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The influencer break-down: a history, categorization, and analysis of success for health & wellness influencers

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The influencer break-down: a history, categorization, and analysis of success for health & wellness influencers

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The Influencer Break-Down: A History, Categorization, and Analysis of Success for Health &
Wellness Influencers

by Nikole Johnston

A Thesis Presented to the
Faculty of the USC Graduate School
University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Master of Art in Strategic Public Relations

December 2019

Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………..Page iii
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….Page 4
Social Influence & Social Networks………………………………………………………...Page 7
History of Influencers…………………………………………………………………….....Page 9
Today’s Influencer Categorization………………………………………………………....Page 13
Health & Wellness Influencer Categorization…………………………………………......Page 16
What do Today’s Health & Wellness Influencers Say About Their Role?...........................Page 21
What do the Health & Wellness Media Say About Health & Wellness Influencers?..........Page 28
Diagram of a Successful Health & Wellness Influencer…………………………………...Page 41
Influencer Personas…………………………………………………………………….......Page 47
The Influencer Success Model – Is It Successful?................................................................Page 50
Final Thoughts……………………………………………………………………………..Page 57
References………………………………………………………………………………….Page 60

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Abstract
Influencers are one of the most studied and analyzed groups of humans today. Because
we live in a world where technology and online content rules, we focus on what the people
utilizing these platforms for exposure do and say while also hoping to understand their behaviors
and habits. These people have the ability to showcase anything they want from their lives while
shaping the minds of those looking at their content, giving rise to a type of “influence” on those
wanting a similar life. While the concept is not new, it is still one that is complex and should be
analyzed constantly as the social media and online world continue to evolve.
Health and wellness influencers specifically are growing as prominent figures for those
looking to change their health, fitness, wellness, or everyday routine. There are a variety of these
influencers fitting different categories depending on the types of topics they cover, giving
followers the chance to pick and choose who and what they want to follow. With the help of
brand-sponsored posts, health and wellness influencers can prove to be successful in sharing
their stories, attracting followers, and making a business out of what others see as just-for-fun.
The following paper attempts to break down the history of influencers dating back to the
1700s, how they are categorized in the health and wellness industry, words from some of the
health and wellness influencers themselves, and a look at how they can be successful today.

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Introduction
It’s 2019 and we are surrounded by social media influencers everywhere we turn.
Whether we watch T.V. and see our favorite celebrities showing us how they cleared their acne
with ProActiv or hop online to find women who we aspire to be wearing the latest REVOLVE
clothing, we are bombarded with products, lifestyles, and actions that profess to be necessities of
life. The invention of social media created a platform for people to express themselves with
photos, words, and lifestyles that represent who they are. But is this really who people are?
Unbeknownst to most users, influencers actually began in the 1700s with the early stages
of promoting products or lifestyles to others in order to change their behaviors. For example,
“the Royal Family gave their Royal Warrant to British brands spanning industries and centuries”
(Schmid). People like Lady Astor, an infamous American-born socialite living in Great Britain
during the early 1900s, could make or break someone with a flick of the finger as an influential
hostess (“Lady Astor becomes MP”). The modern age of the influencer is evolving as an
integral part of the social media world as brands begin to create partnerships, put on events, and
give special attention to these so-called “influencers.” With even more emphasis on the health
and wellness space as a booming sector of the influencer world, there is a need for research and
understanding of the effects of an influencer. Behind the brands they represent and the content
they produce, there lies questioning about who influencers really are, how they’re categorized,
and how they curate success in today’s market.
Now more than ever, we begin to question if how we act, what we say, what we wear,
and what we do is the right thing because of social media.
If someone else is on the keto diet, is that what I should be doing? That girl is working
out 7 days a week, twice a day, so I should do that, right? She has so many likes on that photo,

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so I should post more photos like her, shouldn’t I? These influencers are successful and well-
liked so that’s how I’m going to become successful and well-liked?
Thoughts like these run through each and every one of our heads, whether we want them
to or not, and leave us with more unanswered questions about our own lives. While social media
influencers post and create content for their jobs, they also have the opportunity to connect with
their audiences and interact with them in a totally unique way. Even so, some may not see how
much they have the ability to affect their followers, guiding decisions and thoughts that people
choose to make in their own lives. With so many influencers pushing products, wearing clothing
for known and unknown designers, traveling to exotic places for hotels and travel agencies, and
showcasing how they’re living their best healthy lives, it’s only fair to question how they came
to be and how they succeed in doing their job for various brands.
According to a recent study, “messages proclaimed by social media influencers are often
perceived as more reliable and compelling to consumers, and have been substantiated by 82% of
followers’ polls, in which consumers are reported to be more likely to follow their favorite
influencers’ recommendations” (Lim et al.). Knowing this, the first thing that needs to be
understood is what defines an influencer.
If you ask a number of people what they believe an influencer is, it’s likely they will all
give you different answers. The definition of an influencer is neither uniform nor consistent. An
“‘influencer’ is an individual with a significant following on social media who is paid by brands
to promote their products to said followers, via free products and trips and/or cash payment per
promotional post. The purpose is to persuade followers to purchase such products” (Kadekova
and Holiencinova). This definition is clearly the monetary, physical definition of an influencer,

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describing the numerous ways these social media personalities make money to categorize them
as “influencer” status.
This breaks down a step further when describing social media influencers as opinion
leaders who “engage in self-presentation on social media, accomplished through the creation of
their online images employing rich multimodal narration of their personal, everyday lives, and
leverage these images to attract attention, and a large number of followers (Khamis, Ang, &
Welling, 2016; Senft, 2013). Pivotal to their success are the relationships between their personal
brand and their followers, upon which is premised the potential for deep influence (Abidin &
Ots, 2015) leading to positive outcomes such as followers’ electronic-word-of-mouth (eWOM)
communication and purchase intention (Boerman, Willemsen, & Van Der Aa, 2017; Evans,
Phua, Lim, & Jun, 2017; Wojdynski et al., 2017)” (Dhanesh and Duthler). It’s important to note
and understand that this definition brings up the concepts of relationships with followers and the
potential for influence leading to purchase decisions, keeping in mind these are keys to the
success of an influencer’s life. The emphasis on success through relationships is what drives the
influencer model, further leading to more evidence of a profitable and powerful empire in the
social media space.
Influencers can also be defined as “so-called ‘internet celebrities’” as they gain
momentum and fame in the social media world (Pratt and Rinka). Within these definitions, it is
also difficult to ascertain which term should be used for the various forms of online fame, with
certain terms like micro-celebrity, Instafamous, internet famous or influencer being used
interchangeably. As noticed by research, “a lack of consensus on terminology and the
characteristics that define a social media celebrity or even who should be considered a social

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media influencer or a digital celebrity of any sort is widespread amongst both scholars and
practitioners” (Ruiz-Gomez).
While there’s no clear answer about what defines an influencer, it is important to take
every aspect into consideration when understanding the relationships influencers have with their
audience, the brands they represent, and how this affects their overall ability to influence
consumers. Each of these definitions will be utilized in this thesis in order to categorize and
prove the abilities of health and wellness influencers to sell/promote brands they work with and
the personal brand they’ve cultivated with a large impact on consumers.

