Can reality stars still make money as influencers?

This year's cast love island all stars, A spin-off show starring former contestants, described by its creators as “dating royalty”.

More than half of the 12 islanders heading to South Africa's villa are finalists in their respective series, with 2022 champion Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu also rumored to be taking part at a later date.

Starring on Love Island was once seen as a path to independent fame and success.

But does the return of names from some of the show's most popular series signal the end of a once-lucrative pipeline from islanders to influencers or TV stars?

For those who have left Love Island, becoming an influencer is a well-worn career path, with past contestants being paid by brands to sell everything from cosmetics to cars to social media users.

Perhaps the highest achiever in the role was 2019 series runner-up Molly-Mae Hague, who later served as creative director Fast fashion brand Pretty Little Thingand recently started her own fashion company.

But Molly-Mae appeared on Love Island at the height of its popularity. The episode in which she and Tommy Fury lost to winners Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea remains the show's most-watched episode ever, attracting more than 6 million viewers.

Reaching these heights isn't impossible for every former actor, and recent contestant Tanyel Revan believes aspiring influencers need to realize this.

“One of the things people have to remember about this industry is that if you don't maintain it 24/7, it's very difficult because it's a bit of a fake lifestyle and you can easily be forgotten,” she told BBC Radio company.

“I think a lot of influencers will come back to All-Stars because they need to keep up and get momentum,” she added.

Tanyel, 28, appeared on the show's winter series in 2023, when interest was still high (the final was watched by more than a million people) but not quite as high as Molly-Mae's Mae) 2019 levels.

The hairdresser said that while she earned some “extra income” through her social media influence, the hairdressing business she started before entering the villa gave her “stability”.

“I’m a businesswoman and own my own salon,” Tanyel added.

A lot has changed since Love Island first aired in its current form in 2015. With 300 people now appearing on the UK version of the show – being an ex-Islander is no longer an exclusive club.

At one point, finalists landed rumored six-figure brand deals with fast fashion companies and sponsored Instagram posts that could make them thousands of dollars.

But social media expert Bryleigh Flack, co-founder of Sloane House Marketing, said interest in such content no longer exists.

“The way we digest content is completely different than it was five years ago,” she said.

“There are so many ads, not just influencer ads, you're hit with them when you're scrolling through, even through your friends' (Instagram) stories, it's very saturated,” she said.

Briley said big brand collaborations used to be the best way to make money, but “appealing to the masses” is no longer the best strategy for influencers, thanks to new platforms like TikTok, which use different algorithms to select content for users.

She said 2025 will see the emergence of a new type of content creator – “micro-influencers” – who may not have a large following but have a specific audience that is truly engaged.

These creators, she added, “really care about and understand their audience.” “For example, a mom with a young family or a girl who likes to go out every weekend, they're completely different people, so trying to market to them both isn't going to work.”

Billy Brown, who will appear on Love Island season 8 in 2022, said many of the people he works with on the show think it's an easy way to become an influencer.

“I know a lot of people who quit their jobs and thought that’s it now, but it’s not.

“You can make a lot of money from this show, but if you don't do it well, that's not the case,” the 25-year-old said. .

Billy, who owns a construction and property development business, said a few days after leaving the show he would “wake up at 4.30am (for work) and then go to a movie premiere in the evening”.

“I didn't let it get into my head and I think I'm one of the only people who can say, 'Look, it's not all glitz and glamor,'” he added.

Since then, Billy has maintained a presence on social media, featuring content from his construction work as well as more lifestyle and sports-focused material.

He said he still makes some money through influence, but believes it's due to his personality rather than the number of followers he has, A relatively small 115,000. By comparison, Molly-Mae earned more than $8 million.

“People (who are on the show) need to focus on the things they love and not just be famous for being on Love Island.

“You have to have something about yourself and just being good-looking doesn't do you much good,” he added.

Love Island's cultural relevance has become a talking point in recent years due to declining ratings.

The show averaged nearly 6 million viewers at its peak in 2019, with more recent episodes in 2023 and 2024 drawing around 1 to 2 million viewers.

With the recent push for the reality dating genre being driven by Netflix shows, e.g. love is blindUltimatum and So Hot , audiences now have more choices than ever before.

Jake Lee runs Alpha Talent Group, which represents stars from sports, entertainment and social media.

He manages boxer Tommy Fury and sports presenter Mac Griffiths (known as Michael on Love Island), who both appeared in the aforementioned 2019 series .

“People will advertise for each company after the show because the companies want to take advantage of the quick exposure they can get,” he told the BBC.

“But after four or five months, you're damaging your career because you're using your platform in the wrong way and there's no credibility there,” he added.

Jake said recent reality show contestants have learned a lot from the mistakes of their predecessors and have no real strategy for their time on the show.

“My biggest advice is to go in with your eyes wide open,” he warned.