The new social dynamics and concerns that now move young people increasingly motivate them towards less traditional professions, but with which they achieve greater satisfaction. Among them, the most prominent is that of content creator or influencer.
More and more children and young people dream of being like those they see on the screen. According to a study published by the Reina Sofía Center on Adolescents and Youth of the FAD, four out of every five young people create content on networks, with Instagram being the most used platform.
Many are considering turning what is now a hobby into a profession, given that social networks and streaming platforms have shown that they can provide a salary that allows you a good lifestyle. However, a large part of what influencers earn on Instagram and other networks is thanks to the brands that contact them to do something known as influencer marketing.
The micro-influencer Elena Mouttet, who has more than 40 thousand followers on Instagram, started 10 years ago on the networks with a personal blog to “express myself” and, although it has not become her only source of income, it could have been. Furthermore, he assures that the main source of income is usually collaborations with brands, whose income for influencers with less than 50,000 followers, as he comments, “ranges between €200 and €1,000, depending on the actions they ask of you and the budget of the brand”.
This is a price range that “varies depending on the influencer, the number of followers and results you can give to the brand.” Even so, he highlights that “since the pandemic, work in Barcelona has decreased a lot” and has not recovered. Since income is variable, depending on actions and brands, there are those who, like her, decide to diversify their sources of income into other, more economically stable jobs.
As in the case of Elena, brands are increasingly paying more attention to micro-influencers. They tend to be young people with fewer followers on the networks who have a more loyal audience and, according to the British agency Four, they are more authentic and reliable profiles. Additionally, the fees for each share are lower given your number of followers and views.
The growing number of young people who want to be influencers and micro-influencers has impacted the educational community and has generated the need to professionalize what is now known as “content creation.” For this there are countries, such as Ireland, where universities, such as South East Carlow Technical University, will offer the Content Creation and Social Media degree from September 2024. This program will last four years and will address topics such as editing skills video, audio, critical cultural studies and creative writing, among others.
Courses like these are created to teach young people how to work as freelance influencers to create content, but also for companies and organizations that are increasingly diversifying to start offering content on networks and other platforms to expand their target audience.
Since 2019, the value of the influencer sector has doubled worldwide, generating between 14,000 and 16,000 million euros in profits, according to Professor of Media and Communications at the South East Technical University of Carlow, Dr. Eleanor. O’Leary on Irish radio station RTÉ.
Influencers are known for being versatile profiles that are dedicated to selling, presenting and interacting with products and services through social networks. They promote brands to their thousands of followers, generating income for both themselves and the brands that hire them. They are a mix between an audiovisual communicator, a journalist, community manager and a publicist. Some without studies, and all with a charisma that makes their followers trust their word, often over their explanations about the product or service in question.
The influencer profession is a current reality and is increasingly professionalizing to the point of being a legitimate option for young people who want a dynamic, creative and versatile job. In fact, it is becoming normal to see increasingly younger people with thousands of followers on social networks. Working, without knowing it, and training in something that, in the not so distant future, could be a degree.
In 2018 in Spain, the Autonomous University of Madrid and its School of Economic Intelligence, in collaboration with Ibiza Fashion Week, held a university course for content creators. Although, traditional careers, such as Journalism, Audiovisual Communication or Marketing and Public Relations could provide a training base for these future influencers.
If you have specific concerns and want to be an influencer specialized in something in particular, such as fashion, there are courses for this. At ImásD Professional Training you will find a Fashion Influencer and Blogger Expert course that will help you better target your audience.
Although the race to be an influencer in Spain has not yet arrived, there are options that can help you train to be a content creator. To improve your video editing skills, your way of expressing yourself in front of the camera and connecting with your audience. To do this, training platforms like Emagister allow you to study a wide variety of courses that will help you be a great influencer, of the caliber of the best-known in Spain, such as María Pombo, Ibai Llanos or Aida Doménech.
