{"id":884,"date":"2023-03-03T02:41:56","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T02:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=884"},"modified":"2023-03-03T02:41:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T02:41:56","slug":"do-hunting-and-fishing-influencers-actually-get-paid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=884","title":{"rendered":"Do Hunting and Fishing Influencers Actually Get Paid?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The first rule of being a hunting or fishing social media influencer is don\u2019t call yourself an \u201cinfluencer.\u201d The second rule? Don\u2019t get banned. After that, well, there really are no rules.<\/p>\n

In the Wild West of influencer marketing, you\u2019ll see these kinds of hunters and anglers in your social media feeds every day. They might be hyping up a product, touting a new tactic, giving advice, or telling a story. While they\u2019re at it, they might casually mention a few gear brands\u2014or tag every single brand they can cram into the frame. Hunting and fishing gear manufacturers now regularly rely on these social media personalities to help promote their brands and products.<\/p>\n

Presumably these hunting and fishing Instagrammers, YouTubers, and increasingly TikTok users promote brands because they get something in return. But can influencers really make a living off of social media? How much do companies actually pay them to promote their products? Can you believe anything these people say when it comes to gear?\u00a0<\/p>\n

We spoke with several hunting and fishing marketing experts to understand how influencers work within the space. We also interviewed four hunters and anglers who have small to medium social media audiences (7,700 to 66,000 followers on Instagram) to understand how they leverage their accounts, if they make money from them, if followers can really trust their gear content, and what, if any, good comes from what they do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do Hunting Influencers Get Paid?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes, many hunting influencers are compensated for their work with brands. But compensation can take a variety of forms. Top influencers might land a year-long deal to endorse a brand. Mid-level deals might require an influencer to post photographs or video of themselves using a piece of gear, and also create content around that product for the brand to post. In the smallest deals, companies simply give an influencer free product to use and include in their content. Generally speaking, the larger their audience and the more engagement an influencer drives, the more an influencer can make.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people make a ton of money and others make very little,\u201d says Ryan Chuckel, founder of Gunpowder Inc.<\/a>, which is a marketing agency that represents a variety of major outdoor companies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Top-Level Influencers <\/h3>\n
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Top-level influencers often make money off their personal brand by nailing down sponsorships from hunting and fishing companies. So what exactly does the company get from a deal like this?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to use their name and likeness, they show up at your booth at a trade show, maybe you get advertising on their channels, and they\u2019ll use your product in their content,\u201d says Chuckel. \u201cIn some cases it\u2019s very contractual in terms of the number of posts. In some cases they\u2019ll just incentivize an influencer to deliver a certain number of eyeballs [impressions]. But ultimately, I look at those [kinds of sponsorships] as the next wave of what the industry has always done, which is find people who have credibility and influence, and strike deals with them to represent your brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

These deals are often made with people who blur the line between influencer and traditional hunting personality. They have a variety of platforms (including TV shows), and social media is included in the mix.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the hunting and fishing industry I can think of probably a half-dozen influencers who I know have deals that are worth $400,000 to $500,000 collectively,\u201d says Chuckel. \u201cThe influencer part is kind of a gray area because they might have a TV show, too, but social is definitely a part of the deal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Merchandise\u2014including hats, t-shirts, and stickers that are styled after inside jokes and imagery from the content\u2014is another monster revenue driver for top influencers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know several influencers who have either started with a podcast or YouTube channel who are now making six figures on merchandise alone on their own personal brand,\u201d says Chuckel. \u201cThere are several in the hunting industry who are making north of a quarter million dollars a year on just merchandise.\u201d<\/p>\n

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