Top Influencers for 2019 *[Across Categories]

Influencer marketing sure has emerged as one of the most promising and profitable marketing techniques in the past couple of years.
It is natural for people to look for experiences of other people (whom they trust) before they can make a buying decision. It is this tendency that has made influencers an ever-important marketing tool for businesses and a source of information and recommendations for users.
Not only do these influencers give off a load of pretty useful information for the customers seeking recommendations, but also give them a first-hand review of useful products that can help them solve the particular problems they are seeking solutions for.
Now it is not really an easy feat to list out the top influencers for each of the category for the past year. Appy Pie jumped into the task knowing that the top influencer list cannot be decided only by the number of followers. The real influence comes from the influencer establishing stronger relationship with the audience by engaging with them, instead of simply broadcasting.
Taking all these factors into account, Appy Pie has brought together a list of influencers from different niches who have extended their influence over a sizeable audience while establishing a two-way communication.
List of Content
- Digital Marketing
- Business
- IoT
- Tech
- SaaS
- Social Media
- Lifestyle
- Athlete
Top Digital Marketing Influencers
- AJ Ghergich
- Aleyda Solis
- Dawn Anderson
- Britney Muller
- Jenny Halasz
- Casie Gillette
- Simo Ahava
- Tim Soulo
- Jono Alderson
- Mark Traphagen
On Twitter since 2008, AJ Ghergich is an SEO & Content Marketing expert who is known for coming up with articles, guides, and studies related to SEO and everything else related to marketing.
An international SEO consultant, speaker and an author, Aleyda Solis has been on Twitter since 2007. She has founded mobile and technical SEO consultancy Orainti, a weekly video series Crawling Mondays for SEO advice, a rich resource for working remotely Remoters, and a Spanish language SEO resource dedicated to Women SEOs Mujeres en SEO. She was also the European Search Personality in 2018.
On Twitter since 2010, Dawn Anderson is the MD at BERTey, is the Digital Marketing lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan Uni, and is an international SEO consultant and speaker. She also served as a judge on Search Awards, FIDM.
A Senior SEO Scientist at Moz, Britney Muller has been on Twitter since 2009. She is also a public speaker and dabbles with Data Science and Machine Learning. She has also founded Pryde Marketing that is all about strategic marketing with their roots in data.
A renowned SEO & Analytics expert, Jenny Halasz also serves as the President at JLH Marketing. She is a professional speaker and her tweets talk about all aspects related to search and some about politics as well.
On Twitter since 2009, Casie Gillette is the Senior Director of Digital at KoMarketing and is a renowned international speaker, writer, and content marketer with specialization in B2B SEO.
Co-Founder, partner at 8_bit_sheep, Simo Ahava has been on Twitter since 2013 and in this short time has emerged as a strong influencer on the social media channel. He calls himself a blogger first, and is a well-known keynote speaker.
He has been on Twitter since 2009 and serves as the Chief Marketing Officer and Product Advisor at Ahrefs, the SEO toolset backed by Big Data.
Special Ops at Yoast, Jono Alderson wears multiple proverbial hats. Some of the titles he wears proudly include digital strategist, marketing technologist, full stack developer, and a keynote speaker. His interest areas include SEO, analytics, and WordPress among other things.
On Twitter since 2009, Mark Traphagen is the VP Content Strategy for AimClear, is a digital marketing consultant, teacher, and a noted speaker. His interests include content marketing and social media marketing.
Top Business Influencers
- Dhariana Lozano
- Melinda Emerson
- Talia Wolf
- Hillel Fuld
- Nilofer Merchant
- Kai Grunwitz
- Erin Blaskie
- Chris Ducker
- AD
- Ashok Lalla
A social media consultant and speaker, Dhariana Lozano is the co-founder of Supremacy Marketing and is known for helping businesses create effective social media strategies.
Founder and CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda Emerson tops the Forbes’ list of influential women entrepreneurs. She has authored ‘Fix Your Business’ and ‘Become Your Own Boss’ and is one of the top business influencers today!
Joined Twitter in 2009, Talia has built around her influence on businesses by helping them grow and fix their funnels with help of emotional targeting and customer-driven optimization. She is an influential conversion optimization specialist, a trainer in the field and a revered speaker.
