What Makes WeWoreWhat Different

Some people may say that they don't pick favorites, but cmon, we all have favorites. It's only natural! That being said, I have a few favorite blogs of my own. At the top of that list is Danielle Bernstein's blog, WeWoreWhat.

I initially started following Bernstein's primarily fashion-based blog years ago, so I've seen it evolve in many ways since. She has always given insights into daily outfits, style trends, where to shop, etc., but, I just noticed a new feature on her "OOTD" (a.k.a. outfit of the day) blog posts: a list of similar articles of clothing underneath the image displayed.

This feature may have existed for a while now, but it's the first time that I have seen it and it really stood out to me. You can visit Bernstein's series of OOTD blog posts yourself if you'd like, but to give you an idea, this is what it looks like:

Notice the series of clothing at the bottom. If you visit her blog and click any of those items, it will take you to a different website where you can shop the specific item. The idea is not only very clever, but very helpful to her followers who are inspired by her daily looks. I took it upon myself to comment on her most recent post:

I stand by my comment and believe that these small features are part of what makes Bernstein's blog so successful, and as I mentioned, so appealing.

I would also like to add that this also serves as an example of the role that commenting can play. Comment sections exist for feedback and not only do bloggers or influencers encourage it, but they strongly benefit from hearing directly from their readers and followers. Feel free to leave me a comment on what you want to hear about next!

Maybe You Actually Can Trust Wikipedia

I recently took it upon myself to edit the Wikipedia page, “Influencer Marketing,” which I discuss in depth in one of my previous posts, "Where to Start Learning About Influencer Marketing."

After a few weeks, I wanted to revisit the page and see if any additions or changes had been made. To my pleasant surprise, the entire original post as well as my addition to the section titled “Why on Social Networks?,” is still intact! My main reason for sharing this with you guys is because it serves as reaffirmation to my original claim that there is in fact value in Wikipedia content. 

As I said before, a lot of the “facts” described on Wikipedia should be further researched through more consistently reliable sources, but this is a great basis. If you want to learn about the basics of Influencer Marketing and have not done so already, I highly recommend starting at this Wikipedia page. 

With such a new industry rapidly growing, there’s a lot to learn, so I’m excited to keep checking up on this page as it evolves!

Show Me the Money

The monetary aspect of being an influencer is a grey area for many people. How do you make money? Where does the money come from? These are two of the most common questions surrounding influencing as a career.

The simplest and most obvious answer to these questions is that influencers make their money off of promoting products or services and are paid by those companies. However, when you yourself are trying to become an influencer, this comes with a plethora of follow up questions.

The most important question is why would a company choose you to promote their product? This where your influencer brand is the most important. If you read either of previous posts, "Five Steps to a Better Feed" or "The Feed of an Influencer", you probably understand the importance of creating your own unique brand and how to best accomplish this. Your feed (or profile depending on the platform you're using) is your online identity, so the content being placed here (and how it is placed) is the only representation that brands see of you.

As long as you have a narrow enough focus and carefully curated content on your feed, the types of products or services that you intend to promote should be obvious. Such brands typically make contact with you first, especially if you show experience in your field. However, if you're just starting in the influencer industry, know that there is no need to wait for companies to reach out to you. While it may be more flattering or more encouraging, there's no shame in reaching out to similar brands or brands that you would like to showcase on your feed. Waiting for a company to find you first is sometimes a waste of time, when you can be making the introduction yourself.

In addition, you should treat this as you would any business investment. You may have to start by first buying products or services at retail value and advocating for those brands without anything in return. However, this will still help with your own brand's exposure. You may also want to consider in investing in other users who promote your page, but this is often not necessary. In due time, the next step will likely be purchasing products or services at a discount in exchange for content. Then, eventually, you will be in a place where products will not only be given to you for free, but you will be paid to endorse them.

The expression, "slow and steady wins the race," perfectly describes this industry, as it does most business ventures. But remember, the monetary profit has proven to exist in influencing if you continue to work at it.