I started using social media probably freshman year of highschool when Instagram just came about. I had to beg my parents to let me have a facebook account! I gave the excuse that it would keep me updated for high school soccer tryouts because that’s where the captains and coaches posted everything and that worked! But I didn’t start to monetize my social media accounts until 2018 when I started my fashion blog.
So it’s 2018 and I just graduated college – I went to Saint Joseph’s University in Philly. I got a business degree in Pharmaceutical & Healthcare marketing and just started my full time job as a medical device rep. I knew I wanted some sort of a hobby and always loved fashion, so that’s when I decided to start my fashion blog. Everything I was posting on my blog, I would go and promote that over on my Instagram. And eventually, my Instagram was getting more traffic than my blog! I started collaborating with brands that I loved and shopped from for years which was CRAZY to me! And the even more mind-boggling part was that they were posting me on their IG because they liked my content.. with millions of followers! So I was getting a ton of exposure! I really couldn’t believe it. For about a year and a half, I was juggling my 9-5 job during the week, and my weekends were packed with waking up early and heading out to go shoot content. It’s safe to say I never took a break! But I didn’t mind because I absolutely fell in love with creating fashion content. Eventually, it snowballed into what it is today. I grew my IG account from 1K to 50K+ in under 2 years. I was able to quit my 9-5 job as a medical device rep and become a fulltime content creator. It still is surreal to me that I get to call this my job because it just started out as a hobby – something fun I loved to do. I never thought I could make a full time career out of it. Now I am in the works of creating my own brand which is something I only dreamed of! I couldn’t be more grateful for the people that follow me and support me, I truly couldn’t do it without them.
I didn’t start making real money until the summer of 2020. So a little under 2 years after starting Instagram. I had my 9-5 job to juggle during the week and then the weekends were packed with creating content so I could have content to post for the next week. If I found time to shoot before or after work, I would jump on that opportunity because I knew I had things to get done. It was a hustle for a long time – it still is! I definitely had struggles juggling a full time job and this hobby I was so passionate about, but it all comes down to time management and prioritizing your time.
I have a love-hate relationship with social media – more love than hate! For the most part, I feel like I have a very healthy relationship with social media. I try not to compare myself to others and just focus on myself, my growth and my journey. I’m not saying I haven’t fallen into that hole of comparing, and trust me I did that a lot in the beginning, but I try really hard to recognize those “comparative tendencies” and then force myself to focus on something else.
Another thing I struggle with doing, which I am sure every content creator/influencer can relate to, is hyper focusing on the algorithm and my numbers. At the end of the day, I am a huge believer that quality content triumphs over the amount of followers you have, etc. And making that my mindset has really helped me deal with the anxieties I get regarding the algorithm and what curveballs it will throw at us next.
I think the most commonly misunderstood thing about social media is that it’s “easy” and all you do is “snap a pretty photo, post it, and then you are done.” HAHA. no. There is SOOO much we do behind the scenes that no everyone sees. When you are an “influencer” you wear so many hats: you are a content creator, a model, a stylist, a photographer (if you shoot by yourself), you have to scout locations, you are your own brand manager, you do brand outreach, you negotiate contracts and rates, you are basically a ONE WOMAN SHOW! There are times where I can be shooting one outfit for HOURS… and people don’t see all of that. They just see the pretty photo. There are so many layers to being a content creator. And I feel like more and more content creators are starting to show that side, which is something I try to do often by showing my audience the BTS of my shooting process.
1) Be genuinely and authentically yourself. People want to see the real you and want to connect with you. So showing your awesome personality on camera can really help build that connection between you and your audience. I know it can be scary at first, I was terrified! But practicing talking on stories once a day can really help your confidence when speaking on camera!
2) Consistency is key. For 2 years, I posted on my IG at least once a day – or at least I tried to. I think there has only been a handful of times where I had nothing to post. It’s a hustle, but it’s worth it in the end.
3) Be on different social media platforms like TikTok, pinterest, YouTube (if you are comfortable). It’s important to expand to other platforms! For example, reposting your IG posts on pinterest can do WONDERS for growth. It takes some time, but Pinterest has played a huge part in some of my posts popping off. Take advantage of what other social media platforms have to offer.
Oh that’s a hard one.. Because I am always so grateful when receiving anything from any brand. But I think whenever I receive my packages from my all time favorite brands with whom I’ve shopped from for years, I still get butterflies haha.. It’s still crazy to me that I get to work with these brands on a contractual basis and they enjoy my content.. It’s so surreal.
I will say, one product I was gifted that completely MADE MY LIFE was receiving a huge package from Ithaca Hummus – my favorite hummus brand. I had enough hummus to last me for months… it was gone very quickly I’ll just leave it there.
I always have and always will use hashtags. I know sometimes they don’t do much for your photo, but I still think using them is important. I usually find my hashtags by going to displaypurposes.com. It’s a super simple website to use: you type in a word that relates to your post i.e. fashion blogger, and the website generates a bunch of hashtags to use. It’s really helpful.
YES! This has been such a fun series to create and I have seen such positive feedback from my audience saying how much I have helped them when it comes to their own IG journey’s and creating content. A new video comes out every wednesday and we cover a new topic about the “influencer world”. For example, I have already covered how to get started, how to create a media kit, how I shoot my own content, etc. Next Wednesday it is going to be all about how to create a cohesive feed! I basically talk about things I wish someone told me when I first started this journey into content creation/influencing.
You have to recognize that this will be a HUSTLE! You have to be dedicated to creating and you have to be consistent if you want to make this as your full time job. Also, patience is key. Don’t expect growth to happen overnight – it takes a lot of hard work and time. But if you believe in yourself and your content and you are authentically you, the growth will come.
Ooooh, well hopefully Maggie is moved out by then hahah!! But, I also hope to have my brand established by then and to continually be growing and expanding my endeavours. I am so eager to be super successful and to always be my own boss – I see that for my future. And I know that will happen
