Is it just me, or does it seem like everybody and their brother (or dog) is now some sort of influencer? Don’t get me wrong, I am all about sharing ideas with others and, with that, blogging also brings a degree of creativity which I am also an advocate for.
My concern is, with all of the influencer noise out there, how do we know what we can trust?
Additionally, what criteria is needed to have a brand see you as an influencer?
I have always been curious on this subject, but it didn’t hit me over the head until I watched both Fyre Festival documentaries and thought, “okay, this influencer culture is IN-TENSE.” While watching, I thought about the people who purchased tickets to this event: had they built up a trust with the influencers spreading the word of this “experience” or were they intoxicated by the viral video of a once-in-a-lifetime-party on the beach?
A few days after watching these documentaries, a thread on Twitter caught my eye (okay, actually the gif of Catherine O’Hara on Schitt’s Creek caught my eye, but, whatever):
That Instagram influencer I occasionally check in on because she's The Worst is now charging $165 for a 4 hour "seminar" on how to be yourself. pic.twitter.com/zLvBFn9dPI
— Kayleigh Donaldson (@Ceilidhann) December 20, 2018
It was all about a New York-based influencer who built a strong following and decided that – at 23 – she was the ideal person to hold a seminar to teach people “how to live their best lives” (or some hokum like that).
Long story short, she got people to buy tickets but was in over her head and had to cancel appearances and seemingly screwed some people over and it’s the oldest story in the book.
I had never heard of this gal before and, after creeping on her social media for a little bit, I couldn’t figure out why she would be someone others would seek advice from.
This brought more curiosity to mind and begged the question of: exactly how involved is it to become an influencer? Given the vast amount of influencers who have popped up in a relatively short amount of time, I gathered it can’t be that difficult.
I’m a blogger, but never once considered myself a person of influence. However, I wanted to know what it would take for a brand to see me as such.
Without getting into the details, it didn’t take a lot and I now have a variety of products to test and review on my blog. My point is, I was surprised that my requests for sample were taken to so easily, and while I’m grateful for the opportunity and plan to write honest and in-depth reviews, I worry about others not being honest, and misleading impressionable followers.
With all of this in mind, my plea is this – follow whomever you want, like whatever posts you want, but please do your own research. Don’t be swayed by a well-filtered photo of a pretty girl sipping tummy-shrinking tea.
There is so much noise on the Internet that it is easy to get caught up in the mess of the storm, but take the time to do your own digging and spend your money and time wisely, especially when it comes to your profession.
Thank you for coming to my Taylor Talk.
Staff Writer, Taylor Leddin is a publicist and freelance writer for a number of national outlets. She was featured on Thrive Global as a successful woman in journalism, and is the editor-in-chief of The Tidbit. Taylor resides in Chicago and has a Bachelor in Communication Studies from Illinois State University.
