Frequently Asked Questions

A fair question, that I receive often. Influencing is a new type of "job" and a bit of weird one at that. Let me explain best as I can using a typical influencer type role:

Let's say someone's a fashion influencer. Every day this person would create content (most often posted to Instagram) that provides value to their audience. When I say value, it means it's stuff people want to see (basically ideas on how to style cute outfits, information on what's in style etc.). This fashion influencer would gain a following of people specifically interested in this type of information.  Because this influencer has access and influence over their audience (their audience would generally trust their expert opinion), brands that sell clothes are going to want that influencer to wear their clothes in posts so that the brands can reach their target audience (people who are interested in clothes).  

The brand would reach out to the influencer and pay them to wear & post the clothes (an ad). Depending on the size of the influencer's audience, this isn't a small amount of money.  (But for the brand, it's way cheaper for them to advertise with an influencer compared to a lot of other advertising alternatives that often cost more and aren't nearly as effective.) This way the influencer can afford to continue to make all that free valuable content, by doing an ad every 10th post or so (or however many).

I'm not a fashion influencer, I post Calgary events and restaurant stuff, but it's the same concept. Most of what I do I don't get paid for, but when I do that allows me to continue to produce all the free entertaining/informational content for my audience.

Some people don't like this system, (people love to hate influencers) but it works well for all involved. I'm essentially delivering a message to people who generally want to receive it (they are following specifically because they WANT information on events/restaurants). So while they are occasionally subjected to ads, theoretically, even the ads are good info and provide value similar to the rest of my content.

The biggest killer of small businesses is obscurity.  Influencers help lead people down the path to purchasing by showcasing your business positively to a new audience.  

Think of me as your positive introduction to a new audience.  I make the introduction and you take it from there.

You are likely looking at other influencers to advertise for you as well. And that's good! Hiring multiple influencers can be a great part of your overall marketing plan. However, I'd recommend you do your research before hiring. 

Here's what you don't want:  

• fake followers - your message won't be delivered to anyone
• followers who aren't local - they won't be purchasing from your local business
• low engagement - indicates no one cares about the account, no real "influencing ability" (e.g. there's a local account with 200,000 followers but their posts get maybe 50 likes out of 200,000 followers?!)
• content that doesn't match your business - if the influencer has never posted about your industry, it'll look odd to their followers when your business is their first exposure. (e.g. if someone has never posted about drinking, don't get them to promote your seltzer just because they have a large audience..) 
• influencer's audience doesn't match your product (e.g. If a female posts lots of bare skin photos, her largely male audience won't be interested in purchasing your dresses regardless of how good they look on her.)  

Personally, I have all real followers, all of which are located in Calgary. The vast majority of my posts relate to fun things to do and going out with friends (i.e. events, restaurants). If your message fits with that, let's talk!    

Note, I am actually picky about who I choose to work with as it's important to me that I'm only delivering quality information to my audience.  I receive a lot of requests but I only accept those where I feel I can have a real impact. 

I'm actually not against using Instagram ads at times and I think they can be great when used smartly.  The beauty of them is you can reach a targeted audience for fairly cheap.

Instagram ads work best for raising a very basic level of awareness (e.g. exposure to your business for the first time to a new audience) or they can be good for boosting something that is already doing well (e.g. a popular contest). Instagram ads are not good for generating additional followers or new business. They also aren't great for delivering a message, (e.g. a sale, happy hour, new product) for a business people are already familiar with. 

Another downside to Instagram ads is that while they offer audience targeting it doesn't work great. Instagram will show the same ad to the same people over and over again, which can be good if you want repeated exposure, but it's also bad people when people get ANNOYED. You may actually lose followers and have people block you who get frustrated by this. Instagram will also show your ad to your own followers repeatedly rather than being "smart" enough to exclude your own followers and reaching out to a new audience.

One of the main benefits of hiring an influencer is having that person's face, brand, and positive reputation be associated with your brand, this is something you won't get with an Instagram ad. It's like the difference between you telling someone "I'm awesome" versus them hearing "This business is awesome" from someone else. People are way more likely to trust a recommendation from someone else versus the business itself. This is why people tend to gloss over and scroll past Instagram ads while they'll pay attention to an influencer's opinion on a business. It's that much more meaningful. 