Social Influence and Social Networks
Influence itself is defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as “the power or capacity of
causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways.” We see influence every single day in our own
lives, whether it be while we’re shopping, speaking with our family members, or just ordering
something at a restaurant. While influence is certainly not a new concept, it has been studied and
researched intensely more recently as the development of social networks increases and changes
(Levitan). The introduction of social media over the past 10 years has also dramatically altered
influence to have an even greater effect on our subconscious minds, making it more complex and
difficult to understand with the social networks we are part of.
“Social networks are generally formed based on social and demographic characteristics
and sheer proximity” (Levitan). These networks are formed in order to maintain communication
while creating relationships that have the potential for influence. Within these networks, there is
a possibility for attitudes to change due to influence and researchers are diving in further to find
out whether these changed attitudes are weak or strong (Levitan). It then becomes a question of

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how much people are being influenced by these particular networks and what messages are
actually getting across.
The principle of influence is ancient, carrying throughout the ages as a way for people to
build their networks and momentum in different areas of life. Beyond the Royal Family and
Lady Astor, everyday humans utilized the art of influence to convince others to buy their goods
or accept who they are as a person. The difference is the majority of these “influencers” used a
traditional way of getting people to like a product by personally talking to others they wanted to
sell to. Later on, companies like Pepsi utilized beautiful actors in advertisements to sell product
they felt would appeal to their audience (Schmid). Although we may think of influence today
geared towards social media specifically, it’s important to understand it as a concept in general.
While we continue to form our own networks and begin to form relationships that are more
meaningful, it helps to understand how our ideas and beliefs reflect upon others, more
importantly in this growing digital age.
Influence in social media takes many forms but there are also several factors that go into
messaging, photos, and the actual act of influencing. “Social media can augment or redirect
traditional mass media messages…” which makes it difficult for influencers and brands to target
messaging that focuses on what they want to get across (Flanagin). It’s not always that simple
for these social media gurus to post content that will be meaningful to their followers. Because
our social networks are so complex and messages get carried throughout, social media tends to
change messaging for people in different ways. Our brains are wired to think differently and
because of this, the messages attempting to “influence” may be understood in ways that were not
meant to influence. In turn, people are influenced in a variety of ways or not influenced at all.
“As information is passed through complex online social networks and embellished along the

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way with individuals' comments, assessments, and other ancillary materials, the ability to control
message placement, meaning, and reception is diminished” (Flanagin). Although the idea of
influence is basic, there is so much more to the art of the craft than we realize as we continue to
study the psychology behind it.

History of Influencers
The art of influencing dates all the way back to the 1700s with Josiah Wedgwood’s royal
endorsements for his pottery line (Leadem). Similar to today’s influencers, Wedgwood began
promoting his pottery via the connections he had with important people like the royals. While
most influencers today do not have royal ties, they do leverage their relationships with brands
and other influencers to promote products and lifestyles. Later on in the 1800s, Lillie Langtry,
British socialite and actress, appeared on trading cards for Brown’s Iron Bitters while Fatty
Arbuckle was the first recorded celebrity endorsement on Murad Cigarettes in 1905 (Leadem).
These were some of the first signs of using prominent people for so-called “brand partnerships”
that have evolved to even bigger partnerships today. Lady Nancy Astor, an influential society
hostess and socialite from the early 1900s, also utilized her position and popularity to gain
following and eventually become the first female MP in British Parliament (“Lady Astor Dies;
Sat in Commons”).
Coca-Cola’s creation of Santa Claus, the jolly old man with a long white beard and red
velvet suit, became an influential figure for the brand in 1923, allowing them to sell more
products and eventually create a permanent Christmas icon (Leadem). While the brand did not
have any idea he would become such an important figure, they created an influential person for
kids and families to believe in while enjoying a Coke and preparing for the holidays. In 1952,

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Frosted Flakes introduced Tony the Tiger as its mascot for every campaign (Leadem). Tony
became a popular character for kids to aspire to while also helping sell cereal to those parents
whose kids begged them for it. Now, he is still one of the most recognizable characters in the
consumer product industry.
Throughout the years, more brands began creating recognizable characters and utilizing
famous people to leverage their products and brands. During the 80s and 90s, icons like Prince,
Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, and Princess Diana were at the forefront of fashion and its influence
on the world (Teather). From Saint Laurent shoulder pads to Vetements’ leggings, these
influencers helped to sell the brands they lavishly wore and become representatives for the
influenced (Teather). Today, we’ve even reached a point where regular people beyond
celebrities are gaining followings and becoming influencers. According to the Netflix
documentary, The American Meme, Paris Hilton became one of the first social media influencers
as this sphere began (Marcus). Hilton promoted her own lifestyle and connect with her audience
by being authentic and real unlike most Hollywood starlets. She shared photos of parties, her
lavish lifestyle, her fabulous wardrobe, her dogs, and the struggles she went through as a famous
icon. This helped her gain a greater following and made her “Instafamous,” giving her leverage
to promote products and brands to her followers that were readily purchasing. We can certainly
say this “Instafamous” concept grew out of Hilton’s influence, becoming a term that is used for
those people who were popularly known and followed because of their Instagram posts.
Whether her posts created controversy or empowered people, Hilton had the ability to grab
people’s attention and gain more of an audience to add to her “Instafamous” persona.
Other prominent celebrity influencers like Kim Kardashian, Hailey Baldwin, and Selena
Gomez created empires around the brands and products they were using in their everyday

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lifestyle. From flat tummy teas to fancy lingerie, these influencers gave credit to specific brands
for helping them be who they are and live the life they want. Eventually, the average person
latched on to this concept and started food, fashion, lifestyle, health and fitness, and art social
media accounts to begin their influencing careers. They posted brands and tag them in hopes of
collaborations, learning that they could have success if they had a decent following and
recognizable brands. People like Lilly Singh, Andrew Bachelor, and Michelle Phan gained such
huge followings they were able to sign with brands like Coca-Cola, Jimmy John’s and Lancôme
(Leadem). After starting from what seemed like a normal life, these people were able to create
their own brand while promoting other brands who liked their content and messaging.
Daily, we see new people trying to get their feet wet as social media influencers, showing
the products they use, the workouts they create, and the travel lifestyles they live in order to
reach a greater audience. In turn, brands connect with these “influencers” for paid content and
promotion, thus creating a cycle of partnerships. This highlights an important communications
and public relations concept that has evolved: the PESO model. The PESO model helps
practitioners identify the types of partnerships, stories, and collaborations they will gain for a
brand and whether they are paid, earned, shared or owned (Thabit). Here, the “P” is crucial in
curating content for a particular product because the majority of influencers are making money
off of these collaborations. Social media influencers big and small have a huge role in making
sure brands gain exposure and attract eyes to their products on social channels. Because of this
paid aspect, these newer influencers are able to make money with smaller brands starting from
the bottom, eventually working up to opportunities for bigger and better collaborations with an
increased following.

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It’s also important to discuss the topic of nano-influencers and their responsibility in the
social media world today as it evolves. These influencers are considered the cream of the crop to
many brands because of their low following and authentic recommendations. With this in mind,
brands like to take advantage of these influencers because, “their lack of fame is one of the
qualities that make them approachable. When they recommend a shampoo or a lotion or a
furniture brand on Instagram, their words seems as genuine as advice from a friend”
(Maheshwari). As this group grows, we realize that almost anybody can be an influencer,
changing the way brands see paid partnerships and leverage smaller networks. This then leads us
to the question of if influencers will still have just as much of an effect if anybody can be one.
Majority of research believes these influencers will remain important as the “super fans” of a
brand who have high engagement in niche spaces (Cohn). How will brands rate the importance
of different influencers and how will nano-influencers change?
With the historical evolution and development of influencers to social media influencers
over time, the question now lies in where these influencers will be 5 or even 10 years from now.
Will they still be utilizing traditional social media platforms in the way they do now or will it
develop into more? Are we going to see exclusivity in following, further targeting influence
among followers? Or is all of this just temporary? We will find answers to these questions over
time with the gradual change in abilities to influence audiences and how well targets are being
reached for brands. The age of the influencer does not seem to stop here and will continue to
evolve with the people that are being influenced.

