At 21, social media influencer Misha is living the life she dreamed of as a kid.

She gets paid to put together amazing outfits, make music, and is now opening for one of the world’s biggest rap artists, Ty Dolla Sign.

“Honestly, I have done everything I wanted to do when I was 10,” she says.

“I just wanted to do something where I get paid for doing me.”

Over the last decade, social media influencer and content creator has become one of the biggest career aspirations for young people.

In 2020, the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission asked 7-to 13 year-olds across the motu to draw a picture of the job they wanted when they grow up. 

Of the 7,241 pictures they received, 340 (4.7%) depicted careers as social media influencers/YouTubers. It was the fifth highest choice overall, and the second most popular option for boys. The number one pick was sportsperson at 17.6%.

Becoming an influencer is a desirable career for young people around the world, too. 

A recent US survey found 54% of 13- to 38-year-olds want to become social media influencers, and a UK study found 30% of kids listed YouTuber as their top career choice.

We spoke to one of New Zealand's biggest influencers, Misha, to better understand what is drawing rangatahi to it as a profession.

Life as an influencer

Misha understands why young people want to be influencers.

”Who wouldn't want to be an influencer? You can do you, be recognised, and get paid for it.”

Misha grew up with social media, and says she always had a passion for putting outfits together and taking pictures in them.

But it wasn’t until her last year at high school she realised she could make a career out of it, when a video she made of her school ball got 1.5 million views on YouTube.

“I was in the middle of signing up to study at AUT the next year, but after [the video] blew up I was like, ‘What the hell? Why don’t I have a gap year and see what I can do with this.’”

During that year Misha realised she was learning many of the content creation skills she had planned to study at university - and was getting paid to do it.

Her success on social media came from being herself, she says, expressing her own style, and marketing products in an authentic way.

That independence is the most appealing thing to her about her social media career. If she had gone down the traditional routes, joining a marketing firm or a modelling agency, she says they would have full control over the decisions she makes.

“Being an influencer, I get all the same brand deals [as I would have had in those jobs], plus I have full creative direction.”

But she warns that it isn’t enough to just want to do it; the market has become so competitive you have to have something unique to offer audiences.

“There are so many of us nowadays. Only the people with actual talent or something to say gain a following.

“I mean, everyone wants to be a rapper for instance, but you have to be good at it to get a record deal.”

It’s also important to be aware of how some influencers make their money, Misha says. While you might follow someone for their travel vlogs, many produce that content as their passion but make their money from porn on OnlyFans, she says.

“People want that [influencer] lifestyle but don't realise what they have to do to make money for it.

“I’m concerned about young people relying on this and when they turn 18 they’re going to join OnlyFans.”

The brands influencers endorse aren’t always appropriate for young people to be looking up to either, she says.

“I’ve been asked to promote gambling, vaping, drinking, all things I would be concerned about 10-year-olds seeing.”

She says anyone pursuing a career on social media should start small and only make it their full time gig when they know it is going to be financially viable for them.

“It’s cool to have a side hustle or hobby, but until you can grow it, it’s not worth pursuing as a job. I don't recommend not having a job or a fan base and jumping into it.”

Making money on socials

A career as a social media influencer is essentially a marketing job - almost all revenue comes from advertisements and endorsing brands.

And that money can be big, as marketing agencies are finding influencers can offer an 11 times higher return on investment than other internet marketing.

The co-founder of top influencer agency Viral Nation, Joe Gagliese, told Vox there is money to be made even for people with relatively small followings.

They say nanoinfluencers, people with as few as 1000 followers, can make between $50,000 to $100,000 a year.

Micro-influencers, those with between 10,000 to 50,000 followers, can make anywhere between $70,000 to $170,000 a year.

People with such small followings can command big money because market research has found people with smaller, more intimate audiences can have more influence on their purchasing decisions. 

People with huge followings of more than one million people can make mega money at around $20,000 a post.

And the larger your following, the more revenue options there are for you. On platforms like YouTube, people can make money from more traditional advertisements running in and alongside their videos.

On average, YouTubers make between $5 to $8 per every 1000 views on a video with ads. So for someone who gets 100,000 views on a video, they will make about $500.

For people with small followings this isn’t particularly viable, but for people who grow large followings it is big money.

One of the most successful YouTube channels is Mr Beast. He has 104 million subscribers, and made an estimated $90 million on YouTube last year.

And there are new revenue models emerging for social media content creators. Game streaming service Twitch allows viewers to make donations to streamers for instance, and platforms such as Patreon allow audiences to pay monthly fees to support their favourite creators.

A nation of influencers

Following the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission’s report on tamariki’s career ambitions, they have launched the Inspiring the Future campaign, where people from different professions present to young people around the country.

Deputy chief executive Nina Ive says they haven’t had an influencer as part of the programme yet, but are open to it.

“I wouldn't see kids pursuing being an influencer or YouTuber as a negative thing at all,” Nina says.

Social media content creators are developing a huge number of skill sets, she says.

“It's entrepreneurial, it's creative, it's community building and engaging with people. They are building presentation skills, technical skills, and learning what customers like.

“[These are] all of the skills a business owner needs anyway, but just in a completely different format than in previous generations.”

But she does encourage anyone wanting to pursue this career to do it alongside their education.

“We know that vocational study will lead to greater outcomes in terms of standard of living and pay.

“I’d say get an education and do your YouTube as well and see what works.”

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