Misconceptions About Influencers

When I first started Blogging I was just that — a blogger doing it as a hobby and not what we call now which is an “influencer.” I feel like these days I’ve heard ALL the assumptions under the sun and half the time I can’t help but scratch my head and think, “what?!” With that being said here are 8 misconceptions about influencers:

1. Blogging is easy- One of the most common misconceptions I feel is that blogging is SO easy. Let me be honest – blogging requires a great deal of research, writing and marketing. It takes an incredible amount of time and dedication. This isn’t to say it’s any less fun. But it’s important not to undermine the hard work that is required to make a blog successful.
2. Influencers don’t actually work or have a real job. OMG if I got a nickel for every time I heard this one, I’d be a millionaire. People often underestimate the amount of time and skill it takes for influencers to deliver polished work that will meet a brand’s requests and deadlines. From signing contracts to following brand guidelines, submitting drafts, captions, and final products, influencers have to communicate clearly with companies and have the photography and editing skills to create high-quality content. I’m going to lay it out — blogging is an “all hours of the day, everyday of the week” kinda job. I don’t have a “team” so I do everything and I mean EVERYTHING myself.  I promise you I work 10x harder and longer hours than I did as a Staff Accountant back in the day but the ONLY difference is I truly LOVE what I do now.
3. Influencers live “perfect” lives. Although everything looks picture perfect on instagram, I PROMISE YOU, you are seeing the BEST version of everyone’s lives. As a creative, I want my page to reflect happiness and I have to portray that. We want things to look pretty and I’ll be honest, sometimes that means curating your feed. On another note however, that’s where my blog comes in. I LOVE writing on my blog because I can get super real and talk about the everyday “stuff” that we all deal with daily. I always try to share my successes, failures, struggles and very real and personal stories here. But please I beg you all to never compare yourself to anyone on Instagram because it’s truly not the “reality” you may think.
4. Bloggers get everything free and never buy anything. Listen to me. YES, there are perks and I definitely do get gifted items however, there is ALWAYS work associated to that. Nothing is free in life and to be honest, I do. buy a lot of my own clothes! I have other expenses as well – website expenses, hosting expenses, paying photographers, camera equipment, computer equipment, props and more. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t realize.
5. There are tricks to grow your following. OMG, is there really? Because I have yet to find out about this easy magical way to increase my readership. Please someone HELP. Listen unless you are Kylie Jenner, I really don’t think there is an easy fix. What works? Putting out consistent, high-quality content and engaging with your readers.
6. It’s so easy to make money blogging. I wish I could insert the eye roll emoji here. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it and we’d all be filthy rich. Before I ever started making money from blogging I would warn people that I have been doing this for YEARS and it did not come easily, trust me. I had another full time job to pay my bills when I first started and I never anticipated making money from my blog. Blogging is NOT a guaranteed paycheck and can be inconsistent season to season, even week to week! It takes a lot of time, I swear.
7. Influencers are rich. Not true in the least bit. Not all of us can afford to wear designer labels. Sure there are some people who do but I promise you it is NOT everyone. I have some designer bags but I worked my BUTT off to save money and purchased those after years and years of working hard and I will be honest – it was SO hard to fork over that much money but you have to know when to treat yourself. Some bloggers/influencers make great money off their blog while others work a 9-5 job and blog for the pure joy in it.
8. Influencers/Bloggers always look put together and amazing. Hey, maybe there are some that are just THAT fabulous but I’ll put it in perspective for you guys — I’m currently in my 2 year old pajama’s and oversized tee, slathered in moisturizer with a big pimple on my face as I write this post. On any given day, you can find me in workout leggings, my sports bra and a basic (can’t forget comfy) tee. I dread the days I have to wear high heels. But then again, maybe that’s what happens when you get to your 30s…

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