It seems some people will do just about anything for five seconds of fame, a lot of likes, a little bit of fortune. And maybe even a free lunch or lipstick. We often read or hear about social media influencers behaving badly. Or having bouts of insanity. There are those who think the rules don’t apply to them, ones who blatantly ask for free stuff, and others who expect princess treatment because “Do you know who I am?” I think it’s safe to say, regardless of your job, whether you’re a doctor or an “influencer,” there’s a certain level of professionalism with which you should conduct yourself. Unless of course, you don’t want to be taken seriously.
People have been sharing photos of influencers in the wild, caught in acts that, quite frankly, they should be ashamed of. From flattening fields of daisies for the perfect pic, to renting sets so they can pretend to take private jet flights… Yes, really. Some of the behavior truly boggles the mind.
We has managed to unearth receipts of the utmost acts of influencer insanity, just in case you needed any more proof that the world is going bananas. We also spoke to influencer marketing expert Olivia Savage about the correct way to conduct yourself in the industry. She’s the Senior Marketing Strategist of Creator Growth and Engagement for partnership management platform impact.com.
#1 I Get A Lot Of Dms Daily From Teen TikTok “Stars” Asking For Free Stuff From My Business, And Here’s An Example
#2 Not How Strawberries Work
#3 Local 15 Year Old “Tik Tok Influencer” Wants A Free Pair Of Hand Painted Customized Air Force 1s. I’ve Been Waiting For This Moment
Love them or hate them, social media influencers are here to stay. According to investment banking company Goldman Sachs, the influencer industry is worth approximately $250 billion, and is expected to grow to nearly $500 billion by 2027.
One recent survey conducted by influencer marketing agency IZEA found that 79% of people polled had bought a product after seeing an influencer use it. It goes without saying that social media influencers have become valuable to businesses and brands in the digital age, and can be extremely beneficial.
Problems pop up when the few bad apples take things too far, using their influencer “clout” to try and get away with whatever they want, as if the rules of society don’t apply to them.
#4 My Friend Got Shorted By A Pretty Major Influencer
#5 This Girl Makes TikTok Videos Of Her Forcibly Hugging, Touching Or Trapping Korean Men. This Is Not Okay Behaviour. In All Videos The Men Are Visibly Uncomfortable
#6 “Influencer” Leaves Small Business 1-Star Review For Not Delivering Free Products
Olivia Savage is an influencer marketing expert, and the Senior Marketing Strategist of Creator Growth and Engagement for partnership management platform impact.com. Savage has tons of experience working with influencers, so it pays to listen to what she says.
When We reached out to her, the expert was more than happy to share her words of wisdom with us, our readers, and anyone who considers themselves an influencer or wants to break into the market.
#7 My Mum Is An Artificial Florist And Had An ‘Influencer’ With 70k Followers Ask For Free Wedding Flowers For Exposure
#8 Was Told To Post This Here. Woman Stomped All Over The Plants In This Conservatory For Instagram Shots Despite Staff Repeatedly Asking Her To Stop
#9 What A Loser
Savage cautions that influencers need to remember that they are small-business owners. “You have built a reputation and community around certain common interests, but if you’re not careful about protecting the brand you cultivated, you can lose it all in an instant with poorly thought-out behavior,” warned the expert.
“Be very careful about burning bridges and abusing the platform you’ve built, because ‘cancel culture’ is still very much alive.”
#10 These Social Media Influencers Are Destroying California’s Super Bloom
#11 Being This Desperate For Attention
#12 Entitled Influencer Trash Talks Asian Restaurant After They Politely Refuse To Give Him A $100 Discount
We asked Savage whether there’s any real benefit for brands when they give freebies to influencers, and she believes there is. “Providing free product gives creators the opportunity to try it out and provide genuine, authentic feedback about what they think,” she told us. “Leveraging product gifting as a compensation strategy can be very cost effective, depending on the price point and shipping costs.”
#13 Signs Are Not For Me
#14 I Took Some Advice That Were Given After Posting The Conversation I Had With A TikTok “Influencer” Yesterday. This Is What The First Person I Made The Offer To Said
#15 When Influencers Completely Ignore Signs In Nature And Then Proudly Brag About It To Hundreds Of Followers
Then we wanted to know whether it’s considered rude for an influencer to ask for free stuff. Apparently not… “Our own impact.com research shows that brands love it when creators initiate contact, rather than waiting for the brand to reach out to them,” she revealed. “Don’t hesitate to reach out to brands you love.”
#16 My God. The Entitlement And Self-Centeredness Is Boundless
#17 “Influencers” Blocking Traffic On The Brooklyn Bridge For The Photos
#18 Influencer Gets Defensive Over Comment On ‘Making Money For Doing Nothing’, Gets Called Out For Entitlement
But Savage says there’s a way to go about it. “We have educational content about how to pitch yourself and even a media kit template to help creators craft a winning pitch,” offered the expert.
