It’s no secret that there’s a lot of money to be made in the land of social media and blogging. Whether you are a blogger, Instagram influencer or aspiring to be one or the other, it can be very difficult to gain momentum at the beginning and keep your spark and motivation.

Working on the opposite side of influencer marketing I’m constantly scouting and vetting influencers and bloggers to work with for the brands I represent.

I run a number of campaigns weekly and I get requests to collab here and there but not everyone makes the cut.

Though every company is different and everyone has their own styles, here are some of the things I spot that make bloggers and influencers seem less prominent than their more established peers.

Micro-influencer Resources

The Micro Influencer’s Handbook: How to Land Brand Deals and Build Your Personal Brand

Influencer Negotiation Checklist

1:1 Coaching and Account Audit

1. You blend in with everyone else

It’s crazy how everyone’s Instagram feeds have begun to blend and look alike. All the influencers I see have a designated preset, pinkish, washed-out tones, a perfect picture, and always smiling with the perfect edit.

While those perfect poses are nice to see and a lot of brands want to see that, your audience can see past your bs. I can’t tell you how many influencers I unfollow daily simply because their feed has become oversaturated with fakeness and similarities to other influencers.

Trust me, there’s no need to see the same preset and pose a million times across different influencer feeds.

Essentially you should want to please your audience not the brands. After all, that’s who you want to influence right?

Which brings me to the next point.

The solution: STAND OUT! How? For one, stop looking at other feeds and focus on what YOU like, what were you doing before? Why do you want to be an influencer? Start there and then branch out and make a mood board to constantly stay on brand.

2. No authenticity

This one is sooo important.

I can’t emphasize enough how much you should stay true to YOUR brand and who YOU are instead of pleasing brands just for a paycheck.

Recently, I’ve come across a lot of bloggers and influencers who come off as fake and almost manufactured. Those are the type that will do anything to work with a brand and those are the type people usually stop following after a while.

The solution: Once again, be YOU! You can totally tell when something lacks passion or when bloggers write filler.

Just be yourself! People will love you more for standing your ground and being genuine.  

3. Engagement

When it comes to newbie bloggers and micro-influencers this is something I closely look at as I scout for my brands.

A lot of the times I get requests to work with and when I look at their engagement it’s either non-existent or they don’t even acknowledge a comment.

As an influencer you WANT to have that connection with your audience. You want them to feel connected to you in a way that they trust you and your recommendations.

The solution: Start engaging. Like comments, respond to your followers maybe host a giveaway for the loyal following. The point is to build a virtual relationship.

4. No exclusivity or brand loyalty

When it comes to sponsored content, you should be weary and mindful of your audience.

If a product works for you and you truly believe in it great, promote the the fuck out of it. However, don’t post content and promote products if you don’t truly believe in them. One thing is testing them out and another thing is being biased because you are getting paid to post.

Once again, your audience can usually tell if it’s genuine or not.

Since I work with 12 different brands I run a lot of campaigns and it’s crazy to see how many times the same girl will apply  to my campaigns even if the brands are competitors.

I had one girl review a skin care line one week and the following week  apply for another skin care line I represent. Trust me when I say, you are worth more when you attain an exclusivity.

Yes, part of the job is to review products but there is a difference in the eyes of readers between a sponsored review and a non sponsored one.

The solution: Be selective and mindful with what you promote.

5. You aren’t reaching out

This is a biggie! A lot of times I come across bloggers who post their frustrations about their blog not growing or their Instagram following remaining the same.

Here’s a tip:  stop complaining and reach out to brands.

Too many people have a dream of being “discovered” and becoming the next big thing.

Truth is, you have to put in work to be successful.

Reaching out to brands and other bloggers to collaborate can be a total game changer for your brand, your influence and your blog.  

Opportunities don’t always have to come knocking, you have to go out and look for them, let them know you are there before they start showing up at your doorstep.

The solution: Make it a goal to reach out to 3-5 brands and other influencers weekly to collab. This action alone let’s everyone know you are ready and willing to take your influence to the next level.

Hope this post was helpful to anyone looking to start, grow or simply gain insight on influencers and blogging. As always feel free to shoot me a dm on Instagram or email me with any questions, comments or concerns.

I love to hear your feedback so let me know what you think. Was this post helpful in any way? Is there something I missed? Let me know in a comment below!

Talk soon babes!