Social Media Influencer

If you think that Instagram is only good for posting pictures of selfies/wefies and food, think again. The good majority of Instagram users use it to document what they see and where they go. If you are on Instagram, you are likely to find yourself scrolling through a newsfeed peppered with the obligatory selfies, wefies in a chic café with Instagram-worthy interior, photos of beaches or other exotic vacation destinations and cats. But to some users, Instagram is much more than a pictorial blog.

For an app that still has not figured out a way to be profitable after being bought by Facebook for USD1 billion back in 2012, Instagram is a gold mine for certain users. These Instagrammers, who have managed to crack the code on the treasure map, are making big bucks by just being on Instagram. Backed by a sizeable number of followers, these Instafamous (as they are sometimes referred to) have both budding start-ups and giant brands swarming to them like bees. They are showered with free gifts and on top of that, oftentimes paid to be seen in the ephemeral Instagram’s newsfeed with the latest product. This is product endorsement, refined to fit the Instagram age.

Understandably, many actors and singers offer product review services on their Instagram page, charging anywhere between RM300 and up to RM1,500 per Instagram post, depending on the number of followers under their command. The terms and conditions may vary from one celebrity to another – some celebrities do not even bother to come up with their own caption; they expect it to be provided by the people who contracted them and they shall just copy-and-paste it verbatim into their post.

You can expect to pay almost double the normal rate if you want them to take pictures with your products, instead of just posting a screenshot of your Instagram page in their Instagram feed. In certain cases, extra charge will also be imposed for posts during peak hours or weekends. And do not think that the post will exist through eternity once it is posted out – to de-clutter their Instagram feed, certain celebrities will delete your post within 24 hours. If you are lucky, you might get two to three days. And good luck with the A-listers – chances are, they already have a long queue of reviews pending – if you want to jump queue, you have to be willing to pay more.

Taking the rough average of RM500 charged per post, if the celebrity does a minimum of three reviews per day, in two days that’ll equal to a month’s worth salary for the majority of us! Malaysia’s sweetheart Nora Danish, who goes by the handle @noradanish, charges RM1,500 per review, justified by a strong backing of close to 2 million followers behind her.

Easy money, you say? Well yes, if you have a flair for taking visually pleasing photos in square format. Instagram does not discriminate – gone were the days when the 'celebrity' status is only limited to the elites of show business. In the Instagram age, anybody can be a celebrity in their own rights – it can be me and it can be you, if you are not one already! These special breed of Instafamous comes a wide range of background; some started out as bloggers, some are famous Youtubers, some are just famous because they maintain an interesting Instagram content.

One user, going by the handle @faizdickievp, is famous for his humorous Instagram posts, and now has more than 400k followers. At the time of writing, he charges RM200 per review, which he seamlessly weaves into his trademark comic antics.

Majority of the young Instafamous are students, with followers between 10k to up to 100k. These group normally accept free gifts and sometimes also impose charge of between RM20 to RM200 per Instagram post. That’s good extra pocket money as a student, considering that the only costs incurred are a smartphone and some spare time!

With the numbers of online shops mushrooming every day, these Instafamous have their post box flooded with free gifts, all waiting to be featured as part of the OOTD (OOTD = Outfit Of The Day; keep up, grandpa) post by these celebutantes. Consider that as killing two birds with one stone – cash in while feeding one's vanity.

There’s no denying how powerful the spell that social media has us under. It should come as no surprise that companies dedicated to managing these Social Media Influencers, as they are aptly called, start to emerge. Among the pioneers are ParanormalMY and Gushcloud. Lauded as the future of digital marketing, these companies help brands reach their target audience more effectively. In the age of smartphones, where brands are trying to ram their products down everyone’s throats at every chance and corner, an endorsement from a peer, effortlessly integrated into a nonchalant Instagram post, will more likely grab your attention.

At the end of the day, it is a win-win situation for all parties involved; the Instafamous are happy to get paid in cash and gifts, while the brands get to reach new set of potential customers at a minimal budget compared to other marketing channel. At the current rate, it doesn't look like the trend is slowing down anytime soon. The Instagram era shall continue to reign for now. Perhaps, there is still enough room for you and me to jump on the bandwagon and claim our share of the Instafamous perks. Time to brush up on some photo composition skill!