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Today’s Influencer Categorization
To decipher exactly how and if influencers truly do influence their audience, it is
necessary to break down exactly what today’s influencer looks like. Because there isn’t just one
type of influencer, the modern influencer can be divided into different categories (Ruiz-Gomez).
First, we can categorize influencers by specific platform. This would include YouTubers,
Vloggers, and “Instafamous” personalities. YouTubers are classified by the value of their
YouTube partnership programs with brands. These can be ongoing programs or per-video
programs that allow the YouTuber connect with their community by sharing this partnership.
Vloggers typically use Instagram or YouTube as their choice of platform, also participating in
partnerships and investing more time in their daily activities in order to connect with their
audience in a relatable way. The “Instafamous” as previously discussed are those influencers
who became “famous” through their Instagram sharing and partnerships. This is their main
source of revenue and allows them to connect with their audience through a variety of
partnerships and posts.
Influencers can also be categorized based on the size of their following (Ruiz-Gomez).
Nano-influencers, as previously mentioned, have a following of 1,000 to 5,000 followers,
making it possible for a large number of people to be in this group. These influencers are
typically given free product in place of posting, with some being paid “…an average of $114 per
video post on Instagram, compared with $100 for an image post and $43 for a story” (Droesch).
Micro-influencers are those considered to have a semi-small following of around 10,000 to
50,000 followers, but still high amounts of engagement. Even with this following, these
influencers are highly valued for brands because of the high engagement rates they produce
through their personal connections with their audience. It’s much easier for these micro-

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influencers to produce relatable content when they have the time to respond to comments,
messages, and questions. These influencers sometimes also receive product for posting but most
of the time, they are paid around $775 for a video, $507 for an image post and $210 for a story
(Droesch). Macro-influencers tend to be those “Instafamous” influencers who gained traction
first as a micro influencer. Their posts are relatable and follow a specific pattern, but they don’t
necessarily have as much of a personal connection as the micro influencers due to their multiple
partnerships and busy lifestyles. A macro-influencer can charge anywhere from $1,000 to
$5,000 a post, depending on the brand, situation, and engagement (James). Mega-influencers
are the biggest branch of the “Instafamous,” catering to massive audiences around 300,000
followers or greater. These influencers plan out bigger partnerships and have a variety of
followers, targeting most of their content to what brands want them to post. It’s also much easier
for them to garner engagement on their posts with their popularity and ability to increase their
following quickly. With these followings, influencers can charge up to $10,000 per post
(Lieber). Finally, the social media celebrities make up the most elite group of influencers with
the largest following. These celebrities may be actual celebrities or social media gurus who have
gained millions of followers from posting on their social media accounts. Because of their A-
lister status, these influencers find no difficulty in gaining more followers by commanding mass
media size audiences or partnering with brands they actually want to take on. Brands typically
pay big money for celebrities depending on the content they curate, sometimes paying up to
$150,000 or more for a single post (“How much do celebrities and influencers get paid for social
posts?”).
While researchers and professionals don’t completely agree on all of these categories, the
above help identify the variety of influencers we see today based on their branding qualities and

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how they engage with their audience. Brands and what they represent are crucial to an
influencer’s work, however, engagement trumps everything. This is the biggest key in helping
influence consumers to purchase or take part in particular brands, connecting influencers with
their audience through relatability and understanding.
No matter what platform social media influencers utilize, the best way to reach their is
through real and authentic content that captures their daily lives. While some portray a life that
is flawless and perfect, others show the trials and tribulations that occur every day. These are the
influencers people identify with most seeing as they give an audience a reason to engage and feel
heard. Although it seems like an easy task, some influencers can struggle with this personal
connection, finding difficulty in making themselves relatable through content people will
actually consume positively. In turn, this sometimes leads to these false notions of a perfect life,
with influencers only showing the good things. This begs the question whether or not audiences
buy into this “perfect” life and if they can actually be influenced by the choices and lifestyles
these people make.
On the other hand, mega-influencers and celebrities captivate audiences because of their
elite status and personal success in the social media space. They do not need to show or portray
the relatability that macro and micro influencers do because people already aspire to be like them
in many ways. Through the lavish things they own and do, this group represents the perfect
persona in a variety of aspects, convincing followers they have the ideal life. Followers in turn
base what they do, how they think, and what they buy off of these ideal personas because they
feel this will help them attain a higher status. In truth, however, nobody is perfect and no life is
perfect, with this category of influencers promoting lifestyles that are not attainable to the
average follower. While part of an audience may understand this, others may not, reaching to

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achieve goals that may be insurmountable. Here, we circle back to the pattern of influence these
social media stars have, recognizing their ability to sell and help brands perform at higher levels
due to their status. Is this because people already want to be like them? Or is there something
else that lies in knowing this life isn’t attainable no matter how hard we try?

Health & Wellness Influencer Categorization
Within the health and wellness industry, we can also label influencers into categories that
fit the types of content they discuss and the way the promote themselves. One of the first and
most obvious categories is the fitness influencer. Fitness influencers are those who post about
their daily lives revolving around fitness, “…chronicling their breakfasts, workouts, and gear”
(Volpe). They love to eat, sleep, and breathe their fitness routines, curating content that focuses
on gym sessions, spin classes, protein smoothies, and the infamous body update. Some may be
fit in the average fit body type of way while others may be in fitness competitions that show off
their crazy muscles and chiseled bodies. With well-known influencers like Kayla Itsines and
Kelsey Wells dominating this category, it’s sometimes difficult to really break through without a
personal story or relatable experience that give followers a reason to continue fueling
engagement. It’s also important to note that fitness influencers can be notorious for hiding parts
of their lives they don’t want seen because they may not look their best or feel their best. This
can be a major issue for gaining followers, attracting brands, and having authenticity in order to
provide a platform for followers to be inspired by.

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/B3AaqnsgSPA/; Kelsey Wells is a popular fitness influencer that takes
one of the top spots in the category, showcasing her workouts, physique, and daily routine.

The second category is the wellness influencer. These influencers make up a broad range
considering there’s no universal definition of “wellness” and so many of them vary in their
beliefs. Wellness influencers tend to focus their content on the holistic health benefits of foods
and practices along with fitness. You can catch these influencers at a yoga session, getting
acupuncture, or checking out the latest healthy coffee spot near them. They may recommend
certain products to get your anxiety in check or reveal secrets on how to maintain a balanced life,
but they sometimes run into issues with making certain claims about their practices. Because
majority are not certified to help people with certain health-related practices or mental advice,
influencers can face a blurry line when it comes to giving words of encouragement or assistance.
“Wellness influencers can make all kinds of claims, but brands, consumers, and government
agencies are getting involved” (Tsapovsky). This means that people are recognizing the

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seriousness of some of the false claims wellness influencers make, calling for clarity and truth
when it comes to creating content and speaking with social media followers. There is certainly
great popularity with these influencers considering they are likable and personable, with people
like Jamie Cagan of @selectively.spiritual, Jordan Younger of @thebalancedblonde, and
Courtnie Hamel of @wellnesswithcourtnie creating beautiful and angelic content. While this
group sometimes faces issues with making claims, they utilize social media as an outlet to reach
people that have similar wellness goals.

Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wdcjigLp7/; Jordan Younger of @thebalancedblonde emphasizes her
holistic practices and natural remedies for living a happy and healthy life.

Another category in this space that has blown up significantly is the healthy food
influencer. Most of the health and wellness influencer space has some sort of tie to healthy
meals and snacks, but there is also a specific category for influencers who strictly focus on
recipes and creations. These influencers tend to start as bloggers who enjoy crafting new dishes

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for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and move to social media to post their content. Some specialize
in desserts and quick dinners while others may focus on diet-related content. Keto and Paleo
influencers are a growing group within this category that provide recipes and tips for those
looking to stick to their diets and maintain their lifestyle. Influencers like Brittany Mullins of
@eatingbirdfood and Rachel Conners of @bakertiablog curate content that is colorful, flavorful
and healthy for those looking to spice up their eating game. In order to stay engaged and up-to-
date with their platforms, these influencers provide new and unique recipes and flavors that
attract their current followers and potential followers. Because of their ability to design recipes
fit for specific needs, they help the health and wellness industry with easy steps and how-to’s for
staying on track.

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/Bza7uO4gPwT/; @bakeritablog provides beautiful recipes for followers
that are healthy and easy to make.

