Influencer

by Brittany Hennessy

  PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

  Now is the time to cue up those press materials we made in Chapter 4. A nice intro email telling the agent who you are, why you’d be a great addition to their roster, and links to your blog, social media accounts, one-sheet, and press kit will suffice. Spell their name right, get the company correct, and make sure your email is short and sweet and that all the links work. Also tell them you’ll be following up in two weeks to see if there is any interest. They may be busy, but so are you, and every minute you don’t have an agent, some other girl is booking a campaign that was meant for you!

  EXPERT TIP

  I look for engaging content and content that I personally want to watch. Influencers should reach out to agents; it’s very easy to find an agent’s email and shoot a quick personal email. It should not be a mass email, but something that is specific to that agent (mention other clients, specific deals, etc.). Make sure to include links to your platforms!

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

  INFLUENCER ICON

  CARA SANTANA

  @caraasantana + caradisclothed.com

  You probably recognize Cara Santana from Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix with Drew Barrymore or Salem or CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. You might have also seen her living her best life with Jesse Metcalfe on Instagram. Or maybe you’ve downloaded The Glam App, a not-so-little company she created to provide women with luxury on-demand beauty services. Regardless of where you know her from, she is taking over the world and looking absolutely stunning while doing so.

  ON BLOGGING AS A SECOND CAREER . . .

  I never made a decision, per se, to become a blogger. At the point in time that I launched CaraDisclothed, I was getting a lot of attention for what I was wearing. Through my relationship and the media interest, my style became a focal point with young women in particular. I loved the idea of having an open dialogue with other women about style.

  As an actress, what you wear and the impression you communicate with your aesthetic is one of the first aspects of developing a character. So for me, fashion goes hand in hand with my career as an actress. Ultimately, the industry evolved, and influencing via the digital platforms has become big business. I love that girls have become editors of their own online magazines, aka a blog, and have direct access to consumers who are invested in what they wear. The name of my blog came from a friend. It was a play on words and how to dissect and strip down what you wear to what it means or says about you.

  ON PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT . . .

  The one thing you have over anyone else is your point of view, your individuality. So I always ask myself, “Is what I do intrinsic to my identity?” If it’s not, I don’t do it. You have to stay true to yourself. Audiences are discerning these days, and if you aren’t genuine, people see right through that. So that’s first and foremost.

  Second, know what you’re good at and what your weaknesses are. And once you’ve identified that, find someone whose strengths are your weaknesses. I, for one, cannot edit photos, so I hire someone (Karen Rosalie) who gets my aesthetic and curates my content’s editing to fit. There is no shame in that. It’s a big business, and no one runs a successful business on their own.

  And last, there is more power in no than yes. Stand your ground, maintain your value, and know your worth. Saying no only builds your stock.

  ON TRAVELING SO OFTEN . . .

  Being on the road is both a blessing and a curse. I love the experience of traveling and being exposed to new and different cultures and experiences, however, it can be lonely and tough at times. I usually travel with my assistant to ensure I’m able to maintain my workload as I also am the founder and CEO of The Glam App and an actress, and I sometimes bring my photographer. I love traveling with my fiancé, and whenever I can, I bring my dogs so I don’t get too homesick.

  In the event that I have a heavy workload, I shoot content in advance. I’m typically working with six weeks of content, so I’m never without. We have a working editorial calendar so there is a lot of methodology to what I have lined up. I also try to balance my schedule as much as possible so I don’t burn out or get too tired. There’s a lot that goes into this job. From coordination with agent, manager, and publicist to scheduling, photography, etc.—it really is a machine.

  ON POSTING CONTENT WITH YOUR FIANCÉ, ACTOR JESSE METCALFE . . .

  Most people think I don’t post him enough. There’s definitely a balance of not exploiting the relationship, maintaining some anonymity as an actress, and still engaging with people in an authentic way. I try to let it be genuine without making it the focal point of my story. As with everything, it’s really strategic. But if I do post Jesse, he has approved the photo! Ha ha.

  ON TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND FOUNDING THE GLAM APP . . .

  I didn’t have a background in beauty, tech, business, finance, or anything else that would really go along with building a business. That being said, I worked hard, I focused on the goal, and I asked for advice and expertise where I needed it. Building a team around me who all have strong areas of skill was fundamentally important, and not being afraid to fail was a huge part of it. If I had known what it would take, I never would have done it, so my naïveté paid off. But as it’s grown, I’ve made it a point to apply myself and learn what I originally did not know.

  I think my biggest piece of advice to anyone venturing out and starting a business is focus on what it is you are trying to do, your mission statement. From there, surround yourself with people who balance your abilities and don’t take your criticism personally, but take it seriously. Life and business is an evolution and you have to be open to the journey.