A columnist with some of the biggest names in the world of technology including TechCrunch, Venturebeat, JPost, Inc and more, Hillel Fuld is a global speaker and a tech vlogger. Additionally, he also serves as the marketing mentor for Google, MSFT, Oracle, and Huawei.
A renowned speaker with TED talk experience and three times author Nilofer Merchant has received multiple awards including Future Thinker award by Thinkers50, and featured as one of the top 10 influential HR thinkers by HR magazine.
Kai Grunwitz is the Country Managing Director for Germany, with NTT Ltd. and dons multiple hats including being regarded as a thought leader, a renowned speaker, and more. His areas of interest and expertise include cybersecurity, digital transformations, and leadership.
Holding the designation of Director of Marketing at L-Spark, Erin Blaskie is known for a lot more including being a mental health advocate, Forbes inspiring founder, TEDx speaker and a startup accelerator.
Founder, Youpreneur, Chris Ducker is known for being a serial entrepreneur, s revered business mentor, and an investor and an advisor.
Though there are many CEOs on this list, AD is known for teaching CEOs, brands, individuals, and SMEs. Known for “The One Hour Mentor” program, AD calls himself the Full Stack Outsourced CXO.
His USP lies in offering digital business advice to brands, PE or VC firms and agencies. He is a keynote speaker, a startup mentor and has worked with leading names like Infosys, Mindshare, Havas, and Taj Hotels.
Top IoT Influencers
- Antonio Grasso
- Kevin C Tofel
- Peggy Smedley
- Fabrizio Bustama
- Ronald Van Loon
- Enrico Molinari
- Amanda Healy
- Alison Oliver
- Audrey Desisto
- Helen Yu
Apart from being one of the top influencers in the field ofIoT, Antonio Grasso describes himself as an innovator, mentor, speaker, and a startups mentor.
After a diverse experience with companies like Google, ZDNet, and GigaOM, Kevin now calls himself a freelance futurist and has a weekly podcast focused on mobile devices and IoT.
With a passion for inspiring the next-gen people, Peggy Smedley is a futuristic influencer who has taken it upon himself to educate the world about the IoT and other emerging technology (and doing a pretty good job at it).
An entrepreneur with diverse interest areas, Fabrizio holds expertise in Blockchain, AI, Cryptocurrencies, marketing, Big Data, Fintech, cloud technology, ML, DL, AR, VR, and IoT.
One of the top influencers in the field of Internet of Things, Ronal van Loon is known for helping data driven companies in generating value.
Deeming himself as an omnichannel marketing leader, Enrico Molinari is a Professor, speaker, spokesperson President at Confassociazioni and a FinServ influencer in addition to impacting his followers in the field of IoT.
Amanda Healy is the Head of IoT Brand Marketing and Thought Leadership at Cisco, in addition to being a respected national speaker and social media keynote.
A well-known innovator in the field of IoT, Alison Oliver is a tech idea agent and has extensive expertise in the field of Big Data and Predictive Analytics.
As the CEO of the digital marketing agency Digital Marketing Stream, Audrey Desisto helps her clients with all things related to technology, marketing, AI, IoT, cyber security and more.
A proponent of digital transformation, Helen Yu a CXO who offers great insights and advice on growth hacking. Apart from IoT, her areas of expertise include AI, blockchain, marketing, CX, and cyber security.
Top Tech Influencers
- Kate Russell
- Katie Linendoll
- Kate O’Neil
- Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
- Alice Bonasio
- Al Kingsley
- Tim Schofield
- David Meltzer
- Abhinav Agarwal
- Patrick Tucker
Apart from being the tech reporter at BBC Click and National Geographic Travel UK, Kate Russell is also an acclaimed author. She is also a respected speaker, a popular gamer and streamer on twitch.tv
A popular TV personality, Katie Linendoll has won an Emmy for being a consumer tech expert and is a popular contributor on TODAY Show, Weather Channel, Rachel Ray, and CBS Sports. Apart from this, she is a sought-after keynote speaker and an emcee.
A published author, Kate O’Neil has resolved to help people prepare themselves for a tech-driven future. She is a strong keynote speaker, F500 advisor and a media contributor at KO Insights.
CEO and Head Stemette (a term she coined for girls who do STEM), Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon is also a trustee at the Institute for the Future of Work and a renowned speaker. She also hosts a successful podcast WomenTechCharge.
