The profession of influencer is mysterious to some, misunderstood or misunderstood to others, but it can prove to be very lucrative, with some earning up to $300,000 a year thanks to social networks.
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In the past few weeks, Le Journal has caught up with 14 Quebec influencers to demystify their work and learn more about this profession, which is often mistreated in public opinion.
Aiming to make their work “credible”, most accepted not without hesitation to expose themselves by disclosing their annual salary and how they generate income on social media.
Content creators have told us that they make close to $50,000 a year, while other registered businesses have reported close to $300,000 in revenue.
The chef Laurent Dagenais, who has become a star on social media, wants to express his love of cooking through his videos seen around the world. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin
Work without counting
They want to show that it is possible to be successful as an influencer in Quebec if you invest consistency, seriousness, accuracy and above all a lot of time.
In fact, most of them reported working practically seven days a week. On average, they said they worked almost 60 hours a week. Others couldn’t count the hours they worked because they were constantly “in work mode.”
This is the case, for example, of Laurent Dagenais, a real social media star who is recognized even when he goes to New York or Los Angeles. “It seems like my life, everything I do, has worked somewhere,” said the 35-year-old chef.
strenuous job
“It’s a job we enjoy doing, but it’s also a stressful job; “You have to work really hard to make a decent income,” says food designer Eve Martel, who has made her living from Instagram, YouTube and TikTok since 2016 after spanning a nearly 20-year career in the food industry. Advertising and Marketing.
According to her own statements, she now earns almost $100,000 a year.
Content creator Eve Martel has no regrets leaving her career in advertising, where she held a leadership position, to focus on creating food content on social media. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin
Do his name
Several influencers also said they “worked hard” in this competitive environment before they were able to make any money out of it. Others even say they worked between 25 and 30 hours a week without an income for a year, two or even five before landing their first advertising partnership.
Such is the case of 34-year-old Lucie-Rose Lévesque, who began her career as a beauty blogger in 2012. After being without an income for more than two years, she sourced the necessary products for her chronicles herself, while balancing her role as a mother of four. According to her own statements, she now earns around $100,000 a year.
It took 34-year-old influencer Lucie-Rose Lévesque several years to earn a “real” salary, she says. The author of her blog in 2016 reveals today that she earns an annual salary of almost $100,000 a year. Image courtesy
Former Occupation Double contestant Claudie Mercier is one of Quebec’s most popular and also claims that after her exit from reality TV in 2019, it took her some time to make a living from it.
The one who is dating Mathieu Pellerin, whom he met on the set of the popular show, deserves a good living today; She reveals that she makes between $200,000 and $300,000 a year.
But she’s uncomfortable talking about money. “I don’t know what value I have,” says the one who has more than 1.7 million subscribers on her social networks.
“Money is not important to me. I don’t care if we live here or in a castle,” adds her boyfriend, who makes a living by broadcasting live on the Twitch platform for hours almost every day.
He admits that this social network earns him an average income of almost $6,000 a month. “It’s not taboo for us [l’argent]”It’s all about money,” he says with the nonchalance we know from him.
A similar scenario applies to Emy Lalune, a Tiktokerin who has 1.4 million subscribers, and visual artist Marianne Plaisance, a photographer and graphic designer by training who started her career on her YouTube channel.
The latter state that they worked without income for two and three and a half years respectively before they were able to get their first contract.
Some examples
Claudie Mercier and Mathieu Pellerin, who met while appearing on the show After OD – South Africa in 2019, make a living on social media. We see her here on the balcony of her home in Brossard. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin
Maude Michaud, 39 years old. Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
Laurent Dagenais, 35 years old. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin
Anthony Tran, 23 years old. Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Sarah Couture, 34 years old. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Tips to become an influencer
“Your head has to be bubbling with ideas. You have to be comfortable in multiple areas and different types of jobs.”
– Marianne Plaisance, 31 years old
“It’s important to be able to adapt quickly and always be interested in what’s coming, the new social network, to understand it and adopt it quickly.” It always pays to be the first in a network.”
– Eve Martel, 52 years old
“You have to diversify your revenue streams.”
– Laurent Dagenais, 35 years old
“You have to do it for the right reasons, you have to follow your passion. If your goal is to make money and get free stuff, I don’t think you’re doing it for the right reasons. when i started [mon blogue]I had no idea I was going to do this and live with it ten years later!”
– Sarah Couture, 34 years old
“You have to find out what you can bring to the people. It also takes time, discipline, and consistency in your posts because if you don’t post a minimum, you won’t be able to generate any revenue from it.
– Maude Michaud, the perfect biting mother, 39 years old
“Get a degree in something similar, like journalism or marketing.”
– Lucie-Rose Lévesque, 34 years old
“Trust yourself, follow your intuition and don’t misrepresent yourself.”
– Marcus Villeneuve, 34 years old
Do good business on social networks
Advertisers have been on the lookout for bargains on social media as more and more of them are buying ad campaigns featuring influencers.
That’s what experts from the world of “influencer marketing” and advertising agencies say.
According to her, influencers make it easier to reach young people who are eschewing traditional media, as well as reaching a “highly targeted” and engaged audience.
