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India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Everyone wants to be an influencer. But can it pay the bills?
From viral reels to blue tickmarks, influencing today is more than just a digital flex it's a full-blown career cities, small towns, and even villages, young Indians are chasing fame on Instagram, YouTube, and more recently, short-form video apps. The allure? Freedom, fandom, and a shot at financial behind the aesthetics of curated content and follower milestones lies a less glamorous truth: the money doesn't always follow the India has one of the largest creator ecosystems in the world, with over 80 million people, influencers, bloggers, artists, educators, trying to monetise their digital presence. Yet, a recent report by Kalaari Capital reveals a stark reality: fewer than 0.2% of creators in India earn a sustainable income from their THE VIRAL VIEWSThe creator economy in India is booming, but the economics remain shaky. What started as a hobby or side hustle for many is now a full-time hustle, and an increasingly competitive media platforms reward visibility, not necessarily Kalaari's report puts it bluntly: 'Follower count is a poor proxy for revenue.' A creator might hit a million views today and struggle to pay rent tomorrow. Virality may be free, but sustainability isn' Arogyaroots, a wellness page run by siblings Preksha and Tapas, with over 3.7 lakh Instagram followers. Their reels on Ayurveda, yoga, and Indian traditions have clocked massive reach, one even crossed 10 million views. But real income didn't come from the platforms themselves.'We don't just rely on platform income,' said Preksha. 'We offer Ayurvedic consultations and online yoga sessions taught by trained professionals. People find value in our content, and then choose our services. Our revenue model is built on trust.'That trust, however, hasn't come easy. 'Our biggest challenge has been disbelief from our own community,' added Tapas. 'When we explain the science behind Ayurveda, many Indians still think it's unscientific, even when global audiences appreciate it.'Then there's Ravi, a gardening creator who built his YouTube channel to over 7.5 lakh subscribers and grew a business out of it. 'I used to run a construction business,' he recalled. 'During the lockdown, I started making gardening videos. People liked them, so I began tutorials. From there, we grew a full-fledged business selling plants and fertilisers online.'His YouTube and Instagram videos have crossed millions of views, but the journey hasn't been smooth. 'Once, the whole channel got hacked and disappeared for two days,' he said. 'Thankfully, the Google team helped us recover it.'Ravi's income comes from YouTube ads and direct sales through his online shop. 'We don't do many brand deals,' he added. 'Most of the things we show, we also sell our products so promoting other brands doesn't make sense.'UNPREDICTABLE INCOMESadvertisementEven creators with viral videos and loyal audiences aren't guaranteed a steady income. While YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms offer revenue-sharing tools, they're often insufficient or inconsistent. Most creators cobble together income through brand partnerships, workshops, courses, and live sessions, none of which promise an educational creator and founder of Vision of Sam, has built a loyal following of over 1.2 lakh on Instagram by creating English-speaking content using digital storytelling. One of her reels, about using advanced English phrases, garnered over 3 million views and helped her reach a total audience of 30 she says, the money side is unpredictable. 'I earn through brand collaborations, course sales, and sponsored educational content. It took time to build trust and an engaged audience. Once my content started providing consistent value, brands and learners began to approach me. However, earnings can still be unstable.'She also spoke about the emotional pressure. 'Audiences expect perfection; one small mistake, and you're trolled. I've faced that too. Consistency matters, even on tough days.'TOP INFLUENCERS TAKE THE PIEThe Kalaari report calls for a shift: decentralised platforms, better revenue-sharing models, and fairer opportunities for mid- and nano-creators. Currently, a few top influencers take the lion's share of brand deals and platform payouts, while most creators build engaged communities without seeing financial tools need to evolve, especially for niche creators who offer real value but don't always get algorithmic creator economy is undeniably powerful. It's shaping conversations, educating audiences, building brands, and even creating for it to become a viable livelihood for millions, it must go beyond vanity way forward lies in more sustainable, equitable monetisation, where success is measured not just in followers, but in freedom — financial and creative.'The future is bright,' said Tapas of Arogyaroots. 'But it has to be fair for every creator, not just a few.'- Ends
Hans India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Empowering budding developers
