Boutique agency SevenSix Agency has published its Lifting The Lid: The Influencer Pricing Report, which looks at the role race plays in influencer marketing pay disparities, as well as taking a closer look at industry trends and considerations. SevenSix Agency conducted research on influencer fees in November and December 2020, gathering quantitative and qualitative data from over 275 influencers, brands and agencies in the UK and beyond. The report uses both responses from the SevenSix Agency survey and key insights from industry specialists to uncover and address the pay disparities that exist between influencers. In particular, the report looks at the role race plays in those disparities, ultimately using these insights to create a suggested pricing plan for all parties to use when entering a brand partnership.

The report has found that:

• 57% of influencers believe their ethnicity impacts the fees they can charge.
• 20% of influencers believe the impact of ethnicity on pricing to be negative, with prices decreasing as a direct result. 
• Of this group, 99% identified as a person of colour.
• 45% of those who don’t believe their ethnicity affects their prices identified as a person of colour, with 55% identifying as white.
• 69% of influencers believe they undercharge when setting a price for paid partnerships. 

However, a closer look reveals bigger gaps between groups; nearly half (49%) of influencers who believe they undercharge and believe their ethnicity impacts their fees are black, followed by 18% South Asian and 13% mixed (black and white) heritage. Only 11% of this group were white, suggesting a link between race and influencer pay. Less than a quarter (22%) of influencers said they felt confident setting a price for paid campaigns, demonstrating a desire for more structure around pricing within the industry.

Charlotte Williams, Founder, SevenSix Agency, said: “These figures uncover some harsh truths about the influencer marketing space and are proof that we have barely begun on the journey to full diversity and inclusion. They also show a need and appetite for structure and process to support influencers when it comes to pricing, allowing us to remove pay discrepancies related to race. For real progress to be made, we need all parts of the ecosystem – brands, agencies and influencers themselves – to work together. This means having the tough conversations, but also turning those discussions into action that will facilitate positive change, ensuring diversity doesn’t fall off the agenda.”

The full report is now available to download from sevensixagency.com.