Influencer Aspirations Report: 3 Key Takeaways For Creators And Marketers
What does it mean to be an influencer, and why do so many people want to be influencers? Many people do it because they have an important message, goal, or community they want to connect with. Today, we’re looking at the new IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report, which shares insights into consumers’ aspirations for becoming influencers and how many people are already working with brands.
Who considers themselves an influencer? Who wants to be an influencer? And what kind of role does influencer marketing play in the day-to-day life of consumers in the United States?
These are questions that every creator and marketer should be asking themselves to perform at their best. The IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report provides detailed answers from a large number of U.S.-consumers about questions like these.
Keep reading to learn more about this survey’s biggest goals and the most important takeaways for creators and marketers.
Who Conducted the Survey?
Influencer marketing technology provider IZEA conducted the 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report. IZEA surveyed 1,299 U.S. Internet users who are 18 years or older. This is the second consecutive year that IZEA has surveyed consumers to learn who considers themselves an influencer and what role influencers play in their daily lives.
What is the Goal of the IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report
The goals of the IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report include the following:
Gathering insights for IZEA’s partners who are responsible for creating marketing products and services on digital platforms
Educating decision-makers, such as marketers, who must stay informed on social media and influencer marketing trends to operate their businesses optimally.
Helping both creators and marketers understand how the growing creator economy is providing a voice for a wide number of people that can positively impact all kinds of influencer marketing campaigns.
Who Wants to Be an Influencer
So, who is looking to become an influencer?
The IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report found that 61% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 would quit their jobs to become full-time influencers, meaning that there is a massive pool of individuals looking to become influencers.
Interestingly, 22% of respondents in this same age group already considered themselves social media influencers, even though 56% of the influencers surveyed work full-time jobs.
The 30 to 44 age group was less likely to say they would quit their jobs to become full-time influencers, with only 48% saying they would – down from 53% in 2021.
The Biggest Takeaway for Marketers – Who Would Promote Brand Products Online?
63% of respondents said they would accept products or payments from brands to post on social media. Interestingly, 16% of respondents noted that they had already been paid or been sent products from brands to do just that.
Out of those that would receive items or accept payment in exchange for posting about a brand’s products, the 18 to 29 year old group was the most likely to agree with this statement.
So, what does this mean for marketers?
The good news for marketers is that more and more people are looking to become influencers, giving your brand leverage to reach out to more people with social media presence about your products. The group you’re most likely to succeed with is young millennials and Gen Z, who are already the most inclined to want to become an influencer.
After all, 22% of survey respondents between 18 and 29 already consider themselves social media influencers, so offering opportunities to receive products or payment for posts aligns with this belief.
Micro-influencers continue to be a popular trend for marketers to work with too because of their niche audiences, often higher engagement, and raw, authentic content. Combined with the growing number of influencers, this provides you with more opportunities to network and market your brand’s products or services.
The survey backs up the micro-influencer trend, with 45% of social media influencers surveyed having fewer than 1,000 followers. Still, this doesn’t mean their influence isn’t valuable to many companies, especially in highly-specific niches.
Survey respondents who classified themselves as influencers were also 1.4 to 3.4 times more likely to share video content than regular social media users. This finding is ideal for marketers since content trends favor video content heavily, whether on TikTok, Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, or YouTube.
How Employment Status Affects Aspiring Influencers
56.2% of respondentsshared that they work full-time. One of the most stunning facts from this report is that influencers are 2.6 times more likely to be self-employed than non-influencer social media users.
Respondents who worked for companies often worked for smaller companies. For example, 13.7% reported working for a company with 11 to 50 employees, and 17.2% said their company had 51 to 250 employees.
Perhaps not surprisingly, social media influencers who are self-employed or working for small companies with fewer than ten employees total were more likely to say they would quit their job to become full-time influencers.
Possible reasons for this could be that influencing is a natural extension of their business already, more lucrative, or they’re not losing as impressive of benefits, like great health insurance, which they would lose if they quit a full-time job at a well-established large corporation.
Interestingly, consumers that spend at least five hours or more daily on social media were 3.6 times more likely to be paid by brands to post online. This is excellent news for self-employed individuals creating social media content about their company or branching out into other revenue streams.
Final Thoughts
The IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspiration Report shows that more and more people, especially Millennials and Gen Zers, are interested in becoming influencers. Many already consider themselves influencers, even with smaller followings of less than 1,000 people.
For marketers, this information can be helpful to remember as you look for micro-influencers or even “everyday” social media users who may be interested in sharing your brand’s products or services in exchange for product or payment. Remember, micro-influencers are a powerful subset, so look for specific target audiences or niches that the micro-influencers appeal to that match your company’s goals.
