Social media dominates our perceptions of fitness. With fitfluencers building massive audiences on Youtube, Instagram and, more recently, TikTok, workout regimes, ‘fitspo’ and nutritional advice are more available than ever.
With so many social media stars helping us reach our fitness goals, there’s millions to be made in sponsorship deals and monetised videos, advertising bodybuilding supplements or gym clothing lines.
But, in addition to working out who earns the most from their influencer status, we also wanted to learn more about the type of people who succeed in the field.
In a study of over 100 of the biggest fitness influencers, we’ve identified some trends that fitfluencing follows.
What Makes a Fitness Influencer?
We know what fitness influencers typically look like. Rock hard abs, perfect skin and bursting at the seams with energy and charisma. But what really makes a fitness influencer?
61% of the fitness influencers in our study were female and 15% were Pisces, making it the dominant star sign for fitfluencers around the world.
The stats didn't change much for the average female influencer, but there are some different dominant traits in the men of our study.
Average Female Influencer
Star sign: Pisces
Country of origin: USA
Age: 31
Average Earnings: $51,290.03/£36,769.05
Average Male Influencer
Star sign: Gemini
Country of origin: USA
Age: 31.5
Average Earnings: $38,339.12/£27,484.74
On average, men make over $10,000 less on their social media than women in the fitness world. This is calculated across estimated TikTok, YouTube and Instagram post values.
Men are also more likely to be Geminis while most of the Pisceans were women. However, Sagittarians have the most valuable influencer presence on average, with Libra and Virgo also topping Gemini and Pisces.
Where Do They Come From?
The USA has the highest number of top fitness influencers in our study but there are over 20 countries represented. By calculating the overall value per post for each star, here’s how much each country makes in fitfluencing.
World’s Most Influential Fitness Personalities
Thanks to her astronomic Youtube viewing figures vs her relatively low number of videos, Pamela Reif takes first place in the fitness influencer league table with a combined earning of $1,094,725.47.
On Instagram, Michelle Lewin holds the top spot for most followers and highest value per post. While on TikTok, Demi Bagby is disrupting the market with the highest average value on the newcomer platform.
YouTube
Pamela Reif
Subscribers: 6.03m
Videos: 98
Earnings Per Post: $1,070,301.30/
£765,923.66
Instagram
Michelle Lewin
Followers: 13.7m
Posts: 1,570
Earnings Per Post: $45,670/
£32,684.88
TikTok
Demi Bagby
Followers: 13.9m
Videos: 446
Earnings Per Post: $13,900.00/
£9,948.99
Overall Top 50
Youtube’s Most Watched
The majority of fitness influencers can make the most money on Youtube, thanks to the site enabling creators to monetise their offerings per play. This means the top 10 is almost entirely unchanged from the overall rankings.
YouTube Top 50
Instagram's Top Influencers
Instagram is another firmly established platform that allows influencers to make money through sponsored posts. Michelle Lewin came out on top with an estimated value of $45,670 per post. She’s followed closely by Kayla Itsines and Jen Selter.
Instagram Top 50
TikTok's Rising Stars
The newest social media to take the world by storm, TikTok is being utilised best by a slightly younger crowd of influencers. Their earnings are lower than other platforms thanks to a limitation on sponsored post functions but a big enough following can still pull in big money.
23-year-old Demi Bagby is the most influential TikTok star in our study, miles ahead of Antonie Lokhorst and Cassey Ho in 2nd and 3rd.
TikTok Top 50
Methodology
After identifying a list of over 100 leading fitness influencers, we used research from Influencer Marketing Hub to calculate the estimated value of posts on each social media platform.
