From Reels to Riches: How much do Indian influencers really make [DECODED]

Anyone even remotely equipped with social media is aware of the inescapable ecosystem of influencers and how they’ve infiltrated it. As per TRAI in 2023, India has a substantial user base of over 850 million internet subscribers. Furthermore, some recent studies reveal that Indians spend an average of 195 minutes on social media every day, and if that wasn’t mind boggling enough, the projected surge in smartphone users is expected to reach 1 billion by 2026. The sheer numbers speak volume about the potential scale and size of influencer marketing in India.

Recently released, The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report by Kofluence, decodes the world of influencer marketing. For the purpose of the study, over 1000 content creators representing various niches were invited to participate.

How much do influencers make?

It’s a varied, highly lucrative and competitive world of influencers and marketing collaborations. While many youngsters have been able to get out of the clutches of 9-to-5 jobs, thanks to Instagram and YouTube, countless others continue to struggle to monetize. The study reveals that for nanoinfluencers, the price varies anywhere from Rs 500 to Rs 5K per instagram post or reel. While it is Rs 2 lakh and more for mega or celeb creators.

“India’s instagram influencers exhibit a wide range of earnings, reflecting the diversity in the influencer ecosystem and the potential for high earnings among top-tier creators,” says the report.

The payout is slightly higher for YouTube Shorts, as it is up to INR 7K per Youtube Shorts for creators with average views of 1K to 10k and over INR 3 lakhs and more for mega/celeb creators. Youtube creators in India demonstrate varied earning potentials, depending on viewership metrics.

Male-to-female ratio of influencers

While not many fields can boast of being a level playing field for both males and females, the report points out that Instagram exhibits a balanced yet slightly skewed gender distribution, with 60-70% male and 30-40% female creators. While YouTube shows 50-60% male and 40-50% female creators.

It’s a young world out there, with the youth literally calling the shots in terms of followers and numbers. “Instagram creators aged between 18 to 25 make up over 49% of the demographic, followed closely by 42% in the 26 to 35 age bracket,” says the report, thus “reflecting a youthful dominance in content creation significantly influencing content trends and preferences.” North India takes the lead, as the report says, “North India emerges as the dominant hub for content creation, housing 37% of creators. Central India follows with a substantial 23%. The East, The West, and The South regions follow in succession.”

Instagram takes the lead

Anyone on multi-media platforms will concede that it’s far easier to spend more time on Instagram than any other platform. Courtesy the visual content, the catchy reels and other features. Instagram is a content powerhouse, with 374 million Indian creators calling it home. From short, catchy reels to static posts, engaging stories, creators leverage diverse formats to connect with their audiences.

“Instagram takes the lead with 47% platform adoption for influencer marketing spends by top Indian brands, followed by YouTube, X, Facebook and LinkedIn, respectively. Instagram and Youtube take the lead as the go-to social media platforms for 75% of brand marketers seeking effective influencer engagement.”

With the big numbers comes the temptation of short cuts and sometimes the erosion of ethics. Many times, verified accounts with thousands of followers can hardly convert those metrics into content being consumed. Bot accounts, fake followers remain the evils pervading the industry, among many other things. “Which is why 50% of brand marketers focus on authenticity and social proof as the two main reasons to choose influencer marketing. Growing an audience and finding time to create content are the major hurdles for almost 50% of content creators.”

The report also highlights that lack of price standardization, difficulties in ROI measurement and influencer discovery are identified as key challenges in influencer marketing by over 64% of brand marketers.