THANKFIFI

Founded by Wendy H Gilmour in 2011, Thankfifi began as a fashion blog and has since grown to cover lifestyle, travel and interiors. Gilmour, 35, is based in Kilmacolm with her husband, their 10-week-old son and two dogs.

Instagram: thankfifi (21.1k followers)

Website: thankfifi.com

Describe your style.

I would say 75 per cent classic and 25 per cent fashion victim.

How did you become an influencer?

It started about six years ago. I love fashion, photography and writing. A friend suggested I start a blog. Her name was Fi which is where Thankfifi came from. I will be open and say I went into this wanting to build it into a viable career. I worked hard from the beginning.

Do you plan to incorporate being a new mum into your blog?

My son will feature but he's not going to be a focus. I'm not turning into one of those mummy blogs where I'm going to be reviewing Tupperware or anything like that. I have a lot of interior posts and we recently moved house so there is going to be even more.

What is your trademark?

My dogs Mr K and Tux, they are Finnish lapphunds.

Is there a golden number of followers?

It hasn't hinged on a certain number for me. When the blog was six months old I was nominated for a Marie Claire fashion award and off the back of that started to gain interest.

Around the same time I went to London Fashion Week and got a lot of coverage for street style fashion. Those two things combined made the difference in people wanting to collaborate with me.

Six years on the competition is much higher and so many people have blogs now. When you have about 10K followers on Instagram is probably when brands are going to start talking to you.

What brands are you working with currently?

Sassoon, TK Maxx, Sofology, Panache, Zalando, Ottoman Hands and Fitflop. I'm on TK Maxx's influencer council and get a different brief each month which might be about fashion, kidswear or homewear. It is basically sharing my take on what I like and how I would style it up.

I did a collaboration with Sofology and a social media takeover for their new store opening. I will follow that with a blog post when my new couch arrives about how I have styled that in my home.

What are the perks of being an influencer?

Usually there is an element of product and an element of payment. That varies between different brands. With Sofology it is great because a sofa is something I would want for my new home anyway and got to choose it, but there was the payment for the social media takeover as well.

I did a 10-day blog trip on behalf of Tourism Malaysia and travelled with Finnair to see a fashion show held on the runway at Helsinki airport which was really cool.

How do you chose what brands to work with?

I probably say no to more things than I say yes to. Readers can see right through it if you're not being genuine. There are so many brands getting on board and working with influencers, but not all are going to be the right fit. You have to be pretty careful with the kind of brands you align yourself with.

What would be the ultimate dream?

I feel like I'm living it. I'm lucky enough to travel and work with great brands that I admire and love.

CHRIS JOHN MILLINGTON

The 27-year-old model-turned-photographer and menswear influencer is originally from Newmilns in Ayrshire but now based in New York. His speciality is road trips, stories and style.

Instagram: chrisjohnmillington (493K followers)

Describe your style.

Urban cowboy. Lots of denim. Lots of suede. Lots of leather boots.

How did you become a fashion influencer?

I fell into it, really. I was a model a few years back, just when Instagram began to take off. The rise of social media happened at the same time that I was doing some of my more prominent campaigns. I adapted my social media in a way that allowed people to see and share my photos. It worked wonderfully.

What is your trademark?

Photographs on the road. And I mean that in a literal sense: me, physically on the road.

What is the golden number of followers?

After I broke 250,000 on Instagram, I stopped paying attention. So I guess for me, it was 250k.

Do you make a living from this?

I've been doing this since April 2013. I started making a living from the digital aspect of things straight away. I was really fortunate in that regard. I was doing smaller social media campaigns while modelling e-commerce for ASOS and Urban Outfitters, so they worked perfectly together until I made the full transition to digital campaigns.

How many hours a day do you devote to blogging and social media?

Not very many. I spend most of my time just generally travelling to somewhere new and I'll allocate an hour or two every day to studying what's happening online photographically. I'll search for some inspiration, but otherwise I don't really spend too much time on social media. I like to really immerse myself in my surroundings and the culture there.

