Top 10 Influencers to Follow in the Philippines

Last Updated – Feb 28, 2023 @ 5:40 am

Instagram and Tiktok, just like other social media platforms, have a reputation for being superficial. Admittedly, it could be that way if you don’t know how to leverage it. 

That said, improving your social media platform feeds is up to you. 

One of the best ways to break free from the superficiality of social media is to follow influencers that are considered the best in their fields.

After all, if you follow content creators that have substance, the knowledge and resources they share will have a direct impact on your life.

What is an Influencer?

As its name suggests, an influencer is someone who influences the thought, behavior, or actions of others through the ideas they present online. 

More than popularity and the number of followers, an influencer is someone who has credibility and integrity. They have the experience, talent, and passion to influence people in their niche.

Related: 12 Profitable Side Hustles in the Philippines

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Types of Influencers

Not all influencers are the same. Here are the different types of influencers and how they use their social media platforms.

Celebrities

These influencers are extremely famous and might have been featured on television shows. Some examples of popular celebrities are Kathryn Bernardo and Maine Mendoza.

In the Philippines, these influencers charge the highest rate for campaigns and ads.

Micro-influencers

As the name implies, micro-influencers don’t have hundreds of thousands or millions of followers. These people usually have around 50,000 followers.

Despite this smaller number, micro-influencers have an edge. Their followers are extremely loyal to them and listen to what they recommend. 

Experts & thought leaders

These influencers use their expertise and knowledge in their field to share valuable information with their audience.

For instance, a self-made millionaire that shares business tips online is considered an expert.

Content creators

These include live streamers, vloggers, blog owners, Instagrammers, and even microbloggers who create, share, and curate content that their followers love.

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Top 10 Influencers to Follow in the Philippines 

Ready to be influenced? Here are the top social media personalities that genuinely inspire and provide value to their audience.

Chinkee Tan

Niche: Finance, business 
Main platforms: Blog, Facebook, YouTube,

When it comes to wealth coaching in the Philippines, Chinkee Tan is the ultimate influencer to follow. This motivational speaker and financial consultant has published 14 best-selling books. He also hosts his own radio program. 

Although Chinkee Tan’s main platform is his personal website, his Facebook page is a heavy favorite among his 5.2 million followers.

On his Facebook page, he posts not only tips and tricks to build more wealth, but also funny anecdotes, and money-saving challenges. 

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CongTV

Niche: Comedy 
Main platforms: YouTube, Tiktok

If you want to laugh, CongTV’s vlogs are right up your alley. This vlogger has over 11 million subscribers on his YouTube, making him one of the most well-known influencers today.

CongTV is also married to another YouTuber/comedian, Viy Cortez. Together, they share their daily life, as well as special moments with their child. 

In the past year, CongTV has also grown his Tiktok to over 2.5 million followers. Here, he posts skits, food reviews, and videos of him playing the guitar. 

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Dr. Willie Ong

Niche: Health
Main platforms: Facebook, YouTube 

With over 16 million followers, it’s safe to say Willie Ong is one of the most beloved doctors in the Philippines.

This cardiologist and internist rose to fame after giving medical advice through his YouTube channel and Facebook page. However, his career as a celebrity influencer didn’t start there.

Even before he became a social media superstar, he produced his own TV show, and appeared in Salamat Dok, a program by ABS-CBN. He also wrote for various publications including Philippine Star. 

Ong also tried his luck in politics when he ran for the senate in 2019 and vice presidency in 2022. 

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Geo Ong

Niche: Music, Travel
Main platforms: YouTube, Instagram  

If you love music and adventure vlogs, this Palawan-based rapper will be your new favorite.

His songs “Parokyana,” “Breadwinner,” and “Pekeng Kaibigan” all have millions of views.

But apart from his viral songs which evoke feelings from his fans, his vlog style is also unique and makes you feel like you’re simply catching up with a friend. 

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Nicole Alba

Niche: Finance
Main platforms: YouTube 

In the world of finance, age is truly just a number – and Nicole Alba is a testament to that. At 22 years old, she owns one of the best Finance-centered YouTube channels in the country. 

Whether you need advice on how to invest in crypto, or tips to maximize your credit card, Nicole is your girl.

Alba has a talent for simplifying complicated concepts so even if you’re a beginner, you’ll surely appreciate her videos.

Although her audience is mostly younger millennials and Gen Z who are still trying to achieve financial freedom, she sure has tons of wisdom to offer to investors of all ages. 

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Oliver Austria

Niche: Architecture 
Main platforms: YouTube

Llyan Oliver Austria catapulted to fame after releasing “video reactions” of celebrity homes. What makes his videos interesting is he does it from the perspective of an architect.

This isn’t surprising considering he ranked 5th in the 2016 Architect Licensure Exam. In between his side quips and jokes, he offers valuable lessons about building your house. 

Although he has only been on YouTube for a short time, he has managed to showcase architecture in a fun, approachable, and relatable way. Even those who aren’t familiar with architecture can easily understand what he’s saying.  

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Team Lyqa

Niche: Education, Motivation 
Main platforms: YouTube, Tiktok 

Lyqa Maravilla, RPM is one of the most beloved educational content creators in the Philippines.

After topping the 2013 Civil Service Exam, she wanted to share her wisdom through YouTube to help people pass aptitude exams such as college entrance exams, Licensure Exam for Teachers, and the Civil Service Exam, among many others. 

