Čaputová scores on social media. How to become the king or queen of Instagram?

Are you interested in fashion, music, art, politics or extreme sports? You can find it all on Instagram. Here you can be inspired, educated or watch the daily life of your favourite influencer. There are a lot of options. Nowadays, it's mainly publicly known personalities (actors, musicians, athletes, youtubers...) we consider influencers.

The big money

Do you think there are already too many paid posts on Instagram? Yes, there are. Paid posts have become an important part of the income of many bloggers, influencers, youtubers or celebrities who like to lend their faces to well-known brands. Influencers present contests, recommend things or bring the brand itself to our attention.

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The Neopublic agency personally reviewed 2,000 Instagram posts.

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"First of all, we needed to define right away what and how we'll be conducting the monitoring. To obtain the ranking of the top 100 Instagram profiles, we used a tool by hypeauditor.com, which monitors and evaluates Instagram profiles based on artificial intelligence.

Because we wanted to determine the situation in Slovakia, we filtered out all foreign fans. Some Slovaks, such as Peter Sagan, have most of their fans abroad, so they didn't even figure in the top 100. The hyperauditor website also evaluated the quality of the audience according to how the fans of the given profile get involved in its activity (engagement). So we effectively got rid of various profiles that have fake followers.

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We used the resulting top 100 profiles as a reference sample. We only took into account personal profiles (ie not corporate or work profiles). We only evaluated posts, not stories. We considered the visible designation of the product or brand in the post (either in the photo or in the text) as a paid cooperation. A representative sample is calculated from the last 20 posts for each influencer. Together, we manually reviewed exactly 2,000 posts from the top 100 Slovak Instagram accounts,"

states Neopublic.

Results

Based on the results of the survey, we can state that Instagrammers get paid on average for 40% of their posts. Out of the 20 posts from the top 100 Slovak influencers on Instagram, 8 are sponsored/paid (those where influencers promote a brand).

The highest number of paid posts was recorded by Zuzana Plačková and Jana Hrmová, followed by Karolína Chomisteková, Laura Gavaldová and Veronika from Twiins. Marián Čekovský, Paľo Habera, Majk Spirit and Filip Tůma have the lowest number of paid collaborations.

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What type of brands appear in sponsored posts?

The answer to this question is relatively simple: all types. However, various fashion brands have key representation here, as well as manufacturers of all kinds of drinks, healthy nutrition, fitness products and electronics, jewellery retailers and travel agencies. It's true that every brand will find their person to represent it.

It's interesting how advertisers react to the current situation. For instance, if an Instagram celebrity becomes pregnant, you can bet that she will immediately start offering you pregnancy-related products. If the influencer also has their own brand or releases an album, they will promote it mainly through social media.

The fastest way to be successful on Instagram is to appear on TV. If you appear on TV, you have a better chance of being in the top 100 than if you make music or do sports. Also, women are the driving force of the top 100 of Slovak Instagram with their 58% share.

Among the top accounts in Slovakia you can also find unexpected oddities. Like the profile of a dog named Lili Pug with 205,000 followers or the profile of President Zuzana Čaputová with 374,000 followers.

Lili Pug (205 thousand followers)

Lili Pug is perhaps the most famous animal influencer on Slovak Instagram. The dog takes first place in the number of followers. The small light brown pug Lili belongs to a pair of well-known Slovak youtubers GoGo and Lucy Pug. She has more than 200,000 followers.

Zuzana Čaputová (374 thousand followers)

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Instagram is no longer just about photos of wannabe influencers, people are used to following a mix of different topics, including politics. So far, only Zuzana Čaputová has understood this in Slovakia. Her profile mostly features short videos and active stories, and she also mixes a bit of her personal life into the politics. The president is often shared by various influencers, with whom she has also collaborated several times - let's mention the photoshoot with Lukáš Kimlička as an example. The fact that it works is obvious by the number of interactions.

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"That's what I call a state representation! I wish the Czechs were just as smart in their presidential elections,"

a Czech woman called Veronika wrote under Kimlička's post. The Czechs are known to be a little jealous of their Slovak neighbours and praise their president left and right.

