Influencer

by Brittany Hennessy

  Thank you,

  Influencer

  But if you’re lucky, every campaign you’re offered will be on brand and either be in line with your fee, or will have enough bells and whistles to make it worth it. Then you’re off to the toughest, but last stop before you can begin a campaign: finalizing a contract and deciphering the brief.

  EXPERT TIP

  A big mistake influencers make is following the paychecks as opposed to road-mapping a list of brands that they are passionate about. It is crucial to build long-lasting relationships with brand partners that feel authentic to your fans and their consumers.

  —Maximilian Ulanoff (@maximilian_ulanoff), talent agent at Buchwald

  INFLUENCER ICON

  TENI PANOSIAN

  @tenipanosian + remarques.com

  If you follow beauty influencers on Instagram or YouTube, there is a very good chance you know who Teni is. She has partnered with the biggest and best names in makeup, skincare, and fashion. She created a Halloween makeup tutorial for a pharaoh look a few years ago and it is still one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time. She’s also one of the few bloggers who has been really open with her personal and professional growth over the last few years. And she has a master’s of communication management from USC. Yeah, she’s definitely more than just a pretty face.

  ON CHANGING THE NAME OF YOUR BLOG FROM MISSMAVEN TO REMARQUES . . .

  I knew it was time for a change because I hadn’t been feeling inspired to produce blog content for some time—about a year. I did some reflecting and discovered I’d outgrown the name, and that sparked a fresh eagerness: I had an opportunity to start a completely new blog.

  I knew I wanted the personality of this new blog to be elevated and altogether more mature than MissMaven.com, which had started to feel juvenile. I wanted to keep the name easy and uncomplicated, so I decided this new site would simply be my remarks on different aspects of my life. This was a particularly big step for me, because my blog was how I entered the digital world in the first place. It had become so embedded in my professional identity that, certainly, I was very nervous to find out how my audience would receive the change. Thankfully, as people who grow and change themselves, they were very supportive, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled about that!

  ON THE YOUTUBE STRATEGY THAT HELPED YOU HIT 1,000,000 SUBSCRIBERS . . .

  The strategy has always been to create quality content, consistently. People want to see that you’re serious about maintaining a content channel, so they’ll keep coming back, in the same way that they know their favorite television show is on prime time on a certain night of the week. The YouTube algorithm also plays into how well you do on YouTube, so you have to keep it happy as well. It was a slow and steady climb for me, and still is. I think the thought process has always been focused on the quality of the content, which I’ve always been fully committed to.

  ON KEEPING UP WITH THE CHANGES TO INSTAGRAM . . .

  I don’t follow any formula for Instagram although I probably should! Instagram has changed a great deal in the last year. I’m a little more strategic now about when and what I post, but I still keep the focus on the photos and videos, making sure my audience is enjoying them. If you get too caught up in strategy it will make you crazy. It doesn’t matter, really, if the photos are staged or more “real,” as long as I’m giving people the kind of content they want to see and also making them laugh!

  ON DECIDING YOU WERE READY FOR AN AGENT . . .

  Oh, boy, was I ready. I’d been negotiating my own deals for a while before being approached by Abrams. It wasn’t easy! I’d been approached by one other notable agency in LA around the same time, but after I met with Jade and Alec, I decided I didn’t need to meet with the other agency. The qualities I looked for in an agency were there; there was no need to explore other options.

  Alec is a heavy hitter in the digital and entertainment space, and it was clear he had a vision for Abrams’s alternative programming department. After that meeting I knew I wanted to be a part of it. And I was very fortunate to be paired with my agent, Jade Sherman. I just can’t say enough about her and how we work together. I wouldn’t be where I am without her. I’m used to being the hardest worker and the shark in any group, but Alec and Jade make me feel like I’m not doing enough! Not on purpose, of course, but I’m personally inspired by their drive and work ethic.

  ON PICKING A NICHE BEFORE BRANCHING OUT . . .

  I don’t know that it’s necessarily crucial to pick a niche and excel there first before expanding, but that’s what happened with me. I was hesitant at first to cross over into fashion, because I didn’t want to be seen as the “beauty girl” trying to be a fashion expert. But quickly I learned that my audience just wanted to see my personal style; there was a demand for it. That’s what gave me the push to start sharing style content.

  Travel was an easy one to add to my content because it allowed me to begin creating these visually beautiful narrative-style videos, which I need for my own creative satisfaction. Now, it’s about diversifying the content in such a way that my audience still feels like they’re not only getting what they came to me for in the first place (beauty) but getting these new and exciting videos and photos.

  ON BEING AN INFLUENCER IN YOUR THIRTIES . . .

  The nature of this business is such that you absolutely can get started in your thirties. The challenge is the trends: Most of what becomes trendy in social media is geared toward younger people, and sometimes it feels silly to jump on that wagon if you’re not twenty-two. But that doesn’t mean you can’t cater to a more mature audience. If I weren’t doing this full time I’d be acting, because that’s what I was doing before digital took off for me. The deeper I get into this industry, though, the more I’m convinced I just want to go back to school, get more degrees . . . live the scholar life.