Her viewers and fans all over the Philippines lovingly refer to her as “Coach Lyqa.” Currently, she travels all around the country not only as a teacher but also as a motivational speaker.

This EduCreator was also invited as the only Filipino moderator and panelist in the 2018 YouTube EduCon in India. 

Lyqa has also expanded her content to help people land their dream jobs in her “Get Hired” series. 

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Atty. Mai Mai

Niche: Legal 
Main platforms: Tiktok

The best way to describe Atty. Mai Mai’s is she brings a “fast food” touch to a “fine dining” topic. This law education content creator teaches Filipinos about the law in an approachable way.

Even if you aren’t familiar with legal jargon, her videos are easy to understand and don’t sound like it was read straight from a textbook.

Atty. Mai Mai teaches viewers about complicated laws, but there’s also a dose of wit and humor her viewers greatly appreciate.

Aside from being an educational platform, Usapang Legal also encourages its followers to be socially aware and understand their rights as citizens. 

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Mighty Magulang

Niche: History 
Main platforms: TikTok

Tiktok’s favorite history geek tita is genealogist Mona Veluz-Magno, also known as Mighty Magulang.

This influencer only started taking TikTok seriously during the pandemic after she dealt with the loss of her father.

Since she was already an expert in history and genealogy, she tried making videos expecting only a few people to listen to her. But alas, TikTok proved her wrong. 

It turns out, Gen Z and millennials were absolutely enthralled by her interesting videos on politics, family lineages, and national heroes. 

Her most viral content includes information about the Laperal Family, Leonor Rivera, and Antonio Luna.

During the 2022 elections, she also released videos about the lineages of politicians like Bong Bong Marcon, Leni Robredo, and Chel Diokno. 

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Ninong Ry

Niche: Food
Main platforms: YouTube, Tiktok

It turns out, whipping up an impressive meal for your family, the love of your life, or even yourself isn’t as hard as you think. 

Ninong Ry’s food tutorials will make your mouth water as he effortlessly prepares everything from scratch. His tutorials include popular Pinoy dishes like Crispy Pata and Mami, to international recipes like kebab.

Ninong Ry is also famous for recreating famous fast food items like Choco Butternut from Dunkin Donuts and Charlie Chan from Yellow Cab. 

Watching Ninong Ry’s videos is pretty much like listening to your cool uncle as he lets you learn the ropes in the kitchen, sometimes with an ice-cold beer in hand.

It’s no surprise his channel has grown so much, so fast. His fun and casual approach to cooking is the perfect stress reliever and the perfect way to become better in the kitchen.

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Tips on How to be an Influencer in the Philippines

The term influencer has truly come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days when the term mostly centered on fashionistas on Instagram. Now, it covers a wide array of experts in many fields.

Being an influencer is not only a great way to earn money, but also an opportunity for you to share your passion to a wider audience.

The good news is anyone can be an influencer. Here are some of the ways to achieve your dream. 

Find your niche

While there are so many things you can do as an influencer, you need to find a niche and refine your content to build a loyal audience.

If you keep posting about random topics, your content will seem disorganized. Focusing on a specific topic will help you build your expertise and give you the leverage to stand the test of time.  

If you can’t think of a niche in your first months as an influencer, don’t pressure yourself. Simply keep posting what you want. Eventually, you’ll see which topic you enjoy posting about the most. 

Know your competition

This is one of the non-negotiable rules of being an influencer. You need to know who you are up against. If there are hundreds of other influencers in your niche, you have to find ways to get ahead of the competition. 

Try to see the content strategy of influencers you look up to.

For instance, if you post about fashion, does your competition post about outfits of the day? Or are they more focused on hauls? Do they do voice-overs for their videos or do they talk straight to the camera?

Know where your audience is

Establishing your career as an influencer is like building a business. Make sure your target audience sees your content. But how can you do this? 

Research where they are most active on social media. For instance, if your target audience prefers long-form videos, then they may be more active on YouTube.

If they love text posts, Facebook may be their favorite platform. 

Be consistent

Consistency is the biggest factor that separates the best influencers from the rest. If you want to gain traction on your chosen platform, you need to post on a regular basis. This is the easiest way the algorithm will favor you.

If you are just starting out on a fast-paced platform such as Tiktok, try posting a few videos per day. For other platforms like YouTube, once or twice a week is enough. Don’t forget to use SEO, and harness the power of hashtags.

Post about the newest trends and your honest opinion about them. Just like any other business, your audience will eventually start to grow when they see that you are trustworthy, sincere, and knowledgeable.

Reach out to brands

Reaching out to brands is not only a great way to make money but also an incredible way to grow your audience.

Brands are always looking for trustworthy influencers in their field to share their products with their audience.

Most brands are willing to do an x-deal or pay you in return for this gig.

Engage with people

Don’t just build relationships with brands. Engage with other influencers and anyone who has the same passion as you.

More than that, connect with your audience. Reply to their comments, make them feel appreciated, and thank them for supporting you.

Track your progress

The only way you will see your progress is if you keep track of the traffic and growth of your audience.

This doesn’t only cover your follower count, but also your comments, likes, and shares. When tracking your progress, it also helps to assess which types and formats of content perform the best. 

Hop on trends

Influencers always need to be updated with the latest trends to gain even more engagement. For instance, social media platforms will bump up your video if you use trending audio.