Mrs Hinch earned £2.1m in ONE year – from sponsored posts to Tesco deal, how did her cleaning side hustle become so big?
LOVE IT or hate it there is one thing we all have to do at home and that’s clean.
From scrubbing the loo bowl with a toilet brush to scouring out the murky drawers in the fridge – cleaning is one of life’s great levellers.
But who knew you could become one of the UK’s richest influencers as a result of knowing your microfibre cloth from your feather duster?
Step forward Sophie Hinchcliffe – aka Mrs Hinch. Because there is nobody, NOBODY, with a better domestic strategy than the Essex born blonde.
In 2018 the 32-year-old former sales rep decided to give it a go as an influencer.
According to reports she wasn’t fussy about what kind of influencer she was going to become – setting up different IG pages about make up, hairdressing as well as cleaning – she just wanted to be one.
Within a year she had 2.5 million followers – or Hinchers as they became known – using the hashtag #HinchArmy.
Fast forward to today and the mum-of-two is a multi-millionaire.
Last month (EDS Dec 2022) Hinchliffe, director of Mrs Hinch Limited, filed accounts ending in April 2022 to Companies House. They show that in the previous 12 months, she coined in around £2.1m in earnings.
The accounts also show she has pocketed a whopping £5million in just two years.
No wonder then that the Instagram cleaning influencer last year moved into a dreamy £1.1million farmhouse with her husband and kids.
Britain’s most popular female influencer now lives in a five-bedroom sprawling Essex property with husband Jamie, 42 and their sons Ronnie, 3 and Lennie, 18 months.
Hinch Farm sits on 1.7 acres and boasts a gated driveway, grand wooden staircase, stables, brand new kitchen and outdoor space to host the menagerie of Hinch animals including chickens, pigs and alpacas.
So how on earth is she raking in all her money?
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Today with over 4.6 million followers on Instagram, the then wannabe influencer started out promoting cleaning products she loved. Who can forget the minky cloth? Or the obsession with (environmentally suspect) Zoflora cleaning product.
Her ‘Hun army’ were riveted to her posts set in her immaculate (some might say soulless) grey and silver home complete with karate-chopped cushions.
Before long the deals and collabs started rolling in.
Hinchliffe signed with the social media influencer agency Gleam who coin it in for influencers. They are the giants who launched Zoella and represent the likes of Tanya Burr.
Their website describes “Hinching” as “a fun, inclusive activity which encompasses all elements of housework and the home.”
BOOKS
In 2018, 11 publishing houses bid to join the Mrs Hinch gold mine and it was rumoured that a six figure deal was brokered for her first book “Hinch Yourself Happy” which sold 160,000 copies in its first 3 days of release in April 2019. **One journalist even had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before she could see a preview copy.
Predictably it became a Sunday Times Bestseller. Her subsequent titles “Mrs Hinch: The Activity Journal”, “Mrs Hinch: The Little Book of Lists” (a notebook for creating lists – a whopping £7 on Amazon) and of course the obligatory life memoir “This Is Me.”
Her books have sold over 2 million copies and a new one out in February next month, aimed at kids, is – what else? – flogging life on Hinch Farm.
Their website describes ‘Hinching’ as ‘a fun, inclusive activity which encompasses all elements of housework and the home’
CLEANING PRODUCTS
Little wonder Proctor and Gamble signed up Mrs Hinch as their Ambassador in 2019.
Although the collab got off to a rocky start. In June 2019 the ASA announced they were investigating the ‘cleanfluencer’ following complaints over a lack of transparency over the promotion of certain goods.
Since then P&G have used the Mrs Hinch brand to push mind-boggling items such as “a limited-edition laundry duo for Winter 2020.” Who knew laundry products were season specific? They are when there is money to be made!
No wonder she went on to online holler for a dollar for the likes of beauty giants Garnier and website eBay.
Is it any wonder that according to one report one cleaning company boss, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said after he thanked Mrs Hinchliffe for a positive post about his goods, her social media agency reps contacted him to suggest a “£10,000 deal” for a “series of promotions”.
Unsurprisingly some reports suggest that Mrs Hinch earns an average £9,400 a post.
In September 2020 by a company who approached Gleam to partner with Mrs Hinch were told that she charges £24k plus VAT for her Instagram stories. (One story, 4 frames). Ouch!
TESCOS
Tescos Mrs Hinch collection launched in January 2021 with items including bedlinen, heart-shaped bowls and candles.
They are, as you’d expect, pushing the grey and silver tomes beloved of Mrs Hinch pre Hinch Farm.
Cost of living crisis or not the cash cow Instagram page continues to generates cash via paid advertisements and sponsored posts.
With her new book at no. 1 in the best sellers list before publishing she’s on to a winner here
Nick Ede
TRANSITION TO LIFESTYLE
It goes without saying that ‘Mrs Hinch’ is now a trademark and the focus is on becoming a lifestyle brand.
Brand and Culture expert Nick Ede says the secret to the lucrative deals that Mrs Hinch has managed to achieve is that she has cleverly monetised every part of her lifestyle and has now gone beyond the cleaning hacks she was one only known for.
“She has taken everyday life and put a price tag on it whether its promoting biscuits for Christmas or the boots her children wear on the farm. All the tiny details are paid for by brands looking to affiliate with her 4 million strong following.
“Now she has expanded into children’s books which is a huge money spinner for talent – look at stars like David Walliams and Alesha Dixon who make millions from their books.
“She’s doing the same and with her new book at no. 1 in the best sellers list before publishing she’s on to a winner here.”
BACKLASH
Yet not everyone is in the Hinch Army.
In October last year a Mumsnet member asked, “Please… somebody tell me I’m not the only person to find her so completely tone deaf, given her position as an “influencer” and the current economy?!”
Her methods were also questioned by Interior Design Masters’ Michelle Ogundehin for her regular use of “toxic” cleaners.
And according to the controversial website Tattle Life, if you disagree with the Hinch way then you’re blocked or her followers set upon you.
As for me? Every time I start doom scrolling on Insta I remind myself that behind the fancy photos and reels it’s just one big advertisement hub where the likes of Hinchliffe make an awful lot of money out of their loyal fans.