How much money do Saudi influencers make? Let's talk numbers.
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Good morning, Saudis.
There’s a Saudi expression that goes “أزقّ على راسك”, which literally translates to “I shit on your head” and it implies a level of financial disparity between people. A kind of disparity that is either invisible or hiding in plain sight. Often, the person shitting on your head is the influencer doing skits. Being silly. Dancing and making a “fool” of himself (spoiler: you’re the fool).
Influencer money is not just good. It’s life changing. You see this with Saudi Snapchat influencers who very subtly begin to elevate their lifestyles as you watch their content and witness their growth while you’re sitting at your desk. In your 9-5. At your city’s fancy financial district working a job you were tricked into getting. Making a fraction of what a famous TikToker your age would make but for significantly less time, and to be fair much more societal pressure.
It’s easy to belittle being an influencer, especially for someone working in finance or politics or really any vocation that does not involve unserious public-facing activities. It’s easy to dismiss a line of work (and yes, it is work) simply because you can’t afford the mental burden of confronting the truth that money is more attainable than you think.
This post was actually supposed to be a podcast episode but my guest, a Saudi male influencer who I dearly love and respect, decided to back out last minute. Which sucks for all of us because I thought the episode we recorded was fucking amazing. Here, using paraphrased quotes from my guest, I break down just exactly how (and roughly how much) Saudi influencers make money:
