Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Instagram fame bolsters influencer marketing potential

The recent release of American prisoner Gypsy Rose Blanchard has led to a significant increase in her social media following on Instagram. Blanchard, who served eight years in prison for the second-degree murder of her mother, has acquired 8.4 million Instagram followers in just under a month. The most significant number of Blanchard's new followers base reside in Australia, making up 8.1% (680,400 followers), following closely behind the United States.

Alex Frolov, Co-Founder and CEO of HypeAuditor, a leading AI analytics platform, recently commented on Blanchard's success on the platform. "Blanchard's engagement rate (ER) of 9.8% is indicative of her newfound and growing fandom and reflects how engaged and invested her followers are," Frolov said. Notably, an ER of 2-3% is considered good, and over 3% classifies as high engagement. Blanchard's 9.8% engagement rate, therefore, paints a strong picture of her influence.

Frolov further added, "Regardless of who is posting about Blanchard on social media, the posts are likely to generate likes and comments. It's a matter of time before brands start to jump on the bandwagon to increase their reach and engagement with their followers." Interestingly, despite her criminal past, Blanchard's content does not trigger any concerns of brand safety. An evaluation by HypeAuditor's Brand Safety analysis tool showed no reference to alcohol, offensive or religious content, crime-related content, or adult content on her account. The absence of such negative content patterns should put brands at ease while selecting influencers to work with.

Blanchard's unforeseen popularity on Instagram presents a unique opportunity for brands to partner with her for their influencer marketing campaigns. HypeAuditor's data show that Blanchard could command between USD $10,000 and $31,000 per sponsored post and between USD $5,000 and $15,000 for a sponsored Instagram story. Furthermore, Blanchard's Estimated Media Value (EMV) lies between USD $1 million and $3.5 million, translating to a value of $104.53 per every $1 spent by a brand partnering with Blanchard.

Several brands, encompassing Amazon, Google Play, and Barnes and Noble, have already made mention of Blanchard's account in their posts. Over the past month, 114 influences, including brands, have cited Blanchard, reaching an audience of 4 million people, which accounted for an estimated EMV of USD $4.1 million.

In 2016, Blanchard pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. The act was a result of a conspiracy with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, who was sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite the controversial background, Blanchard's strong appeal on social media indicates a clear interest in her story and her life post-release.