Technological advancements have changed the media landscape increasingly over the past several years. While a front page story in the Wall Street Journal used to be considered a home run, today an online story can have a far greater impact and reach, considering it can reach millions of online readers, as well as be shared on social media. The power of the internet has created a new way of finding incredible success and even stardom; if you need proof, look no further than the fact that on this season of Bachelor in Paradise, one of the contestants’ occupation was literally listed as ‘social media influencer’. There are countless bloggers and influencers who have capitalized on this trend and built incredible careers and lucrative empires simply by leveraging their online presence (I once read that a so-called YouTube influencer made well over six figures a year, which made me seriously question all of my life choices). Here are three examples of social media influencers and bloggers who have reaped the benefits of the online craze and are now raking in some serious dollars.
- Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What. In less than six years, Danielle went from a sophomore in college to one of the most successful Instagram influencers in the industry, reportedly making more than $1 million annually. Recently featured on Forbes, when she launched her blog We Wore What while a student at FIT in New York, she’d no idea her hobby would become a high-paying career. Now, with 1.7 million instagram followers and a growing lifestyle collection that includes overalls, shoes and workout wear — and which counts Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid and Suki Waterhouse as celebrity influencer fans — the sky’s the limit for the 25-year-old blogger and designer. For Instagram influencers to receive even more followers, they can find out how to get free instagram followers here to keep their businesses successful.
- Claudia Oshry Soffer of Girl With No Job. Claudia managed the ultimate millennial dream: she has made a career out of simply being unemployed. After getting fired from her first internship while she was a freshman at NYU, she launched an Instagram page with creative and relateable meme content. Today, she has more than 2 million followers, and has garnered partnerships with some major industry leaders, including a branding partnership with the liquor company Captain Morgan. According to ABC News, Claudia can net anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 for events, though she wouldn’t say how much money she’s been offered by brands. It’s safe to say she is the most wealthy and successful unemployed woman in the game.
- Amber Venz Box, RewardStyle. This one-time personal shopper and millennial is a disruptor in every sense of the word with her Dallas-based company, RewardStyle. That’s because she figured out ahead of anyone else how to get retailers to pay her for the fashion content she posted on her blog and across social media. Moreover, she recognized that if she could do it for herself, there was no reason why she couldn’t do it for scores of other women.