A tech consultant and speaker, Alice Bonasio is the Editor in Chief at TechTrends and writes for Fast Company, Wired and TNW. Apart from this, she also serves as a curator for the email newsletter network Inside.
Al Kingsley a lot more than an influencer on Twitter. He serves as Chair at MAT, is an Edu Speaker, an RSC Board member and MD of NetSupport that provides excellent solutions for the education sector. His areas of interest and expertise include EdTech and safeguarding software for schools.
Known for the brilliant content he creates, Tim Schofield has a popular YouTube channel – Your Tech Simplified that has a reputation for bringing out unbiased tech videos.
An author who featured thrice on the bestseller list, David Meltzer is also an investor in OverActive Media, a global eSports and entertainment company. He is a speaker, entrepreneur, sports and tech enthusiast who has garnered a strong following in everything related to technology.
A published author, Abhinav Agarwal is an expert in data production management.
He is the tech editor for Defense One and a celebrated author apart from being a tech influencer on Twitter.
Top SaaS Influencers
- Kat Sullivan
- Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré
- Jill Rowley
- Claire Suellentrop
- Georgiana Laudi
- Darren Shaw
- Arvind Jha
- Harry Stebbings
- Bret Kinsella
- Joel Klettke
SaaS co-founder of Tassi, entrepreneur Kat Sullivan hosts a popular podcast – Making Social Simple. She is also the CEO and founder of Marketing Solved.
B2B SaaS consultant, Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré is also a product marketer and market strategist. She was also listed among the top 15 hunters on Product Hunt.
With 20 years of experience in the field of SaaS and a background in companies like Salesforce and Eloqua, Jill Rowley is a stalwart and has been into angel investments since 2012.
Co-founder of Forget The Funnel and userlist.com, Claire Suellentrop is a SaaS marketing and growth advisor who helps SaaS teams dig deep and find valuable customer insights in order to propel growth.
Co-founder Forget the Funnel, Georgiana Laudi is a SaaS Marketing and Growth Advisor who helps make sense of the customer insights converting them into results that bring in revenue.
Founder of Whitespark, Darren Shaw is a researcher, speaker, and writer on local SEO. He also organizes Local Search Ranking Factors and is the co-host of the podcast – The SaaS Venture.
Arvind Jha is known for accelerating SaaS startups using well placed Growth Strategy boosters, is a startup evangelist, a mentor, and an investor.
Founder of The Twenty Minute VC, Harry Stebbings has built himself a VC podcast that has more than a 100,000 listeners and partners with Mattermark and ProductHunt. He is also a contributor for TechCrunch and recently has joined Saastr.
Bret Kinsella hosts a Voicebot podcast and has varied interest areas including voice assistants, AI, mobile , SaaS, Cyber & IoT, branding and marketing.
An exemplary CRO copywriter, Joel Klettke is a consultant for some of the leading SaaS and B2B brands and has recently launched Case Study Buddy.
Top Social Media Influencers
- Mari Smith
- Kim Garst
- Ann Handley
- Pam Moore
- Hannah Morgan
- Mike Schiemer
- Jason Falls
- Glen Gilmore
- Carl Miller
- AJ Kohn
Celebrated Facebook Marketing Expert, Mari Smith is a social media thought leader, keynote speaker and a columnist with BofA. She also serves as the ambassador for ManyChat.
With a mission to help entrepreneurs grow their business using social and digital media, Kim Garst is an online marketing guru. Apart from being a noted keynote speaker, she was also featured among the top 10 social media influencers by Forbes.
Heading the content team at MarketingProfs, Ann Handley has authored two bestsellers on Wall Street Journal and a recognized social media influencer.
CEO at Marketing Nutz, Pam Moore is a keynote speaker and a storyteller strategist with a passion for technology, social media and digital marketing. She was also featured among the top 5 social media influencers by Forbes.
Hannah Morgan, the career Sherpa is there to help you with your job search. A speaker and an author, she helps people improve their online visibility using innovative social media strategies.
Owner of MyFrugalBusiness.com, Mike Schiemer has built 3 different 6-figure businesses, starting with only $1000.
The Digital Lead at Cornett, Jason Falls is also an author, keynote speaker, and a celebrated marketing influencer. He also hosts a successful marketing podcast.
Recognised by TIME magazine as a “Man of Action” and featured among the top 20 social media influencers by Forbes, Glen Gilmore is also an author and a speaker. His areas of interest and expertise include technology, AI, AR and SDGs.
