Blue-collar influencer popularity soars, but fails to monetize reach

Even as blue-collar workers seek social media recognition, brands are slow to respond to collaboration requests

- Pratishtha Bagai

Blue-collar workers, including electricians, welders, masons, and plumbers, are turning influencers, sharing their work across social media platforms and attracting millions of views. However, they are still struggling to monetize their reach as the brands they want to collaborate with don't see them as an attractive marketing avenue.

Pawan Bisnoi, a 32-year-old electrician-cum-mason based in Fatehabad, Haryana, has been in the trade since 2007. Last year, a boy who joined as an apprentice taught him to create content for social media. He started shooting his everyday electrical and masonry work on his iPhone 11 and uploading it on his Instagram handle @bijliwala_mistry in October. "Initially, when I uploaded my videos, they didn't get many views, so I stopped uploading after a few reels. Suddenly, some of those earlier reels picked up and started getting views, likes, and positive comments, which motivated me to start over again," Bisnoi said (translated from Hindi).

Within four months, Bisnoi's Instagram account gained over 10,800 followers. His 15–60-second reels each get 100,000+ views. Most of his viewers are electricians or masons like him, who like his work and say that they learn a lot from him or even suggest improvements, he said. Bisnoi represents one of the fast-growing communities of influencers.