Social media influencing has quickly become one of the most sought-after jobs, but some people have found being an influencer assistant is the best way to become profitable and have a steady income in the industry.
Key Details
- In a 2022 survey of 1,000 18 to 25-year-olds, 27% say they planned to be an influencer, and nearly 15% said it was their only career choice, according to HigherVisibility.
- A micro-influencer, someone with 10,000 to 50,000 followers, can earn anywhere between $40,000 and $100,000 per year, while an influencer with 1 million followers can make thousands per social media post.
- An influencer marketing manager or assistant in the U.S. typically makes anywhere from $92,904 to $136,058, for an average of $111,473 annually, according to Salary.com.
Why it’s news
As social media continues to grow in popularity, so does the number of people wanting to make a profit creating videos online.
While many social-media influencers make hundreds of thousands per year, it is a challenging and risky market to break into. Social media trends and algorithms change daily, and a small change can affect the number of viewers an account gets, thus affecting their income.
Many content creators that started out as influencers have found a new way to make money in the industry—influencer management.
Many influencer managers have found that assisting other influencers brings a more steady income than creating content themselves. Many of the managers started out as influencers creating, shooting, and editing content. Now they have begun using their skills to help others in the space.
Over the last few years, influencing has become one of the most sought-after jobs for younger individuals. In a 2022 survey of 1,000 18 to 25-year-olds, 27% say they planned to be an influencer, and nearly 15% said it was their only career choice, according to HigherVisibility.
Most of the younger people trying to break into the space do not know where to start—that is where the managers jump in.
A large majority of the managers are already familiar with the social-media space and can help the new influencers create their content and brand while also helping them secure marketing and promotions with other brands.
The influencer-marketing industry is predicted to grow to $21 billion this year, according to Influencer Marketing Hub, but it is unclear how much of the market is taken up by influencer managers, but the assistance has become a vital part of the industry.
In 2022, 3% of the total U.S. population can be considered an influencer, which is around 10 million individuals, and many of these influencers require help which is fueling the managing market.
Market trouble
Although the influencer market is rapidly growing, it could soon face trouble as the U.S. is looking to ban TikTok, the top influencing app.
The U.S. is considering a nationwide ban on TikTok due to the app’s Chinese ties. Recently, a new bipartisan bill introduced by a dozen senators would give the Secretary of Commerce power to regulate and potentially ban foreign technology, including the short video app.
Earlier this month, the White House endorsed the bill, saying it is “a systematic framework for addressing technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans.”
TikTok has more than 1 billion active monthly users, and nearly 83% of TikTok users have posted a video making it the top app used by influencers and influencer managers. If the TikTok ban goes through, that would largely cut into the marketing space.
Many influencers have shared their thoughts online about the potential ban, with most of them fearful that their influence would not spread as well on other platforms as it does on TikTok but hoping that most users will follow them to their next influential platform.
