Influencer (nuomonės formuotojas): what it is, how much they earn and how to become one

An influencer – in Lithuanian, nuomonės formuotojas or influenceris – is a person whose recommendations on social media are trusted by their followers. In Lithuania, “nuomonės formuotojas” is searched for thousands of times every month, “influenceris” and “influenceriai” – hundreds of times. Some people want to understand what kind of profession this is, others – how to become one and how much can be earned from it.

This guide is about an influencer's work in Lithuania without illusions: how the earnings work, how an influencer differs from a UGC creator, how to label advertising correctly and which taxes apply even to gifts received.

What an influencer is

An influencer is a person who regularly creates content on a particular topic on social media, a blog or a channel and has an audience that listens to their recommendations. The Lithuanian word “influenceris” comes from the English influence – “to have an effect on”. Both words are used in Lithuanian.

An influencer's most important asset is trust. Followers buy not because they see an advertisement but because they trust the person showing it. That is why lost trust – because of unlabelled advertising or dishonest recommendations – costs more than any single order.

Influencer tiers

In marketing, influencers are often grouped by the number of followers. The boundaries are approximate, and in the Lithuanian market they are lower than worldwide, but the grouping helps to understand how collaborations differ.

Smaller accounts usually have a more active and more engaged audience, so brands increasingly choose several micro influencers instead of one big one.

How influencers earn

For beginners, the most realistic place to start is affiliate marketing: it requires neither contracts with brands nor thousands of followers. Every track.lt product comes with ready-made post texts for different networks and an earnings calculator.

Influencer and UGC creator – what is the difference

A UGC creator makes content for a brand, but it is published not on the creator's own account – the brand publishes it in its own ads and on its own channels. That is why a UGC creator does not need a large audience: the payment is for the content, not for the reach. It is one of the fastest-growing ways to start earning from content creation – more in the part of the guide about UGC.

Ad labelling

VVTAT reminds influencers that advertising on social media must be clearly labelled – even if it was not paid for in money and a product or service was received instead. The labels “Reklama” (advertisement), “Dovana” (gift) or “Nuolaidų kodai” (discount codes) must be visible, placed before other hashtags and not covered by the platform's buttons. The most common mistakes are unlabelled Stories and advertising of products the influencer sells themselves. In detail – in the part of the guide about ad labelling.

Taxes

An influencer's ongoing activity is either self-employment (individuali veikla) or activity through a company. VMI states that goods or services received as remuneration for advertising are considered income in kind and are taxed in the same way as remuneration in money. How to declare it and which expenses can be deducted – in the part of the guide about influencer taxes.

Is it worth becoming an influencer

It is worth it if you enjoy creating content on a particular topic and are prepared to do it consistently for months on end with no guaranteed result. It is not worth it if you expect quick money: for most influencers, the first more serious collaborations appear only after a long period of consistent work.