The final group in this industry can be considered the true health influencer. This group
is made up of doctors, nurses, registered dietitians, therapists, psychologists, and certified health
coaches. Differently than the wellness influencer group, these professionals give advice, health
tips, and recommendations that can more likely be trusted and authentic. Much to some people’s
surprise, health professionals who work in fields related to stress, eating disorders, and medicine
in general are influencers looking to give real advice for their followers. “There are so many
medical professionals on Instagram that at least one hospital has created an entire position to
govern it” (Jennings). These health influencers must actually follow HIPAA laws when posting
content considering their roles in the medical field. In turn, this assures followers even further
that they can trust in the information these influencers give and makes it easier to look to them

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for guidance. Health influencer “…Austin Chiang, MD, is a gastroenterologist and assistant
professor of medicine at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia…(who) also holds the position of chief
medical social media officer…” (Jennings). With so many doctors and nurses stepping into the
social media sphere, it’s important for these professionals to follow the rules of the medical
world and keep honesty as top priority. If they continue to do this, this category of health and
wellness influencers is looking to have a prosperous future.

Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ygZlPhEKP/; Dr. Chiang posts fun but real medical content that
followers can enjoy and learn a little more about.

What do Today’s Health & Wellness Influencers Say About Their Role?
As the art of the influencer continues to change, it’s necessary to tap into the influencers
themselves to determine how they see influence in their roles. After speaking with health and
wellness influencers, Sweat and Tell (42.3K followers) and Emily Ricketts (147K followers), it

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was interesting to hear their perspectives on how they view their own influence and others’
influence on social media platforms. While not all influencers are the same, there are several
points that come across as undoubtedly clear with majority of influencers from my interviews
with these women.
Jo and Jacqs of Sweat and Tell created their Instagram account for people looking to
pursue fitness and a healthy lifestyle. The two post different reviews of local workout studios in
the Orange County and Los Angeles areas, mentioning specifics on the studio and overall
experience. They give their honest and real opinions in order to give their audience information
they really want to hear for their own fitness journeys. When it comes to their reviews of the
studios, the two girls shed light on positives, negatives, and improvement areas in order to cater
to what people want when working out. They believe that influencers are “...anyone who is able
to have an impact on a community both digitally and in real life.” This impact can be big or
small, quiet or loud, paving the way for inspiration and motivation to be unique and authentic.
When discussing how they see themselves in the social media world of health and wellness, they
view their platform as a place people can come to for relatable and valuable content to make a
fitness journey easier. This is the reason they started their account. After seeing so many “fake”
and dishonest opinions of workouts, diets, and lifestyles, the two believed they could make a
change by bringing the truth to the people who follow them.
Not only do they focus on positive events in their lives, but they highlight the struggles
and less materialistic aspects that make them who they are. The duo lives by this strongly,
describing their intentions to show all of the bad things that surround them too. From late work
hours and graduate school classes, the ladies want to let their audience know they aren’t perfect
and they have bad days just like everybody else. As mentioned earlier, this is something that

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audiences gravitate towards in influencers and admiring people on social media. Relatability and
realness create a space for people to feel confident in their own lives and know they are not alone
in the things they do. This circles back to the concept that people follow others’ actions on
social media and in general because they have similar lives. It’s easiest for someone to relate to
an influencer when they feel the same way or have the same goals, giving them encouragement
to pursue the life they aspire towards.
Emily Ricketts is a British fitness and health influencer that focuses on body positivity
and feeling good in your own skin. Ricketts struggled with eating disorders and fad diets
previous to her social media career, bringing this issue to light in many of her posts. She
provides workouts, tips on how to live a healthy life, and motivation for those who get down on
themselves because their bodies don’t look the way they want. While maintaining a healthy
lifestyle, Ricketts claims to love her body just the way it is and encourages others to see the best
in their bodies. When speaking with her, the British influencer noted that the major focus for her
job was giving honest and real content with food, brands, and workouts she truly believes in.
Ricketts believes that her passion for being true to her followers and eating real food is
what makes her the most unique. She mentioned that other influencers like to show off their
bodies and their progress, but don’t always show the reality behind how they got there. Because
of her struggles with eating in the past and her inability to value her body, she transformed her
life in the healthiest, most positive way possible. For example, she likes to share side-by-side
photos of what she previously looked like (a completely normal body) and what she looks like
now (a strong and confident body). Ricketts is the same weight now as she was then, with a
stronger mindset and body. Regardless of the scale, she believes she is the most powerful and
confident person now even at the same weight.

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNrXXjjQbP/; Ricketts is all about feeling good in your own skin
while being healthy in a smart way.

“Influencers who show how much weight they’ve lost tend to forget the pain it
may incur on their followers. What I try to focus on, and what other influencers should
focus on, is the positivity of loving our bodies no matter what weight we are or what we
look like. We can all be happy in our own skin!”

The British influencer emphasized the importance of showing every raw aspect of her life
as well. Many influencers only show the things that make them happy and feel good, but
Ricketts believes it’s more than that. As she explained, you form an emotional connection with
your followers that allows them to feel seen and heard. This is the way that influencers connect
with their audience, by empathizing with them and growing with them in order to help achieve
their own goals. While Ricketts does her best to share her life and form this bond with her

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followers, she also has no intention of directly influencing people to be someone they’re not or
do something they don’t want to do.

“I think it’s crucial that as a fitness influencer, I promote a positive well-being
and make sure to reveal all of the aspects of my life that may help someone who struggled
like me. However, I don’t intend to change someone’s life drastically or expect people to
be like me. While I admire people who give me credit and aspire to be like me, I also
believe everyone is unique, special, and should take my advice as a little bit of help on
their own journeys.”

With so much focus, as noted by Sweat and Tell and Emily Ricketts, on influencers’ so-
called “highlight reels” of their lives, audiences can seemingly become consumed with the things
they don’t have in their own lives. While influencers post working out twice a day at the gym
and having a six pack, they may not post the struggles they went through to reach this point or
what they’re really feeling about themselves. Sweat and Tell also mentioned the need for
influencers to stop editing their photos so much and focus on their authentic selves. It can be
pretty obvious when tummies are thinned out, tans are added, and eyes are brightened, which
once again can lead audiences into thinking these influencers have ideal and perfect lives. But
with this, as Jo and Jacqs discussed, followers have the opportunity to decipher the truth or be
lead into a web of lies. Even when people know something is altered or have a hunch, they can
still be affected because they see it to be true right in front of their eyes.
Diving into how these influencers see people being “influenced” or changing their habits
because of them, Sweat and Tell mentioned they receive comments from their followers about

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motivation. The fitness duo continuously receives messages from their audience, letting them
know they changed their habits because of them or were influenced to try a new workout. This,
as Jo and Jacqs reaffirmed, is the reason they started the page and believe it’s incredible to have
an audience like they do. Emily also receives hundreds of messages about success with her
fitness program and praise for her words of wisdom on eating habits. She truly believes the
health and wellness industry has the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives by
making a real impact through actions.
When it comes to the products and brands influencers promote, it is also key that
influencers use brands they actually love, according to Sweat and Tell. Because people have
easy access to purchasing things via social media, Jo and Jacqs bring to light how important it is
for honesty in talking about them on their channels.

“People will purchase a product because that individual has given it their
approval and recommendation. This is why it is influencers duty to only promote
products they truly believe in!”

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/BrODME2naOd/; Jo and Jacqs only promote brands they believe in and
actually use, hoping to give authentic and real advice to their followers.

With the accessibility of “swiping up” to purchase products on influencer pages, Sweat
and Tell mentioned that people can purchase without a second thought. This is an important note
to understand because it means these influencers see purchasing power as something that
happens subconsciously in many cases. If this is true, it could be inferred that an audience may
not take the time to actually look into the products they’re purchasing but rather by these
products because the influencer believes in it. There may be a huge amount of influence present
as our minds begin to grasp onto achieving a certain persona the influencer has through buying
brands we may not even want to. Whether people realize it or not, the products and brands they
see all over leave a lasting impression that ends up moving us to purchase. Is this influence from

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the people we follow? Or do we already have an idea of what we want in our head that leads us
to make impulse purchases?
In the end, it seems these influencers do see the power in their impact on others and want
to make sure it’s as positive as they can proclaim. By providing content that relates to their
everyday lives, is not edited immensely, and giving snapshots of the struggles they go through,
they believe they can help their audiences achieve happiness and fulfillment in their own lives.
Influence seems to be a prevalent topic for these women and an important notion in proving to
have success on all front as a social media influencer. As females with powerful voices, these
health and wellness influencers focus on their abilities to spread their message of positivity while
also creating a thriving business opportunity for themselves.

