More Than Half Of U.S. Workers Agree They’re More Inspired By This Once Disrespected Career Than CEOs
This enviable career path only became viable in the last decade.
Dean Drobot | Shutterstock Influencers were once looked down upon, viewed as having no tangible skills. Now people dream of becoming the next Alix Earle or Mr. Beast. And who can blame them? Earle blew up as a freshman at the University of Miami by posting "get ready with me" videos on TikTok. Now, the 24-year-old has 7.5 million followers and an alleged net worth of $8 million.
It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that a recent study found that the majority of U.S. workers, especially those in Gen Z, view content creators as more inspiring than traditional company leadership.
More than half of U.S. workers agree they’re more inspired by influencers than CEOs.
SideHustles.com surveyed 1,004 employed Americans and found that 53% believe that online influencers and content creators are more inspiring than company leadership. Gen Z agreed the most at 58%
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Part of this has to do with the dissatisfaction most employees feel in their current positions. The survey found that 79% of employed Americans are interested in leaving their traditional jobs to start their own business. One in eight plans to make the leap within the next year.
Workers feel burned out and are stressed about the economy, AI, and job instability. They want more flexibility, greater earning potential, and increased autonomy, and many believe becoming an influencer can help them get it.
To many, influencing seems like an easy, tangible career.
Posting on social media seems easy enough — anyone with a phone can do it. You have the freedom to make your own schedule and the ability to post whatever you want. The job doesn't require a degree or five years of experience. There are no pointless interview questions or micromanaging bosses to deal with.
For that reason, several content creators have received criticism for claiming that influencing is difficult. Most notably, in 2022, Mikayla Nogueira, a beauty influencer with over 16 million followers, came under fire for that very reason. "Try being an influencer for a day," she said, lamenting that she had to work until 5:15 p.m., a very normal hour for many workers.
But while influencing isn't the most difficult career path, becoming a well-paid creator is certainly a challenge.
A third of the workers surveyed by SideHustles.com said they would need to earn at least $100,000 a year to feel confident going full-time on their own, whether as a content creator or entrepreneur. While some influencers certainly make the big bucks, they are in the minority.
A report from The Wall Street Journal noted that, although some 50 million people are earning money as influencers, in 2023, 48% made $15,000 or less. Only 13% made more than $100,000.
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This makes sense, as data from Influencer Marketing Hub shows that 88% of TikTok influencers and 76% of Instagram influencers are classified as "nano-influencers," meaning they have between 500 and 10,000 followers. And, according to Shopify, nano-influencers charge between $2 and $250 per social media post.
Of course, the big names make far more. Mega-influencers, who have more than a million followers, can charge beyond $1 million per sponsored social media post. Yet data suggests that they represent only 0.16% of all Instagram influencers.
So, maybe don't quit your job quite yet. If you aspire to become an influencer, consider building your social media presence while saving money. There's a large degree of luck involved in this career path, and not everyone with a TikTok makes millions. Still, it's undeniably inspiring that anyone with a phone and a charming personality can theoretically make it big.
Audrey Jaber is a writer and associate editor with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
