Although social platforms are creators’ bread and butter, an increasing number of influencers are supplementing their online content with alternatives such as in-person events and newsletters in a bid to build an even more engaged community. As reoccurring Meta outages – most recently on 20 March – a looming TikTok ban in the US and regular algorithm changes prove, social platforms can be volatile, and creators are finding new ways to solidify their followings and maintain their businesses.
Post-pandemic, there is an increased interest in events, and creators are tapping into this to deepen the connection to their online audiences. Vlogger Sophie Milner founded New Circle Society, an IRL community for women in their late twenties and thirties, in August 2023. In February 2024, vlogger Misha Grimes started her Just Grieve community and her first panel event raised £1,250 for the charity Motor Neurone Disease Association. Popular ShxtsNGigs podcasters James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu reached 30,000 Patreon subscribers at the end of 2023 and are hosting an almost sold out live show at The O2 in London in May.
Fashion and lifestyle creators Chloe Pavlou, Abi Nunn, Maria Joynson, Jess Elle King and Amy Astrid’s community Girlies IRL has a closed Facebook group with more than 15,500 members, and when they hosted Galentine’s events earlier in 2024, three out of four events sold out within 24 hours. Travel creators are also joining in, as an increasing number of influencers host group trips – including Tonia Hope, Brontë King and Sabina Trojanova.
According to American Express’ 2024 global meetings and events forecast report, European respondents expected 81% of their get-togethers to have an in-person component, and 57% predicted their meeting spend would increase. The top European event location? London – followed by Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam and Paris. Globally, the report showed 82% were optimistic about the events industry, despite the cost-of-living crisis.
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There are other ways to reach beyond the boundaries of social platforms as well. Newsletters – Substack in particular – have exploded in popularity. In March alone, lifestyle creator Lauren Grace Collins launched a newsletter titled Seasons, Olivia Purvis started a Substack called The Sentimental Wardrobe, poet Charly Cox launched a bulletin named Hearts & Minds, and food writer Skye McAlpine debuted her newsletter, The Dolce Vita Diaries.
More established Substackers have built significant audiences – lifestyle creator Alexandra Stedman’s The R.U.E. (previously The Frugality) has more than 31,000 subscribers, while chef Melissa Hemsley’s Things That Make My Heart Sing has more than 21,000. Author Emma Gannon’s The Hyphen is the fifth most popular literature Substack globally and she has turned it into a six-figure business. Newsletters offer a monetisation option that is difficult to build on socials, where most creators are still dependent on brand deals, and provides a way for influencers to directly contact their audience, even if socials are down.
Although Instagram offers a subscription option for creators with more than 10,000 followers, this hasn’t been as widely used as Meta might have expected since its 2022 launch. In late 2023, there were one million paid subscriptions to Instagram creators globally – a small fraction of the app’s two billion monthly users. Creators with big enough audiences and backing have started making their own subscription platforms – take Sidemen’s Side+ or Callum Airey (Calfreezy) and Josh Larkin (TheBurntChip)’s newly-launched paid subscription app for their podcast The Fellas.
The key takeaway for brands? Remember creators are always interested in additional income streams and alternative ways to engage their audience – as part of your marketing strategy, consider sponsoring events, sharing exclusive freebies and offers, and booking the influencers as hosts, panellists or speakers.
By Dina Zubi, CORQ news and features writer. Picture credit: Girlies IRL via Instagram
