Social media stars can earn up to one million pounds just to show a deodorant in a photo.
Companies are spending large amounts of money on celebrity influencers to advertise everyday products. For example, a deodorant brand named Wild works with British tennis player Emma Raducanu. She does photo shoots and posts photos on Instagram for the company. She even helped create her own deodorant scent.
Freddy Bowes-Lyon, a founder of Wild, says that campaigns with top celebrities can cost millions of pounds. He explains that even less famous influencers can earn £2,000 for a single post, while others make £50,000.
However, experts say that influencers need to be honest. If a gaming influencer suddenly starts talking about a flower shop, followers will see that it is not real. Bowes-Lyon says influencers must believe in the product, not just do it for money. For instance, TV personality Stacey Solomon is very careful. She rejects 98% of the brands that ask to work with her.
It is also becoming harder for people to know what is a real recommendation and what is a paid advert. A study by the Advertising Standards Authority found that only 54% of people could identify influencer adverts, compared to 74% for traditional brand adverts. By law, social media ads must have labels like '#ad', but experts say this is not enough to make things clear for audiences.