City hiring influencers to promote Indianapolis [Video]

INDIANAPOLIS — Visit Indy, the city’s marketing arm, is hiring social media influencers to bring people to Indianapolis — most recently for Monday’s total solar eclipse.

It is a way to promote the city in the palms of peoples’ hands.

Like a tour guide, influencer Angie Thomas carried a tall pole walking through crowds. This difference is her tall pole has a camera on the end, and the more than 17,000 people following her are online.

“They want to see a real person enjoying experiences or traveling somewhere,” Thomas said.

Visit Indy hired the Chicago-based content creator to show off Indianapolis.

“It’s essentially a skillset, just like any other job where somebody is very well-versed in technology, in photography,” Thomas said.

Because Visit Indy is a nonprofit, influencers are typically offered cool things to do instead of cash.

In exchange for posting Instagram videos, known as reels, to …