While Instagram is merely a hobby for most people, some lucky users have a made a living from posting photos on the app.
Now, a report has revealed that Instagram influencers need just 42,575 followers to earn the average UK salary.
The report, by inzpire.me, analysed data from 10,000 Instagram influencers, in the hopes of lifting the lid on the mysterious influencer marketing industry.
Marie Mostad, co-founder and COO at inzpire.me, said: “Many talk about our industry as though it’s witchcraft. For those who didn’t grow up with platforms such as Instagram, it can be hard to quantify.
“Many people don’t understand the marketing potential available. For that reason, we wanted to shine the spotlight on our industry. It’s a sector that is constantly discussed, often debated or misunderstood, but can no longer be ignored.”
The report reveals that to earn the National Living Wage (£16,010/year) from branded collaborations on Instagram, an influencer needs just 19,050 followers, and to create just eight posts and eight stories per month.
Meanwhile, to earn the UK average salary (£29,009/year), influencers need 42,585 followers.
Despite this, it seems that most influencers don’t put in the same hours as other jobs, according to the report.
The report said: “Based on insight from over 350 influencers operating in the English-speaking world, the time spent per week ‘maintaining a personal brand’ averages at 30 hours - equivalent to the minimum hours required for a job to be classed as ‘full-time’ in the U.K.
“Within this, the average influencer spends 17 of their 30 hours per week working on ‘brand collaborations’ (as opposed to maintenance of their own personal brand).
“This means that 57% of an influencer’s working week is dedicated to projects which directly generate income.”
The report comes shortly after some of the biggest names in showbiz including Zoella , Rita Ora and Michelle Keegan pledged to clean up their act on social media .
In January, 16 celebrities committed to clearly state in social media posts if they’d been paid or received any gifts or loans of products which they endorse.
The commitment follows an investigation by The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which found that many influencers don’t state when they’ve been paid to promote a product.
This means they risk giving a misleading impression that a post represents their personal views.
