My Life as a Social Media Influencer
My general thoughts
In today’s society I think the word ‘influencer’ has been overused. There are people prancing around informing every bystander that they are one. For me personally, I don’t think I will ever be a fan of being labelled that, but it is what it is, and I have slowly come to terms with it (took about 5 years though). Why? Simply because there’s no modest way of saying the word ‘influencer’. I believe the title has earned itself a bad reputation, where it has connotations of being conceited, condescending and snobby. It’s people believing they are better than others in society due to their self-proclaimed social status, which stems through ego and entitlement.
For many years, I’ve said that people shouldn’t be treated differently because of their follower or likes count on a social media platform. I would be the same person regardless of my count, and I’ve given all my close friends permission to give me a verbal spray and/or a whack to the head if I ever let all this influencer business get to me where I become hubristic and supercilious.
What it means to me?
Life as an ‘influencer’ to me is not about chasing the fame, followers or likes. I enjoy creating valuable content. Instagram started as a means of expressing my creativity, it was my creative outlet and throughout the years, I’ve managed to build an audience through my content creation. I will always appreciate the support and want to just continue to do what I enjoy doing – creating content.
What you see
When it comes to Instagram, I choose what to showcase. It’s authentic, but it’s still the best of the lot. That’s why you see influencers taking numerous photos to get the perfect shot. My grid is a window into my world, but not my entire world. I hear and see people comparing their lives on what they see on Instagram, and it’s not healthy. Just remember, that what you see on Instagram is the glowing one percenters. I will always keep it real, but I also like to keep my grid looking aesthetic and appealing as well because at the end of the day, on a surface level, Instagram is a visual platform.
My life behind the glamorous, buzz-word ‘title’
Like many of you reading this, I work a full time job, and this influencer gig is a full time job too. Along with other commitments, this balancing act does get tough at times, but it is a choice that I make, and enjoy doing.
I have been encouraged to be a full time content creator, however I choose to work a traditional full time role to learn new skills and acquire more knowledge, but also to earn a steady income. I like structure with my finances.
On a standard week, from Monday to Friday, after coming home from the 9-5, I give myself two to three hours to work on life admin, personal projects and influencer work. If I’m attending an event or a few throughout the week, then I’ll organise my time to complete the tasks I need to prior to this. You will also know I like to stay fit, so going to the gym will always be scheduled into my week, but this is just routine.
At the end of the day, being an ‘influencer’ is only part of my life. I’m also a son, a brother, a friend, a boyfriend and a work colleague as well.
The ‘influencer’ life
It’s safe to say that the mass assumption of being an “influencer” involves taking photos of yourself, attending events, receiving freebies and being able to live the luxurious life. However, it is not all as glamourous as it may seem. There are influencers out there (myself included) which have worked their way up to get the following they have today and continue to work to ensure they are producing content their audience values. They built their business from the ground up and did not take the easy way out. The events, freebies naturally come along with that.
Events – When it comes to events, it’s generally a choice to attend or not. I am conscious of my schedule, so if the event is just not something I personally resonate with, I would opt not to go. Sometimes, there’s other commitments or just lots of things to check off my to do list as well, so I prioritise. Although, if I have some spare time, I do like to attend, as it’s great to meet new people, see familiar faces, and enjoy the event itself.
Posting - When it comes to posting, it’s important to be organised. I follow a posting schedule I created the week prior and will also be working on the following week’s schedule too. This means throughout the week I will be planning in what needs to be done on the weekend in order to get my content out. Weekends are generally the only days I can do any photography or filming as by the time I get home from work, the light is not in my favour.
If I’m attending events throughout the weekday, I’ll plan ahead, but also work around it, to ensure I tick off what I need to do. There’s also a blog post upload to do every fortnight.
Almost every weekend, is a content building weekend, and that will need to be weaved into anything else in the calendar such as a friend’s birthday, life admin etc. It can get crazy, but it challenges my organising skills and I love being productive. I’m constantly on the go, fidgety, prefer to be on my feet than being seated - you get the gist.
Campaigns - For client campaigns, you can’t simply take a few snaps and the job is done. There are deliverables that need to be met, and I need to ensure I meet the brief but also stay true to my personal brand. Some clients will request for approval prior to posting too, and that can be a waiting game at times. There are many more steps for this process but I’m just giving a brief insight.
Collaborations – I work with brands I believe in, align with, admire or intrigued by. It’s how I stay authentic with my content and you guys. So, on average, I’ll reject more than half the offers I receive. My feed isn’t an advertising billboard, I see it more as a reference point for anyone looking for some style inspiration or tips, a suggestion on where to eat, how to stay fit, throw in some life advice along with everything else life entails – all communicated in a relatable manner.
Staying relevant
Just like everyone else, I always keep an eye on all the updates and next trends on social media platforms, and ensuring I adapt to any that I align with, especially with algorithm changes being an occasional tough code to crack. Additionally, my mind is always working and thinking of content to produce and put out as well. Being an ‘influencer’ requires research too, haha.
Haters
No matter what you do, you will always have someone or something trying to tear you down. In social media, people get to do it electronically, so it gives them a wall to hide behind, and in some cases, it can make the hate a little nastier. I either respond on a constructive manner or simply ignore. I generally opt for the latter. It’s not worth it. I can’t please everyone no matter what I do. Not giving haters an excuse but as soon as you put yourself on social media learn to grow a thick skin because receiving hate is inevitable.
Reflection
I often get told, you are so privileged to be an ‘influencer’, it’s so easy and you get so many benefits for doing nothing. In my opinion, being an influencer isn’t easy, because if it was, everyone would do it and succeed. It’s not about getting free things, nothing is ever free. Brands and agencies don’t randomly pick names out of a hat, they choose certain people because they find value in them. There’s always going to be outsiders hating, but I know I’ve worked hard throughout the years to be where I am. Negativity will always be there, just don’t let it pull you down.
As an influencer, I’ve been extremely lucky to work with so many great local and international brands, eat at numerous cafes and restaurants, meet so many new faces, attend amazing events and be given some cool things. It’s been a unique journey, and I hope to continue to do this for a long time.
It’s cliche, but you guys have helped put me in this position to do all this, whether you’ve been here from the beginning, or have recently followed, engage with my content, like my posts, provide me feedback, engage with my content, read these blogs and more, I’ll always be grateful.
On top of this, I do have a supporting cast as well behind the scenes. My younger sister and Elyssa are generally the most involved, but there are other times where my family and friends have all chipped in to help me. Saying I’m blessed is an understatement.
Hopefully, this has given you guys a glimpse on what my life is like being an influencer. It probably isn’t as glamorous as some may have thought and for me it does take hard work, but I choose to live it this way, and I love it.
