Tag Archives: influencer

The Rise of The Mid-Life Influencer

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Nina Ambrose, 54 @RantsAndBigPants charges £1,800 for an Instagram reel and story

It’s not just the young ones who are doing well on social media. While everyone on TikTok can seem young, midl-life influencers are making their mark and earning big. Kolsquare releases new report – From Mixtapes to TikTok, Why Gen X is the Dark Horse of Influencer Marketing
 
According to leading influencer marketing platform Kolsquare, Gen X (born between 1966 and 1980) is reshaping the social media landscape as the 45+ age group embraces platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook with a growing number carving out second careers as mid-life influencers aka mid-fluencers.
 
On TikTok, the 45+ demographic is the platform’s fastest-growing audience segment, currently at 17.6% and growing (in the US they make up 27%). A third of all 45+ social media users follow influencers, and many are gaining huge audiences and attracting younger followers.
 
“We are seeing a growing number of 40 to 50-something influencers gaining huge traction,” says Katy Link, Head of Brand for Kolsquare. “There’s an army of mid-lifers who started their accounts as a side hustle and are seeing them burgeon and become profitable. There are also growing numbers of mid-lifers starting businesses and using social media to promote them.”
 
It’s not just women of a certain age who are conquering social media, male mid-lifers are talking about their passions too. Ben Hamilton Anderson (@the_gardenerben) has 40,400 followers on Instagram where he shares his passion for gardening. 78% of his audience are male and 31% are between 45 and 64.
 
Facebook loyalists
 
More than a third (33.4%) of Instagram’s global users are 45+ but Gen X are Facebook loyalists who want entertainment while seeking informative and creative content.
 

  • 61% of Gen X have been on Facebook for more than 10 years, although their engagement is declining (as is the case for all age groups) and there is a shift from sharing photos and updates towards passive scrolling. 20% of the platform’s global users are 45+.
  • 73% of 45+  Brits log into Facebook daily and only 5% say they’ve never had a Facebook account
  • 34% of 45+ Facebook users participate in groups and communities

Engagement on Facebook is declining and midlifers are moving to other platforms, globally  –

  • 31% of YouTube users are 45+
  • 17.6% of Instagram users are 45+
  • 26% of Facebook users are 45+
  • 17.6% of TikTok users are 45+ 

Reaching Gen X

Targeting Gen X with influencer marketing campaigns requires an understanding of who they are –  a generation raised with print and traditional TV who want high-quality information, i.e. substance over style.

“As a group, they want more than novelty, they are after content that adds value, whether that’s how to navigate their menopause, fitness tips, cooking, etc,” says Kolsquare’s Katy Link.

Big names like John Lewis, Fantasie and The White Stuff have started to invest heavily in Gen X-focused campaigns. 

Lingerie brand Fantasie is on a mission to change how brands portray Gen X women. They used Nina Ambrose (@rantsandbigpants – see case study below) whose March 2025 racked up an earned media value of £10,752. They also used Mega-influencer and feminist author Tova Leigh (@mythoughtsaboutstuff) who has 1.3m followers on Facebook. Most of her Fantasie posts earned more than 500 likes and one reel got 158,000 plays.

“Gen X has spending power,” says Katy. “Brands like Fantasie that are tapping into this and speaking authentically to mid-life women, are reaping the benefits.”

Social media habits

Gen X spends an hour less per day on social media than Millennials and Gen Z, although their time spent online is the same as other age groups. Their top three reasons for using social media are –

  1. To connect with friends
  2. Get up to speed on the news
  3. Fill spare time

The only difference between them and 25 – 44-year-olds is that they rank filling spare time ahead of keeping up with the news. 

Brits need 78 sponsored posts on Instagram to make their average annual salary

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With the ability to earn millions, even as a nano influencer, it’s no wonder that many people are now turning to Instagram for a potential side hustle.

Interested in social media earnings, money.co.uk collected the average annual salary for each European country from Eurostat and used social salary calculator Lickd.co to find out how many sponsored posts* an average European worker would need a year to match their country’s average salary.

The European workers that would take the longest to make their average salary through sponsored posts

Money.co.uk can reveal that in the UK, aspiring influencers would need a minimum of 78 sponsored posts on Instagram to meet the average annual salary of £18,338.

