There are always mixed reviews about influencers. The younger generations tend to love and appreciate them as a whole, but some of the older generations don’t understand their role or what they do.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, “An influencer is someone who has a following in a distinct niche, with whom he or she actively engages,” for most influencers to gain this following they go viral and ride that trend. However, this is not always the case.

TikToker and Youtuber @LaurDIY never went viral – she continued an upward trend, steadily gaining followers and growing her platform. Now, she has her own show: “Craftopia” on HBO putting crafters to the test. This is her niche. She developed this niche before ever hitting TikTok.

Niches are powerful. A niche is a “specialized market” that can help someone find their audience as well as put out content that reaches that audience. It can be dangerous if the content is not focused enough.  Take Addison Rae for instance, @addisonre took off on TikTok around the same time as Charli D’Amelio. Due to her virality, Addison Rae has taken on television with a new show and a movie, entrepreneurship with Item Beauty, podcasting, as well as singing with her first song “Obsessed”– spreading herself and her fans very thin. As a result, she doesn’t seem to be gaining much traction in any specific area. Her movie was trending, but it wasn’t exactly positive.

Addison also had the rare opportunity to interview UFC fighters at an event in July of 2021 but suffered from harsh backlash after she tweeted it. Many were enraged by her caption that read “I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this.” Others were offended because an influencer got the job over a journalist.

TikTok and other social media influencers have a place in the media but it must be earned.

@laurdiy

stream #craftopia season 2 tho

♬ Sound from thereal mikehancho – CinnamonBuns

@xjillxox

He’s all that on Netflix #hesallthat #cringe #addisonrae

♬ origineel geluid – Jill🌸