Highs and lows as an influencer?

There's been so many highs. I've been really lucky to have worked on the things I've worked on and to explore the places I've explored. Visiting Alaska and China last year was incredible along with my 90-day road trip across America that I completed in July of this year.

I've had very few lows. I have always tried to see the positives in every situation. It's a very competitive industry. I like that aspect of it. It keeps you firmly on your toes. I'm about to gain my US visa, so that'll be a whole new challenge to embark on and I'm looking forward to it.

What brands are you working with currently?

I've been working with Ralph Lauren on a huge campaign for the past few months which continues all the way until winter which is exciting. I'm also working with YSL on the launch of their new men's fragrance Y and that's been really cool to be a part of.

Are there any misconceptions about what you do?

There are a lot. For me, believe it or not, I don't really like being in the photographs. My real passion is photography. My current mission is to eventually move fully into focusing on being behind the camera. It takes time to build a comprehensive enough portfolio to get represented by a great photographic agency. I'm enjoying the journey.

What would be the ultimate dream?

I'm going to build a ranch in the high desert of Texas. That's been the plan for years.

FOREVER YOURS, BETTY

Forever Yours, Betty started life as a pop-up vintage shop in 2011 and its founder Sheri Scott has since grown her brand into a successful Scottish-based fashion and lifestyle blog. Scott, 31, also runs her own PR and events company. Most recently she was a guest stylist on E4 show Made Over By.

Instagram: foreveryoursbetty (40.7K followers)

Website: foreveryoursbetty.com

Describe your style.

Colourful, eclectic and fun. My trademark is orange.

Is there a golden number of followers?

The whole influencer thing is interesting because there are so many avenues. The first major threshold is 10K followers and upon reaching that you do see a huge difference in terms of the types of brands that are engaging with you.

Some brands view things differently. If you are an influencer with more than 100K followers, certain brands might not look at you as being as beneficial to them as someone who perhaps has 30K-40K because the range of people following you is so vast.

When you have a smaller following, you can be far more niche and get in with those exciting brands that are building what they are doing.

I was at an event in London with a brand called Nobody's Child and thought it would do well in Glasgow. They asked me to organise a press event and on the back of that are now stocked in the Glasgow Topshop.

I love being able to sit back and think: "I did that." You can see how powerful the influencer is now because from that brand inviting me to their event, they got into a completely new market.

Can you make a living from this?

Most people who do this are entrepreneurs too. We are marketing ourselves and developing our personal brands to open more doors. Basically, it takes a lot of business savvy to be successful in this game.

My friend Sophie Hannah Richardson makes her money through YouTube and Instagram, but also has her own makeup line coming out and has been working with Schwarzkopf on a hair colour.

I have my blog, my Instagram, my PR and events company which are all an income. I do hosting and presenting as well.

What brands are you working with?

Nasty Gal, GANT, Bare Minerals, BLOW, Next, Jo Loves, IOLLA, Sally's Beauty, Illamasqua and Swatch.

How many hours a day do you devote to blogging and social media?

Every hour of every day. There is no off time.

Are there any misconceptions about what you do?

That I have a perfect life. Although I appear confident, I have an anxiety disorder and can be very self-critical. You get often comments such as "I want your life" or "I want to be you", but I always reply: "No, just be you."

I know what it is like growing up, especially with the younger generation and so many addicted to social media. I remember being that girl thinking I wasn't good enough or pretty enough or being jealous of other people. That is the part I hate.

It is why I want the platform to be open to discussion and not a whitewashed view of perfection. I feel as an influencer you do have a social responsibility.

HONEY POP KISSES

Amanda Davies set-up Honey Pop Kisses, a fashion and lifestyle blog covering new designers, high-street trends, travel, mental health and cruelty-free beauty five years ago. Davies, 31, from Glasgow is also the editor-in-chief of Scottish-based online magazine Fashion Fix Daily.

Instagram: honey_pop (38.3k followers)

Website: honeypopkisses.com

Why did you set up Honey Pop Kisses?