European Countries Average annual income

(GBP – £)

 Required number of sponsored posts
1. Switzerland 35,250 151
2. Norway 34,380 147
3. Iceland 34,096 146
4. Luxembourg 32,320 138
5. Denmark 26,221 112
6. Austria 22,673 97
= 7. Belgium 21,940 94
= 7. Netherlands 21,921 94
= 9. Finland 21,770 93
= 9. Ireland 21,805 93
11. Sweden 21,098 90

*= symbol means joint in ranking

Source: money.co.uk

In first place is Switzerland. Residents would require a minimum of 151 sponsored posts on Instagram a year to earn their respective countries annual salary of £35,250 – the most of all countries analysed.

Following in second place is Norway, where an estimated 147 sponsored posts a year would earn aspiring influencers the country’s average annual income of £34,380.

Placing third is Iceland. Uploading a total of 146 sponsored posts per year on Instagram would earn the same as the average annual income of £34,096.

 

Table 2: Workers in these countries could make their average salary the quickest through sponsored posts

European Countries Average annual income

(GBP – £)

 Required number of sponsored posts
= 1. Albania 1,906 8
= 1. Kosovo 1,759 8
3. North Macedonia 2,330 10
4. Turkey 2,581 11
5. Serbia 2,799 12

*= symbol means joint in ranking

Source: money.co.uk

Requiring the fewest sponsored posts in Europe are Albania and Kosovo in joint first place. The residents in these countries would only need eight sponsored Instagram posts a year to earn their respective countries’ annual salaries (£1,906 in Albania and £1,759 in Kosovo).

James Andrews, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, commented on the findings:

“Social media platforms such as Instagram have continued to grow as a potential earning source for those looking for more flexibility over their creativity. Since you don’t need millions of followers to start earning, this has definitely sparked some interest, encouraging people of all ages and hobbies to look to see if they could join in.”

Money.co.uk’s tips on managing earnings and saving for the future:

    1. Maintain a steady income – Earnings as an influencer may not always be consistent. Ensure that you have a main stable income to support not only your daily expenses but also emergencies
    2. Tracking expenses – Keeping track of your daily expenses can help control your spending as well as cut down the need for any unnecessary outgoings. There are a number of apps available to download to assist your money tracking needs. Make sure to have a look around to find the best one that caters to you
    3. Budget for savings – Tracking your daily expenses can motivate you to organise your monthly income into a specific budget that works for you, encouraging a way to store any extra earnings into savings straight away
    4. Contribute to a pension pot – If you are thinking about saving for retirement, you will probably be enrolled in a workplace pension if you have a traditional job – which you can frequently top up, or ask to join if you’ve opted out or don’t meet the qualification criteria. But making the move to full time influencer or becoming self-employed will mean you need to take action yourself. Private pensions are simple to open and contribute to, but make sure you do your research or speak to a professional to help you get the most of the money you put away in the safest way possible.

Methodology:

  1. Money.co.uk wanted to find out how many sponsored posts European workers would need on Instagram to earn the same amount as their country’s average annual income.
  2. To do so, Eurostat data was utilised to collect the average annual income for European countries, accumulating the most recent data from 2020. Data for Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey are from 2019, whereas Iceland, the United Kingdom and Kosovo are from 2018. The figures reflect the NET earnings across each European country.
  3. To input the average annual income into a social salary calculator Lickd.co, the currency was converted from EUR – €  to GBP – £ using XE.com.
  4. Once converted, the average salaries were then input into Lickd.co to give the estimated number of sponsored posts per year on Instagram to earn the same as each European country’s average annual salary**. The social salary calculator takes a general assumption of earning as a whole and is not specific to a particular location***.
  5. A final ranking for each country was determined based on the number of sponsored posts.
  6. Data and conversion rates were collected on 8th November 2021 and are correct as of then but subject to change.

*Lickd.co’s estimated required sponsored posts are based on a minimum of 5,000 followers for users to be able to start earning around $350/£250 per sponsored post, where the estimated earning value can increase as the following grows.

**Potential earnings from sponsored posts may also vary depending on the estimated values of the influencer’s brand sponsor deals.

***SevenSix’s influencer pricing report conducted in November and December 2020 illustrates a comprehensive study on influencer pricing standard as well as an insight into the industry based on survey responses from influencers, brands and agencies across the UK.