How Instagram Numbers Influence Booking Models

Instagram has become it's own well-oiled machine and arguably the hottest form of social media today (bummer, Zuckerberg). As a result, there's a thing called "Instagram famous" now, which basically means you've got hundreds of thousands of followers, and people are probably paying you to endorse their products. This recent phenomenon has changed the world of modeling, too, as Australian agencies claim that Instagram followers are just as important as looks for clients booking models.

So, on top of having "the look" that clients are looking for, you've got to garner thousands of followers below your belt, too? According to to the Daily Mail, you've got to be an "influencer" to book the job. And what makes someone an influencer, exactly? "It’s no hard and fast number, but 10,000 is the minimum number clients are asking for," general manager of Vivien's Models Catherine McGill said to the Daily Mail Australia.

If the model meets the 10,000-300,000 followers criteria, they can be added to Vivien's Models "influencers" page. In the negotiation process, number of followers are brought up and strongly considered. Some agencies have also added a "blogger" management division, like Chic Management, according to the Daily Mail. What's more, Joseph Tenni from Chadwick Models said to News.com.au that often times, a client will ask for a model's number of followers before inquiring about her looks.

Within those numbers, what they're looking for is a "cool girl" look, according to Paul Thomas, the general manager of Chic Management. That, paired with a "lust-have" lifestyle is the formula for drawing in clients, according to Thomas. And it makes sense—teens that see something that Kendall or Kylie Jenner rock on Instagram are likely to click on the tagged product and are led to the brand's page. One click, two click, sale.

"If you think about it, your brand can send their product straight to someone's pocket rather than printing a catalogue in store and waiting for a customer go collect it," Thomas told the Daily Mail. And it works, too. Seems as if the traditional life of a runway model is changing to keep up with the times. As if there wasn't enough pressure in the industry already. Woof.

Images: @gigihadid, @caradelevingne/Instagram