What do the Health & Wellness Media Say About Health & Wellness Influencers?
Just as influencers themselves have an opinion on whether or not they actually influence
their followers, the media also weigh in on what kinds of things influencers do and say in order
to grab their audience’s attention and create success. The following is an analysis of articles
from health, fitness, and wellness websites, magazines, and influencers that better helps us to
understand the types of content influencers post and their ability to influence people’s lifestyles.
1. Well+Good is a health and wellness website that focuses on the total
mind, body, and soul of women. Their main goal is to be the premier
lifestyle and news publication for the wellness scene, helping to introduce
new products, recipes, workouts, tips, and more. The site contains a
variety of pieces utilizing influencers’ picks for the best items to have with
you at all times, what to eat, or how to work out. After reading pieces like

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“Beach Bag Essentials from Wellness Influencers” and “9 Wellness
Influencers on the Wakeup Call That Changed Their Lives for the Better”,
it was interesting to see how much these items were reflected in the rest of
the site. For example, sunscreen, certain snacks and clothing items were
also featured in other related pieces while the tips on how to make a better
life carried throughout other writers’ stories. This could have something
to do with the choices influencers make and how they reflect into other
media pieces because of popularity and the regard we hold them to. So
many people, including journalists, believe influencers have the final say
in what we should be doing and how we should be living our lives, when
in reality, there’s no real credential for why we should trust them. When it
comes to the latest wellness trends and how we should be carrying
ourselves, these are the choices that we should all be making, according to
some of the pieces that were analyzed.

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Image from https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/wgc-health-experts-on-their-wellness-wakeup-
calls/slide/7/; Health and wellness influencers and gurus share their tips and tricks for everyday hacks,
intending to influence people’s daily habits.

2. SHAPE Online and SHAPE magazine serve as a fitness and health
publication for women looking to step up their habits. It featured an
interesting online piece about a certain influencer’s (Katie Dunlop of Love
Sweat Fitness) choice to share a photo of cellulite in her bathing suit,
mentioning how the influencer wanted to show her true self. After
researching the influencer’s own profile, every other photo was nearly
perfect, indicating her life was seamless and happy without any flaws.
The single photo of cellulite she shared garnered several responses that
were positive, but also a few negative ones relating to the fact the rest of
her content is totally not relatable and inauthentic. This leads me to
believe that people do see a large amount of false representation on

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accounts and also points to the fact people should always check the
sources of content they see online. Even though Dunlop chose to share the
photo and her true “flaws,” she’s created a persona that represents a fit,
balanced, healthy, and nearly perfect human that others should aspire to be
on her social media account. While this certainly is something we see on
many accounts, as Sweat and Tell noted, it’s important for influencers to
be their real, authentic selves. The media help to point out that influencers
aren’t always perfect and aid in conveying this message to the public, but
also don’t seem to give every bit of information that we need to
understand the influencer’s total persona. While Dunlop seems to believe
in posting relatable and honest content, SHAPE has the ability and duty to
decipher what is real and how they can carry the truth to their readers.
This is another challenge for media to focus on as they continue to deal
with influencer stories and pieces on what influencers like.

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WcgiAlomW/; Katie Dunlop of @lovesweatfitness showed
her cellulite in an image to connect with her audience, but the rest of her content isn’t so “real.”

3. Women’s Health magazine is similar to SHAPE in carrying a fitness and
health mindset for younger and older women. The outlet surprisingly does
not contain a lot of influencer content directly in its stories. Instead, they
do mention certain influencers in different pieces rather than having
specific features focused on them. This shows me they may be less
interested in what influencers have to say or how they behave, but want to
promote real content from what they as journalists themselves are seeing.
Going back to the traditional investigative journalism days, Women’s
Health creates their own stories through interviews of health professionals
and trainers that have authenticity. From the articles that mention

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influencers, there doesn’t seem to be any animosity or negativity towards
influencers and how they work rather they just don’t see the need for
content focused on them. It will be interesting to see if this publication
begins to shift to include more of this content in the future as social media
continues to soar and opinions from influencers gain more traction. On
the other hand, the magazine may be sticking to its roots in providing
news that they believe is important and raw.

Image from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a28449988/kayla-itsines-postpartum-exercise-
tips/; Women’s Health provides articles that come from influencers, like personal trainer Kayla Itsines, and
focuses on real articles that reveal influencers’ struggles.

4. Health magazine also focuses heavily on health and wellness for women
as a way for them to feel good. The publication has some similarities to
Well+Good and SHAPE, posting various articles about influencers’
favorites, honest content on stylish looks, perceptions of influencers, and
more. The variety of content links influencers to their brand and how they

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present themselves to their audiences. Analyzing these pieces, it is clear
that the magazine wants to report on the truths these influencers try to
portray but also hide some of the things that they don’t want to share.
This is similar to the previous SHAPE post on influencer Katie Dunlop,
making it a common theme that media aren’t always accurate. It’s
apparent that social media content has an effect on the people who follow
it, leaking into the media through articles and a journalists’ portrayal of
these influencers. Some influencers even secure partnerships with media
to help boost their brand and representation while others sometimes get
backlash for creating a false persona. Even so, it’s obvious that the
majority of influencers have flaws they don’t want to share, even when
media try to positively give credit for authenticity. It’s disheartening to
think some influencers can’t be real because they believe it will harm their
image and therefore decrease their following. While media have the upper
hand in creating stories that people want to see and learn about, it’s also a
way for influencers to reach their audience with stories written about
them. From what’s been analyzed on Health and other sites, because of
their popularity, influencers gain more attention and a larger audience
when they are able to share who they are and what they represent in
pieces. Even so, it’s important for readers and audiences to understand
who the influencer is, what they represent, and the image they portray.

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Image from https://www.health.com/mind-body/trans-influencer-loneliness; Influencer Iskra Lawrence
explains her struggles with feeling lonely on social media, emphasizing something relatable that many
people have difficulty with.

5. Social Media analysis of health and wellness influencers beyond
interviews
a) @rachaelsgoodeats - Rachael Devaux shares content that is recipe
and fitness focused, reposting her audience-created recipes on her
own channel stories and sharing her favorite tips with her
followers. It can be inferred that this gives her audience more
incentive to follow her content and engage with others to follow so
that they may get the chance to be shared with her large audience.
Because she is in her mid-twenties, her audience is mostly made up

36
of younger women who have similar interests in health, fitness,
and food. Knowing she has an audience her own age gives her the
ability to curate content that relates to similar points in her life,
allowing her to engage even further with her audience. She is also
extremely participatory with her followers through comments and
direct message responses, answering questions and giving
acknowledgement that she’s seen posts. This creates a personable
feel with the people who follow her even as a macro influencer.
Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzv0ThaA3-w/; Devaux waits in line with fellow followers for
her ice cream sandwich collab with a local vegan ice cream shop.

(1) With this analysis, it is apparent she creates and keeps her
following through personable touches and relatable content.

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While searching through Devaux’s posts, it was evident
that she takes the time to respond to her audience, actually
utilize feedback, and be herself. She doesn’t listen to
negativity and turns negativity from others into something
that fuels her fire. In turn, followers are “influenced” to
create her recipes, buy the activewear she wears, and
purchase her fitness guides. Even though this is a business
for her, it is clear that Devaux truly does care about the
content she creates and the products she puts out because
she wants them to be great. This is the ideal influencer
model in showing how an authentic persona can benefit an
influencer to gain following and make an impact on people
who want a similar lifestyle.

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/BzW97b-Aidk/; Devaux’s recipes are healthy, simple, and
curated towards her young, health-conscious audience. Her word choice also makes it evident that she is
playful.

b) @sarahsday - Similarly to Devaux, Sarah Stevenson creates
recipes and fitness-focused content, with a little more emphasis on
lifestyle and daily life activities. Because she originated as a
YouTube vlogger, she has transformed her brand and content to
her social media pages with a similar vibe. She has a large
following (988k followers) with huge engagement on posts due to
her casual tone and fun and vibrant photos. Her content is light
and varied with food, fitness, family, and fashion.