  ON SHARING YOUR PERSONAL LIFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA . . .

  I’m not totally comfortable sharing my personal life on social media. Some people are very comfortable with it; I’m just starting to get used to it. The only reason I’m okay with sharing personal details of my life is because I know it will debunk this idea that my life is perfect. I come from a fractured family, I have issues with anxiety, I have trouble maintaining a relationship. These are all things I’ve hesitated to share in the past, but I know there are people out there going through some of the same life issues, so if it can help people not feel alone in their struggle, that’s more than enough reason for me to open up.

  I make it my number one priority to always keep everything that comes out of my mouth honest and authentic, and that leaves very little room for negativity. Of course, I do get the occasional negative comment, but I just keep it moving. The people who write nasty comments don’t realize how transparent they are; you just kind of feel bad for them and move on. The constructive criticism, however, is always welcomed and helps me improve my content. I keep that communication very open with my audience and I appreciate their willingness to keep it 100 with me.

  ON BEING FRIENDS WITH OTHER INFLUENCERS . . .

  It’s always nice to have people around you who understand your challenges and what you go through day to day. It’s very important to have those relationships, especially in an industry that inherently feels competitive. I’ve seen nothing but support and encouragement from other influencers, and I reciprocate that; it’s the only way. Most of us made friends earlier on in our careers so it’s been nice to see how far we’ve all come.

  ON WOMEN DOMINATING INFLUENCER MARKETING . . .

  I think it’s about time women dominated an industry that sits on millions of dollars. We’ve created a space where we’ve taken our respective leads in our careers, each in our own way, and that’s extremely rare. This line of work allows content creators to do practically anything we want; we make decisions that determine where our careers go. And, industry-wide, we keep a certain level of quality and professionalism that has allowed us to be taken seriously. Truly, what
other industry do you know of that allows women to make the kind of living that we do? We don’t focus on that fact very often, but it’s monumental.

  And, in turn, our role as content creators has made way for other women to have the confidence to make big moves. I don’t look at any of what we do as creating unrealistic expectations; rather we are paving the way for this new and blossoming industry to become a brand-new opportunity for women and girls that wasn’t available just a decade ago. It’s funny, because people love to focus on the “pressures” on women. No, we can handle it. That’s what we do. And that’s what I would tell young girls who want to become content creators.

  ON HINDSIGHT BEING 20/20 . . .

  I wish I had the confidence to fully immerse myself in the digital space without hesitation. I hesitated a lot, but I would tell aspiring influencers to confidently take a step forward knowing you have something unique to offer that no one else has.

  CHAPTER 6

  The Contract

  How do you decipher all this legalese?

  Whenever I’m booking an influencer, getting her signature on the contract is either the hardest or the easiest part.

  If I’m working through the contract with her agent, manager, or lawyer, there are tons of revisions and we go back and forth until both parties are happy with the terms. But, when I send a contract directly to an influencer, it comes back so quickly I am almost certain she didn’t read it. Or if she did, she didn’t give it a thorough reading; it was more of a skim. Maybe it’s the former law student in me, but you never, ever sign a contract without reading, and I mean really reading, it.

  EXPERT TIP

  Read over EVERY contract and be aware of what you are committing to, even if you have an attorney and an agent.

  —Jade Sherman (@jadesherman), agent at Abrams Artists Agency

  Legalese is a foreign language, so I can understand why contracts are intimidating. But if you learn the basics, you can sign on the dotted line confident that you know what you’re getting into. Every contract you encounter will be different, but they should all have most of the elements that follow.

  • Personal Information. This includes your name, phone number, mailing address, and email address. Make sure all of this information is correct, as it will be how they contact you during the campaign and how they will pay you. Now is the time to disclose if the name you’ve been using on Instagram isn’t your legal name or if your bank account is actually in your maiden/married name. You don’t want your payment delayed because of this mix-up.

  • Campaign Details. This will lay out who is hiring you (it might be an agency, a publisher, or the advertiser directly), who you are creating content for (usually the advertiser), and what brand the content should be about (this is where you’ll find the name of the product or service). This section might also include the campaign brief, but that deserves its own section, so we’ll tackle it after the contract basics.

  • Shooting Schedule. Pretty self-explanatory, the shooting schedule will have the details of the photo or video shoot. You’ll look for things like date(s), city location, and shoot duration. The duration is how long you’ll be on set. It could be short, like 3 hours, or much longer, like 10 hours. Keep in mind this doesn’t include travel to or from the shoot (portal-to-portal) so always get a good night’s sleep before a shoot and plan for a long day. The contract may not always have your call time or the location of the shoot because sometimes the production team is still figuring all of that out. A few days before the shoot you’ll receive a call sheet, and it will have all the details, sometimes even times for breakfast and lunch. Every shoot I’ve ever been on has always had great food and lots of snacks and beverages. If you have any allergies or special requests (you’re vegan or gluten-free), let them know. You’ll want to make sure there are lots of options for you to eat.