I was working as an assistant buyer at Next and felt creatively stifled. I wanted a platform where I could talk about things I liked and showcase outfits.

What is your trademark?

Pink. I wear what I love rather than following trends.

Is there a golden number of followers?

I don't think there is a specific number. I definitely noticed more people getting in touch when I hit 20K, but I was working with brands from when I had 2,000 followers.

How many hours a day do you devote to blogging and social media?

It is never-ending. I check it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I don't think you could put a total number of hours on it. It varies from day to day.

Highs and lows as an influencer?

Creating content is the thing I love the most. The downside is the long hours and that you often have to work on your own.

Who do you admire in the industry?

Pandora Sykes, Leandra Medine from Man Repeller, Michelle Haswell from Kingdom of Style, Sophie Hannah Richardson, Helen Anderson and Sheri Scott from Forever Yours, Betty.

Are there any misconceptions about what you do?

I have friends tell me they would love to get things for free and don't understand the work behind it. My mum doesn't know how to turn on a computer and has no idea what I do.

People often think it is easy to set up a blog and that all we do is sit around and take selfies. That couldn't be further from the truth. Bloggers are like one-person magazines: we come up with the concept, shoot photographs, write and edit all our own work.

Is there a sense of responsibility that comes with having a public profile?

There has to be a level of honesty. I would never work with a brand that I wouldn't buy myself or want to be associated with. I don't read blogs where I think people are simply working with brands because they are paying them a lot of money.

What brands are you working with currently?

Ice Watch. Myself and Sheri Scott were on the E4 styling talent show, Made Over By, earlier this month.

What is the ultimate dream?

Being paid to travel. I'm going to New York this month and to Florida in October.

THE EVERYDAY MAN

John Robertson set-up lifestyle blog The Everyday Man in 2012. The 32-year-old from Dumbarton covers fashion, fitness and travel.

Instagram: theeverydayman (21.5K followers)

Website: theeverydayman.co.uk

How did you become a fashion influencer?

I hate that word but it pretty much just came with the growth of the blog. Suddenly people started asking me for advice on what to wear to events or occasions. I still find it a bit odd.

What is your trademark?

Denim and box-fresh white trainers. I'm always in jeans and trainers.

What is the golden number of followers?

10K was the milestone on Instagram, but I try not to get too bogged down with numbers. Of course, it's important, but it isn't the most important thing for me.

Can you make a living from this?

Yes, but it's not easy. I've been really lucky in that I started this so long ago and have built up a solid network of contacts and manage to keep busy. I think if I was to start out now it would be a lot harder.

How many hours a day do you devote to blogging and social media?

Too many. It takes over. I'm on my phone from when I wake up until when I go to sleep. It's too much sometimes. I really need a digital detox, but I find it so hard to switch off.

Highs and lows as an influencer?

The highs are doing something you love, working with brands you love and getting to experience amazing things that you might never get the chance to do. It still amazes me that I get to do all this cool stuff.

The low side for me is that it's super hard to switch off. The job takes over your life right round the clock. It can be really hard to juggle everything too, especially with so much travel involved.

Are there any misconceptions about what you do?

Yes, people believe too much of what they see on Instagram. It isn't all fancy parties and free clothes – although that is a nice part of the job. There's the hours spent writing, on admin and editing photos. It can be quite a lonely job at times.

What brands are you working with currently?

Virgin Active, Nescafe Azera, Babyliss, Tom Ford, TK Maxx, Peroni, Amazon, Alfa Romeo, Vauxhall and Waldorf Astoria.

Is there a sense of responsibility that comes with this public profile?

Definitely. I'm quite careful about the brands that I partner with and would not push something on my audience that I don't use myself or believe in. I've been asked a lot to work with lots of brands, but I don't think they fit with the lifestyle that I promote so I always turn these down.

What would be the ultimate dream?

To be able to keep doing what I'm doing for as long as I can. I can't imagine doing anything else.