The Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) has released a report after it 'met with' a number of TikTok influencers from the country.
According to the report the TikTok ban would have cost the top 100 influencers around Rs 100-120 crore.
Riyaz Aly with 42.3 million followers was the highest grosser amongst TikTokers in India on monies he made from peddling his influence for brands, labels and clients. IIHB estimated Aly’s annual earnings from TikTok at Rs. 5-6 crores. His run-rate during the pandemic was actually higher and could have crossed Rs. 8-9 crores in 2020, but for the ban, stated the report.
The study further revealed that a picture post on top 10 influencer's account on TikTok was in the range of Rs 1,20,000 to Rs 1,50,000. This dropped to Rs 5,000 for a 'top 100 ranker'. A 'Story' was priced between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 50,000 depending on the pecking order; A story highlight was priced between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 1,00,000 and a link in bio (24 hours) fetched between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 35,000.
Sandeep Goyal, chief mentor, IIHB, said, "For followers running into millions, this is indeed poor compensationThe one thing I could never fully understand with respect to TikTok was why its millions of followers did not convert into larger earnings for its influencers. There were easily at least 50 influencers with over 10 million followers. That is no small number. But the bottom of the Top 20 list barely made Rs. 5-6 lacs a month, in reality. There were taller claims and larger stats touted by agents and middle-men, but the actual numbers were actually much lower”.
He added, “Did TikTok suffer because of an age skew? More than 60 per cent of TikTok’s active daily user base was said to be between 16-24 years. Some even younger. While this is an age cohort that is theoretically very attractive to brands, in reality, this age-group does not really have as much discretionary spending power as compared to their peers in Western economies."