  ON WOMEN DOMINATING INFLUENCER MARKETING . . .

  I love that women dominate the field. It’s one of the only business arenas we do! I’m proud of my friends and colleagues who have paved the way to create this sustainable and profitable business for themselves. They are entrepreneurs, businesswomen, and they are creative, expressive, and thoughtful while doing something they love.

  Of course, living your life through the camera lens can cause a distortion of reality, which is why it’s important to balance the truth and fiction. I see a lot of women making a point to show a more full and realistic version of their life. However, we are artists, content creators, and just like making a movie, you cut out the parts that aren’t the best, and that doesn’t make it disingenuous. People want to see aspirational imagery, and we—both the influencers and society at large—have the responsibility to educate young women on realistic goals and expectations. Art and commerce have always required balance.

  ON HINDSIGHT BEING 20/20 . . .

  Looking back, I would tell my younger self, “Don’t compare yourself, don’t judge yourself—be yourself!”

  PART 4

  Planning Your Future

  CHAPTER 8

  The Goal

  How do you prepare for what’s next?

  Once you’re a bona fide influencer you’ll constantly be asking yourself what’s next. In an industry where you’re only as good as your last six posts, you must always be on the lookout for ways to stand out to advertisers and increase the value of your personal brand. There are three steps to a long-term career as an influencer, and in this closing chapter we’ll talk through getting repeat business, securing long-term campaigns and ambassadorships, and starting your own business.

  When working with an influencer on a campaign, I am happy when she does the bare minimum: answering emails in a timely manner, producing beautiful content or being pleasant on a photoshoot, and providing all deliverables /posting on time. But you know who my favorite influencers are? The ones that I’ve booked over and over? They’re the influencers that went the extra mile. I’ve never thought “underpromise and overdeliver” was a good business motto, but they were definitely onto something with the “overdeliver” part.

  A few months ago I was checking my mail at work, not my email, my physic
al mail from the post office, when I found a thank-you letter from an influencer I had booked. It was such a lovely note and I put it right next to the two other thank-you notes I had received. I have booked hundreds of influencers and I have received exactly three thank-you notes. Three. Now do you have to send a thank-you note? Of course not. But should you? Absolutely. If all other things are equal, I am pushing for the influencer who sent the thank-you note each and every time.

  Something as small as a note can light up someone’s day, so imagine the points you score when you provide advertisers with extra content they didn’t pay for. I have busted out an entire dance routine in the office when this happens, and the influencer barely had to do extra work. Here are a few examples:

  • Provide us with a mood board. When you’re figuring out what to shoot for a campaign, you’re planning it all out anyway. You have inspiration for hair, makeup, clothing, and location. A mood board is a document that shows the reader your vision for the shoot. Is it inspired by a happy California beach girl or is it grittier and inspired by New York Street style? It helps everyone get on the same page and allows for any course correction if you’re missing the mark. I’ll never forget when I hired @scoutthecity for a campaign and she sent back a mood board before she started shooting. I shared it with the client and not only were they thrilled, but they booked her directly for a future campaign.

  • Take and send extra photos. If I ask you to send six looks for a campaign and you send eight, you’ve automatically made everyone’s life easier. Not only will my team have more photos to choose from, but we can also tell the advertiser we were able to get them two extra looks at the same price. If you’re posting content on your own pages and you can throw in an extra blog post, do it. Maybe the listicle they hired you to do was “One Dress Five Ways” but you could also make a listicle called “Seven Things I Pack on Every Trip” and make the dress one of them. You were already doing that article, but now you’ve given an advertiser an extra plug. No one is going to be angry about that.

  • Throw in an extra post or an Instagram Story. I’ll usually contract an influencer for one post, because anything more than that is usually outside my budget. But takeovers are the crème de la crème of Instagram activations. A takeover is when an influencer posts three photos/videos in a row. It’s called a takeover because the brand has “taken over” the top row of the influencer’s feed, and if it sounds expensive, that’s because it is. So imagine my delight when an influencer is only obligated to post once, but she posts three times. Now, such posts don’t need to be an official part of the campaign, but you can work them into your regularly scheduled content. I once hired an influencer for a purse activation. She posted the official photo, but she also posted an organic photo of herself wearing the purse out on the town and one at a restaurant with her purse on the table. The client absolutely lost their minds and sent her a purse to keep. Sometimes you don’t have room to add in extra posts, but don’t worry—Instagram Stories are just as good. An influencer I hired for a campaign did a random, nonbranded story wearing the advertiser’s dress and they made me promise to include her every time they ran a campaign. A free bag and guaranteed work for a few posts? The influencer definitely came out on top in both of these scenarios.

