Scotland’s top social media influencers are making hundreds of thousands of pounds by posting intimate details about their lifestyle and advertising products on sites like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
That has led to an explosion in the number of young people who are shunning traditional careers in the hope of being one of the few who make it.
A Sunday Mail investigation has revealed the huge amounts of money being made by Scottish online stars, the struggle to get followers and how an agency representing influencers is flooded by hundreds of people a month who want a job in the industry.
Aquarius Creative, based in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, is one of the country’s top social media and influencer management agencies and is about to be the focus of a BBC Scotland documentary.
Entrepreneurs Amy Moore and Kirsten Cameron launched the firm in 2020 and now manage both brands and influencers, negotiating their contracts and approving content before it goes live online. They help their clients make up to £5000 a job while the company had a £171,000 turnover in 2021.
Director Amy, 25, from Bothwell, said the firm is inundated with more than 100 applications a week from those wanting to get signed up to their books.
She said: “An influencer is someone who can convert people on social media. It’s not just fashion and beauty.
“It’s someone who can help you make a decision and influence someone to buy a product through what they post on their social platforms.
“But it’s also about being transparent and honest about who you are. You have to be unique and show people that
consistently.”
Aquarius Creative works by reaching out to brands to promote their influencers while dealing with enquiries on their signed talent.
Fees for jobs can range from £100 to £5000 and depends on the content that is required. Their influencers can take more than 100 photographs before selecting just one to post.
The firm represents the likes of clothing brand Forever Unique model Abbie Blyth, 27, who has over 290,000 followers on Instagram and 21,000 on TikTok, as well as Ann Summers model Molly McFarlane, 26, with more than 250,000 followers.
Molly said: “I love my job and it comes so naturally to me because it’s my passion. I couldn’t do it without having the amazing team at Aquarius around me helping and guiding me along the way.”
With the queen of social media Kim Kardashian reportedly earning upwards of £800,000 per Instagram post, scores of hopefuls are joining the ranks in a bid to carve out a career by sharing their lives online.
One of Scotland’s most successful influencers is make-up guru Jamie Genevieve, who after leaving her job at the Estee Lauder counter in Debenhams began sharing tutorials across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
As her popularity grew, she launched her own brand Vieve in 2020 and last month Jamie, 29, sold a minority share in the make-up line for £5.5million. Latest accounts for Vieve show the firm has been valued at £1,234,263.
Her second firm Jamie Genevieve Limited, which channels income from her work as a social media influencer, had £305,797 of funds for shareholders, according to accounts filed last month.
Jamie, who is the sole director of the firm, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Scotland’s other top social media star is 33-year-old Emily Shak – real name Emily Shakarji – who started out working as a teenage model for brands including Next and launched her website before realising posting fashion and lifestyle on Instagram was a career.
It’s turned into a lucrative business, with 1.5million followers on Instagram and a company – Emily Shakarji Ltd – which last month posted profits of £285,155, a rise from the 2020 figure of £174,625.
Emily didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Top influencers can be booked for glamorous trips around the world, gifted freebies and attend exclusive events and parties.
But in such a crowded market, it can be difficult for those trying to establish their brand.
Digital creator and influencer Chloe Donald has more than 93,000 followers on Instagram and 52,000 on YouTube and has worked with photography firm Canon and Royal Bank of Scotland.
But she admits it wasn’t easy starting out. Chloe, from Leven, Fife, said: “When I started posting videos years ago, there was no such thing as making money from YouTube or becoming famous. I didn’t aspire to be an influencer, I just made videos about mental health and sexuality.
“People said they enjoyed watching and it helped them so I carried on with it.
“I do get the odd comment with people being rude. I used to read comments and it was horrible. I used to be hurt by it but I just don’t bother now. I have loyal followers and I’m doing what I love.”
Chloe, 27, said jobs for influencers can be paid or unpaid but it is up to them to decide if it’s worth it.
She added: “How you make money as an influencer depends on the brands. Some will send you an item for free for a video while others will pay you this for a video or an Instagram story or post.
“One brand paid me £7000 for three YouTube videos and it was unreal to me at the time.
“I got asked a couple of weeks ago to make a video for this fancy extension cable. They said they could give me a cable and £50. I had to turn it down as I said I couldn’t make a 10-minute video on an extension cable – my followers wouldn’t be interested in that. I think what makes the best content is what the creator loves to do.”
Chloe is applying to work in Ohio next year for YouTube personality Roman Atwood, who has more than 15million subscribers.
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