The Young Edge: In Pune, youngsters ensuring financial stability through ‘social media influencing’

When the Covid-19 pandemic peaked, so did Instagram and its new and addictive feature called ‘reels’ saw a hype. Pune did not stay behind and several influencers based out of the city have been using various digital tools as well as additional offline networking to become social media influencers with not only significant traction but also substantial deals and financial income.

Muskan Jha, a 23-year-old social media influencer (@hung.rymj), started her journey by posting food reviews with very few followers until she was approached by a restaurant for a collaboration. She now has about 10k followers and earns a monthly income of about Rs 40,000.

She said, “Through these events and brand launches, I have my entire content calendar filled with collaborations and shoots. I started with Rs 300 and now I charge around Rs 3,000 per reel depending upon the content and brand. Now, I’m planning on doing this as a full time job.”

While collaborating with brands, some influencers charge according to the per reel content value in the market. Meanwhile, others follow the barter system.

Shaily Raj Kumari, a 20-year-old creator (@plantmomshaily), who started her journey with food vlogging and later shifted to being a plant mom, had just 2,000 followers for two consecutive years.

Shaily Raj Kumari, a 20-year-old creator (@plantmomshaily), who started her journey with food vlogging and later shifted to being a plant mom, had just 2,000 followers for two consecutive years.

Now, she has about 70.2k followers and makes up to Rs 15,000 per month. Shaily said, “I don’t believe in the barter system specifically in my stream. Even though my parents fund my living expenses, I need money to take care of my plants. I have my official agreements that I get signed by the collaborators beforehand to avoid any kind of discrepancies”

In the beginning, creators used to try out different things to understand what is working, what content is being viewed and liked by the followers. But now, digital creators and influencers have started using different tools and methods to enhance the quality of the content such as Instagram analytics, engagement timing tools, insights to AI tools helping in scripting.

To achieve their targets such as content reach, followers and content engagement, some creators are even pursuing different courses on the same. Even though Muskan pursued a BBA in marketing, she went on to study digital marketing and Shaily did multiple internships as a social media manager.

Shaily said, “I use Instagram analytics and insights to understand which kind of content and which part of it are being viewed the most. I have my content calendar planned for an entire week, and have created the mood boards for shooting and editing as well. These planning and analysis have helped me reach 70.2k followers.”

Emphasising on how viewers actually enjoy watching things that they might relate to, automotive content Abhishek Benny (@abhishekbenny1) with about 13k followers said that he is currently doing barter systems with the brands that provide equipment for shooting and creating automotive content.

Emphasising on how viewers actually enjoy watching things that they might relate to, automotive content Abhishek Benny (@abhishekbenny1) with about 13k followers said that he is currently doing barter systems with the brands that provide equipment for shooting and creating automotive content.

Apart from the online live sessions, creators across the city also meetup offline at events organised by the brands. Some of these events that have happened in Pune include Zomaland by Zomato, Urbanic Gala by Urbanic and VH+1 Supersonic, where all their ambassadors and creators in collaborations are invited to create and shoot content with other creators on location.

Pune creators are now looking forward to more influencers’ collaborative meetups such as Youtube Fanfests being organised in the city.