HypeAuditor has revealed new data that shows Generation Z (‘Gen Z’) social media influencers are an increasingly formidable presence in the influencer marketing sphere in Australia, earning well above average engagement rates.
Gen Z – defined for the purposes of this data as those aged between 13-17, or born roughly between 2005 and 2010 – are not only increasing in popularity on Instagram as influencers themselves, but as a highly engaged cohort of consumers too.
Data from HypeAuditor, the AI analytics platform for brands seeking fair, transparent, and effective influencer marketing, shows that Australian Gen Z influencers are overwhelmingly popular with followers of their own age.
Amongst social media users aged 13-17, the 10 most popular accounts they follow are mostly fellow teenagers, with only two influencers over the age of 20 making the cut.
The Gen Z influencers with the most followers in Australia are:
Representing four of the top 10 most popular Gen Z Instagram accounts, the Norris siblings’ individual and family accounts are undeniably popular.
• 17 year old Sabre Norris, a surfer and skateboarder has 847,000 followers — 43% aged 13-17
• 15 year old Sockie Norris, an aspiring chef, has 763,000 followers — 41% aged 13-17
• 12 year old Naz Norris, their younger sister, has her account run by their parents. She has 674,000 followers, with 38% aged 13-17
• The Norris Nuts family account, which is classified as a ‘mega influencer’ account with more than one million followers, with 42% of followers aged 13-17
A little older than their counterparts in this group, the 26 year old twins, dancers Sam and Teagan, are nonetheless significant for their large percentage of Gen Z followers — 36% of their followers are aged 13-17.
Others in the top ten include:
• Savannah Clarke: A 17 year old singer who has the most number of followers of all in this list, with 4.1 million followers — a third of which are aged 13-17
• Harley Fresh: A 20 year old gamer with 1.8m followers
• Lazar Beam: A 27 year old gamer with 2.6m followers
The engagement rates (ER) of some of these accounts is exceptionally high when compared with average overall rates. ER on Instagram shows how good the quality of the posts is and how well an account interacts with its followers. A good Instagram engagement rate is between 2-3% and anything above 3% is considered high engagement.
Ones to call out include Naz Norris, with an ER of 14.3%, Sabre Norris with 13.2%, and Lazar Beam with 11.7%/
Alexander Frolov, CEO and Co-Founder of HypeAuditor said: “We can deduce that influencers with a large Gen Z following are highly valuable for brands to work with, because their followers are so overwhelmingly engaged with their content.
“Compared to one of Australia’s most recognisable and followed influencers, Tammy Hembrow, who has an engagement rate of just 1.09%, we see a young influencer like Sabre Norris with a huge ER of 13.2%.
“As this next generation of celebrities and influencers continues to grow up and expand their personal brands and preferences, brands should be laying the groundwork for long term partnerships now to reap long term rewards with these enterprising young people,” he added.