Influencer marketing moves at the speed of social media. Every platform update, algorithm tweak, and current event makes a huge difference to the influencer marketer. We’ll help you keep up.

Stories to follow:

Have followers, will travel (Washington Post)

The Washington Post spoke to five travel influencers about their careers, in an effort to learn more about the impact they’ve had on the travel industry at-large. Insights include how travel influencers stand out in a “cookie-cutter” vertical and how they decided to devote their lives to travel.

Why the 'Ideal' Influencer Looks Like…That (Paper Magazine)

A few weeks ago, Paper Magazine created a composite image of the “ideal” influencer, based on the top 100 influencer accounts on Instagram. The result looked familiar, if not uncanny - and Paper wanted to find out why that was the case. They give much-needed cultural context to the data-driven yet culturally aware world of influencer marketing.

Insights to digest:

YouTube Debuts First Shoppable AR Ad With Beauty Vlogger Roxette Arisa And MAC Cosmetics (Tubefilter)

Partnering with MAC cosmetics, YouTube premiered its first ever augmented reality ad, which allows users to “try on” lipstick shades in real time. When a user decides they want to buy a certain shade, they can simply swipe up on the app to purchase it. This groundbreaking ad is a glimpse of a possible near-future of interactive, story-driven ads.

These Influencers Are Taking Their Following Offline, One Meetup At A Time (Forbes)

Some influencers have decided to take their talents offline, organizing meetups, workshops, tours, and more to give their followers real-life face time. In-person influencer appearances are a new way to improve authenticity and galvanize a fan base, and is steadily gaining traction.

On the horizon:

Some young influencers can quickly start making more money than their parents and friends. But it can lead to a feeling of emotional isolation. (Business Insider)

Teen and college-aged influencers can easily outearn their friends, peers, and parents in just a few short years - but the psychological effects can be less than desirable. A subset of influencers tend to feel isolated by their money and lifestyle, as peers living regular lives simply cannot relate.

5 Korean Beauty Influencers to Follow (The Cut)

The Cut, from New York Magazine, put together a list of 5 K-beauty influencers they love, in honor of their “K-beauty content week.” K-beauty is an incredibly popular subgenre of beauty, focusing on traditional Korean methods of skincare, makeup, and culture. Each entry on the list is thoughtfully curated with a detailed explanation of why they’re worth following.

What’s Julius up to?

This week, our CEO, Steve Oriola, was published in Forbes for his answer to the Quora question,”How Is Influencer Marketing Changing?” Read his answer here.