In the summer of 2020, it felt like nearly every brand was announcing changes and pledges related to DE&I—including within marketing.
Since that time, influencer marketing has arguably only become more popular, though reports have found that Black influencers are often not only paid less than white influencers but also not as likely to receive gifts from brands.
Pay inequity is an issue that persists: Yuvay Ferguson, an associate professor at Howard University, told us it is often brought on by a lack of transparency. “You just don’t know what you don’t know,” she told us.
Marketers who work within the space are working on ways to alleviate the issue, though they said fixes won’t happen overnight.
Pay inequality persists
In December 2021, influencer education platform The Influencer League and PR agency MSL US released a study that found that Black creators, on average, made 35% less than white creators. While the issue has gotten more attention in the last year, Brittany Bright, founder of The Influencer League, told us that efforts to address it are still in their early stages.
“This is not something that I ever thought we were going to see drastic changes from in just a calendar year,” she said. “I think this is something that we’re just now truly getting a chance to dive into.”
Bright said she’s been encouraged by the number of POC-owned influencer management agencies that have popped up recently, particularly those who work with a “primarily POC roster,” given their ability to help creators secure deals.
LaToya Shambo, founder and CEO of influencer agency Black Girl Digital, told us that pay transparency can be difficult given that payment structures are often dependent on where a deal comes from—be it a PR firm, agency, manager, or the brand directly.
Shambo also emphasized the need for brands to stay invested in deals with diverse creators and to give them time.
“The beauty of the influencer marketing space is the power of intersectionality and being able to work with multiple creators of multiple backgrounds and ethnicities and races and genders,” she said. “And that’s what a brand should be thinking of is like, ‘Wow, I can really have my brand be infused with so much culture, so much community…versus ‘I need to drive a sale.’”
Addressing the gap
Bright said she’s working to educate Black creators on setting rates, negotiating, and reading contracts via The Influencer League. In one instance, she said, a creator in the program was able to secure a brand deal worth $6,000 more than she had in the past.
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In Bright’s role at PR agency Citizen Relations, where she works as associate director of influencer marketing, she said she’s also discussed pay inequity with people who manage influencer budgets to help encourage progress.
“We’re able to take those conversations to our clients and say, ‘Look, you want a campaign that focuses on diversity…You want a Black woman influencer? You’re gonna have to expect them to charge more because there’s a prevalent pay gap that needs to be closed,’” she said.
Bright said she’s received less pushback from brands during negotiations after bringing up the pay inequities: “I mention it, and then they’re like, ‘Okay, let’s work something out.’”
When asked whether she’s worried about recessionary marketing cuts impacting any progress made, Bright said she doesn’t foresee diversity efforts taking a hit, particularly for brands that want to reach Gen Z.
“It’s becoming more and more important and very obvious that it’s beneficial to brands to be diverse. And so I think as long as we continue to be open and willing to have these conversations and call brands out when they need to be called out, and raise these important issues, we can stay at the forefront and continue to close the pay gap,” she said.
She also emphasized the importance of embracing diversity not just on an influencer level, but in hiring.
“I don’t have to think twice about adding a Black influencer who looks like me [to a campaign] because I follow them,” she said. “I know them. I’m one of them.”