This guest post is written by Megan of She Strayed. Megan is a blogger, lifestyle influencer, and entrepreneur based in Las Vegas, NV. She is the creator and operator of With Stray Digital Marketing and was recently named one of Las Vegas’ top 30 Bloggers. As an influencer, she has worked with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Neutrogena, and Lexus. Along with amassing over 10k followers, she has also made over $5,000 from sponsored content and $11,000 in goods. We recently asked our audience for questions about starting, growing, and monetizing your Instagram brand, and here is what Megan had to say!
How my Journey as a Lifestyle Influencer Began
After years of reading lifestyle blogs and wishing I could have the freedom to work remotely and get paid to make content, I decided it was time to try. I had absolutely nothing to lose, so I bought a tripod and started taking my own photos. Those photos led to more photos, which led to more followers and eventually paid collaborations. I quite literally threw my hands in the air and said, “just try it.”
If you’re considering monetizing your Instagram account, I wholeheartedly support you; there is a space and niche for everyone! I hope the information below helps you in your journey. If there’s anything more you’d like to know, DM me at @she.strayed.
How I Started Growing a Following as a Lifestyle Influencer
This is my most asked question, and you won’t like my response: engage, engage, engage! The most important thing is to build a strong following rather than a large following. Focus on your current audience, and outsiders will take notice. It sounds cheesy, but I promise it works. It’s all about quality over quantity.
How many accounts have you seen with 50K+ and 400 likes? It doesn’t add up. It either means they bought their followers or they don’t have a connection with their audience. Additionally, a strong community means support! When you share a sponsored post and need a little extra love, your friends are there to go the extra mile with engagement.
I know you’re looking for a secret sauce, but that’s it. Success comes from your community, and without that, you’re only going to go so far. Reach out to people and make friends. If you don’t know where to start, Kristen and I are happy to be apart of your support system!
Having Sub-Niches as a Lifestyle Influencer
I think the process of content creation is much easier when you have 3 to 5 related niches. For example, I consider myself a lifestyle influencer, which is an umbrella term. My “lifestyle brand” includes my daily routine, travel hacks, entrepreneurship, social media tips, and oversharing on my stories.
If you’re a fitness influencer, you can also include fashion, pets, meal prep, healthy habits, etc. You can pick obscure niches as long as you pull them together and make them make sense.
Please don’t limit yourself to a narrow niche because it is 100x easier to create content when you have options. Take Kristen, for example; she is a mom blogger that shares recipes, clothing hauls, kid-friendly purchases, and blogging tips. She has a wide variety of options to share, and that also allows her to reach a larger audience.
How I Price Services and Packages as a Lifestyle Influencer
Determining your rate can be tricky! Everyone has a method that works for them, but I like to ask friends. This gives me an idea of the industry standard. I don’t want to be underpaid, but I also don’t want to overcharge and not get the job. My goal is to be on par with everyone else. Some people aren’t comfortable discussing money, but I don’t care, so feel free to ask!
If you’re looking for a wide range of influencer rates, @influencerpaygap is a super helpful tool. They post messages from influencers from around the world, which include their stats and rates. It’s a great way to get an idea of what others in your position are charging.
How I Approach Brands to Find Collaborations
I think the best way to secure a deal is to reach out to the brand directly. There is usually a media or press email listed on their website’s contact page, and if it’s a smaller brand, you can send them a message through Instagram. Simply introduce yourself, quickly explain why you love their brand, and give a sneak peek into how you want to create content for them. Please do not give away your entire concept because they can turn around and use your idea; be vague but convincing.
Check out the six templates I use for pitching and responding to brands here!
How I find Sponsored Opportunities as a Lifestyle Influencer
When I don’t feel like putting in the extra legwork of reaching out to brands, I use third-party apps: Social Native, AspireIQ, Activate, FOHR, Trend, and ApexDrop. If you’re starting to build your portfolio, I recommend doing one or two collaborations with ApexDrop. This is strictly a product for promotion (free platform. Although I would never normally suggest agreeing to unpaid work, this is an easy way to build your portfolio with quality products. They usually send a minimum of $100 worth of product, so it’s a great way to get your feet wet and not be taken advantage of.
After getting a few collaborations under your belt, set up an account with the other platforms. Social Native is low paying, but they often work with global brands, which looks great for your media kit. AspireIQ allows you to set your rate, so you don’t have to settle for less than your asking price.
There are countless other platforms to work with. Ask around to see what others are using or do a deep google dive. I’m sure you’ll find something that works for you!
How I Negotiate with Brands that Offer Gifted Collaborations
Welcome to my biggest pet-peeve. I will start by assuring you that your work is worth more than a free phone case. As an influencer, you are essentially your own marketing agency. You would never ask an agency to work in exchange for a product, so how are you any differently?
When offered something silly, I simply thank the brand for considering me and explain that, although I would love to participate in the collaboration, I’m focused on paid work at the moment. I offer to send my media kit as an example of my previous work, along with my rate sheet. From there, they normally come back with a number lower than my rate. I try to meet them somewhere in the middle, and sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t.
If they are dead set on not paying me, I thank them for their time and ask them to get back to me if anything changes.
If you’re not sure how to introduce that you want to be paid, my go-to line is, “may I ask what the marketing budget is for this project.” That’s a super easy and pain-free way to let them know mama don’t work for free.
How to Know if an Influencers Content is Sponsored
This should be simple, but influencers love to hide ad information, let’s break it down. When you see paid partnership above a photo, it means it’s a sponsored post. Often companies will ask you to link them as a paid partner. That falls under Instagram’s rules and regulations.
Just because a picture doesn’t have a paid partnership above doesn’t mean it’s not sponsored. I’ve been asked to include #ad, #sponsored, or #gifted in my caption. Those are also clear indicators that it is sponsored content.
Whew, we made it! Thank you to everyone that participated and shared questions through Instagram. If you have additional questions, comment below; we’d love to keep the conversation going! You can also check out Kristen’s Q&A here >>Tips for Starting a Blog in 2021 by a Successful Mom Blogger