New Delhi: To help unlock the next chapter of growth for gaming in India, Meta launched Meta Gaming Accelerator, an incubator to empower small and medium gaming developers across the country. India's gaming sector has been experiencing a meteoric rise driven by mobile-first usage, a thriving creator economy, and innovative technologies such as AI. 'India's gaming community is a hotbed of creativity and innovation, but to unlock its full potential, we need to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity,' said Arun Srinivas, Managing Director and Head, Meta (India). 'That's why we're launching the Meta Gaming Accelerator – to provide Indian gaming developers with access to cutting-edge ad tools, expert mentorship, and critical guidance that they need to scale their businesses and take on the world,' he added. The Accelerator is being launched in partnership with four leading venture capital funds — Bitkraft Ventures, Kalaari Capital, Lumikai Fund, and Elevation Capital. In its launch phase, the programme is designed to empower 20–30 emerging Indian developers and studios through a structured curriculum. It will offer strategic guidance across monetisation, user acquisition, cross-border scaling, and AI-led game development, with a special focus on how developers can integrate Meta's AI tools, including Llama, into their game creation and optimisation processes. The programme will conclude in a high-stakes Demo Day, where participating developers will demonstrate how they've leveraged Meta's ecosystem to solve real-world growth challenges. The event will be attended by investors, Meta leadership, and industry stakeholders, with top-performing studios receiving platform-level amplification and potential funding for driving acquisitions leveraging Meta solution. 'By combining expert sessions from Meta with structured guidance from the country's top Venture Capital firms, we hope to not just empower local success stories but also create a launchpad for Indian gaming companies to scale globally,' said Srinivas.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Meta Gaming Accelerator launched to power up India's next-gen game devs and studios
India's gaming scene is growing rapidly fueled by mobile-first users, a booming creator economy, and emerging tech like AI. At the Meta Marketing Summit: Gaming Edition, Meta announced a new initiative aimed at pushing this momentum further: the Meta Gaming Accelerator . Launched in collaboration with Bitkraft Ventures, Kalaari Capital, Lumikai Fund, and Elevation Capital, the accelerator will support 20–30 small to mid-sized Indian game developers and studios in its first phase. The focus is on providing hands-on guidance in areas like monetization, user acquisition, AI-driven game design, and expanding to global markets. Participants will dive into ad monetization strategies, learn to integrate Meta's tools like Llama for personalization and storytelling, and receive mentorship from VC partners and industry experts. The program culminates in a Demo Day, where developers showcase how they've used Meta's ecosystem to tackle real-world growth challenges potentially unlocking visibility and funding opportunities. This move reflects Meta's broader investment in India's digital economy and gaming as a space where culture and business intersect.
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Meta launches new gaming accelerator in India with top VC firms to mentor developers
Meta has officially launched the Meta Gaming Accelerator, a three-month incubator programme aimed at nurturing small and medium game developers and gaming studios across India. The programme is being launched in collaboration with four venture capital (VC) firms, namely Elevation Capital, Kalaari Capital, Lumikai Fund, and Bitkraft Ventures. The announcement was made at Meta's Marketing Summit (Gaming Edition) that was held recently with participation from top brands, gaming studios, developers, and investors. The initiative comes at a time when India's gaming sector is witnessing rapid growth, fueled by mobile-first users, a vibrant creator economy, and emerging technologies like AI. The three-month programme will combine strategic support from Meta with structured mentoring from investors at the VC firms. Developers chosen for the programme will participate in specialised training that includes: -Ad monetisation and platform integration using Meta Ads and the Meta Audience Network. -Campaign optimisation and user acquisition strategies tailored for mobile gaming. -Workshops on Llama and AI-powered tools for storytelling, personalisation, and game design. -Business and funding mentorship, led by VC partners and industry experts. -Cross-border scaling guidance, helping Indian studios prepare for global market entry. The programme will culminate in a high-stakes Demo Day, where participants will present their progress to a panel of investors, Meta executives, and other gaming industry stakeholders. Top-performing studios may receive additional support, including platform-level amplification and potential funding to help scale user acquisition strategies through Meta's ecosystem. Arun Srinivas, managing director and head of Meta in India, emphasised the importance of closing the talent-opportunity gap. 'India's gaming community is a hotbed of creativity and innovation, but to unlock its full potential, we need to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity. That's why we're launching the Meta Gaming Accelerator – to provide Indian gaming developers with access to cutting-edge ad tools, expert mentorship, and critical guidance that they need to scale their businesses and take on the world,' Srinivas said. 'By combining expert sessions from Meta with structured guidance from the country's top Venture Capital firms, we hope to not just empower local success stories but also create a launchpad for Indian gaming companies to scale globally,' he added. The Meta Gaming Accelerator marks a strategic investment in India's digital and entrepreneurial ecosystem. It aim to empower the next generation of game developers by fueling innovation, job creation, and global competitiveness.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Brutal economics of India's high-stakes influencer universe