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Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/B0j-QzJAT_r/; Stevenson is sarcastic and fun in her posts,
showing content that applies to her everyday struggles and her actual life (aka life of a balancing fitness
mom)

(1) Analyzing her page, it is obvious that her engagement is
high due to her personality and multiple collaborations with
other brands. Stevenson has cute and fun content that is
true to her bubbly personality, attracting her followers to
like, subscribe, and follow all of her pages. She has
secured a variety of clothing and food collaborations with
Australian brands that are available internationally, helping
influence people’s choices in what they eat and wear.
Because she is similar to “the girl next door,” her audience

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is attracted to who she is and what she does, giving her the
ability to sell her products easily. Stevenson’s followers
discuss wanting to be like her and have her life on her
posts, further proving her ability to “influence” the choices
people make. While being herself, Stevenson is able to
curate a brand that is fun and worthy of following whether
in Australia or internationally.
Image from https://www.instagram.com/p/BzDGmKAgin6/; Stevenson has her own fitness apparel line
with White Fox Boutique, showcasing the line while also relating her caption to everyday motivation for
her following

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Diagram of a Successful Health & Wellness Influencer
After hearing from some influencers themselves and analyzing influencers through
traditional and social media, there is certainly an ideal model for successful influencers to follow
on every scale. While it may not always work for every influencer, there are some aspects that
similarly make influencers successful across the board.
Below, I’ve created a table for what exactly makes up a successful influencer after
conducting my own analysis via primary and secondary research.

Influencer Type Audience Reached Types of Content Successful Aspects
Instagram Micro -those who follow the topic
closely
-other micro influencers
-those who want to feel relatable
and heard
-brand fans
-friends of friends
-hashtag searchers
-personal and
relatable
-well-thought out
captions
-varied posts
-conversational
-creative

-more personal than any
other-answer questions,
comments, and DMs
-focus content on things
people actually want to see
-use language that is
simple and relatable
-offer valuable information
-more flexibility in content
-have the ability to be
creative in thinking and
how they shape persona
Instagram Macro -those who follow the topic
closely
-fans
-industry-focused
-trend-followers
-friends of friends
-hashtag searchers
-brand fans
-people looking for inspiration
-brand-focused
-somewhat relatable
-well-thought out
captions
-on-brand content
only
-focused on persona
-giveaways
-exotic travels
-create personal stories and
content that people can
identify with based on their
brand
-capture audiences through
giveaways that reach to
more people
-photos and videos well
edited and creative
-ability to connect with
bigger brands
-give valuable information
and insight
-fluid and consistent
Instagram Celebrity -trend followers -best version of -previously established

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-fans
-brand fans
-music or movie lovers
-critics
-hashtag searchers
themselves
(Photoshopped,
perfect)
-exotic travels
-luxurious items
-career-related
persona and brand
-recognizable
-popular
-can create whatever
content they want
-connect with brands easily
YouTube -topic followers
-topic searchers
-loyal fans
-video junkies
-time wasters

-creative
-varied depending
on the type of
YouTuber
-relatable
-authentic
-brand-focused in
cases
-creative videos that are
unique
-ability to change content
and topics easily
-relate content to specific
things audience will enjoy
-respond to feedback on
comments and actually use
it
-create loyal community
that grows through
subscriptions
-connect with brands well
-use new techniques for
content that nobody else
has

1. Micro influencers tend to stick to their most authentic and real selves when posting to
social media pages and sharing their lives. Whether it’s because they are new to the
game or feel that is the best way to engage with their audiences, micro influencers have
the opportunity to make connections with followers through meaningful messages that
actually relate to what people want to hear. These influencers also pay close attention to
the kind of content their audience wants by reading through all of their comments,
messages, and hashtags in order to curate posts that will receive more engagement.

When it comes to success with influence, these are the people to pay close attention to
because they don’t have a large number of followers who just want to be like them.
Instead, they have to push out thoughtful and meaningful content that they believe may

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attract engagement for the brands they work with and in turn help to promote the product.
Audiences who follow micro influencers tend to actually want to buy a product because
they feel it fits their lifestyle, needs, or desires rather than just buying it because the
influencer has it.

Image from https://www.adweek.com/digital/infographic-who-is-the-millennial-female-micro-influencer/

This image from Ad Week compares the female Millennial micro influencer to the
average Millennial woman. As is shown, these females are similar enough that an
audience is more likely to engage with a micro influencer that can relate to them. While
living a similar life and wanting similar things, micro influencers connect to the people
who they represent most, giving them a leg up in actually influencing their followers.

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2. Macro influencers are the ones who don’t need to try as hard to gain popularity with their
audience. Because they already have an established following and image, whatever
products they use or brands they promote will reach the audience. However, because of
their lack of intimacy with their following and inability to respond to some of their
audience, it is difficult for them to receive high engagement on posts sometimes. This
further points to the idea that these kinds of influencers may not actually influence the
people they are posting for rather people purchase the products they promote without a
second thought. There lies a question in whether or not this can be considered successful
when people buy the product because they like the brand or already need the product.
It’s also interesting to think about the relationship between engagement and influence,
realizing that even with a large following, these macro influencers may not have the
influence they think they do.
Image from https://medium.com/influencer-marketing-made-easy/how-do-micro-influencers-and-mega-
influencers-compare-in-instagram-engagement-rates-cfab691ed600

45
This image from the 2018 Hupe Auditor’s Influencer Engagement Rate Report shows the
engagement rates of influencers with various followings. It is obvious that micro
influencers compared to macro influencers have higher engagement and therefore the
possibility of more trust and success with influence. While following is important, it’s
not always the best way for macro influencers to get their messages by relying on
engagement.

On the other hand, an audience may see others purchasing a brand that a macro influencer
is promoting and be influenced by the people following that influencer instead. Even
though the influencer may be representing a product, they’re engagement rates are
historically low due to their lack of communication with followers. Because of this, they
may not actually be the one influencing followers to purchase something. Instead, social
media users subconsciously see the brands around them and people utilizing those
brands, making them aware of a product’s popularity. This can lead to more people
purchasing the product or liking a brand while the influencer happens to also be a
representative. While this may not be true, it is another idea to think about when
deciphering the level of influence this group has.

3. Celebrities reach a whole new level of influence by an established persona through fame.
Because so many people look up to singers, actors, and athletes, it’s an easy ploy for
brands to utilize them in their marketing programs. However, there is an even bigger
issue with engagement here as celebrities rarely, if ever, have a social commitment to
their fans and following.

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4. “Celebrities generally gain their following because people admire their talent and enjoy
their music or movies. Influencers, on the other hand, tend to gain their following in a
specific niche by creating content relevant to that niche” (Barker). The influence
celebrities wield can be beneficial when they do tend to have a larger audience and a
more varied audience. On the other hand, brands and products they promote almost
always seem insincere due to their lack of connection. While influencers intend to post
brands they actually enjoy and believe in, celebrities receive endorsements and products
to push as part of their job. It can work to get brand recognition, but also fail to truly
influence an audience to purchase when they know the celebrity doesn’t really use it.

A 2014 study on celebrity influence and their ability to persuade surveyed young adults
and their influences when it comes to politics (O’Regan). The study concluded that
young adults are more likely to listen to people they know like family, friends, or loved
ones over celebrities who endorse certain candidates (O’Regan). It can be inferred that
people are more inclined to listen or be influenced by others that they feel a personal
connection to, such as micro influencers. In contrast, celebrities do not provide any
relatable connection that gives people the desire to trust them and the choices they make.
This can be applied to buying certain brands, products, or even traveling to certain places.

The idea of subconscious influence is also prevalent here with audiences seeing
celebrities in traditional media wearing certain brands or eating certain products. These
brands may become recognizable for people in the real world and therefore become
popular through association rather than because of a celebrity’s influence.

