Kofuzi likely makes more $$$ than elites

Influencers Have Won wrote:

It's all about reach and how much product a company thinks that it can move via a personality. Someone likeable with 150K+ followers is going to make some good money in direct compensation (forget AdSense) saying good things about a shoe that they get paid to test. A ten-minute YouTube video calling the new Acme Footwear GoMonster X6000 Plus, "fast, fun, and a joy to run in!", sells shoes. Most importantly, it sells full price shoes to hobby joggers with jobs and disposable income that will buy 2-3 pairs each year plus a coordinating garment or two because they are going to run that marathon the Shoetube guy just ran - it looked like fun!

An elite with 30K subs posting something like, "Eating pizza in Budapest with another skinny famous runner!" or "Rise and grind, Flagstaff style!" isn't moving the needle. Sure, some high school kids bought the Dominator 6% Hyper Spike because their hero wears them but, elites are terrible at pitching the products that they use. Look at posts from just about any elite athlete and you see more direct promotion for local bakeries and their buddy's podcast than you do for their primary sponsor. What's Grant Fisher's go-to daily trainer? I have no idea.

Influencers Have Won wrote:

It's all about reach and how much product a company thinks that it can move via a personality. Someone likeable with 150K+ followers is going to make some good money in direct compensation (forget AdSense) saying good things about a shoe that they get paid to test. A ten-minute YouTube video calling the new Acme Footwear GoMonster X6000 Plus, "fast, fun, and a joy to run in!", sells shoes. Most importantly, it sells full price shoes to hobby joggers with jobs and disposable income that will buy 2-3 pairs each year plus a coordinating garment or two because they are going to run that marathon the Shoetube guy just ran - it looked like fun!

An elite with 30K subs posting something like, "Eating pizza in Budapest with another skinny famous runner!" or "Rise and grind, Flagstaff style!" isn't moving the needle. Sure, some high school kids bought the Dominator 6% Hyper Spike because their hero wears them but, elites are terrible at pitching the products that they use. Look at posts from just about any elite athlete and you see more direct promotion for local bakeries and their buddy's podcast than you do for their primary sponsor. What's Grant Fisher's go-to daily trainer? I have no idea.

wejo wrote:

You're looking at this wrong and so is the econ professor. (For those of you not familiar with Kofuzi, he's a top youtube reviewer of shoes. He probably does pretty well with that. )

The top miler in the world I guarantee makes more than him.

However, the 50th best miler in the world doesn't. If you're the 50th shoe reviewer on youtube or the 50th miler in the world, you're not going to make that much money.

They key in either of these industries is to be excellent at what you do.

Both industries (reviewers of shoes, and elite runners) aren't that big. So if you want to excel in either of them you'd better be really good at it.

Econ professor is right about one thing, the industry/company you work in and helping other people make money is important. My wife works in communications/branding in the private equity world. Communications people in this industry are going to get paid more than communications people in other industries as these companies can generate billions of dollars.

wejo wrote:

You're looking at this wrong and so is the econ professor. (For those of you not familiar with Kofuzi, he's a top youtube reviewer of shoes. He probably does pretty well with that. )

The top miler in the world I guarantee makes more than him.

However, the 50th best miler in the world doesn't. If you're the 50th shoe reviewer on youtube or the 50th miler in the world, you're not going to make that much money.

They key in either of these industries is to be excellent at what you do.

Both industries (reviewers of shoes, and elite runners) aren't that big. So if you want to excel in either of them you'd better be really good at it.

Econ professor is right about one thing, the industry/company you work in and helping other people make money is important. My wife works in communications/branding in the private equity world. Communications people in this industry are going to get paid more than communications people in other industries as these companies can generate billions of dollars.