South Korea's popularity continues to surge with each passing year, making its presence more pronounced on various social media platforms. While K-POP and K-Dramas are often the initial draws for many, South Korea's soft power extends beyond entertainment, making it a dream destination for numerous fans. However, it is far not the only reason. As I came to Korea, I found out that it also stems from the substantial investments made by the Korean Government in promoting the country abroad, leveraging the influence of foreign content creators, including those with a smaller audience.
For foreigners actively utilizing social media, maintaining blogs, and creating online content, South Korea presents a myriad of opportunities. These not only offer diverse benefits but also contribute to the growth of influencers' audiences.
This article delves into the intricacies of this system, exploring how it operates, the follower thresholds for participation, the associated perks, and, most importantly, where to uncover these opportunities. To provide a comprehensive understanding, personal insights from my experience as an influencer in South Korea will be included.
Starting with the audience size, regardless of having 3K or 500K followers, passionate individuals willing to cultivate their blogs are welcomed into this realm. It is obvious that the more followers you will have, the better chances are, but I personally know dozens of foreign influencers with small audience. Drawing from personal experience, I started my journey with 11K Instagram followers and only 1.5K YouTube subscribers. As long as dedication and a desire for blog growth persist, anyone can embark on this path.
So, how does this intricate system function? Numerous active organizations in Korea focus on building a community of influencers, collaborating with them to showcase and promote South Korea globally. Announcements for influencer recruitment typically occur online annually, with recruitment drives often commencing in February for work beginning in March and concluding in November. If you apply and get accepted, every month you will get a mission. Mission can be anything related to Korea, for instance, visiting Korean traditional palace and introducing it to your followers. What is really great about these missions is that first of all, they offer several different missions a month (usually), so you have the flexibility to choose the one you want to do. You usually have 1 month to create your content, upload to your social media and fulfil the mission. Sometimes, for personal reasons you might be unable to do the mission, that is not a disaster. If for some reasons you skip the mission you will not get credits for that month (benefits and points), but nothing more than that. I do it very rarely, but there were couple of situations when I had to skip the mission.
Now, let’s discuss the benefits you can get being an active influencer in South Korea. Apparently, different organizations provide different benefits, but generally these benefits are similar. They are:
Monthly mission fee.
Influencers are compensated for each completed mission, typically ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 KRW. In instances where visa restrictions prevent direct payment, organizations provide equivalent-value coupons for added safety and convenience. Since I am a student here, my visa does not allow me to receive payments, hence, I receive coupons which I use in convenient stores and shopping malls to pay for items.
Certificate of Completion.
Upon program completion, influencers receive certificates recognizing their active promotion of Korea on their social media platforms, proving advantageous for future endeavors.
Free tours/trips/activities/experiences.
Participating in interesting events, either as part of a mission or for recreational purposes, allows influencers to enjoy unique experiences. Needless to say, another great benefit of doing this is that these events often facilitate connections with fellow influencers. I, myself tried numerous fun activities being engaged in content creating in Korea. Most memorable was going to a K-POP concert with free VIP ticket provided by my organization. It was my mission but I had the opportunity to have the best seat in concert hall and see K-POP idols very closely. Moreover, for such events they usually provide 2 tickets per person if he/she wants to go there with a friend.
Skill Development Trainings.
Some organizations arrange skill development training sessions, occasionally featuring popular Korean content creators. These sessions empower influencers to enhance their blog management, content creation, and audience engagement skills.
Prizes for Best Creators.
Points are awarded for each mission, and the cumulative points determine awards during the closing ceremony. Influencers achieving the highest points receive special prizes.
Additional Benefit.
This benefit is additional because it is not provided by the organization you work with, but comes naturally as you create content in Korea. Engaging in content creation in Korea often attracts the attention of other Korean companies, particularly beauty brands. These companies may offer collaborations, sending influencers free products in exchange for reviews on their social media platforms. They send you some of their products for free if you agree to share your review about their product on your SNS page. Isn’t this amazing?
These benefits provide a compelling incentive for individuals considering a foray into influencer marketing in Korea. Notably, influencers can collaborate with multiple organizations simultaneously. Now, let me introduce you some of the most popular organizations that you can apply to work as an influencer with them. These are organizations that I collaborate with and am really satisfied.
1. Global Seoul Mate (GSM).
When you apply to GSM you have to choose which SNS platform you will be going to use for missions (Instagram or YouTube). If you choose Instagram, for instance, even though you can create your content on YouTube as well and probably receive points for that, Instagram is mandatory and failing to post there will be considered as skipping the mission and vice versa.
GSM is personally my favorite organization among others.
2. Korea Allimi / Unboxing Korea.
Korea Allimi has its own list of points such as posting on Instagram – 2 points (for example), reels – 3 points, YouTube – 4 points and etc. So, you can choose to post anywhere you want as long as you make at least 5 points a month to fulfil the mission. I personally joined this program not from the very beginning, but from the middle just because when I first applied, they did not choose me but put me in reserve. They contacted me a couple of months later asking to join them because they have a new influencer spot.
3. Nuri Lounge.
This one is different from the two I mentioned above. Nuri Lounge is an application for beauty influencers. It connects beauty brands with influencers for mutual benefit. When beauty brands are going to start a campaign, Nuri Lounge posts the announcement in the app. Influencer read the campaign details and if they are satisfied with conditions they apply. Beauty brands then review and choose influencers they want to work with and contact them. In this way you advertise their product in exchange for free products, jellies and even some brands pay for collaboration. Nuri Lounge organizes interesting and high-quality events for its influencers from time to time where you can meet other influencers, play games, win prizes, get to know other beauty brands and etc.
Numerous other organizations providing similar opportunities can be discovered on Instagram. Engaging with these programs not only offers a rich and rewarding experience but also opens doors to new friendships, diverse benefits, and expanded opportunities.
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