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5. YouTube influencers have the ability to utilize their creativity and flexibility in order to
incorporate influential moments into their videos. While they tend not to use as many
brands or products in their videos, they are able to expand the ways they do promote
them. Because they can show people how they do things or what they use through their
personality on a video, it gives them a chance to incorporate products in a smoother way.
In the end, they have similar influence to micro and macro influencers depending on their
popularity and rise to fame in the YouTube space.

Influencer Personas
While there is no uniform influencer type or strategy that makes an influencer, we can
craft different personas of health and wellness influencers based on their models of success. It’s
not always easy or clear to identify behaviors, characteristics, and attitudes of the social media
influencers we admire even when we follow them daily. However, it’s important to try to
identify these things to get a better understanding of what qualities may draw us in to potentially
be “influenced.”
Below I’ve included two personas of a typical macro influencer and micro influencer in
the health and wellness space that depict the type of person that can make up these categories.
However, these are not true to every influencer and don’t represent every aspect that makes up
the various social media influencers.

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Image from https://www.toprankblog.com/2017/03/online-marketing-news-032417/
MACRO INFLUENCER
● Female
● 18-30 years of age
● White
● California or New York based (or coastal)
● Coffee drinker
● Self-proclaimed foodie
● Trendy
● Fitness-focused
● Recipe creator
● Gymshark wearer
● Body positivity promoter
● Former eating disorder survivor or formerly self-conscious about looks
● Fashionable
● Re-poster
● Motivational quotes
● Mention other influencers
● Giveaways
● Edit content large amount
● Depict flawless life/hide actual life
● Brand partnerships

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Image from https://www.stripecommunications.com/micro-influencers/
MICRO INFLUENCER
● Female
● 18-30 years of age
● White
● More varied in location (West Coast, East Coast, South, and Middle America)
● Body positivity promoter
● Recipe creator
● Share fitness routines
● Shout-outs to followers
● Answer direct messages
● Real content
● Flawed photos
● Engage with audience through comments
● Learning the ropes still
● Girl next door
● Mention larger influencers that inspire them
● Show struggles
● Use products they actually like
● Share their lives thoroughly

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The Influencer Success Model – Is It Successful?
With the analysis of primary and secondary research performed, it can be inferred that
audiences engage with those influencers and the products they promote when they feel heard,
noticed, and understood. While influencers continuously partner with brands and push content
revolving around those brands, it isn’t always the best way for them to reach an audience or
“influence” them to purchase a product in order to be a success. We are all humans and humans
want interaction that is meaningful and powerful, even on social media. If influencers and
brands begin to listen to what followers want to see, they may have a better chance in getting
messaging across that actually makes a difference. In turn, this can increase engagement,
likability, and a bigger chance of influential content.
The most popular insights on being a successful influencer from the interviews with
Sweat and Tell and Emily Ricketts along with traditional media content analysis included
emphasis on responding to comments, creating relatable content, and representing brands
influencers actually believe in. This allows influencers to reach the audience they want to reach
and provide them with valuable, useful, and unique information that they can find helpful in their
own lives. While some influencers post curated content that they have to post because of brand
partnerships, others are creating content that their followers actually find value in. For example,
one fitness influencer may post an image about how flat or stomach got by drinking only protein
shakes, another may be showing off her imperfect and beautiful body during a workout that she’s
happy to be doing. People tend to find connection and relatability in the struggles that others
have and share because they can find strength knowing they also share these struggles. For
social media, this is the most powerful message influencers can abide by, making sure their

51
content is true to who they really are if they want to receive a positive engagement and a higher
chance in connecting with other brands.
Successful influencers, in any category, choose content that they actually want to create
and they find intentional. Intention is important because this helps make an influencer relatable
and gives them the chance to “convince” their audience they are real, authentic, and honest about
their persona. When a person can do this, they’ll gain a more engaged audience and increased
following that they actually want. Health and wellness influencers have the opportunity to bring
their practices and beliefs to life as they share the highs and lows of their lives with the audience
they curated. While influencer success models are not true for all cases, these influencers are
able to attract the right following and in turn partner with brands who find a fit with the most real
persona. Even so, the people who are most successful in being influential in any type of scenario
are those that recognize influence is not about charm, who create a professional chemistry with
others, give greater consideration to those they work with, share their values, and don’t rely
solely on persuasion as the way to convince someone (Newton). Influencers most certainly can
relate to these principles as a foundation for connecting with their audience, bringing their
content to life, and actually making a difference in even just one follower’s life.
Influencers that use brands relating to their target audience find more success in actually
affecting the habits of their followers. From the analysis of health and wellness social media
accounts, health and wellness influencers showed higher engagement on posts with brands
people felt more connected to. For example, Sarah’s Day’s Instagram partnerships with
Australian brand Tropeaka showed a large amount of comments and positive sentiment
considering people loved the brand. Tropeaka is a protein and supplement company that
provides natural, gluten free, and vegan products for health lovers. Because of the influencer’s

52
deep obsession with the brand and admiration for it, her positive sentiment showed in the content
she creates for the brand. In turn, people who know the brand or have interest in the brand
engaged heavily in these posts because of their support for such a clean and healthy product.
This is extremely important in the influencer business seeing the impact brand partnerships have
on engagement and relatability to an influencer’s following.
So why exactly do followers gravitate towards and engage with the influencers promoting
these brands? People simply want to create their own personas based around habits and
lifestyles they believe in. Brands represent these lifestyles by checking off all the boxes in the
categories that people have expectations in and admire most. No matter what kind of brand it is,
influencers can aid in calling out the values and best aspects of a product in order to “sell” it to
an audience. It’s also more likely people will make purchase decisions when they connect their
favorite influencer with a brand or product they find fits within their persona they want to
achieve. In turn, influencers find success with their own personal brand as they continue to
showcase their lifestyle with the brands people enjoy.
While traditional health and wellness influencers achieve a recognizable status on their
own, some brands choose to think outside of the box and utilize other kinds of influencers that
may also be a success. These influencers can attract a different kind of audience that ends up
being an even greater victory for a brand and influencers themselves.
For example, beauty mogul Glossier is known for its authentic and real beauty products,
encouraging “…women to be themselves and to use beauty to enhance, not hide” (Nussbaum).
They created influencer campaigns, “Body Hero” and “Feeling like Glossier,” that utilizes not
only regular influencers and celebrities, but also the consumers who buy the brand. Glossier
incorporated Olympic Gold medalist Swin Cash Canal, model Paloma Elsesser, and many other

53
powerful women for its “Body Hero” campaign to show how their products make everyone
beautiful and unique in their own way (Nussbaum). The beauty brand received thousands and
thousands of comments and likes with high engagement on its social media platforms, building
its fan-base and even gaining new influential spokeswomen. Its biggest campaign, “Feeling like
Glossier,” started a revolution for the influencer. By asking its own buyers to participate in
sharing their photos and videos with the product, the brand made influencers out of the people
who follow them (Pearl). This is genius in every aspect considering this also allows the brand to
curate free content with people that are relatable. Since both of these campaigns have surpassed,
Glossier stands at $100 million in revenue with more room to grow (Pearl). Its consumers are
overwhelmingly positive knowing they’re able to submit content as influencers themselves in
order to show real people using the brand.
On the other hand, pre-established personas (i.e., celebrities and already-famous
social media stars) do not necessarily need to use relatability as their key to success. Because
these types of people have a self-branded persona that’s recognizable across many platforms,
their characteristics already help to influence their following due to their status, lifestyle, and
behaviors. Celebs, athletes, and models curate this status through the work they do outside of
social media, giving them the ability to reach a larger and more varied audience. Because of
their notoriety, “celebrities are very useful for creating awareness about the brand, since they
reach a mass market of consumers…” (“Digital Influencers vs. Celebrities: Who Wins?”). Even
if they don’t find complete success in actually selling a product or lifestyle, celebrities can make
their audience aware of the brands they use and in turn make brands more recognizable to
consumers. This is a crucial quality for brands to identify when it comes to celebrity outreach
because audiences may react differently to a product or brand than they originally wanted. Out

