The Beat Report: Five realities of influencer life you won’t see on Instagram

Hello,

I’m Pratishtha Bagai, one of the youngest voices in Mint’s buzzing, multi-generational newsroom—here to bring a Gen Z lens straight to your inbox. My beat? India’s creator economy, the sector that grew out of teenagers filming unfiltered videos in their bedrooms and has since turned into a boardroom buzzword and a multi-crore marketing engine.

Today, this nearly- ₹3,400-crore industry is minting millionaires out of internet personalities—complete with GST numbers—and reshaping the way brands spend. Look around and you’ll see influencers claiming an ever-larger slice of the media pie: starring in films, landing interviews with everyone from the prime minister to elusive figures like Vijay Mallya, jetting across continents, and living lifestyles underwritten by some of the country’s biggest companies. No wonder LinkedIn ranks it among India’s 10 most coveted jobs of 2025.

But beneath the sun-drenched Instagram posts and megawatt smiles lies a very different story. After a year of tracking this space up close, I’ve uncovered five realities about the influencer life that rarely make it to the feed.

Curious? Let’s peel back the filters.

All that glitters isn’t gold

Behind the gloss of luxury brunches, yacht rides, and endless gifting hauls lies a grind few talk about. This career thrives on voyeurism, glorifying the everyday, and clocking long hours alone—and yes, it can quietly erode mental health.

Contrary to popular opinion, content creation is a plain-Jane job, according to Nipun Jain and Mohit Mamoria, creators of Arey Pata Hai . 

They said that content creation was, contrary to popular belief, a plain-Jane job where the home doubled as an office and the algorithm acted as a moody, unpredictable boss. The work could get lonely, and even for introverts like them, the occasional networking events became something to look forward to—if only to meet others who understood the same struggles.

And that’s just the beginning.

For many emerging creators, the real curveball is unpredictable money. Payments from brand deals can take weeks, sometimes up to 90 days, making it tricky to keep up with the very lifestyle they need to showcase “for the ’gram". 

At the other end of the spectrum, established influencers face a different stress: staying relevant in a space where fame can fade in as little as five to seven years.

What happens when that spotlight dims? 

Those without a Plan B—often college dropouts who went all-in on content—find themselves scrambling. Some pivot to acting, others launch startups, take on marketing gigs, or chase anything that can turn their fleeting influence into a sustainable career. The internet moves fast, and it rarely waits for its fallen stars.

1 + 1 ≠ Viral: The collaboration math

It looks like fun when two favourite creators pop up in the same video, trading banter. But these aren’t casual “let’s hang out" moments. Collaborations are calculated business moves, and without corporate-like strategy, they can backfire.

The real stakes? The audience.

That’s why creators typically avoid pairing up with others in the same niche. “If two creators with similar follower profiles join hands, fans could end up liking the rival more and drift away from them," the manager of one of the top YouTubers in the country once told me. 

For the same reason, a micro-influencer rarely shoots with a mega-star—unless the bigger name is deliberately giving them a boost.

“The most successful partnerships are across complementary content categories," the talent manager added. “Think auto with tech, gaming with entertainment, or fitness with lifestyle. Here, the audiences overlap just enough to spark interest, but not enough to trigger rivalry. That’s when a collaboration is truly a win-win."

Influencers are not a one‑person army

The screen might show only one smiling face, but behind every top creator lies a small industry of managers closing brand deals, editors polishing every frame, camera crews setting up shots, and writers scripting the perfect lines.

Most creators do begin as true solo acts—shooting, editing, and uploading from their phones. But as their following grows, so does their equipment list and the size of their crew. Who gets hired, and how big the team becomes, depends on two things: the creator’s scale and their budget.

"Going solo can keep you afloat. But if you want to really scale, churning out consistent, high‑quality content while juggling brand work, platforms, and personal projects, you can’t do it alone," Ayush Guha, business head at talent management agency Creator18, told me.

Recalling his early days from 2021, Surat-based entertainment content creator Shivamsingh Rajput said he didn’t have any professional equipment or a team then, and recording videos, doing retakes, and editing them was time-consuming. 

“But slowly as the channel grew and attracted more followers, the work pressure skyrocketed and I couldn't manage it all by myself," Rajput said. First he got an editor, then more editors, and a script writer, and then even a manager.

So the next time you hit “play", remember: the face you see is just the tip of an much larger creative iceberg.

Deal drama: The tug-of-war

Ever wondered how influencers land deals with big brands?

It’s not as simple as a casual DM from a company. Behind the scenes is an entire shadow industry acting as the middle layer between social media stars and brands.

Some of these players run tech platforms that help brands sift through millions of creators to find the perfect match for their campaign. Others go further—not just matchmaking, but also designing and executing full-blown influencer campaigns.

For big brands, it’s rarely a casual pick-and-choose exercise. Many run auctions to decide which agency is offering the most tempting influencer bundle at the best price.

These auctions can be intense, with cutthroat competition. Agencies pull every trick in the book, from persuasive pitches to not‑so‑gentle arm-twisting, to get creators to agree to a lower rate and help them clinch the deal.

For creators, too, the competition is fierce. Some rely on sheer popularity, others lean on high‑powered talent management agencies, and a few leverage their deep network ties within the ecosystem—all vying to be noticed in a country with over 8 million active creators hustling for the same brand deals.

The next time you see your favourite influencer sipping a branded coffee on Instagram, remember: that post might have survived more negotiations, bids, and behind‑the‑scenes wrangling than a corporate merger.

The entrepreneurial illusion: Who’s really running the show?

Over the past two years, a wave of creators has tried to turn their online fame into offline businesses. But how many of them are actually steering the ship?

While many creator-led businesses are genuine attempts to convert online stardom into real cash flow, for some, it’s also a strategic move to secure a sustainable income stream before the social media fame fades.

These creators take on the entrepreneur badge confidently, but the day-to-day operations—the logistics, supply chain, marketing execution, and scaling—are often managed behind the scenes by business partners, co-founders, or specialized third-party agencies.

Take agencies like House of X and Superclan—poster children of the creator-commerce boom. They handle the nuts and bolts of business for creators, from sourcing and manufacturing to warehousing, shipping, and customer service. The idea is simple: free up creators to do what they do best—build a brand and sell a story.

That’s it from me. The next time you find yourself doomscrolling, you’ll know the machinery running behind those glossy posts. Got more questions about the creator economy? Drop them in the comments and I’ll try to tackle them.

And before I sign off—think of this as my YouTuber moment: like, share, and subscribe, but with a Mint twist. In a space awash with hype, Mint gives you depth and clarity. A subscription unlocks every story we publish. Use my code PRAT30 for 30% off.