WORLD-FIRST INFLUENCE INDEX NAMES THE NATION’S MOST POWERFUL PERSUADERS 

A world-first list of Australia’s 100 most truly influential social media stars has been revealed, and it promises to shake up the industry. 

The Influence Index, published exclusively by theoz.com.au today, reveals those who are shaping the purchase decisions, conversations and opinions of the next generation at an unprecedented scale and pace. 

The top 10 alone have a collective audience of more than 140 million followers, a staggering five times-plus Australia’s population. 

Celeste Barber, Abbie Chatfield, Tammy Hembrow, Robert Irwin and the Inspired Unemployed all make it onto The Influence Index, but they’ve been eclipsed for top billing by some highly influential lip syncers, dancers and gamers. 

Editor of theoz.com.au, Elyse Popplewell, said the absence of some of these household names was due to the Index delving beyond vanity metrics, like the number of followers, to unearth those who are truly powerful persuaders. 

The top three influencers are: 

1. Sarah Magusara  TikTok, Instagram, YouTube @sarahmagusara  Follower Count: 19.3m  Industry: Health & Fitness This bubbly Gen Z mother’s dancing and workout videos make her number one.

2. Caleb Finn  TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook  @Caleb.finn  Follower Count: 16.5m  Industry: Lifestyle  Family-related posts with his partner, Lil Soup, also popular.

3. Hannah Balanay  TikTok, Instagram, YouTube  Handle: @thexhan  Follower Count: 18.6m  Industry: Entertainment  Friendly and approachable, Balanay is one of TikTok’s most popular lip syncing and dancing stars.

The Influence Index has been built for theoz.com.au using bespoke technology in partnership with global behavioural science experts The Behavioural Architects, and the world’s leading social intelligence monitoring, Storyful. 

The Index also reveals: 

• * More than 10 per cent of Australia's most effective influencers live on the Gold Coast ● More than 30 per cent are people of colour

• * TikTok is king - those on the Index need to have at least 1 million-plus followers on the platformTikTok accounts for 62 per cent of the total audience of the Top 50 influencers, showcasing how integral the platform is to driving reach and engagement for Australian influencers
• * Some of the most powerful influencers in Australia are under 18 years old 

Popplewell said the incontrovertible methodology used in the Index affirmed the validity of the industry and identified that audience size and cross-platform followings only go so far to truly influence people. 

“The Influence Index legitimises those in the industry who are having such a big impact on our lives - until now there has been no way to actually measure the effect they have on our decision making,” she said. 

“For the first time, we are also measuring trustworthiness and relatability to understand what really makes an audience move. We follow social media creators who are like the people we aspire to be and even consider them as people we want to include in our circle of friends.” 

The Influence Index determines effectiveness by analysing six weighted indicators - trustworthiness, attraction, relatability, expertise, content prominence and content frequency - using behavioural science measures in a new way. 

Number #1 influencer in each Australian State and Territory: 

Name	State	Overall  Name State  ranking #	Overall  ranking #
Sarah Magusara	Qld	1 Junpei Zaki NSW	9
Caleb Finn	Vic	2 Jiemba Sands Tasmania	24
Hannah Balanay	WA	3 Matt Wright NT	35
Mully	SA	6 Hannah Pengilly ACT	37

The Influence Index is available today at theoz.com.au/influenceindex.