The Miner: Issue 11

Your weekly dose of OMG, LOL, and WTF in influencer marketing by Brittany Hennessy

Hello everyone!

So many of you love this newsletter and I truly enjoy creating it. You’ve asked for a podcast, interviews, and longer articles and I’m ready for the challenge.

Beginning March 15th, The Miner will switch to a paid subscription model so I can expand and take influencer industry news to the next level.

More details will be on their way, but get excited because this is going to be amazing.

But first… community wins:

• Maya Howard was chosen in the airbnb home cook contest. She read it in The Miner, entered and now she’s off to Tuscany on a cooking scholarship!

If you have a big win that you want me to share, hit that reply button and let me know.

Let’s get into it!

Brittany

💎 The biggest question a brand asks about an influencer, especially one that charges a lot, is “but can they move product?” Unless you go through an affiliate link partner, it’s really difficult to see whether or not your audience buys what you recommend. MikMak is trying to change that. If it takes off it will be amazing for influencers who convert, but it will be awful for those that don’t. But then again, if you audience doesn’t pick up what you’re laying down… are you really even an influencer?

💎 The beauty industry has been one of the leaders in influencer marketing. That’s exactly why they’re now focused more on artists than creators. Have makeup brands run out of talent to activate, or are they looking for more content from experts instead of enthusiasts? I don’t know, but we’re all going to find out.

💎 I knew TikTok was dominating the social scene but I didn’t know they had an official partnership with IMG for NYFW. This is your weekly reminder to stop being afraid and download the app.

💎 RXBAR has decided to treat influencers like a creative agency and the brand is letting creators handle the marketing of its limited edition flavors. I love this so much and it will really give a leg up to influencers who create amazing content but don’t necessarily have a large follower count. Audience can be reached via paid ads, but amazing content and a strong voice is much harder to come by.

💎 In the auto industry, influencers are taking the place of traditional journalists. In every group I’m in journalists are always hating on influencers. It’s not an influencer’s fault they don’t have to be fair and unbiased, in fact, that’s exactly why their audience loves them.

💰 My girl Farah Merhi was profiled in the NYTimes. She runs the decor account @inspire_me_home_decor and is killing it with almost 6MM followers even though she has THREE underscores in her handle! This article is proof that curating inspiring content is a lucrative way to become an influencer. You can be the star of your handle, but you don’t have to be.

💰 As a cannabis influencer you can make a nice amount of money per post, but your account could get shut down at any moment. Would you risk it for a THC biscuit?

💰 Forbes asks the most important question ever: Is being a social media influencer a real career? We all know the answer is yes, but this article will help you with some stats the next time someone bothers you about it. Which, let’s be honest will be tomorrow if it doesn’t happen today.

💰 Every influencer and their mom is launching their own brand and we might be in the “golden age of the ‘influencer brand.’” But the road to turning your personal brand into a profitable business is full of failures even though you only hear about the mega success stories.

💰 The rise of influencers means the rise of influencer marketing agencies. But when brands refer you to these companies a lot is lost in the process. From deep knowledge of the brand’s products and consumers, to the personal connections connections you worked SO HARD to make, will agencies be the death of us?

⚫ This is an interesting read on black skincare influencers. The only reason it’s in this section is the fact that it needs to be written at all.

⚫ When you work really hard to promote products and services your audience will benefit from, it can be disheartening, and downright enraging to see your image used without permission promoting a company or product you’ve never heard of. Companies are stealing influencer’ faces and it doesn’t seem like a whole lot can be done. Thanks Roy Porter for the link!

⚫ There is serious drama in the knitting community after an influencer named her yarns after social justice words like “gaslight,” “othering,” and “woke.” I can always see why people *would* be outraged about something, but I don’t always think they *should.* To be honest I had a chuckle because the whole thing is ridiculous. Beauty and coupon influencers move over, the knitters are here.

⚫ This influencer made $1.5 million… by convincing people to give her their bank account and debit card numbers. This is crazy and an actual scam. Not like when influencers forget they are not event planners and mess up a tour.

⚫ Could you fake an entire trip to Bali in an Ikea? This influencer showed off her skills when she did just that. I mean it’s kewl and all, but do we really need more people calling attention the the fact that influencers can rip people off? I just need a break.

That's it for this week's edition of The Miner. Don't forget to reply and tell me your thoughts or join the Carbon August facebook group and say hey!