54
of all the influencer groups, it seems that this group may be the closest to actually being able to
influence followers due to the fact they aren’t always trying to change people’s behaviors or
lifestyles. Instead, they share what content they want to share or branded content they can curate
to fit their own lifestyle and timeline. When followers latch on to these ideas and lifestyles
celebs live, influencers are able to successfully say they are doing their job.
Influencers in health and wellness can also affect their audiences by influencing the
choices consumers make that help shape their social persona and beliefs. By engaging with
influencers and following their content, people are able to show their own audience the values
they stand for, especially when it comes to health, wellness, and exercise. For example, when it
comes to the average person’s own page, “users can present the version of themselves that they
hope for, rather than their actual selves, which could potentially influence the content they post
relating to their health behaviors” (Vaterlaus). This can also be applied to influencers and the
content they curate for their followers, basing it off of the life they want to live and the health
aspects they want to portray. In this regard, influencers are beginning to change and shape the
behaviors of their audience, whether good or bad, in order to fit a lifestyle they want to achieve
and want their audience to feel good about. These behaviors may pour over eventually to the
audience themselves or be lost in the translation of messaging.
It’s important to compare the different types of health and wellness influencers when it
comes to measuring success as well. When it comes to fitness influencers whose main focus is
to drive engagement through the types of workouts they do and the way they look, it’s not
always easy to see success in the same way as the other categories. Some people may see the
“perfect” body and constant workout routines these influencers post as a negative that can harm
your body and your mindset when scrolling through your social media feed. In this case, fitness

55
influencers may have a harder time trying to find a balance of actual engaged followers with
those who are trolling on their accounts to make comments about the negative aspects.
Marketing characteristic researchers tell us that fitness influencers can find success when they’re
passionate about changing lives, humble, approachable, collaborative, and knowledgeable on
fitness (Wells). If these influencers can take these characteristics and find the right balance, they
can find success in their business practices.
On a different note, wellness and health influencers can find more success when they
stick to bringing truthful and real content to their audiences. As already discussed, wellness
influencers have more difficulty and skeptical followers due to the fact they typically aren’t
certified professionals. However, they can find success in being honest about giving personal
recommendations and staying true to practices they believe in while maintaining the fact they are
in no way professional advice-givers. Health influencers, on the other hand, have a duty to
maintain their status as certified professionals, giving their followers assurance that any medical
or mental advice given will indeed be real. Successful health influencers give glimpses into their
daily lives as a doctor, nurse, or certified health professional, finding something that people will
be interested in knowing or seeing. Doctor Mike, a family medicine doctor, gained 2.8 million
Instagram followers with posting photos about his routines, life outside of the hospital, and
career (“5 Doctors Who Are Killing It on Social Media Right Now”). By showing his active
lifestyle mixed in with his professional life, Doctor Mike created a social media business that
allowed people to see the world from his lens, one that many people don’t get to see because
they are not medical professionals (“5 Doctors Who Are Killing It on Social Media Right Now”).
When health and wellness influencers show something that is genuine and fun to follow, they

56
can garner more engagement and brand partnerships that allow them to expand their content and
find success in new ventures.
As for the food influencers, they find real success in creating recipes that nobody else
has. By using new ingredients or even ingredients that every household has to make something
different, healthy food influencers inspire and motivate followers to be their own kind of chefs in
order to live a healthy lifestyle. Those who aren’t interested in making their own food can find
pleasure and encouragement by following these healthy food influencers to spark their own
journeys as well. They also find success in doing giveaways and collaborations with brands that
allow people to have the chance to win some of the healthy options they may not be able to
afford. Either way, this category does well on social media when the influencers have bright,
easy-to-follow, and delicious creations they’ve created on their own or ordered that people want
to learn more about. As proven by influencers like @bitesbymi and @nobread, when these
influencers can show they are experts in the field, they give themselves the credibility that
followers are looking for to improve their overall health and wellness.
As the diagram lays out what a successful influencer does in order to garner a large
following and genuine relationship with his or her audience, it is also important to think about
this success as something beyond a diagram. There is clearly no set formula that fits every
influencer, but the basics apply to those who do find success in creating a profitable and creative
business. Each influencer has unique qualities that allow them to differentiate themselves from
one to the next, giving them more leverage in making their platform what they want it to be.
With more and more influencers popping up on social media as it continues to grow, current
influencers must find other ways to stand out in whatever health and wellness category they fit
into. Some, like Rachael Devaux and Sarah Stevenson, have adapted their businesses to

57
matching several of the categories in order to broaden their scope. While this isn’t easy for every
influencer, it can help an influencer be a success in many areas rather than just one, growing the
business to expand into new partnerships and new audiences. If health and wellness influencers
follow others in the space and continue to adapt their own accounts for the changing social media
world, they can overcome obstacles and maintain a successful and flourishing job in the
influencer world.

Final Thoughts
Historically, influencers began as ambassadors and icons for people to look up to. From
Princess Diana to brand-created characters like Santa Claus, influencers have successfully
maintained their status as important people in society to look up to and find inspiration in. As
the world began to evolve and technology came to the forefront, these influencers moved to
online and digital platforms in order to help sell products and create value for brands. Now, the
space is massive and still growing, expanding categories and inviting new influencers to help
shape the perspectives of the people around them.
Health and wellness influencers can be broken up into a variety of categories, including
fitness influencers, wellness influencers, healthy food influencers, and health influencers, but
many are also crossing over. These categories help identify how audiences may perceive
specific influencers and allow us to see that there isn’t just one type to follow. With future
research and evidence leading to more influencers jumping on the health and wellness
bandwagon, it is crucial for us as consumers to recognize how to differentiate the categories and
find which ones have the most relatable content. Even with the changing social media world,
authentic and personal touches stand as the top important factor in providing success for any of

58
the categories and will continue to be relevant. Interviews with health and wellness influencers
themselves even provide assurance that being real is the best way to gain an audience and keep
them engaged.
No matter the type of health and wellness influencer, there are universal points that help
to make them powerful and prominent in the social media sphere. While relatability is key, it’s
also necessary for influencers to provide insights that are actually applicable to the real world.
Although some influencers can walk a fine line with professional advice, others find the best
ways to reach their audience are to give certified advice and guidance. With knowledge and
expertise, health and wellness influencers can provide a light in many areas that people may
struggle with as well as inspiration for those just wanting to learn how to live their best life.
Audiences follow specific accounts because there is something they enjoy about the
person, their personality, and what they stand for, reflecting values that this person wants in their
own life. Due to this, they create choices and formulate decisions based off of what they see on
the accounts they follow and what they understand, further fueling an influencer’s success in his
or her field.
There are questions to continue thinking about as we analyze and pay close attention to
the health and wellness influencer space in its ever-changing state.
1. What other kinds of categories will be created in the space and how will this
affect the current ones?
2. While there are sanctions in place to regulate health and wellness influencers from
making false claims, how will this change once healthcare evolves?
3. With nano-influencers becoming one of the most important categories for brands,
how will micro- and macro-influencers survive as a business?

59
4. Are we going to see changes in the ways influencers reach their audiences when
we see new ideas and concepts are introduced to the industry?

While there is no set game plan for influencers to follow in order to make sure they
perform their best, there is a successful diagram and model for them to follow to get closer to
their goals. In the end, successful influencers are able to sell their own brand and attract other
brands to collaborate with them through their own measures. By appealing to their audience and
curating content that people want to see, they have the ability to create an impact on the future of
social media and social networks. As social networks continue to grow, we must continue to
research how these relationships grow and what makes them meaningful in order to utilize
influence in a positive way.

60
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Asset Metadata

Creator Johnston, Nikole Marie (author)

Core Title The influencer break-down: a history, categorization, and analysis of success for health & wellness influencers

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Strategic Public Relations

Publication Date 12/03/2019

Defense Date 12/03/2019

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag analysis of influencers,Health,history of influencers,influencers,Instagram,OAI-PMH Harvest,Public Relations,social media,wellness

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Floto, Jennifer (committee chair), Cook, Fred (committee member), Kozinets, Robert (committee member)

Creator Email nikolejo@usc.edu,nikolejohnston5@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-242478

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