In America, Kim Kardashian, her half-sisters Kylie and Kendall or Selena Gomez can pride themselves in being the most followed celebrities. But who reigns over Instagram in Slovakia? The numbers of followers are valid as of 5/17/2021.

GOGOMANTV (1 million followers)

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Daniel Štrauch, the very first YouTuber in Slovakia and the Czech Republic to gain more than a million subscribers, goes by the pseudonym GoGo. He published his first video at the age of 15, and three years later he left his parents' nest. The number of clients who want to cooperate with this YouTuber keeps growing. He has to refuse as many as 90 percent of companies now. In the video, in collaboration with the Lidl chain, he presented the backstage of the show Kitchen of Lidl. He's the partner of the influencer LucyPug.

Party boy furiously romping in the game Minecraft. This is what his first video he posted on YouTube looked like when he was fifteen. Besides creating videos, he also started vlogging.

On the occasion of reaching 1 million subscribers on his GoGoManTV channel, he released the video clip MŸSLI on November 29th 2015, which now has more than fourteen million views. In October 2017, GoGo and Celeste Buckingham released a music video for the song Jacuzzi, with the aim of displacing negativity from the lives of ordinary people.

LucyPug (798 thousand followers)

Lucia Hrušková is known as a youtuber, vlogger, blogger, but she has a large part of her fans mainly on Instagram. As part of her work, she focuses on fashion, cosmetics, DIY projects, travel or tips for young girls. She forms a couple with the well-known Slovak youtuber GoGo, from whom she received a pug, which often appears in her posts. In 2017, she established her commercial cooperation with the French dermatological brand Bioderma. Her channel is one of the most-watched Slovak women's channels on YouTube.

Zuzana Strausz Plačková (733 thousand followers)

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The former playmate and participant in the Hotel Paradise show is one of the most famous stars on Slovak social networks today. She is known for her eloquence and sharp tongue. She made her name a lucrative business. But many don't like her much, they send her hate messages, comment on her life, her opinions, her way of expression and self-presentation. She has built her position all by herself and often shows that she likes luxury. After opening an account on Instagram, she began to get offers for various collaborations.

"In 2020, I earned more than a million euros on products and Instagram. So please stop the embarrassing conspiracies. I'm sorry I dared to earn so much, that I didn't sit at home on my a*s, but I worked and didn't wait for the roast pigeons to fall from the sky,"

Zuzana boasted on Instagram.

She definitely can't deny her entrepreneurial spirit. She knows her target audience on Instagram perfectly well. Zuzana is an influencer that can sell out warehouses of certain companies. She owns a café, produces her own collection of clothes. Therefore, a considerable sum often lands on her account, thanks to which she can afford to travel, which has become one of her greatest passions.

She never had a problem with nudity - in the past, she was photographed for Playboy. But she said she would never make any porn.

"I wouldn't do it, let someone put something in me in public. The most I did was to get oiled in front of the cameras, so what. I didn't do anything wrong,"

she added.

Zuzana earns more per month than the average Slovak citizen in a whole year. According to information from Čas.sk, she earns from 1500 - 2000 euros for one post. You may notice several posts per month related to the advertising of a product. Even if she only had 10 collaborations with the lowest rate - 1500 euros - per post, she'd earn an incredible 15,000 euros a month! She travels, fulfils her dreams, gets to experience different countries, buys expensive clothes, cars, flies with private jets.

Patrik "Rytmus" Vrbovský (653 thousand followers)

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Rytmus was the founder of the successful trio Kontrafakt. In 2006 he founded his own label Tvoj Tatko Records, under which he released his solo album Bengoro. The most successful Slovak rapper won several gold and platinum records for his next solo albums, launched merchandise under the JBMNT brand, and the documentary "Sídliskový sen" was shot about him. He's one of the most significant Slovak influencers.

The life of the rapper Rytmus has changed dramatically in recent years, we can give the greatest credit for that to his life partner.

According to his own words, Rytmus isn't interested in politics. He says that if rappers collect likes on political cases, it's pharisaic. According to Rytmus, breaking through on Instagram is very easy.

"I can just take a selfie now, post a picture and say that I had a nice interview today. That's all. I'm just sharing what my life is like,"

explained Rytmus for the television station HN.

He claims that one can earn a lot on Instagram.

"Social media paid for my house,"

said Rytmus.

