The number of professional Spanish influencers—those who generate income through creating content on social media—continues to grow, according to our latest study.
Currently in Spain, there are more than 63,000 creators with more than 10,000 followers; more than 12,000 creators with more than 100,000 followers; and 1,100 who have more than one million followers.
This is the third consecutive year that we have carried out this analysis, and while from 2021 to 2022, the number of professional influencers had increased by 23%, from 2022 to 2023 the growth has been much greater.
Thus, the segment of creators with more than 100,000 followers is now 32% larger. The number of macro-influencers, those with more than one million followers, has increased by 25%. And content creators called micro-influencers—those who do not have enough followers to live 100% off their content—have also grown by 29%.
The data has been extracted from the Tubular Labs tool based on the number of Spanish creators on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, and TikTok. Here you can see last year’s study, where we also explain how content creators earn money and what industry has been created around it.
“Far from being a one-off phenomenon, the so-called ‘Creator Economy’ is only growing and is already a recognized profession” explains Fabienne Fourquet, CEO of 2btube, “more and more people are professionally dedicated to creating content on social networks, these are of very varied themes and all platforms are turning to developing new functionalities so that influencers generate more income, which will make this profession even more attractive in the coming years”.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Influencer
Being an influencer is one of the most desired professions among young Spaniards. One in three teenagers wants to be one, and practically all of them actively follow people who create online content, according to a recent report by the FAD Youth Foundation and the “La Caixa” Foundation. The popularity of being a content creator has been increasing for some time, as the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” surveys by Adecco in recent years have shown.
Creativity, freedom, and flexibility are highly valued in this profession.
“The main advantage is that I can organize my work whenever I want and record with the people I want”; explains Tobbalink, an entertainment content creator with more than 5 million followers across all his social networks.
La Pelo, Spain’s most expert influencer in bargains and deals, agrees; “I don’t have constant pressure from a schedule, but rather I flow with my life. Every day is a new adventure, every day is different”.
For the creator Flisflisher, who has more than 790,000 subscribers on her mystery channel on YouTube and an exclusive podcast on Podimo, that is also the main advantage: “You can carry it out from anywhere in the world and create your own schedules”. However, she adds: “You have to be very consistent. It’s many hours of work and, sometimes, days. A single content creator does the work of four or five people at the same time”.
“People don’t realize all the effort it takes. You have to think about what content to bring so they enjoy it, you have to record, edit… ” points out Paula Currás, a creator with more than 55,000 subscribers. But the best thing is that, “Apart from having a good time, I can develop all my creativity”, she adds.
Among the drawbacks, income instability stands out because, as Prnze, a creator with more than 780,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel about parkour and superheroes, confesses: “Your income depends on the views you receive, the ads, and whether you get contracts with brands. There are very good months and very bad ones”.
And la Pelo adds another disadvantage related to the financial issue “When applying for a loan or a mortgage, we have problems because we don’t have a payroll or a fixed salary”.
Finally, there is also the fear or uncertainty about the future, as Tobbalink explains “Today you are on top, people love you”and tomorrow they stop liking you or your videos are not seen as much
You can see all these statements and those of more content creators in this video, along with the opinions of anonymous people we have interviewed about the profession of influencer. The interviewees add the expectation of having high incomes and getting free products as one of the main advantages of being an influencer, as well as working on what you like. Among the drawbacks, they mention the loss of anonymity and the fact that your life is subject to judgment.
What Do We Do at 2btube to Support Content Creators?
At 2btube, we have been helping content creators improve their audience and income since 2014. Thus, we help them with all the challenges and drawbacks they may have in their professional life. For example, we analyze their YouTube channels to give them personalized advice when they experience drops in their views or monetization; and we keep them informed of all the new features that the platforms implement so that they can adapt to the changes. In this line, the arrival of YouTube Shorts is affecting all channels and is a feature that we have recommended they use for some time and on which we have provided training.
We have also developed our own fintech so that they can receive income in advance, if they need it. This is a great reassurance for many content creators, who know that they can ask for cash advances with a single click if they need to face an expense or if a month has not been as good as they expected.
And, of course, we are always by their side when it comes to solving problems, hacks, doubts… As well as managing actions with brands or developing other ways to generate income.