“For example, if we have a fashion brand, it can make sense to approach an influencer who specializes in that space, because the people who follow them are drawn to fashion,” explains Joannie Fredette, Creative Director of Content at marketing agency LG2.
supply and demand
The hype is so great that the fees paid to influencers as part of advertising campaigns are currently increasing by 10 to 25%, depending on the field of activity.
The content creators surveyed by Le Journal said their fees could range from $500 to $10,000 depending on the type of campaign and its lifespan on the web, among other things.
Beneficial for advertisers
Despite this increase, it remains more advantageous for an advertiser to invest in influencers than to invest in traditional media, campaign permitting.
“Targeted advertising on Facebook or Instagram is getting more and more expensive. “The fact that influencers have niches allows advertisers to reach their goal without having to spend a large media budget,” says Chloé Bergeron, team and content manager at Léger DGTL, who recently published the study “Le Digital Canada by 2023”. (see others). Text)
“Brands that don’t do business with influencers today are missing the train,” explains Frédéric Gonzalo, specialist in digital marketing. “These are complementary channels [les médias traditionnels et les influenceurs] during a campaign,” he adds.
Frédéric Gonzalo, speaker and digital marketing specialist. Photo courtesy of Frédéric Gonzalo
Advertising campaigns are also more effective and long-lasting when they involve influencers, experts say.
TikTok steals the show
In recent months, TikTok has stolen the show, they say, although virtually every new campaign on the app wants to be seen. The potential for “virality” there is “enormous”, especially because of its algorithm.
The Trudeau government’s recent warnings that the Chinese social network could compromise the security of Canadians’ personal data appear to have had no impact on their use, several stakeholders confirm.
Pictures, videos and stories
Everything is monetized on social networks. This is how influencers “sell” their services, in particular by creating videos, photos, stories, sketches or recipes, to name just these examples, to convey a message or promote a product.
“Used to be us [les influenceurs] They are used more as a shop window and are now part of the creative process,” says Ms. Fredette.
Joannie Fredette, Content Creative Director at LG2. Photo courtesy of Joannie Fredette
Double-edged knife
However, experts believe that working with one or more advertisers for a campaign can be “a double-edged sword”.
Luc Dupont, a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa, mentions that influencers these days have to be carefully selected by advertisers for fear of being drawn into a controversy. “Of course, by doing business with multiple influencers, we increase the risks,” he says, referring in particular to the scandal surrounding the Sunwing flight to Tulum.
“We live in a time where 50% of people don’t agree no matter what you say, that’s pretty remarkable.” So that’s where the influencer has to be able to maneuver their way into it,” he argues.
Luc Dupont, Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa. Photo courtesy of Luc Dupont
In addition, the advertiser must show “let go” before engaging with an influencer, the director of LG2 warns. “If the goal is to have perfect control over your messaging, it’s better to go for more traditional advertising,” she says.
rules and penalties
Influencers who form paid partnerships with brands are subject to the same advertising standards as traditional media, argues Canada’s Competition Agency and Consumer Protection Act.
In particular, they are prohibited from providing false or misleading information about a product. They must also clearly identify their promotional content on social media. “Disclosures should be as visible as possible […] and shouldn’t end up in a bunch of hashtags,” argues the Competition Office.
The two authorities also claim that they occasionally conduct social media monitoring to ensure influencer advertising standards are being met.
“In the case of a prohibited practice […]Depending on the situation, consumers can take civil action against the retailer, manufacturer or advertiser. For its part, the agency may recommend criminal prosecution,” said Charles Tanguay, spokesman for the Consumer Protection Agency.
He mentions that the influencers face fines of between 600 and 15,000 US dollars if they are at fault.
Remember that France was the first country to legislate the profession of influencer recently. The law, which serves to protect consumers, prohibits influencers in particular from advertising medicines and cosmetic surgery.
Managed by agents
In a sign that influencers are making big bucks, many are now signed to agents with the goal of advancing their careers.
There are nearly a dozen agencies in Quebec specializing in influencer marketing.
This is the case, among others, of Anne-Marie Dassylva, a lawyer by training, who ditched her toga to delve into the world of influence.
Anne-Marie Dassylva, a former prosecutor from Saguenay, left her job to devote herself to managing content creators. She founded her own agency Dass Much and now manages the careers of four influencers. Image courtesy
“Not only are we working to manage the incoming collaboration requests, we are also considering career plans. Do we want to touch the TV or the radio, pull out a book, open a restaurant? The sky is the limit,” she says.
Former influencer Pierre-Olivier Beaudoin also became a content creator agent three years ago and founded his own agency, Muze Influence. Today, his agency manages the careers of 12 Quebec influencers. His company has so much wind in its sails that he refused to represent thirty other “artists” last year.
Pierre-Olivier Beaudoin, better known as PO Beaudoin, started his career as a model and then as an influencer on social networks and founded his own content creation agency three years ago. His company Muze Influence now manages the careers of 12 influencers from Quebec. Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
On average, influencers who are under contract with agencies pay them between 20 and 30% of their fee.