The current trending tactic for marketing strategies is influencer marketing, which has started showing up in practically every strategy. However, there are big differences between influencers, and not just where it concerns the type of audience they have and the brands that they decide to work with. Today’s piece is on the wide spectrum of influencers, which varies depending on their level of popularity. With influencer marketing seeing exponential growth in recent months, many people have started differentiating influencers into four main categories. Each one of them has a different set of standards that an influencer has to achieve before they can move up the ladder.

Additionally, estimates note that the influencer market is going to be worth more than $10 billion this year. As such, knowing the differences between each of the categories of influencers before looking for the right one for the next campaign is essential.

In public relations, media refers to any messaging channel or platform the brand might use to connect with customers. Traditionally, there are three types of media: paid, earned and owned. The modern PR landscape has added a fourth: shared. Funneling all PR messaging through one of these four channels is sometimes called the PESO model, for Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned. While the ultimate goal – building a positive brand reputation – is the same in all cases, the strategy to leverage each kind of media is distinct.

Owned Media is any content or messaging platform the brand owns or exclusively controls. This may include print media, digital platforms, websites or social media pages, as well as all the content on those channels. Other effective forms of owned media could include white papers, presentations, e-Books or other forms of brand-controlled content. Marketing through email, newsletters, or any other direct to consumer or direct-to-list operations also falls under owned media, because the brand controls the content being sent.

Traditional journalism is dead, just ask the Internet. Except, of course, we know that’s not true, because traditional media – what some like to call Legacy Media – is going strong, maintaining a solid grip on the hearts and minds of millions upon millions of faithful fans and followers.

But what is the role of traditional journalists in the modern age of digital marketing and social media influencers? It’s a strong, vital role, to begin with.

Self-made billionaire Kylie Jenner had much to celebrate in 2019, and being the highest paid influencer of Instagram was likely on the list. As the former majority owner of Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie is one of the most influential people in the online beauty industry. Her Instagram posts have been valued at over one million dollars in traditional ad spending.

Somewhat surprisingly, Kylie is the first member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan to hit such a milestone; Kim Kardashian still only makes a mere $910,000 per post. Moreover, Kylie’s engagement rate between her 157 million followers is through the roof, and she posted Instagram’s most-liked picture ever when she announced the name of her daughter, Stormi. In less than a day, the post had raked in 13.7 million likes and close to 500,000 comments.