One in five social media users now consider themselves influencers or content creators. 

A recent survey of Americans aged 16-54 revealed that the US is home to 27 million paid creators. Of these, 44% earn a full-time living through content creation, 32% make a part-time income, and 24% view it as a hobby. 

The largest segment of creators – 10.4 million – are micro-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers. This highlights the millions of emerging influencers entering the Creator Economy, eager to make their mark.

We’re here to share 10 up and coming influencers that you need to have on your radar for your next campaign!

1. Julia Mecey is a US based TikTok creator. She describes herself as a ‘mid girl making mid vlogs’ but her audience like to compare her to a young Emma Chamberlain. Julia’s vlog style content mimics a FaceTime call with your bestie, often consisting of making her morning coffee, tucking into lunch, or simply just sharing her inner monologue with her 96.7k TikTok followers.
2. Florida based Joseph Asthetic is active across TikTok, Twitch, and Instagram. True to his name, Joseph shares aesthetically pleasing fashion content including get ready with me videos, hauls, and outfit styling. Joseph regularly partners with fashion brand Inaka, and most recently, we collaborated with Joseph on our PepsiCo Starry campaign where he incorporated the making of a delicious Starry based cocktail into a classic get ready with me style video. 
3. Molly Faye has been resonating with a lot of Gen Z TikTok as of late, and is at the start of her TikTok breakthrough. Molly also fits into the casual, friendly vlog style content bracket with a sprinkling of beauty too. Molly’s followers are also very interested in her job as a ‘bev cart girl’ on a golf course, which often features on her TikTok page.
4. UK based Kimberley Cumberbatch is quickly building a fanbase on TikTok and her podcast ‘Out of Office’. On TikTok, Kimberley’s content is casual, chatty and witty, but she can also be seen commenting on and educating her audience on current affairs. Her podcast features interviews with professionals from diverse career paths to highlight exciting opportunities, aiming to motivate young people and inspire career changes at any stage of life.
5. Logan, aka Cucumber Boy, may have 4 million followers on TikTok, but unless cucumber recipe content is your vibe, you may not be aware of the Cucumber Boy phenomenon. Posting daily cucumber recipe videos is definitely niche, but Logan’s followers are in awe of his creativity and love of experimenting with different cuisines. Logan also shared long-form content on YouTube which features lots of traveling and of course, cooking. 
6. Bilal Bhatti is best known for his Pakistani cooking videos that he shares on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. He regularly welcomes his family onto his channel to showcase his family recipes, and to emphasize the important role that food plays in Pakistani culture. Bilal has even been recognized by world famous chef, Gordon Ramsay for his recipe videos – and he is famously difficult to impress!
7. Enrique Alex is a Spanish creator best known for his vibrant travel content. Enrique’s travel content often features tips for traveling as an LGBTQ+ couple, and where to find the best plant based food the world has to offer! We recently collaborated with Enrique on our campaign with Ralph Lauren Fragrances, where he showcased Polo 67 as his signature summer scent. 
8. If you’re in the travel space, or have a passion for exploring the world, you need to be aware of Kara. She is traveling around Vietnam, and is using TikTok to provide budget friendly backpacker tips. When she isn’t traveling, Kara posts tips for aspiring content creators, supporting those who wish to follow in similar footsteps. 
9. Clouds Joo is making waves by creating content democratizing the corporate world. Her content across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube aspiring "corporate girlies", and those embracing the “fun-employed” life. She is known for her "Expensive Things I Don't Regret Buying" series and has recently partnered with major brands like Amazon, Tiffany & Co., and Deliveroo.
10. The Travelling Gays (Doug and Sanjay) first started there Instagram account as a place to share travel tips, but more recently, they’ve used their platform to document their journey to parenthood via surrogacy in the US. Sanjay, a former Executive Director of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, and Doug advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and positive representation of same-sex parent families, which they speak about in detail on their podcast "The Proud Parent Club". 

Looking to drive results with an up and coming influencer for your next Influencer Marketing campaign? Reach out to us at hello@digitalvoices.com.