  DON’T BE THAT GIRL

  Now, I shouldn’t have to say this, but when you’ve been booked for a campaign, you’re working, so you should keep personal activities to a minimum. Can you call your mom during the break? Sure. Can you text a friend how excited you are in-between looks? Why not? Can you post behind-the-scenes photos from your shoot on Instagram? Yes please, unless it’s confidential. But you probably shouldn’t take the car I sent and go to a doctor’s appointment for two hours while we’re waiting for you on set. There is no such thing as a quick doctor’s appointment. Next time, for every minute you waste, we’re going to send you a bill.

  • Deliverables. This section is devoted to what you are contractually obligated to deliver for the campaign. It could be something simple, like the caption for your Instagram post, or something more complex, like providing five full-length looks using the advertiser’s products and five variations of each look. The assets listed in this section are what the people hiring you will expect to receive before they pay you. I try to make this section as detailed as possible so there is no confusion, but you also need to read it multiple times and make sure you’ve delivered what I ask. One bag spill, one flat lay, and two street-style shots does not mean two bag spills and two flat lays. And it should go without saying, but your photos should be shot in a professional manner and should be edited with the same vigor you would use if it was an organic post. And they should be hi-res and shot at 300 dpi. If you don’t know what that means, research it and learn it before you shoot anything. Actually, your photos should be even more spectacular than what’s on your feed because you had a budget to create the content. Remember the production tips I gave you in Chapter 4? Better yet, take part of your fee and hire a professional photographer. It will show in your work and will make everyone’s lives easier.

  DON’T BE THAT GIRL

  This story still makes my blood boil because the level of unprofessionalism was astounding.

  I sent an influencer the product that she was supposed to self-shoot and then send back along with the photos. After confirming she had received the product, we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Her agent kept insisting we would have the photos by the deadline. On the day the photos were due, the agent said I would have them that night. I finally got them, and they were legit the worst photos I had ever seen. I could have given my toddler a flip phone and the photos would have been better. Some of them were on a poorly lit subway car, others were on her fire escape with the product surrounded by dead plants. I almost had a meltdown in my apartment.

  Cue me calling the agent and flipping out. She promised to get me better photos from the influencer. So, I waited. And then the influencer took the product out of the country because she wanted to shoot the photos in a cool location. Sigh. What if customs confiscated it? What if it was stolen? What if the airline lost it? So many bad things could have happened, and she obviously wasn’t thinking about any of them. But now I can’t even get the product back, so I wait. And wait some more.

  Her agent wrote me and asked for an extension. When I asked why, she said it was because the influencer was sick. Ugh. We don’t want the influencer looking a haute mess in the content, so we can’t really say no. Fine, she can have an extension. Days go by, and then I’m told the friends the influencer traveled with left the country and now she doesn’t have anyone to shoot the photos. Why this is my problem? I don’t know, but she needs another extension. I told her to go find someone with a camera, or buy one and hire someone to shoot the photos immediately. I had built a buffer into when the photos were due to the client, but now she was making me cut it close.

  More days go by and I tell the agent I will ban every single person on their roster if I don’t have these photos by the new deadline. Magically they arrive “on time.” Our brand loves them, the client loves them, and everyone is happy. Everyone but me. I am fuming. I taped those terrible photos to my walls and told everyone who came into my office the story. It all worked out in the end, but that influencer? She’s banned for life.

  • Term Summary and Flight Dates. Some contracts will include one or both of these terms, but in a
nutshell, the term summary is the length of the agreement. It usually starts the day you sign the contract and ends when the campaign is over. The flight dates are when content is live. You’ll usually have a set date you need to publish your photos and you can’t delete them, or archive them, until the flight is over.

  • Exclusivity. Pay special attention to this section, because it will dictate who you cannot work with and for how long. Sometimes it will be an advertiser’s top three or five competitors and they will tell you who is included. Other times it will be category exclusivity, in which case you cannot work with anyone in that category (lipstick, beer, paint, sunglasses, department stores, etc.). When discussing length of exclusivity, it could be one week, one month, three months, or longer. The most important thing to remember is once you agree to exclusivity, it is set in stone. It doesn’t matter if you sign a deal with a perfume company for $2,500 for three months and two months in one of their competitors offers you $100,000 for a one-year deal. You cannot work with them until your exclusivity is up, and if that causes you to miss out on $100,000, that’s the way it will need to be. Unless of course you or your agent ask the advertiser for permission and it is granted. This is why in Chapter 5, I kept telling you to request more details or a contract before you formally accept because the devil is in the details.

  Extended exclusivity should definitely cause you to increase your price. I’m a firm believer that one-month exclusivity inclusive of an advertiser’s top three competitors is fair. Anything over that should make the price go up. Exclusivity during holidays (like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day) and specialty seasons should also increase your price because advertisers throw around money like candy during these periods and you’ll have to decline more deals than normal. The high seasons vary depending on your niche, but the top five are: