If you dream of earning a six-figure salary, you’d better start posting more on Instagram.
Social media stars now earn more per hour than lawyers, accountants and software engineers – and those in the UK are the best-paid in the world, research has found.
British influencers are pocketing an average hourly wage of £117.48 – equating to £137,000 a year if they worked full time, according to a new report from Adobe.
This is significantly more than the £100,000 solicitors can expect to earn in Britain, while software developers are generally on up to £70,000, accountants £65,000 and train drivers £65,000 – according to the UK Government’s National Careers Service.
The NCS also gives average salaries of up to £42,000 for school teachers, £32,000 for firefighters and nurses, £26,000 for sales assistants, and £25,000 for care workers and delivery drivers.
Adobe’s Future of Creativity study surveyed 9,000 online creators across Britain, the US, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Brazil.
Ex-Love Island star Megan Barton-Hanson, 28, (left, in March) is said to earn up to £800,000 a month from her racy OnlyFans posts, while Love Island runner-up Molly-Mae Hague, 23, (right, in Positano, Italy, in June) has a net worth of £6million
Influencer Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella, has more than 9million Instagram followers and an estimated net worth of £2.5million
It revealed the more time creators spend sharing content, the happier they feel.
The study comes as some influencers face pressure to reduce online posts after being found to be ‘infuriating’ people by flaunting lavish lifestyles as the cost of living soars.
Love Island runner-up Molly-Mae Hague, 23, with 6.4million Instagram followers, sparked controversy for saying ‘everyone has the same 24 hours in a day’ when speaking about her success.
Miss Hague, creative director of fast fashion brand Pretty Little Thing, has a net worth of £6million – but the comment was branded ‘tone-deaf’.
Former Love Island star Megan Barton-Hanson, 28, is said to earn up to £800,000 a month from her racy OnlyFans posts.
The model joined the X-rated subscription site in March 2020 after becoming ‘bored’ in lockdown. She is also thought to have made a fortune selling lingerie.
Another influencer, Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella, has more than nine million Instagram followers and is estimated to have a net worth of £2.5million.
British TikTok superstar Jack Joseph, from Brighton, who has more than three million followers on the platform said ‘staying true to yourself’ is the key to success.
Reacting to Adobe’s findings, he said: ‘It’s great to see influencers being taken seriously and more creators wanting to make it a full-time career.
‘Social media is an industry that is constantly evolving, which is why I’ve learnt it’s important to be prepared to adapt and edit your content to fit different platforms, what’s trending and what your audience is loving.’
The study found that one in four Britons now describe themselves as a ‘content creator’ of some sort, accounting for 16.5million creators in the UK.
The report by Adobe found that while influencers in the UK earn the most per hour, more influencers in the US and Germany indicate the income is half or more of their monthly income
Creators are more interested in becoming business owners than influencers, the report found. Creators in Brazil are most interested din becoming influencers, alongside those in the US and UK
The study found that for creators, and especially influencers, using or creating social content is ranked as a top necessity for mental health
Increased particiation is tied to a more positive mood across all countries, the study finds
But for most at the moment, creating content remains a side venture, with 65 per cent otherwise employed full-time. The report, which surveyed 9,000 online creators, found influencers in the UK earn the most.
Most creators (69 per cent) and influencers (84 per cent) say coming up with online content is a creative outlet they cannot find elsewhere.
And those who share daily content, or spend ten or more hours each week creating, report being happiest overall.
Half of influencers say using social media or creating social content is more important to their mental health than listening to music (31 per cent), exercising (30 per cent) and going outside in nature (27 per cent).
Simon Morris, vice president of marketing at Adobe, added: ‘The growth in the number of creators in the UK and globally is exponential, demonstrating the creative empowerment people now feel to follow their ambitions and express themselves online.
‘There’s little doubt that the events of the past two years have influenced this pace of growth, signalling that the democratisation of creativity is changing the where, when, how and why we create and draw inspiration.
‘Creators have the power to shape our economy and culture, forging lucrative and successful careers.’
The study comes as barristers in England and Wales will in effect go on a continuous strike from today after their row with the Government over pay intensified.
Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), who have been walking out on alternate weeks, voted in favour of an indefinite, uninterrupted strike.
Ministry of Justice figures show more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted by the dispute over conditions and Government-set fees for legal aid advocacy work.
Barristers are due to receive a 15 per cent fee rise from the end of September, earning £7,000 more a year. But there is anger the rise will not be immediate and doesn’t apply to backlog cases.
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