Despite the surge in creators, very few can make a sustainable living. A recent Redseer report revealed that most creators earn less than a junior executive in a corporate job. Many end up working for 'exposure' or free gifts 'The growth was painfully slow. I don't know what else I could've done' 'The pressure to grow faster is killing creativity' 'Not everyone can deal with the stress' 'You need to build your brand – not follow someone else's' 'The hustle for numbers is real' 'There's no HR here. No safety net. No off days' Over 80 million creators – but where's the money? India has 80 million creators, per Kalaari Capital Only 1.5–2% manage consistent monetisation Typical earnings range from ₹ 16,000 to ₹2 lakh per month 83% of Gen Z in India now identify as content creators. Most new creators come from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities Instagram is not a real world and followers are not real love, please try to understand this' – 24-year-old content creator Misha Agarwal's family wrote this message last week along with their statement after Misha's tragic suicide. The family shared that Misha 'felt worthless' after her followers started incident has thrown a harsh spotlight on the unsparing world of digital fame. Her final Instagram story hinted at loneliness and burnout over declining follower count: a toxic cocktail increasingly common in the high-pressure influencer economy. So how does one navigate a career where metrics define self-worth and virality is mistaken for value?Kajal Kothari, now a successful lifestyle influencer, left a stable job as managingdirector to chase a less conventional dream.'Eight-and-half years ago, when I decided to take a break from corporate life and explore something more fun like blogging, it was exciting but scary. I didn't know if I'd ever make money. I gave myself a year and just took a chance. I didn't have any options so I had to make this work.' That gamble worked for her, but she acknowledges the uneven playing many creators, success is still elusive. Popular YouTuber Nalini Unagar, known for her food and lifestyle content, recently quit after investing `8 lakh over three a now-viral video, she admitted: 'I tried everything – shorts, reels, long videos – but the growth was painfully slow. I didn't even break even. I don't know what else I could've done.'Even seasoned influencers aren't immune to the constant pressure. 'There's a race to grow faster every month, to keep engagement high – it kills creativity,' says content creator Sourav Joshi. Whether you have 1,000 or a million followers, the pressure remains the same – to stay visible, relevant, liked. Kothari shares: 'Constant competition, constant creativity, bringing something unique, something the audience can relate to on a regular basis. .. it can get tough. But I thrive under pressure. It pushes me to do better.'Dr Marrita Monteirro, an orthodontist and lifestyle influencer, agrees. 'There can be a creator's block – it has happened to a lot of backend work that nobody sees. Editing, writing, shooting... it's overwhelming.'The mental toll of influencing is finally being recognised. Psychiatrists say the 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' – where positive thinking is promoted as the only ingredient for success – is especially harmful in the influencer ecosystem. 'If they believe success hinges on attitude alone, they may blame themselves when things fail,' warns psychiatrist Dr Rahul Chandhok.'They ignore factors like algorithms or a saturated market. ' Dr Vanaja Reddy Puli adds, 'Toxic positivity invalidates negative feelings. It can lead to guilt, shame, and emotional suppression.' Both advise frequent breaks, hobbies and offline support creator Ashish Chanchlani says building identity is everything. 'People should come to watch you — not just a trend. If you're just catching lightning in a bottle, they won't return.' He adds, 'There's a phase where you feel the pressure to do what everyone else is doing. But if you want to last, you need to build your own brand – one that reflects your voice, your story, your journey.' 'You become just another reel if you don't stand for something. ' That's why only a few transcend platforms to build lasting brands or break into films. Others disappear in the management agency heads confirm the hustle is nonstop. 'Engagement entails you're working 24/7,' says Prateek Jain of Gimmick Digital that is into celebrity management with a focus on creators. 'Brands want creators who can boost visibility and sales — everything else is secondary.' Aman Garg, an influencer manager, adds, 'We consider tone, visual style, audience trust, and the quality of engagement — not just numbers. Passion-based creators with a loyal community offer better returns.' Brand partnerships are a major income stream for creators — but the process is far from transparent. 'Honestly, it's like matchmaking,' says Arindam Biswas, Group Vice President at SVF & Hoichoi, that matches brands with creators. 'We don't just look at followers or trends — we try to understand the vibe of the brand and find creators who genuinely align with that. The hustle for numbers is real — I get it. But creators are starting to focus on loyalty — who's sticking around. Because brands are slowly realising it's better to be loved by 10k than scrolled past by 100k.'Influencers and creators work without basic job protections — no insurance, no sick leave, no structure. When burnout hits, there's no boss or colleague, only ever-changing algorithms. 'Protecting creator rights is critical,' says Dr Monteirro, 'Ideas get stolen. And funny reels go viral while meaningful content is often overlooked.' As Misha Agarwal's tragic end shows, the emotional cost of chasing validation in a hyper-competitive digital landscape could result in the kind of stress not every youngster is equipped to deal with.
