[imagesource: Dentsu School of Influence alumni]

I know we like to tease influencers, but it is actually a pretty lucrative career path, so maybe we should bite our tongue a bit. At least this one time.

Besides, influencing has officially become the dream job for today’s youth, with an impressive 57% of Gen Z saying they’d love to give it a go if they could.

According to decision intelligence researchers, Morning Consult, a good chunk of them—about 53%—even consider influencing a “respectable” career. And they’d be out of their current jobs faster than you can say “like, share, and subscribe” if they could make a living off it.

So, why the rush for the ring light? First off, it’s no secret that influencing can be seriously lucrative. In fact, the global influencer marketing industry is on track to hit a jaw-dropping $22.2 billion by 2025, as per the latest Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report. Even here in South Africa, Statista estimates influencer advertising spending will reach about $27.14 million this year alone.

With so much money on the table, it’s no wonder the influencer industry is getting more organised, giving content creators real tools to grow their careers. The IAB South African Content Creator Charter is one example, setting standards and giving upcoming influencers a guide to navigating this wild, selfie-filled world with a bit more strategy.

Dentsu School Of Influence was one of the first agencies in South Africa to adopt this charter. Emma Odendaal, Head of Influence for Dentsu EMEA says, “We fully support an ethical, transparent, inclusive and professional industry for creators and brands.”

“While marketers bear the responsibility for their decisions around their influencer marketing campaigns, content creators are accountable to their own communities. At Dentsu School of Influence we empower content creators with the industry knowledge that enables them to make responsible and ethical decisions when it comes to their participation in influencer campaigns. This is vital to their success because the robustness and sustainability of communities they have created depends on their trustworthiness and authenticity.

She notes that influencers need to know how to be fully compliant with industry regulations which includes making full disclosures when it comes to paid and sponsored content.

“They need to be adept at identifying and avoiding misleading or false claims. When it comes to community-building they need to be skilled at doing this organically and must avoid tactics such as buying followers, views and engagements. It is also critical that they are scrupulous about sharing honest opinions and collaborating only with brands that genuinely align with their values.”

The Dentsu School of Influence’s inaugural cohort, the class of 2024 saw eight promising young South African influencers immersed in 1,000 learning hours. Participants were exposed to the mentorship, thought leadership and deep experience of 25 industry experts. Working collaboratively, the 2024 cohort successfully completed seven learning modules and seven assignments that have boosted their understanding of influencer marketing and given them practical tools to grow and succeed as content creators and influencers.

It seems the Dentsu School of Influence program seriously paid off. Students took their new skills straight to their feeds, scoring follower growth of up to 11.5%—not bad at all. And when it comes to engagement, they blew the usual numbers out of the water. While the industry benchmark from Creator IQ sits at a modest 0.97%, Dentsu students hit engagement rates as high as 10.4%—that’s over ten times the average.

The Call Is Open For The 2025 Cohort

Enthusiasm, a natural flair for creativity, a passion for the digital landscape and a drive to succeed are some of the attributes Dentsu will be looking for in the selection of its 2025 cohort. With South Africa’s high youth unemployment and the skills development gap in mind, Dentsu is excited to invite all interested South African citizens over the age of 18 with a matric qualification to apply. Applicants must have between 1,500 and 10,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube to be eligible for this opportunity.

The handpicked class of 2025 is in for a six-month crash course in all things content creation. Not only will they get a rock-solid foundation for a career in influencing, but they’ll also pick up the skills, tools, and insider connections to seriously fast-track their growth. Those lucky enough to make the cut will dive into topics like Content Creation 101, Mastering Platforms, Money Matters, Working with Brands, Building Your Personal Brand, and even Ethics & AI.

By the end, they’ll be well on their way to influencer stardom, ready to turn likes into a livelihood.

Aspiring Influencers and content creators can apply here.

Applications are open from 28 October 2024 to 8 November 2024. Successful applicants will need to be based in Cape Town for the duration of the programme, which runs from 1 February to 31 July 2025.

Students will receive a monthly stipend.

Get ready to see the class of 2025 take over your feed, one perfectly filtered post at a time.