Should You Become an Influencer?

The commercial influencer economy is enormous.

An estimated 67 million people worldwide identify as content creators, up 34% in just two years (Goldman Sachs, 2025). At the same time, the global influencer marketing industry was projected to reach around $32.55 BILLION in 2025 (Statista, 2025).

(ICYMI — I explored another multibillion-dollar media market recently. For added context, read about it here.)

A multibillion-dollar industry…but for whom?

Although the market is big, the financial reality for most creators isn’t.

Consider: CreatorIQ’s State of Creators 2026 found that about 5% of surveyed creators earned more than $100,000 annually, while 67% earned less than $10,000 from their content. These figures suggest that turning content into meaningful income can be challenging.

None of this makes professional influencing illegitimate. But it raises an interesting question:

Is monetizing influence the same as having it?

Today, the word influencer conjures images of social media personalities, sponsorship deals, large audiences, and carefully cultivated lifestyle brands. Martha Stewart. Makeup tutorials. Tim Ferriss. How to Win Friends and Influence People.

But the word dates back to the 1660s, when it simply meant someone—or something—that influenced others (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

No followers. No sponsorships. No algorithms.

Just influence.

In its original sense, influence is something we encounter—and exercise—daily.

So, if influence isn’t defined by followers or sponsorships, perhaps we’re looking for it in the wrong places.

Who influences you?

Do you follow politics? Read the news? Have a favorite author, musician, TikToker, YouTuber, or filmmaker?

What about a teacher or coach?

And how about your family?

These people, I’d argue, may have more influence over your life than you realize. Take, for example, something as ordinary as the car you drive. How many people do you know who buy the same brand of car as their parents? Sometimes, it’s simply years of familiarity, trust, and experience shaping our decisions.

The most influential people in our lives, in other words, aren’t consciously trying to influence us. But that doesn’t make them less influential. It might make them more so.

Put simply: the influencer economy is worth billions. But influence itself is immeasurable.

Influence shapes what we believe, what we buy, whom we trust, and ultimately, what we do. It exists in nearly every relationship and every meaningful exchange. Whether we recognize it or not, we’re continually influencing and being influenced. And to change anything—to move someone toward an idea, inspire action, or make something better—requires influence.

So should you become an influencer?

Yes. But don’t mistake becoming an influencer for being influential.

References

CreatorIQ. (2026). State of creators 2026. https://www.creatoriq.com/whitepaper/state-of-creators

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Influencer. In Dictionary.com dictionary. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/influencer

Goldman Sachs. (2025, March 26). Creator economy: Framing market opportunity, drivers of content creation/distribution & ads/commerce. Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research. Secondary reporting: https://www.netinfluencer.com/goldman-sachs-sees-rise-of-content-creators-to-107-million-by-2030/

Statista. (2025). Influencer marketing market size worldwide. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1092819/global-influencer-market-size/