What I Learned Being a Full Time Influencer

Hey Hey!

How was your first week in the new year? Because we all know January didn’t count. I like to look at January as a trail run. Now that we made it through that month, I’m looking at the rest of the year differently. I’m actually feeling good about this year and the new ways I’m scheduling my work days. After being a full time content creator/influencer I think I’ve learned a few things. My full year was really last summer, but last year I was just trying to survive. This year I’m trying to survive and still get stuff done. So this blog is to tell you 5 Things I Learned Being A Full Time Influencer.

If you’ve been following my on Instagram or read my last blog post, you know that my job shut down and I was forced into the full time influencer life July 2019. I didn’t have any money saved, but when I found out my store was closing and I made the decision to not look for work, I simultaneously booked the biggest gig of my career at the time. That moment I knew it was time for me to shine. I genuinely believed that was God letting me know I would be okay. I made it through December, comfortably but it wasn’t until 2020 when I realized I needed to have a better approach on everything I was doing.

1. Have at least 3 months of your basic expenses saved.

This should be a no brainer, but at the time I started doing this I didn’t have any money saved. I was living paycheck to paycheck and just happy I was able to sustain my life in Los Angeles and fuel my shopping habits at the same time. I quickly learned that just because I got booked for a campaign doesn’t mean I will see the money anytime soon. Some brands pay within 7 days, or as soon as you turn in the analytics. However, majority of the brands are net30, net60, some are even net90 (the level of disrespect.) So having at least 3 months of your monthly expenses saved is super helpful when waiting for checks to hit your bank account.

2. Batch shoot, batch shoot and batch shoot some more.

There are times like any other job where I just don’t feel like doing any work. The beauty of being an influencer is I get to create content in advance. So when the days come around and I’m just not in the mood I still have content to post. What works for me is having a day to create each type of content. I pick one day out of the week to take pictures, one day to film videos and the rest to edit/prepare for the next shoots. It’s super helpful to take a lot of pictures one day when I’m in the mood and then it makes it easier to plan my posting schedule for the week. That is why I’m a firm believer of batch shooting and not scrambling for content at the last minute.

3. Keep track of those invoices.

Back to the money, because this one is important. If an influencer doesn’t follow up or keep track of their invoices, the brands won’t remind them that they haven’t been paid . Invoices often slip through the accounting department or that’s what they say, but as soon as you send an invoice make a note of when you should get paid for said invoice so when the time comes you can be on the lookout. I make a spreadsheet of all my campaign bookings on google’s spreadsheet and I also track my campaigns on Trello. The more tracking your money, the better!

4. Don’t limit yourself to one platform.

This can be overwhelming, but being on multiple platforms is super helpful. You can charge more, you have a better reach and you can grow your community faster. There are sooo many benefits of not just limiting yourself to one social media platform. Right now Tiktok is where it’s at! If you are looking to grow on another platform, Tiktok has an algorithm to actually grow right now and I’ve witnessed from others that it carries over. BUT, focus on one platform FIRST. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself in the beginning. Once you get the hang of one platform you can start adding another!

5. Be yourself.

It’s so easy to get inspired by someone else. Want to do something like someone else. Even lose yourself in the process of consuming so many identities. But being your true genuine self will get you far. There’s only one of you. When you are trying to remember what sets you apart from others, your uniqueness is what sets you apart. No one else can do you like you do you. That’s it!

This journey has been a crazy journey. I’ve learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes. But if I had yo share anything from my journey so far, it would be these 3 things. Have 3 months of expenses saved, batch shoot, keep track of invoices, post on multiple platforms and be yourself!

If you’re thinking of being an influencer/blogger/content creator I hope these tips helped you!

XO,

Yvette Corinne