What are we talking about between influencers when we meet at the same event? Nothing, anything ... except his professional life. "When the influencers are still students, they speak freely. But afterwards, I can not say what all the others do. There are some nurses, others who work in communication, but they do not say where. It's a hidden part, "says Valérie Sabban, also known as mademoisellevalerie_style , on her Instagram account followed by 74,300 subscribers.

The 28-year-old influencer teaches digital strategy in fashion license in Marseille. She is, at the same time, a digital marketing manager for a brand of personalized cosmetics and another of connected jewelry. Valérie Sabban is one of the few influencers to talk openly about her professional life to her followers. On the contrary, she is proud to have found missions that match her skills acquired on Instagram, and to have made his account a springboard, a tool to move forward, more than a goal. "It's my book, my resume, my showcase. Thanks to my Instragam account, I got those jobs and I make a good living. "

To reconcile his professional schedule with the expectations of his subscribers "who still want new content" without being time-consuming and encroaching on his working time, the instagrammer at "74k" has created a rigorous organization: " On Saturday I prepare my content, on Sunday I prepare my contests, and the week, I only have to post the archived content. "

"It became taboo"

If such an organization is possible, why is "the other life" hidden by some bloggers or instagrammers? According to miss Valérie , the virtual notoriety and the invitations to private events have "starified" the influencers so much that they now behave like celebrities. In any case, are displayed as well. And so can not be a star and a waitress at the same time. Professional life beyond shooting and product placement is then hidden, since this life does not match the image of star 2.0 they built. "To have a job nearby would imply, for some, that they are not enough" in "to be only influencer. It does not do it. So they do not talk about it and do not show it, it's become taboo. By "in", understand: "followed", thus financed by brands.

Complex profitability

"The world of blogging is cut off from reality, and then, it's ephemeral, the day you're not in, what are you doing? Asks Valérie Sabban. Romain Saillet, founder of the agency Story Tailor observes social media from the point of view of brands, and also thinks that the effect of fashion is a parameter to take into account for all those who would think of living their "influence". "Getting up in the morning and saying" I want to be an influencer "does not make sense. You're going to spend a lot of energy playing a role, being "fashionable", but once fashion is over, how will you evolve? "

Paradoxically, as influencers increasingly consider professionalizing their virtual activity, it is becoming less and less lucrative. "There are more and more influencers, so money to allocate for brands. It's not as profitable as before, "says Romain Saillet.

Initially, Valérie Sabban displayed only a "star side", showed the bags and accessories she received as gifts. But it did not attract him any good: jealous subscribers, messages of insults ... Since she showed that she worked, she immediately received benevolent messages and since then, a faithful community followed her on a daily basis. . A community of women between the ages of 24 and 35 according to their audiences, women who can also identify with their active life.

It's pretty much the same age group on Julie Sroka's subscriber side. Her Instagram account "lapetillante_ju" which counts more than 27 000 subscribers calls especially the 25-34. The question comes back in his ears: "Would not you like to live on your Instagram? But Julie Sroka enjoys her job as head of beauty development at the Beauty Test website. And for the 31-year-old woman, professionalisation would mean remuneration and remuneration, pressure.

"If a brand invests 800 euros on one of my publications, there is some pressure to make a perfect photo, have a high number of likes and comments. I will stay all day in front of my screen, waiting for the number to climb, panicked. For her, since influencer becomes a profession, it becomes especially a profession without limit and without schedules, since the community of subscribers must be animated 24/24.

Who influence influencers?

In reality, the career aspirations of influencers depend on their own influences. Who do they identify with? The youngest influencers, in age and number of subscribers, admire the "big stars" of the field, to millions of subscribers, who are part of the very closed circle of influencers whose personal branding is profitable.

But since the influencers are inspired by virtual models with double-cap, they do not consider any more to make a profession. Julie Sroka prefers to take inspiration from Mathilde Lacombe, blogger and founder Birchbox. And more than the number of subscribers or likes under his photos, his way of finding the balance between his two lives impressed him.