MPs to investigate influencer pay amid evidence of racial gap
For social media influencers, success comes in units of thousands and millions – but for many of them that is followers, not pounds.
This month, MPs recommended that the government investigate pay standards in the industry as part of a wider review of the influencer market, citing inconsistent pay rates and evidence of a racial pay gap.
Influencers and content creators told the Guardian differing stories. Florian Gadsby, 29, posts videos of himself making pottery on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. He says his earnings are inconsistent across the different platforms, although it is not his main form of income (and he also uses the sites to advertise his wares to buyers). He makes the most on YouTube, which offers a cut of revenue from adverts shown alongside his videos, but a small amount from Instagram directly, where he has 639,000 followers.
“It would be great if there could be a consistent way of paying influencers on social media platforms, but I think it’s too complicated to standardise,” he says.
Aziza Makamé, 27, has a full-time job in marketing but supplements her income with a TikTok account carrying pet content. “I would never recommend it full time,” she says, adding that life outside the top tier of influencers is tough. “You are constantly chasing payments and invoices, and trying to make content.”
But for Nifè, a 26-year-old TikTok creator and influencer with 2.3 million followers, her popular dance videos have been a commercial success. Brand partnerships with Coca-Cola and Nespresso have helped her earn more than £150,000 since the end of 2021. “I think attracting the right brands and opportunities is probably the best way to make money from TikTok,” she says.
The huge variation in the pay rates of influencers
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