Myth #1: They’re Lazy.
Many believe that people only become influencers because they don’t want to get a “real” job. However, being an influencer is quite a challenging discipline that demands professionalism, and measurable results.
Content creators work HARD to build a personal business, create value for their audience, develop creative content for brands, and ultimately, convert prospective consumers into customers. Influencers are far from lazy; they are entrepreneurs who are constantly looking for new ways to innovate the fields they genuinely care about the most.
Myth #2: Influencers Don’t Have to Pay for Anything.
Getting free products is definitely a perk to being an influencer, but they don’t pay the bills. In fact, influencers can even be so overwhelmed with excess brand product in their homes, that they may bring on an assistant, simply to manage reselling / donating their brand inventory.
Plus, while many influencers strive to “run their own show,” managing multiple brand opportunities can get VERY time consuming and tough to coordinate. Creatives often invest not only time, but money to make outstanding, unique content. This can mean paying other professionals such as photographers, editors, lawyers, and managers to help them create quality content and manage their professional brand partnerships. And this can add up quickly.
And, while influencers’ analytics are currently freely available, this may not be the case in the near future. With the recent changes to Instagram’s Brand Collabs Manager, a platform that connects brands and influencers directly, we could see Instagram charge influencers and/or brands for access to these analytics as part of a partnership or service fee.
Myth #3: Not Just Anyone Can Be an Influencer.
This statement is a myth insofar that not just anyone can make an instagram account today, and get paid for a brand collab tomorrow. Obviously, you have to put in work first. But once you do, we dare say, ANYONE can be an influencer.
The work starts with thinking critically about your passions and what your individual niche would be. Whether you are an animal lover that posts videos of raccoons stealing food from trash cans, or a bookworm that posts excerpts of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, there is surely an audience for you. Remember that the size of your following doesn’t matter as much as the quality of engagement you have with your audience. You don’t need to win the world to be successful, you just have to have a relationship with your audience, and know them inside and out.
Want more? Check out these 3 Ways to Make Your Brand Pitch Stand Out.