The Miner: Issue 10

Brittany's back. Tell a friend. You guys! It has been far too long since I rolled through your inbox and I have missed you dearly.

But fear not, I've been super busy creating resources for you so let me hit you with the housekeeping and then we can get into Issue 10!

• #creatorscollective is your portal to brand partnerships, media opportunities, event invites. We've been live for less than a month and already had our first member book a campaign! [Join Here]

• The Summer Semester of the Influencer Business Plan is open for enrollment. Class starts May 9th but you know what they say: the early bird gets the discount worm. [Enroll Here]

• I'm headed to Dallas next month followed by Chicago in May for my brand building workshop. [Register Here]

I hope you enjoy this week's edition and don't forget to tell your friends. Hit "reply" with any and all feedback and if you read a good link send it to info@carbonaugust.com. Here we go!

💎 "We don’t have time for people selling weight-loss teas while the Amazon burns." Why advocacy i

💎There are a lot of National Days to think about when creating content but Linqia narrowed down the big ones for the influencer industry.

💎 Instagram miiiight be letting us view our timelines in chronological order. I think I like this update more than the one where they encourage you to unfollow people.

💎 Doctors and nurses are killing it in the influencer game but people wonder if they're crossing a line. They're in a tough spot because they can't look to an older generation of medical influencers and ask "how did you handle this?" Their jobs are on the line with every post, but it's amazing to see people using their 9-to-5 to become influencers. It's such a big trend even the NYTimes covered it.

💎 Are you someone who just can't get on TikTok no matter how much I tell you to do it? Maybe you really miss Vine and you don't want to let go. Well you're in luck. Byte is the latest app from the creator of Vine and you can download it and test it out.

💰 How Sh-t That I Knit turned her blog into a million-dollar business.

💰 Meet the founders behind Casely, a phone case company that made $150k in 2019 and $10MM in 2019. The difference? Influencers of course.

💰 IGTV Monetization is FINALLY here. Well for some people at least. You've been creating content for it over the past 18 months right?

💰 Every influencer I know who has taken a stab at TikTok has surpassed their IG following in less than one month. And you don't even need to do a whole photo shoot. Just dance in your house and lip sync. UTA just signed the biggest TikTok influencer to their roster. Fashion TikTokkers (is that what they're called?) were sitting front row at NYFW (is that still a thing?) And the platform totally took over the Super Bowl (people are still watching that?) If ya'll don't download this app...

💰 If you weren't aware there is an election this year <sarcasm> so of course candidate support is all over social media. But Bloomberg might be the first presidential candidate to pay influencers to create memes. At first Facebook said no. But I am sure Mark saw the dollar signs light and now they are in the clear. So if you're voting for Bloomberg, go get your money! I am SURE other candidates will be next. PolitcalSponCon FTW.

💰 Sharenting is on the rise since making your kid an influencer can mean they have a very comfortable childhood. Private school, endless lessons, vacations on vacations, all paid for by your children? I mean look at @theshirleytempleking. He's just out here living his best life and reviewing non-alcoholic drinks. There's lots to consider before making your child an influencer but at the end of the day it's a decision only the parents can make.

⚫ The FTC is trying to figure out if the influencer Endorsement Guides are working so they're going to ask the public. You know. Instead of bringing qualified people on board to help with the information they put out. Le sigh.

⚫ We've talked about what happens when a vegan influencer starts eating meat or a when a wedding influencer gets divorced. But what happens when an influencer couple with a joint account breaks up? Do they need something like a prenup? Who gets the account? So many questions.

⚫ Jaclyn Hill had an awful 2019. We saw the bad lipsticks, the social takedown, and the terrible customer service responses. What we didn't see was her battle with depression over the ordeal and how she turned to alcohol to cope and gained 30lbs. It's hard for followers to remember that influencers (like celebrities) are people too, but when you guys are transparent with your audience that goes such a long way.

⚫ This YouTuber faked his girlfriend's death to gain subscribers. The video racked up almost 1MM views and he made bank. These are the influencers YouTube should be watching. Not people who are trying to become successful creators and need to spend 36 years on the site before they can monetize.

⚫ It looks like CGI influencers are breaking the law. Not because they're failing to disclose, but because since they're not real, they can't actually try the product. The whole thing is fascinating. I say the more the merrier but let's all be on a slightly even playing field.

That's it for this week's edition of The Miner. Don't forget to tell me your thoughts and share this issue on social! If you loved it you can buy me a coffee or join the Carbon August facebook group and say hey!