Top Indian TikTok influencers lose Rs 120 crore due to ban: Report

Indian influencers who had gained popularity on the Chinese app TikTok are facing a significant dent in their earnings after it was banned last month, a study by the Indian Institute of Human Brands showed.

The findings showed that the ban caused an approximate loss of Rs 120 crore for the top 100 influencers. Influencers with 1 million followers easily made up to Rs 35,000 per month and Rs 50,000 for double the number of followers.

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Influencer Gaurav Jain who posted short educational videos and had over a million followers has not been able to get the same traction on alternative apps which has sprung to prominence after 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, were banned, according to a report by Mint.

“TikTok had a section called Edu talk where creators published educational content in an entertaining way. I was creating content on mental health. Many creators were teaching English, life hacks and skincare. Views on new platforms aren’t the same," Jain told the publication.

Alternative platforms like Instagram Reels, US-based Firework and the homegrown Chingari do not seem to enjoy the same popularity among content creators that TikTok did.

Another influencer Geet, who had 11 million followers previously, has started using Instagram Reels but is unable to get the same amount of reach that she had on TikTok. A social worker who works with youths and at-risk teens used to create educational and motivational videos. “TikTok was an extension of the work I was doing. It allowed me to connect to teens at a larger scale. The underprivileged kids I worked with, they were using TikTok more than any other platform," she told the publication.

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She explained that aesthetics play an important role in a lot of other social media platforms, however on TikTok it never mattered. Even if you didn’t look like a typical influencer, you could be successful. The community was more accepting and supportive than other platforms.

Now, alternative apps like Chingari are trying to attract influencers with lucrative deals. The Indian platform has announced a talent hunt show where content creators can earn up to Rs 1 crore from a prize pool of Rs 2.8 crore.

Similarly, US-based Firework has offered contracts worth Rs 5 crore and Rs 25 lakh in cash as prize for a creator challenge. It also shares 33 percent of its stream share with its creator community.

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The money-making potential is less considering brands are in ‘wait and watch’ mode. They are also figuring out their strategies to fully utilise their marketing budgets, Jain said.

Founder and CEO of BuzzOne Influencer Marketing Sanjay Vasudev told the publication, “Brands will not be looking at Reels the way they are looking at TikTok, as the brand story won’t come out in 15 seconds. TikTok had a humongous reach that still hasn’t been matched by any other platform be it Reels, Roposo or Chingari.”