  LET’S MAKE IT OFFICIAL

  You might be wondering, When is the best time to talk to an advertiser about a long-term partnership? The answer to that is while the success of your last campaign is still fresh in their minds. If you’ve fulfilled your contractual obligations and you’ve overdelivered, you are my favorite influencer for at least seventy-two hours. But don’t just make a generic request. This is where research and strategy are key. When everyone starts talking about Fashion Week, tell the advertiser you’d love to be their correspondent and you’ll include an item of clothing or a beauty product in X number of photos throughout the week. If they have a semiannual sale coming up, suggest partnering with them a month before the sale to promote it to your followers and tease some of the great items that will be available. Take a look at some past activations the advertiser has done and figure out what you could bring to the table that will make it even better.

  For even longer-term partnerships or the holy grail of brand ambassadorships, think about life events that your audience will care about. If you’re going to spend the next year sprucing up your home, pitch that to Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Wayfair and see if they’ll be the official partner of your home renovation. In exchange for products and monetary compensation, you’ll shop exclusively at their store while updating your home, and your audience will have a constant reminder that X advertiser is a great place to get everything they’ll need. Pregnant? From the announcement that you’re expecting to the first picture of your newborn baby, partner with a brand like Destination Maternity. They also have a partnership with buybuy BABY, so if the pregnancy partnership goes well, you’ll be able to discuss a partnership during your first year as a new mom.

  Bust out your media kit and add a new section detailing this partnership. Include the duration and how many blogs/vlogs they would get along with the number of Instagram posts. Write the headline and a summary of a few articles you would include as well as the overview of any contests or sweepstakes you would run. Let them know why this collaboration makes sense and why your audience will love it. Give them everything but the price. Too low and you’ll sell yourself short. Too high and you’ll price yourself out. You want to get them excited about the partnership because it will be mutually beneficial. You can hammer out the specifics later. And if you’re worried about them stealing your idea, don’t be. It’s not necessarily the idea that is special. It’s your aesthetic, your audience, and your vision. Don’t think of it as why this idea would make a great campaign. Think about why you are the best person to execute it.

  Constantly coming up with new ideas is exhausting, and no one knows your audience better than you do, so do your research, get creative, and pitch away. The brand and your audience will thank you for it.

  THE COLLABORATION

  A big day for any influencer is the day they secure a major collaboration with a brand. Jackie Aina (@jackieaina) is an influencer known for her commentary on the exclusionary practices of the beauty industry. For her thirtieth birthday she announced that she was teaming up with Too Faced Cosmetics to expand their Born This Way foundation line and create darker and deeper shades. Marianna Hewitt (@marianna_hewitt) is known for her rose-tinted Instagram feed, and she collaborated with NYC-based accessories brand Dagne Dover on a “personally curated capsule collection in warm shades of blush and dusk.”

  You’ve probably heard of Michelle Phan’s Em Cosmetics company and Zoe Sugg’s Zoella Beauty brand, but there are many influencers who have used their online success to create and market products. Shayla Mitchell has partnered with Maybelline, Jacklyn Hill has partnered with Morphe and Becca, and Carli Bybel has partnered with BH Cosmetics. Kathleen Fuentes has KL Polish, and Laura Lee created Laura Lee Los Angeles, a makeup line that is cruelty-free and vegan.

  But you don’t need to be a mega influencer to try your hand at collaborations. There are plenty of smaller brands that would love to collaborate with an influencer who will promote a co-branded product. Spend time looking for small skincare/makeup/perfume companies and clothing/accessories designers. Just like you would put together a pitch for a brand for a long-term partnership, create a proposal for collaborating with this brand. What expertise or special skills can you offer? How do you know this will resonate with your audience? Why are you the best person for this partnership? Wow business owners with your knowledge of their industry and the research you’ve done on their brand and their goals.

  Networking is key. Whether you’re building your community, packaging your brand, monetizing your influence, or planning your future, networking is the common thread that runs through all stages of influence.

  EXPERT TIP

  The basic formula for influence is P × N: Persuasiveness tim
es Network. If you’re reading this book and you want to be or already are an influencer, then the chances are you intuitively understand how this formula works better than ninety-nine out of a hundred people. Even if you have just five or ten thousand followers, then you already have a network. And if you’re not there yet, you can get there. Wherever you are on this journey, you know the steps to take. You’re the influencer and everyone else is not.

  There are going to be haters along the way. They will be wrong, but some of them will manage to get under your skin. Just know this, and I can tell you with certainty having followed influencer marketing from the start, having talked with many influencers, and having talked to all types of industry insiders: The wind is at your back.

  People are only just beginning to realize what influencers can be. The fact that you’re an influencer now, at this moment, the beginning of it all, already suggests that you’re favored. That favor will continue because influencer recognition is just getting started.