logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
19m 39s

Two Indicators: the influencer industry

NPR
About this episode
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut, a doctor or maybe a famous athlete? Today one of the most popular responses to that question is influencer – content creators who grow their following on Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube and monetize that content to make it their full-time job.

In a lot of ways influencing can seem like the dream job - the filters, the followers, the free stuff. But on the internet, rarely is anything as it appears. From hate comments and sneaky contracts to prejudice and discrimination, influencers face a number of hurdles in their chosen careers.

This week we're bringing you two stories from our daily show The Indicator on the promise and perils of the multi-billion dollar influencer industry.

This episode was produced by Corey Bridges and Janet Lee. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Katherine Silva. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and Dylan Sloan. Emily Kinslow was the podcast coordinator for this series. Viet Le is The Indicator's senior producer. Kate Concannon edits the show. Our acting executive producer is Jess Jiang.

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in
Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Oct 8
Two ways AI is changing the business of crime (Two Indicators)
Pre-order the Planet Money book here for your free gift. Our sister show, The Indicator, is chronicling the evolving business of crime for its Vice Week series. Today, we bring to you two cases of crime in the age of AI. First, cybercriminals are using our own voices against us. ... Show More
19m 39s
Oct 4
BOARD GAMES 2: Making our prototype
It’s here! It’s free to download and playtest! It’s the Planet Money game! (Download here.)Download and playtest the game go here Sign up for the 11/1 virtual AMA event and get updates about the gameSubmit your feedback on the gameWatch the how-to video with Kenny and Elan for pl ... Show More
35m 41s
Oct 1
BOARD GAMES 1: We're making a game
We want to make a board game. It must, of course, teach the world about economics. It must be fun. It’d be nice if it sold lots of copies! How hard could that be!? (Monopoly and Catan are hugely popular and basically little economy simulators, after all.)Well, turns out, it’s qui ... Show More
32m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2022
THE WIRE: Answering the call of leadership
When taking up the call for a leadership role, Janine Rule believes that “you can sink or swim, but you’ve got to take your shot”. In this exciting episode, the recently named director of Stockdale & Leggo Ferntree Gully tells the interesting story of how an out-of-the-blue phone ... Show More
34m 28s
Jun 2023
Influencers Can Have Career Doubts Too
Before you roll your eyes at the title of this week's episode—we get it. Influencing, a career that's emerged over the past decade, offers it all: the ability to make lots of money, flexibility, travel, adoring followers and flashy brand deals. But we know we're not the first one ... Show More
32m 49s
Sep 2023
Economics, boosternomics and Swiftnomics
For this week's Indicators of the Week, Darian is joined by NPR colleagues Jeff Guo and Sydney Lupkin. We get into the latest numbers on child poverty in the U.S. and what it tells us about effective policy intervention. Sydney brings an update on the new covid booster and who's ... Show More
9m 21s
Feb 2023
SPI 651: Top Lessons from Interviewing Billionaires with Jess Larsen
#651 Connecting with your audience through podcasting can be a game-changing strategy for any brand. As you know, we're already helping many entrepreneurs take advantage of this opportunity. But what is the other, less often talked about, benefit of creating a show in your niche? ... Show More
36m 39s
Dec 2019
Best of The Influencer Podcast: Business Growth
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: In today’s Influencer Podcast episode, my guests and I are chatting about the incredible power behind empowering women to grow their influence and affluence, the gateway questions that help you begin to explore your powerful potential and 5 simple steps to unpa ... Show More
52m 53s
May 2024
How To Manage A Celebrity’s Money
This week on the Dough, we have a special guest: X’s business manager Belva Anakwenze! If you’re a longtime listener of the Dough, you know how much X loves Belva. She’s the perfect money mentor - her client list is a who’s who of Los Angeles celebrities, and she’s won awards fro ... Show More
34m 41s