Jasmina Alagič (445 thousand followers)

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The better half and the wife of Rytmus is considered the queen of commercials. She is popular for her crazy approach. She became more widely known as a presenter on a fashion TV channel and later of the SuperStar singing competition. Now she is a successful influencer, who has gained thousands of fans with her open approach. She recently got a new job as a host on the television show Česko Slovensko Has Talent, which should start broadcasting in September. Together with Zuzana Plačková, Jasmina is one of the most influential Slovak celebrities. And what is Jasmina's opinion of Zuzana Plačková?

"Zuzka Plačková? Honestly, the girl has my respect. I have a very good opinion of her. Gabika Drobová once told me: Only insignificant people are liked by everyone. Zuzka may be controversial due to her way of expression, but behind closed doors, 90% of us express ourselves this way. She is genuine and I admire her for what she has achieved. She lives like the top girls from America,"

Jasmina said.

"She indulges in things she can afford to indulge in, she hasn't stolen anything and she's got it all with money, with her own mind, what she's invented and created. She works hard, even if people see only the shine of it on Instagram. I'm aware that there is some serious work behind all of this. I acknowledge it, I really like it and I'm rooting for her,"

Jasmina said on her Instagram.

Jasmina loves Bratislava, her son and Rytmus.

Attila Végh (394 thousand followers)

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He has the image of a good guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. In the cage, however, Attila Végh turns into an animal. Attila is a Slovak fighter of mixed martial arts (MMA).

He claims to be diametrically different outside the cage than inside it.

"I'm completely harmless in everyday life. I'll do my part in training and I want to show it in the match. I have not once got into a street fight in my life, I never had any conflicts. I don't even know why I love it, why I can change so much in the cage. I love getting a punch, it doesn't hurt, you have to have it in you. Adrenaline is an awesome thing,"

Végh explained in the past.

"I'm a trained chef, but after school, I was carrying hot dogs, sausages and kofola from trucks. I gained 25 kilos there. Then I found a job in Austria, where I was hauling potatoes and onions. Always from morning to evening, 40 tons a day."

He probably never even dreamed of becoming a champion. At the age of 23, he became involved in MMA. However, since martial arts in Slovakia were at a very young stage at that time and fighters didn't make as much money as they do today, he trained after work.

After two years, he quit his job and lived on the money he'd saved. The risky move paid off. He received an offer from America. He was spotted by a manager who negotiated a contract with the prestigious Bellator organization.

"I didn't want to believe it until the manager came to me with a hundred-page stack of papers with a Bellator header. I couldn't even read the contract, I didn't speak English. Nevertheless, I signed it, then I received an e-mail telling me that I needed to fly to Florida in a month, where they would shoot the first promo video. I took my backpack and as a boy from the countryside I went to America."

Attila is known to be a fan of Android phones and non-traditional music. In addition to Hungarian hits, he also listens to Elán. The Czech and Slovak MMA fighters, taking into account all the costs of their training, can't earn their living by wrestling itself. They have stable sponsors or occasional collaborations, without which they wouldn't be able to pursue their sport professionally. However, fans often sharply criticize them for the commercial content on their social networks.

"Sometimes I read the comments of these 'heroes' from behind the keyboards and how they criticize me and my charges. However, they should realize that the fighters they otherwise support wouldn't survive without advertising. They wouldn't be able to train, do MMA and entertain people,"

Attila Végh, one of the best fighters of the domestic scene, told ŠPORT.sk.

SIMA (383 thousand followers)

Simona Hegerová, better known by the nickname Sima, is one of the most successful Slovak singers and is known to almost every Slovak woman. Thanks to Ego and his project Podzemgang, she became known to the public. With this project, Ego tried to introduce people to new performers. That's how Sima's first famous song "On je jen kamarád" (He's just a friend) was created. Today, her songs have millions of views.

Sajfa (342 thousand followers)

Matej Cifra, known by the nickname Sajfa, is a host and at the same time - as he himself admits - the oldest YouTuber in Slovakia. He started his career on the radio. He became known thanks to a show with Adela Vinczeová and as a host of the reality show VyVolení, which was his television debut. Among his most watched videos are those under the heading of regular posts called "lvl lama" (lvl lame). His wife is the television editor Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová.