For creators, consider your future plans as you continue to grow. Would you leave your job at a larger company with benefits or switch from being self-employed in one field to influencing? Consider how much you’d need to be making to comfortably cover your bills and plan ahead when you work on transitioning to a full-time influencing career.
Amy DeYoung is a freelance blog post writer covering influencer marketing and business topics. As the daughter of two business owners, she's been fascinated by all things business from a young age, which led her to graduate from college with a bachelor's degree in business. When she's not typing away, she spends her time reading nonfiction books and mystery novels, baking scrumptious desserts, and playing with her dog.
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Who considers themselves an influencer? Who wants to be an influencer? And what kind of role does influencer marketing play in the day-to-day life of consumers in the United States?
These are questions that every creator and marketer should be asking themselves to perform at their best. The IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report provides detailed answers from a large number of U.S.-consumers about questions like these.
Keep reading to learn more about this survey’s biggest goals and the most important takeaways for creators and marketers.
Who Conducted the Survey?
Influencer marketing technology provider IZEA conducted the 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report. IZEA surveyed 1,299 U.S. Internet users who are 18 years or older. This is the second consecutive year that IZEA has surveyed consumers to learn who considers themselves an influencer and what role influencers play in their daily lives.
What is the Goal of the IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report
The goals of the IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report include the following:
So, who is looking to become an influencer?
The IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspirations Report found that 61% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 would quit their jobs to become full-time influencers, meaning that there is a massive pool of individuals looking to become influencers.
Interestingly, 22% of respondents in this same age group already considered themselves social media influencers, even though 56% of the influencers surveyed work full-time jobs.
The 30 to 44 age group was less likely to say they would quit their jobs to become full-time influencers, with only 48% saying they would – down from 53% in 2021.
63% of respondents said they would accept products or payments from brands to post on social media. Interestingly, 16% of respondents noted that they had already been paid or been sent products from brands to do just that.
Out of those that would receive items or accept payment in exchange for posting about a brand’s products, the 18 to 29 year old group was the most likely to agree with this statement.
So, what does this mean for marketers?
The good news for marketers is that more and more people are looking to become influencers, giving your brand leverage to reach out to more people with social media presence about your products. The group you’re most likely to succeed with is young millennials and Gen Z, who are already the most inclined to want to become an influencer.
After all, 22% of survey respondents between 18 and 29 already consider themselves social media influencers, so offering opportunities to receive products or payment for posts aligns with this belief.
Micro-influencers continue to be a popular trend for marketers to work with too because of their niche audiences, often higher engagement, and raw, authentic content. Combined with the growing number of influencers, this provides you with more opportunities to network and market your brand’s products or services.
The survey backs up the micro-influencer trend, with 45% of social media influencers surveyed having fewer than 1,000 followers. Still, this doesn’t mean their influence isn’t valuable to many companies, especially in highly-specific niches.
Survey respondents who classified themselves as influencers were also 1.4 to 3.4 times more likely to share video content than regular social media users. This finding is ideal for marketers since content trends favor video content heavily, whether on TikTok, Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, or YouTube.
56.2% of respondents shared that they work full-time. One of the most stunning facts from this report is that influencers are 2.6 times more likely to be self-employed than non-influencer social media users.
Respondents who worked for companies often worked for smaller companies. For example, 13.7% reported working for a company with 11 to 50 employees, and 17.2% said their company had 51 to 250 employees.
Perhaps not surprisingly, social media influencers who are self-employed or working for small companies with fewer than ten employees total were more likely to say they would quit their job to become full-time influencers.
Possible reasons for this could be that influencing is a natural extension of their business already, more lucrative, or they’re not losing as impressive of benefits, like great health insurance, which they would lose if they quit a full-time job at a well-established large corporation.
Interestingly, consumers that spend at least five hours or more daily on social media were 3.6 times more likely to be paid by brands to post online. This is excellent news for self-employed individuals creating social media content about their company or branching out into other revenue streams.
Final Thoughts
The IZEA 2023 Influencer Aspiration Report shows that more and more people, especially Millennials and Gen Zers, are interested in becoming influencers. Many already consider themselves influencers, even with smaller followings of less than 1,000 people.
For marketers, this information can be helpful to remember as you look for micro-influencers or even “everyday” social media users who may be interested in sharing your brand’s products or services in exchange for product or payment. Remember, micro-influencers are a powerful subset, so look for specific target audiences or niches that the micro-influencers appeal to that match your company’s goals.
For creators, consider your future plans as you continue to grow. Would you leave your job at a larger company with benefits or switch from being self-employed in one field to influencing? Consider how much you’d need to be making to comfortably cover your bills and plan ahead when you work on transitioning to a full-time influencing career.