Study Shows How Skin Color, Followers and Age Impact Influencer Earnings

According to a report by SevenSix Agency, influencers on social media sites are paid based on their skin color. The report says that influencers who have darker skin are paid 44.63% less than influencers who have light skin. This pay disparity is also seen among influencers with different hair colors and textures. The 2024 influencer-pricing report studied the difference in pay between white influencers and influencers of color in the UK and it was found that influencers' pay varies according to the ethnic background and age of influencers.

It was found that creators or influencers who were Black were paid 34% less than White influencers in 2024. This difference was 22% in 2022. South Asian influencers are paid 30.70% less, Southeast Asian influencers are paid 57.22% less and East Asian influencers are paid $38.40% less than White creators.

SevenSix Agency's founder Charlotte Stavrou said that she approached different brands to educate them about this racial disparity. Most of the brands do not do it voluntarily as most of the time they aren’t even aware that they are not treating creators from different ethnic backgrounds equally. Stavrou also suggested brands some ways that can help them in negotiating with creators for pay rates.

The report also talked about the pay rates creators of different colors get on their reels. The creators with deep tan on their skin are paid $1,187 on average for a reel while creators with light skin can get $2,142 for the same reel. There was also a difference in pay between creators with straight and curly hair. Influencers with type 2A hair, which are slightly wavy, were paid more ($2,191) as compared to influencers with type 4B hair, which are extremely curly hair. Their pay was reported to be $1,023 on average.

Another pay disparity could be seen among Gen-Z creators and Gen-X, Boomers and Millennials. Influencers between 18 to 39 years of age are paid 144% more than the influencers older than 40 years. On the other hand, influencers between the ages of 40 to 59 are paid $1,978 while influencers between the ages 18-25 are paid less ($1592). 60% of the older influencers also said that they are treated differently than younger influencers on social media apps.

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Similarly, the data reveals that influencer earnings significantly increase with follower count. For example, influencers with 1,000 to 5,000 followers earn between £250 and £350 per feed post, while those with 300,000+ followers command £4,000 to £15,000. Similarly, reel fees range from £300-£400 for smaller influencers to £4,500-£18,000 for those with large followings. Story fees for a set of three also rise dramatically, from £150-£200 for the smallest influencers to £3,000-£15,000 for the largest. These examples illustrate how follower count directly impacts influencer earnings.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World