Member-only story
Why I’ll Never Be an Influencer
“So-and-so is looking for ambassadors and wants to collaborate with you! DM so-and-so!”
I get message requests like this in my Instagram DMs at least once a week. Fitness brands mostly, the occasional jewelry brand. I always laugh because if so-and-so wants to work with me so much, why do I have to DM them? When my current employer found me on LinkedIn, they reached out to me directly.
Ever since the OG influencer Paris Hilton trademarked the phrase “that’s hot,” the interest in getting paid for doing nothing has skyrocketed. The idea of being an “influencer” sparked visions of expensive cars and white sandy beaches, free stays at exotic resorts, and comp’d meals at fancy restaurants. Getting paid for snapping a photo or mentioning a product in an Instagram caption was the dream. Feeling like one of the rich and famous was the fantasy.
I’ll admit; as I started growing my brand as The Girl with the Tree Tattoo on social media, I looked at the influencer route as a way to monetize. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to include someone else’s product in a post now and then. I even signed up to be an ambassador with a fitness clothing brand. My audience was filled with dancers who needed workout clothes after all, and this particular company emphasized the empowerment of women…
