2010 when he began to focus more seriously on content creation). He was one of the first YouTube streamers to launch video game walkthroughs, and it was his consistent output — a tactic that few others practiced at the time — that made him a star. "What makes YouTube so successful is that you have a much higher relationship with the people you're watching than the people you see on TV," he told Icon Magazine. With more than 110 million subscribers, PewDiePie's popularity doesn't seem to be going away, but he's already dabbled in other areas ( like making a series of video games and writing a book ) just in case.
Back in 2010, shortly after losing her finance job, Huda Kattan returned to school to earn a makeup technology certificate. She also started a blog called Huda Beauty to share the tips and tricks she learned as an industry insider. Today, Kattan turns that blog (and the $6,000 she borrowed from her sister) into an empire with nearly 50 million followers on her social media platforms and a $1 billion cosmetics business. To make her legacy one of the inspirations, she founded HB Angels, an early-stage investment fund designed to help new entrepreneurs build their own brands.
Another TikTok star, Addison Rae, is more strategic than her content creator, Charli D'Amelio, in terms of adding fans. She joined the platform in 2019, but it didn't have the immediate effect of D'Amelio — she's known to have gained 5 million followers in less than a week. Rae only got one like in her first video. But she got smarter — jumping on every fake singing or dancing trend on the platform, posting continuously, and joining a creators co-op called Hype House. Ray's efforts have paid off – according to an August 2020 Forbes report, she is now the highest-paid influencer on TikTok. She translated that success into a clean beauty brand, a podcast, and even a content deal with Netflix, starring in the streaming giant's reboot of "She's That's What It Is." As of November 2021, she has 85 million TikTok followers and 40 million Instagram followers.
The most successful influencers know how to adapt and how to repackage their award-winning content for various platforms. Take, for example, Zakkin. In 2009, King began posting his highly edited comedy, magic, and adventure videos on YouTube, which helped him win the 2011 NextUp Creators contest. To build on it further, King began posting shorter 6-second videos on Vine, followed by music.ly (inherited by TikTok). Today, he has nearly 63 million followers on TikTok alone (which makes him the fifth most watched creator) and is behind the platform's most viewed videos. In 2016, King and Harper Collins reached a three-book deal, and Amber Entertainment (Steven Spielberg's studio) chose the rights to the film.
As a teenager, Kayla Herines worked as a personal trainer in Australia. Her cousin advised her to use Instagram to share before and after photos of her clients and their success stories. These incredible transformations have earned her thousands of followers, most of whom are young women who want to really achieve results on their own. So Itsines created an e-book called "Bikini Body Guide," which eventually became the basis for her exercise app Sweat. Despite claiming that she never had a social media strategy to post only what she felt was real, she managed to amass 13.6 million followers on Instagram. In 2021, she sold her app for $400 million (more than 30 million downloads).
Similar to Kayla Itsines, Emma Chamberlain's following stems mostly from her sense of relevance and authenticity. The teen, who is loved by Gen Z and millennials, first started posting on YouTube in 2016. Unlike other influencers, though, her videos don't focus on anything specific, like food or beauty — they cover every aspect of her life, from baking cupcakes to doing homework. Her unique editing style (low fidelity and exaggeration) and way of facing the camera led Atlantic Magazine to call her "the most important YouTuber of the day." With more than 11 million followers on YouTube and 14.5 million on Instagram, Chamberlain continues to translate her success into deals with Louis Vuitton and her own coffee company, as well as other lucrative businesses.
Venezuelan-born comedian Lele Pons became the first to air 1 billion times on the now-defunct platform Vine in 2014. Her skits usually deal with topics such as crushes, high school, and universal human embarrassment, so it's best classified as a slapstick comedy. After Vine closed in 2016, she turned to YouTube and Instagram to continue publishing the same kind of content she'd been developing for years. It was this willingness to stick to the platform's "rules" (or rather, bend to the demands of their algorithms) and meet the expectations of her fans that led her to gain 17.7 million subscribers on YouTube and 46.3 million followers on Instagram. The influencer, who has partnered with CoverGirl and written a young adult novel, isn't just passionate about comedy — she often talks about politics in her native South America and raises awareness of its ongoing struggles.
In 2012, Jack Morris's job as a carpet cleaner faded. On impulse, he quit his job and began traveling the world, documenting his adventures along the way on Instagram. A few months later, he began making money through brand sponsorships on smaller, niche accounts (at the time, he ran several areas focused on everything from animals to cars), which allowed him to continue traveling. Now, his main account, Do You Travel, has gained about 2.5 million followers. What's more, Forbes added Morris to its 25-person list of creators in 2020.
At the start of the pandemic, Khabane Lame lost his job at a factory in northern Italy. While looking for other jobs, the Senegalese immigrant downloaded TikTok on a whim, posting comedy and dance clips to give himself something to do. But it was his wordless response to the overdoing "hack of life" video that really resonated with viewers and helped him amass a large following. Fans seem to have resonated with the ordinary quality of these videos, appreciating the fact that they were not overproduced or very detailed. His growth was entirely organic (though his willingness to do duets to popular videos certainly helped) and attracted 120 million followers and 56.6 million Instagram followers on TikTok. Now the second most followed person on TikTok (behind Charli D'Amelio), it's safe to assume that Lame is no longer looking for factory jobs.