‘Know what you are getting into’
PETALING JAYA: For some youths, working as paid influencers not only means being able to earn an income, it also helped them survive restrictions during the movement control order (MCO) which caused many to lose their jobs.
Leslie Png, 28, does content creation as an influencer while also being a stylist and photographer.
He said during the MCO, he anticipated that his career in the social media field would be impacted due to adjustments in his clients’ budget for digital marketing.
“At the beginning of the MCO, (jobs) were a lot less but slowly towards the end, I started getting jobs,” he added.
Png, who is from Kuching, used to work as an optometrist after graduating from university in 2015.
His favourite part about his current job is the flexibility and creativity.
“Loving my work doesn’t mean there’s no stress but it becomes a positive strength for me,” he said, acknowledging, however, that there were ups and downs with no consistent flow of income.
“For those with no financial concern, just give it a try. But for those who need every sen to sustain a living, don’t jump into it or quit your conventional job at once as the financial instability can be quite stressful,” he said.
Full-time student Hanna Faresha, 21, is an Instagram influencer who does freelance modelling and creates content on beauty, travel and fashion.
With a huge following on Instagram, Hanna’s road to fame began a few years ago when news of her scoring 10As in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia went viral.
“Since then, I’ve modelled parttime because I am still studying,” she said.
During the MCO, Hanna said many digital campaigns were either postponed or cancelled but she managed to survive the tough times using some of the savings she had put aside from her earnings as a paid influencer.
Although her monthly income is not fixed, Hanna earned a fourfigure salary on average, enough to support her accounting studies at a local institution.
Hanna, who sees herself going into accounting after graduation, plans to continue as a paid influencer and said mental strength was key for those hoping to follow the same career path.
“When we start to open up spaces for others to know us, we must be aware that our lives will not be private anymore.
“So, we must make sure that our mental state is strong and don’t even bother if there is anyone trying to take you down,” she said.
Influencers should also remember that as public figures, they ought to serve as good examples, she added.
For Mark O’Dea, 29, a British television presenter and YouTuber based in Malaysia, the MCO also saw his creative juices flowing.
In June, O’Dea’s series of videos praising Malaysia on its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the “From London to Malaysia - My Quarantine Experience” video being a bit hit.
O’Dea also produces videos on parodies, food, home workouts and travels.
He said his journey as a YouTuber started when he scored his first gig on TV but trying to pitch content to his producers would get his ideas shot down.
“I didn’t want to waste them so I started a channel as a way to explore those ideas,” said O’Dea, adding that he did not live a luxurious lifestyle and that he was very careful with money.
“I would say that the only way my life has dramatically changed would be that people take you more seriously as clients and people who wouldn’t collaborate with me before are suddenly interested,” he said.
O’Dea’s advice to those wanting to follow the career path is not to do it for the fame, followers or free products.
“It may seem like a fun and easy job but trust me, it is a lot of hard work.
“You need to have a crazy drive because there are so many other creators out there. You have to create content that stands out and makes an impression or you will be lost in the pack,” he said.