Your Guide to Lifestyle Influencers

Cast your mind back to a time before social media existed… if that’s possible. The closest thing we had to a lifestyle influencer was a blogger—someone who would write about their life and daily activities on the internet. Just like influencers today, these bloggers would have thousands of followers, all eagerly awaiting new uploads. 

Fast forward roughly 20 years and the modern day lifestyle influencer pretty much still does this, but mostly through images and videos rather than words. 

At its core, a lifestyle influencer is someone who documents their daily life on their social media profiles. This is often done with the intent of inspiring a lifestyle change in others. Aspects of it could include what they are eating that day, packing for a holiday or even just an outfit of the day (OOTD), but what they choose to post typically has range and versatility. 

This isn’t to say it doesn’t have depth, though. In fact, one of the reasons why lifestyle influencers are so popular on social media is because of how genuine and authentic they feel. Their ability to share the most candid moments of their lives, including the not-so-glamorous parts, is what makes them relatable and attracts an audience. 

To add to this, most influencers’ unique styles and beautifully-shot content is an enticing factor for new followers. It’s this coherence that convinces an audience that their influencer has their life together and, in turn, builds a level of trust. This is why we often see lifestyle influencers with large followings, despite not adhering to a certain niche. 

Fashion and Lifestyle Bloggers 

With fashion and lifestyle going hand in hand, the rate at which influencers under this niche are increasing is not to be dismissed. 

If you have a passion for fashion, here are the current rankings for the top fashion/lifestyle influencers for you to follow:

1. Chiara Ferragni: @chiaraferragni – 26.8M followers
2. Camila Coelho: @camilacoelho – 9.7M followers
3. Aimee Song: @aimeesong – 6.3M followers
4. Lauren Conrad: @laurenconrad – 5.8M followers
5. Alexa Chung: @alexachung – 5M followers

While these are the biggest stars in the game, it is more than likely that your budget will not be able to stretch as far as getting a partnership with them right now. Instead, use their profiles as research to better understand how they connect with their audience full of fashion lovers and how they market their own clothing brands. Perhaps you will discover a thing or two that you can then apply to micro influencers in a new campaign. 

Male Lifestyle Influencers

It is entirely fair to view social media activity and the influencer industry as female-dominated; after all, a survey conducted by STATISTA in 2019 shows that 84% of sponsored posts were created by women and only 16% were created by men. While this may not surprise you, looking at things on a platform-by-platform level just might. 

According to a report from Spredfast, there are varying degrees of gender splits when looking at the major platforms; Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

1. Instagram: 58% female , 42% male
2. YouTube: 45% female , 55% male
3. LinkedIn 46% female , 54% male

With 42% of instagram users being male, it begs the question; just who are they following?

Here is a list of the top male lifestyle influencers in the UK:

1. Joe Sugg: @joe_sugg – 5.5M followers
2. Joe Wicks: @thebodycoach – 4.5M followers
3. Alfie Deyes: @alfiedeyes – 3.7M followers
4. Casper Lee: @caspar_lee – 2.4M followers
5. Joe Weller: @joeweller – 2.2M followers

Black Lifestyle Influencers

Uplifting black voices in the realm of social media is vital to ensuring success with influencer marketing. As a brand openly advocating for and seeking diversity and equality in your campaigns, you are more likely to reach a wider audience and create a more authentic relationship with the people in it. 

Research shows that 31% of consumers will stop frequenting a store that does not take a public stand on diversity and inclusion. The same study also suggests that 49% of consumers are willing to show their support on social media for a company that makes a commitment to diversity and equality initiatives. 

Given today’s social environment, brands now have a moral obligation to use their platforms to advocate for marginalized communities and contribute to the shared goal of inspiring others to do the same. 

If you are a brand who openly stands for important social issues, here is a list of black lifestyle influencers who will be a perfect match for your next campaign.

1. Patricia Bright: @thepatriciabright – 1.2M followers
2. Jackie Aina: @lavishlyjackie – 549k followers
3. Wunmi Bello: @wunmibello – 253k followers
4. Luke Trotman: @luketroytrotman – 1.2M followers
5. Mariam Musa: @itsmariammusa – 617k followers 

Final Thoughts on Lifestyle Influencers

Lifestyle influencers are certainly not the people to be sleeping on; particularly in today’s climate, where audiences constantly seek escape by living vicariously through those they follow online. Slowly but surely, marketers are beginning to see the benefits of partnering with lifestyle influencers, with a Forbes study suggesting that 48% of brands consider lifestyle experts their most sought after type of influencer to work with. With the rate of lifestyle influencers increasing at a rapid rate, it is probably wise to jump on the bandwagon soon. Just remember, when beginning a campaign, it is important to embed diversity and inclusion into its core through those lifestyle influencers that you choose. 

FAQ’s

What is a lifestyle influencer?

A lifestyle influencer is someone who uses social media platforms to document their daily life, often with the hope of inspiring others to make a lifestyle change. 

What do lifestyle influencers post on Instagram?

Lifestyle influencers tend to post candid moments of their daily lives. While these can sometimes lean towards a certain niche, such as fashion and fitness, they tend to be a broad range of posts for all to enjoy.