How Paris Hilton Started the Modern-Day Influencer Industry
(Photo Credit: Courtnie Lewis)
When I wake up in the morning, I read two types of content: work-related content and gossip columns. For everyone reading this, the first type of content won't surprise you. As for the second, that probably will.
At age 10, I started reading Page Six—the gossip section of the NY Post. When Snapchat added Daily Mail, I added that to my list. I can't explain why but it was addicting.
Why We Follow Celebs
Scientists have tried to understand why we follow celebrities. Many researchers have suggested we, as humans, love stories that we relate to. And who better to follow than the elaborate stories of those famous and wealthier than us. Most people don't think they relate to the Kardashians, but that isn't true. They relate to the family dynamics. We might not have their wealth, but we aspire to be them. Some people will think they can be the next Kim or Kylie. It's these beliefs that attract us to them even more.
What’s most interesting is the recent shift in the concept of celebrity. As Su Holmes writes:
"The emphasis on the political economy of fame has been seen elsewhere (e.g. Turner et al 2000; Turner 2004), and represents part of the expansion of the field in media and cultural studies. With less of an historical attachment to textual analysis, particularly when compared to film studies, it is perhaps no surprise that the emphasis here has increasingly been on celebrity as a phenomenon - on the apparatus or system, the processes of fame, rather than the reading of individual images per se (although this has certainly been a visible current of research). As Turner notes, a common approach here is to emphasise that celebrity ‘is not a property of specific individuals. Rather, it is constituted discursively, by the way in which the individual is represented’ (Turner et al. 2000, 11). ‘Celebrity’, then, is here conceived in terms of the system of representation - its conventions, structures and circulation – within which the celebrity self resonates within the public sphere."
In short, we enjoy following the process of becoming famous not the act itself. No one represents this more than the "original influencer" Paris Hilton. Paris Hilton is the great-granddaughter of hotelier Conrad Hilton. Her last name is iconic. Yet her runaway success is completely of her own doing.
The Rise of Paris
Paris was a model and frequent visitor to clubs when she donned the cover of Vanity Fair with her sister Nicky in 2000. Then her infamous sex tape came out in 2001 that brought her worldwide fame. Her rise to stardom might have been questionable, but her staying power is undeniable.
(Photo Credit: Vanity Fair)
Before Instagram, before the Kardashians, before TikTok, she created the "modern-day" influencer playbook.
After her breakout fame, Fox signed her and her sister to star in a new reality TV show—The Simple Life. The premise? Two rich white girls from LA work “normal” jobs. Today, that idea seems like a joke. In 2003, the idea was groundbreaking. Reality TV wasn't popular yet. Social media was in its infancy. The idea of being "famous for being famous" didn't really exist.
The public was enamored. Fifteen million people tuned in for the premiere of the show. While the show was canceled after five seasons, it increased Paris’ visibility. More importantly, it created the template for "influencer TV". Most notably, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
After her show ended, she launched a singing career. Her first album, Paris, sold 600,000 copies and reached #6 on the Billboard 200. While she continued to sing and act, she realized the big money was in retail.
Paris as a Product
Licensing a person wasn't a new phenomenon. Many celebrities did it before Paris. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods were two notable examples. Both creating multi-billion dollar brands in collaboration with Nike. But they had talent. They could play a sport, not to take anything away from Paris, but she didn't have a talent. Well at least in the traditional sense. Her talent was being the ultimate "Attention Merchant". Her ability to monopolize attention is unparalleled to others. How many people get $300,000 to show up at a club?
Paris decided her retail empire would begin with perfume. She partnered with Parlux Fragrances and launched her first perfume in 2004. In the first ten years of their partnership, the fragrances earned $2B in sales ($3B since inception). Today, Paris has 25 fragrances. She also has 50+ retail stores and 19 product lines including sunglasses, shoes and makeup.
A 2011 report estimated she was personally making $10MM from her retail efforts.
This salary doesn't include the money that she makes on appearance fees ranging from $300,000 an hour at a club to up to $1MM for DJing.
The Influencer Flywheel Today
If you are an influencer (not a model with 20K IG followers), there are 13 ways to monetize (let me know if I'm missing any):
Sponsorships (equity or cash)
Licensing/Merchandise
Music
Appearance Fees/Speaking
Investing
TV Deals (OTT or Linear)
Tips
Membership (Patreon, OnlyFans)
Affiliates
Teaching (Teachable/Masterclass)
Writing a Book
Podcast
Consulting
Before, Paris, many of these options didn't seem realistic. It was a combination of not being able to reach an audience directly—before social media, you relied on traditional media for distribution. But more importantly, proving that audience would convert into revenue. It's one thing to have an audience, it’s another thing to have fans. And that is the ultimate lesson from Paris, influencers don't only need followers, they need fans.
The Influencer Landscape Today
Today the influencer economy is more crowded than ever. There are people trying to compete for attention on YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and more. On top of that, you have a new tangential industry emerging—the creator economy. These aren't your mainstream influencers, but people who develop a fan base in a niche industry. For example, writer Luke O'Neil, is estimated to make over $100,000 this year writing a newsletter titled Welcome to Hell World. It is a unique fusion of stream-of-consciousness writing and reporting about the harrowing nature of American life.
This is by no means, content that is for the masses. I've written 60+ articles this year. The majority of my writing focuses on how brands and people earn attention.
The biggest lesson from my writing is building your own distribution channel. You can't rely on others. Paris taught us that. She has a combined 34M+ followers across Twitter, TikTok and Instagram. She did licensing instead of sponsorships. She controlled her brand, making sure she profited from it. Attention is a powerful tool. It doesn't matter how you gain it What's more important is what you do with it. Paris used her last name. She turned that into a net worth of $350MM+ and invented a new industry in the process. Thanks, Paris!