“Aside from proper grammar and good overall email practices, creators should be sure to provide some information on their content style, primary audience, followership, and any tangible results they’ve generated for other brand partners. Providing a couple broad ideas for how they’d leverage their free product in promotional content is also a good idea.”
#19 Came Across A Influencer That Promotes Injecting Coffee Up Your Rectum
#20 Instagram “Influencers” Are Renting Sets To Pretend They Take Private Flights
#21 Ok…. Out Of Touch
Luisa Villafane. Sorry but this is just inconsiderate as hell. Taking pictures in the middle of a crowded street and making people wait…could’ve at least waved the people through if you saw them standing there. All for taking pictures I really don’t care but stop inconveniencing everyone else
Not all brands or small businesses are in a position to give away free stuff. But that doesn’t mean they can’t work with social media influencers, says Savage. “Brands can provide influencers discounts to purchase your product, plus some sort of bonus or performance-based compensation if content they make promoting your product generates sales for your brands,” suggests the expert.
“You can look for creators who are already making organic content about your brand and ask to repurpose or repost their content in exchange for some sort of discount or other reward.”
#22 “Influencer” Using A Municipal Fountain For Her Photo Shoot
#23 This Group Photo
#24 Influencer Using The Black Lives Matter Protests For Clout Gets Called Out In Her Comments And In A Video
According to impact.com, theoretically, anyone who self-identifies as a trendsetter or plugs a product on social media can be considered an ‘influencer.’
“But what sets influencers apart from the ‘average Joe’ is the quantifiable amount of clout they wield with their followers. What’s even more valuable than their number of followers is the trust their audiences place in them,” explains the company’s website.
#25 She Spent $7 On An Ice Cream Cone For An Instagram Picture Then Threw It Away
#26 Influencer Wants Free Food Because Her Staff Is On Leave
#27 This Instagram “Influencer” That Went Full On Tropic Thunder With The Black Face
The impact.com team adds that audiences place a premium on authenticity. “If an influencer has done a good job of cultivating trust through engaging content that resonates with followers, they can parlay that trust into lucrative partnership opportunities with brands,” reads the site.
But once you’ve built that trust, be warned: you can lose it even faster than it takes to hit “like.” So please don’t follow the example of anyone featured on this list!
#28 Influencer In Banggood
#29 Pretending To A Chess Player Without Learning A Single Rule Of The Game. All For The Gram
#30 To Get Free Food As An “Food Influencer”
#31 I Love Instagram Influencers
#32 To Have An Influencer Perk
#33 Fashion Influencer Caught Adding Material To Art Gallery For Picture
#34 Influencer Bragging That She Still Uses Her Own Line Of Old, Contaminated Lipsticks, Which Caused Injuries And Infections Upon Product Launch
#35 Influencer Wants To Collaborate For Her Wedding And Gets Called Out By The Designer
#36 TikTok Influencer Who Live In An NYC Luxury Apartment Wants Free Labor
#37 An ‘Influencer’ I Know
#38 Thinking You Deserve Free Jewelry From A Small Antique Seller Because Of Your Whopping 1100 Followers
#39 Yelper Gives A Pizzeria 1 Star Because They Wouldn’t Give Her A Discount Even Though She’s An Influencer
#40 This “Fitness Influencer” Posing With His Bare Feet On Dumbells. Motivational Quote Included
#41 Entitled Instagram “Influencer” Calls 911 To Get The Cops To Go To The Store For Her At 2am To Get Formula For Her Baby
#42 Instagram Influencers Offer The Best Incentives To Work For Them
#43 Ah, The Good Old Exposure Pay We All Know And Love
#44 “My House Was Broken Into And I Am Suffering From Sleepless Nights And Terrified For My Life But Heres A Product That Promotes Radiant Skin Anyway. Quote My Name For A Special Discount” #selfcare #healing #influencer #skincare (I Love Sharon Au But This Seems… Wrong?)
#45 Choosing Beggar Is A “Micro Influencer” Who Will Pay You When She Gets Endorsed
#46 Wellness Influencers Need To Be Stopped
#47 This Loser Doing A P Diddy Baby Oil Prank On These Retail Workers And Holding Up The Queue
#48 Don’t Sell Your Limited-Edition, Pricey, High-Abv Beer To Paying Customers! Give It To Us For Free
#49 AI Influencers Taking Over
#50 Honestly, This Is The Worst Behavior I’ve Ever Seen On A Flight. Fart In My Nose Instead. Lick The Back Of My Neck. That Poor Old Woman Next To Her
Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.