Influencer marketing

Influencers are people with sizable social-media followings who can influence their followers’ behavior as consumers. Although anyone can be an influencer, the internet—like the world more broadly—tends to favor the rich, the famous, and the glamorous. Check out this 2021 list of the world’s top 50 social-media influencers. Recognize any names? You probably do: most of the people on the list are huge celebrities.

However, not all social-media accounts represent humans, and the same is true for influencers. Animal influencers are a thing as well. So are AI influencers. The most famous robot influencer is the permanently 19-year-old Lil Miquela, whose account (created by a start-up in Los Angeles) has a following that’s three million strong.

partnership often combines these two models:
An influencer is paid a flat rate per post to feature a product or service. This is known as a brand deal. The flat rates can be three to five figures, even for an influencer without millions of followers or a global profile. Celebrities can charge six figures or more per post.

An influencer posts about a product or service, with a link to a purchase gateway. Every time a viewer buys the product by clicking through the link or using a promo code, the influencer earns an affiliate commission.