Fero Joke (316 thousand followers)

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He knows how to attract attention and entertain. František Košarišťan, known mainly as Fero Joke, has gained a huge audience as a comedian. He spoofs not only celebrities but also ordinary people. His funny videos have a huge following. He spoofed Jasmine Alagic Vrbovská, Silvia Kucherenko, Zuzana Belohorcová, Zora Czoborová, Andrea Verešová and many others. At the same time, he is one of the few celebrities in Slovakia who openly admit to homosexuality.

Lucid Style (289,000 followers)

Lucia Sládečková graduated from the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, but decided to pursue the profession of a make-up artist. This stylist, make-up artist and hairstylist became famous thanks to appearing in the TV show Shopping Maniacs, where she did make-up for the participants of the program. Together with her daughter Lydia, they became the faces of a limited edition Lucka baby water. Under her brand Lucid Style, she offers her own range of false eyelashes and make-up brushes. Lucid regularly adds various makeup tutorials, tips or tricks on her Instagram. She's undoubtedly an inspiration for all future and current make-up artists.

"Makeup is an art and I absolutely love it. I spend a lot of time in front of the mirror,"

Lucid wrote under one of her photos.

Lucia Mokráňová (257 thousand followers)

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We know Lucia Mokráňová as an influencer, a model and a fitness instructor who can motivate people and "infect" them with her positive energy. She was the star of the reality show The Farm. Lucie presents herself as an influencer and her domain is mainly travelling and fitness.

Mária Bartalos (195 thousand followers)

Mária Bartalos is an actress known from the Slovak series Kukačky (Cuckoos), Pod povrchem (Under the surface) and Tatínkové (Fathers). She got on the movie screen thanks to the film The Rift. In her posts on social media, she focuses mainly on parenting issues and recommendations for mothers. She promotes fashion from Slovak designers, recipes and a healthy diet.

Jana Hrmová (192 thousand followers)

Jana Hrmová became famous in the Czech reality show The Farm as a controversial personality. Although she didn't win the competition, after returning home she started creating videos about fashion and beautification. She makes a living as a beauty blogger and an influencer. She obviously enjoys advising others and evaluating cosmetic products. In addition to beauty videos, she also adds vlogs from various holidays, trips and shopping, news or makeup tests to the channel.

Lukáš Kimlička (101 thousand followers)

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The prominent fashion designer of Slovak celebrities, photographer, make-up artist and stylist Lukáš Kimlička has long been one of the most respected personalities in his field. Until recently, his models were worn by many prominent ladies of Slovak entertainment and his work regularly appeared at fashion shows, but also on the pages of fashion magazines. His clothes could often be seen at the prestigious Ball at the Opera and such faces as Daniela Hantuchová, Simona Krainová, Dara Rolins or his muse, former Miss Kristína Krajčírová, shone in them. However, he quit fashion and started doing photography.

In the past, he has participated in the prestigious Film Oscars in Los Angeles, surrounded by many world-famous stars. A wave of criticism broke out in Slovakia at the time because of it. The Slovaks asked themselves the question: How did he get there?

"So how did I get there? By plane!"

was his answer.

Sitting among stars like Heidy Klum, Dan Bilzerian or Neal McDonought was really like an American dream. On his account, Lukáš shared a photo together with Caitlyn Jenner with the fitting description "What a night".

Lukáš Kimlička admitted that he didn't recognize the actor of Fredy Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody at the event.

"People who know me are aware that I hate going to the cinema and I'm not interested in cinematography. That's why the incident with Rami Malek, with whom I was waiting for the driver (we were accommodated in the same hotel)... because I hadn't seen the movie, I didn't know who he was. I was only interested in his partner (more specifically her dress). Only when I saw them sitting in the audience and accepting the award did I realize... :) and there were countless other such stars around me,"

he added.

Social networks earn money

According to the starngage.com portal, the most influential Slovak influencer in 2021 with the largest number of followers is Daniel Štrauch alias GoGo, Zuzana Plačková leads in the fashion field and Rytmus has first place in music.

On Instagram, there is much more money around influencers than on Facebook. On average, two out of five posts on Slovak Instagram are paid. This shows that the content creators still value their followers and give them authentic content as well.