A new study by research group Attain has found that influencers could be losing more than £2,000 a week due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The company’s analysis of more than 500 influencers on Instagram, across lifestyle – which includes beauty – and fashion, recorded a 65% dip in sponsored content from 12 March to 7 May, compared with the previous eight weeks.
This equates to an average loss of more than £16,500, despite 10% of influencers experiencing a boost in their earnings during the period.
Specifically, beauty influencers posted 63% less ads than they did in the previous period.
Attain also compared the level of sponsored posts to partnered content from 2019; these showed a 66% decrease in content of this type, with posts from beauty influencers down more than three quarters (84%).
However, Attain deduced that while investment in sponsored posts had diminished, influencer marketing still remains a potentially profitable channel.
“With people having more free time due to lockdown restrictions, influencers have generally been finding engagement rates on their posts either remaining steady or [...] performing better than usual,” said the company’s report.
During lockdown beauty influencers have put their faith in YouTube as the stay-at-home order hikes engagement.
According to market tracking platform Tribe Dynamics, branded YouTube videos covering cosmetics, skin care, luxury and apparel were on the up in the US, UK, France and Italy.
Consumer comments on YouTube and Instagram videos also jumped, with the US seeing a 10% increase.
Meanwhile responses on Instagram posts in the UK, France, Italy and Spain were up 20-30%.