Forbes launches top influencers list for first time

By

Kate Dingwall

Published
Apr 12, 2017

Social media has been a catapult for several entrepreneurial individuals, who have used social media as a tool to take them from at-home beauty, design, or fitness junkies to a million-dollar brand. Forbes is recognizing this, announcing for the first time its inaugural Top Influencers list.

In the fitness section of the top influencers list, Kayla Itsines took home top honors. Itsines, a 25-year-old Australian, has built a following of 6.6 million followers on Instagram via her workout tips and tricks. Her bikini body building app earned $17 million in revenue over the course of 2016. Coming in second is Jennifer Selter, who boasts a following of 11 million. Selter gained her fame posting glut workouts and photos of her now-famous rear.

In the beauty category, Maybelline ambassador Manny Gutierrez took eighth place, just behind make-up mogul Jeffree Star, who landed at sixth. British blogging sensation turned novelist  Zoe Sugg, also known by her screen name Zoella, took first place, with blogger Michelle Phan close behind in second place.

In the home section of the list, DIY artist Grace Bonney and bloggers Bri Emery and Elsie Larson topped the list.

Going forward Forbes’ top influencer list will be launched three times a year, covering the most influential social media players in the beauty, fitness, and home sectors. The next release of the Top Influencers lists will include comedy, travel, gaming, fashion, entertainment, parenting, food, sports, and tech and business sector.

To create this list, Forbes has brought in Traackr,  an influencer analytics firm, and Captiv8, a social insight platform. Forbes picks the members of the top influencers list based on the influencers’ resonance with their audience, their propensity for virality, and their relevance. Each influencer's endorsements and non-social media business ventures were also taken into consideration.

Forbes highlights that the list will only include influencers who have earned their name and built their business through social media. Kardashians and other celebrity personalities will be noteably absent from the list.