Research Director at the Center for the Analysis of Social Media, Carl Miller has authored a book about power in the digital age. He also holds demos and is a noted speaker.
Owner of the popular SEO and internet search resource Blind Five Year Old, AJ Kohn is a digital marketer, startup advisor, speaker and curator. His tweets are mostly around SEO, marketing, technology, social media and UX.
Top Lifestyle Influencers
- Sonal Kalra
- Kym Douglas
- Georgia Toffolo
- Stephy
- Anna Geary
- John Basedow
- Vex King
- Lawrence Zarian
- Dr. Mark Rowe
- Reed Alexander
A celebrated author (with 4 books in her portfolio), Sonal Kalra is the Managing Editor for Entertainment and Lifestyle section at Hindustan Times and heads HTCity/HT Café. She also writes a weekly column – A Calmer You.
Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle TV host, Kym Douglas appears quite regularly on the popular daytime show ‘ellen’ and is also a published author.
An author and YouTube channel owner for Fashion Fanatic, Georgia Toffolo is a TV personality who appeared on the reality series Made in Chelsea.
A plus size stylist and a lifestyle blogger, Stephy is a writer and an activist apart from being a lifestyle influencer on Twitter.
Radio presenter for Today FM, Anna Geary is a coach, speaker, emcee and an athlete. Her areas of influence extend over lifestyle, mindset, well-being and sports.
Quite a popular TV and internet personality, John Basedow is a health and lifestyle expert. He is also a TV Host, a motivational speaker and an author.
Owner of Bon Vita, Vex King is the creator of the Good Vibes Only movement. Apart from being a lifestyle influencer on Twitter he is an author, a mind coach, and a lifestyle entrepreneur.
A celebrated author and lifestyle influencer on Twitter, Lawrence Zarian is a lifestyle expert.
A medical doctor, lifestyle medicine pioneer and a life strategist, Dr. Mark Rowe is a lifestyle influencer on Twitter, a TEDx speaker, an author and a vitality expert.
Journalist and author, Reed Alexander is a digital alum of CNN, BBC, and WSJ. He writes primarily about healthcare, lifestyle, and human interest.
Top Athlete Influencers
- Giavanni Ruffin
- Colin O’Brady
- Charlie Flynn
- Volker Schenk
- Devon Still
- Kayla Alexander
- Ashley Fox
- Anna Geary
- Kirstie Ennis
- Sophie Radcliffe
Founder of TNDO, Giavanni Ruffin is an athlete, a public speaker and the owner of his own name brand YouTube channel Giavanni Ruffin.
The first man to cross Antarctica solo without any assistance, Colin O’Brady is an explorer, an athlete, and a speaker. He has also authored a book which is soon to be published.
A professional boxer, Charlie Flynn was a gold medalist at Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. Apart from being an athlete for Inspiration4s and an influencer on Twitter, he is also a noted events speaker.
Former professional athlete (NFL), Volker Schenk is a high performance coach and speaker. Apart from being an athlete and an influencer on Twitter, he is also a football expert at ProSieben MAXX.
Devon Still is a professional athlete (NFL) and a noted motivational and keynote speaker. Apart from being an influencer on Twitter, he is also a childhood cancer awareness advocate.
An influencer on Twitter who dons many hats, Kayla Alexander is an author, athlete, speaker and an illustrator.
An ESPN alum, Ashley Fox is also a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and an athlete. She is also one of the most well-respected journalists.
vAnna Geary
Associated with popular TV channels and shows like RTE One, eir Sport, and Fittest Family, Anna Geary is a coach, speaker, emcee and above all, an athlete.
President of the Kirstie Ennis Foundation, Kirstie Ennis is an adaptive athlete, USMC vet, and a noted speaker.
Founder of TrailBlazers, Sophie Radcliffe has made it her mission to champion ordinary people to achieve their extraordinary. She is an athlete and a speaker who loves adventure.
Wrapping Up
This concludes Appy Pie’s annual list of top influencers in different categories (2019). As an influencer in this day and age, it is important that you connect with your followers and expand your influence on a bigger audience.
On Appy Pie’s app builder platform, hundreds of top influencers have built their apps and have found an effective way to connect with their audience. It is time to get started and build your own app to start building a strong audience.










