One-year-old Instagram ‘influencer’ earns up to $650 per sponsored post
A one-year-old baby with more than 15,000 followers on Instagram has become one of the UK’s youngest ever ‘influencers’.
A one-year-old baby with more than 15,000 followers on Instagram has become one of the Britain’s youngest ever “influencers”, earning hundreds of dollars per photo.
Stacey Woodhams says she has scored more than $AU17,000 (£10,000) worth of freebies from brands in exchange for having her son Ralphie Waplington model them, while “sponsored” posts can fetch up to $AU650 (£375) each.
The 28-year-old from Brentwood in Essex, who started the account when her baby was just seven days old, told Triangle News she had even banned family members from sharing photos of Ralphie on social media in case they detract from his perfect image.
“I’ve worked really hard to achieve what we have achieved and everything I do is for Ralphie and his future,” she said.
“If a photo of him in a tracksuit with snot running down his face and his hair is messy gets put on social media, that is not representative of the brands we are representing.
“It sounds awful referring to him a brand because he is a human and a child but essentially, the name that we have created is a business. And that’s what I’m trying to say to people when they bash me, this is a business.
“It’s not different to me leaving the house at 7am and returning at 7pm but instead I have a job where Ralphie reaps the rewards and I get to spend all day with my son. So our family aren’t allowed to post photos unless it’s a photo we’ve already posted or a photo I’ve approved.
“And before I take any photographs, we’ll make sure his hair is brushed. It’s about giving him a bit of dignity, after all I wouldn’t post a photo of me not at my best. One lady had a go at me saying I was too busy taking photos of him posing as a model.
“Well, he is a model. He’s represented by an agency, he does a lot of modelling and he’s worked with some really big names. So yes, I do take photos where he looks lovely because he is.”
Ms Woodhams said she originally set up the account for her family and friends but after amassing more than 1000 followers she realised he could be an influencer. She now spends hours each day working on the account.
Posts are shared at strategic times to gain maximum attention, such as at 2am when parents with newborns are likely to be scrolling through their phones.
She spends the salary from the Instagram posts on family days out and treats for Ralphie. He also earns an income modelling for brands including Next, which goes into a separate bank account.
So far Ralphie has received more than 200 free outfits, bedroom furniture, toys and eight prams, while the family have been treated to free meals, salon treatments, luggage, a king size mattress, and trips to tourist destinations including Peppa Pig World.
Ms Woodhams admitted she received backlash and hate mail from fellow mothers, who accuse her of taking advantage of her son and neglecting him. “I definitely put on a front so when someone calls you a bad mum, it really does hurt me,” she said.
“I just think that if someone was doing what I do but wasn’t in the right frame of mind, I wonder what these Instagram trolls could do. I think people don’t realise the nastiness of what they say and how it could affect someone.”
She insisted Ralphie doesn’t notice her spending time on her phone. “It only takes a split second to take a photograph and I do all the editing when he’s asleep or Adam is home,” she said.
“There’s a lot of prep work. You can only photograph him if he’s in a good mood and he’s happy to play. I never force him to sit still, I just snap him in the moment so he’s none the wiser and it’s just like any other mum capturing a photo. He’s at that age where we can explain to him what we’re doing.
“Obviously it’s stressful because you have a brief from some brands to get it from a certain angle and just one shot to do it. Once you set it up, if he messes it all up, then you won’t get a good image. So we really do have to work as a team.”
She said she understood why some parents might criticise her. “We’re exposing Ralphie to a life that’s he’s not had a choice in,” she said.
“He’s not been able to say, ‘Yes mummy’, I want to do this’. Ultimately, we try and understand it from people with a negative opinion.
“How we see it is, yes, there’s a lot of views and opinions on what we do and how we could be putting him in danger. But at the same time, I know that everything we post is filtered and we want to portray him as the little boy having fun that he is.
“I can see why people would think we are using him as a tool for potentially making a name for our family, and as a form of income but this isn’t the case. But I post to inspire other people that you can achieve anything. I am an ordinary girl from a really ordinary background.
“I’ve had ups and downs in my lives but I know you can achieve anything if you work hard at it. I feel really grateful to be given the opportunities that we have been given.”
Ms Woodhams now runs workshops for other parents on how to become social media influencers. She said she was keen to have another baby to tap into the newborn influencer market, now that Ralphie was too old.
“Some of the companies that got in touch when Ralphie was eight or nine weeks old, we still are in contact with,” she said. “Unfortunately a lot of products only make things for newborns so we’re longing for baby two now so we can carry on.”
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