“Influence” has taken on a new meaning in the PR and advertising industries. Prior to social media, having influence meant writing scholarly articles on a subject or being the go-to expert in a field. Today, we have 13-year old YouTube celebrities who command influence by recording “reaction videos” to popular music videos. Having influence is no longer just about your expertise in one subject, but the absolute number of followers, fans, and subscribers you have. The most trusted “experts” are now your neighbors and the 13-year old kid who likes watching music videos.
Now that there is a deluge of new online personalities and voices, numerous influencer networks and platforms sprung up last year to cobble everyone together to sell packaged influence to brands and agencies. Popular YouTube celebrities and Instagram influencers are constantly bombarded with branded content requests, so these networks act as the clearinghouse to funnel all the brand’s campaign requests to the content creators in an organized manner…