Email is the best place. You can reach me at sarahsociables@gmail.com  I'm also happy to have a phone call and answer questions about your unique situation.  I'm also available to take a meeting with you.

(Note that DM's are a crappy way to communicate, it's basically text message but way worse because they get lost in a sea of messages never to be seen again.)

These are the most commonly requested deliverables but let me know if you want something creative!

• Video – TikToks and IG reels are hot right now, views can greatly exceed that of an in feed post.  This is the best way to reach not only my followers but also way beyond my followers. I post to BOTH platforms guaranteeing the farthest reach. My most viewed TikTok is over 1 million views.
• Giveaway – Best for those interested in gaining followers.  (Note that you provide the prize and the number of followers you receive will depend on interest in the prize and the prize's value.)  My audience is familiar with giveaways on my page and they look forward to them so engagement and attention is high.
• In Feed Post – I no longer recommend infeed posts (unless they are a giveaway). Instagram is moving towards being a video platform so these posts are not prioritized in people's feeds.  This is not good value for you.
• Stories –  Seen by my most engaged audience (views range from 500 to 2900). I can also add a link to the story to direct people to your website.  Stories are a fast and affordable option and are ideal for events or other news related items.
• Website addition - I can add your event to my website event calendar. It's visited by Calgarians specifically looking for fun stuff to do in the city.

Not currently available 

• Podcast sponsor - I have a podcast that is awesome! (YYC Sociables) Unfortunately despite how well it was going (It was really taking off!) I've had to put it on hold because of how busy I am. I hope to get back to this soon. 
• Email newsletter ad - I have an email subscriber list of 2000, unfortunately again, due to how busy I am I've had to put my newsletter on hold despite how popular it is. Ugh. hoping to return to this sometime this year.

The first step of advertising is getting people to know your business exists, (I can help with that) then through repeated positive messaging, people will start to like you and then eventually trust you enough to purchase your product/service.  

If your goal is sales, I’d recommend working with me over a longer period of time to deliver a consistent positive message to the same audience and warm them up to purchasing.  (Note, I cannot guarantee sales. I lead people to you, but you'll have to take it from there.)

It depends on the budget of the campaign, what the campaign is asking of me for a time commitment, and how well it matches my personal brand. (As you can imagine if you’re asking me to sell adult diapers I’m probably going to charge more! :D)  

I've been doing this for 4 years, I am experienced and have a large local audience I've worked to build a relationship with.

It's easy! Here's what we need to get rolling!

• Description of the prize - What are you giving away? The bigger the prize the more entries 
• Provide quality image(s) or let me know if none are available/applicable so I can figure something out
• Prize $ value so I can include it in the caption
• You do not need to write the caption (unless you want to)
• You can read the caption before I post and have input (if you want to)
• You can offer a discount/promo code to my followers if you'd like
• Contests are normally open for a full week to enable me to do a few story reminders to encourage people to enter (unless you want a shorter or longer turnaround time)
• I take care of the random draw and announcement and either you can contact the winner via DM or I can DM the winner and send you their info via email (either works).

Note, collab posts are great (when they are simultaneously posted to both our accounts). This feature allows the contest to reach more people. Let me know if this is something you're interested in as I can request it on my end when I post.

It's all done in 3 easy steps.

1) Email me to let me know what you're thinking or interested in.

2) I'll create it and send it to you for approval (video, photo, and/or caption).

3) I'll post and you'll gain positive exposure directly to your target audience. 

Repeat for best results!

I find it's easiest for both parties if I take payment upfront. You'll receive an emailed invoice and you can choose to pay via credit card or etransfer.  (I prefer etransfer to avoid fees, but whatever works best for you!).  You'll receive a receipt after payment. 

It's silly I have to explain this but here are the reasons I won't work for free.

1. It's taken me 4 years to actively build up my community of followers. They didn't come to me accidently or easily.  You're asking for valuable access to my community.
2. I'm a local small business too. I use the money I make to pay my mortgage and put gas in my car and hire local freelancers to help me (i.e. website, graphics, branding, admin etc.). 
3. It takes work to do what I do. It may not look like it, (why would it from the outside?) but a lot happens behind the scenes.

I do sometimes accept gifts (provided there are no strings attached).  However, because I have to prioritize the people who paid for promotion, any gifts I'm given are going to come second to that.  I will only be able to fit in promotion if I have the space/time to do so. I'm sorry, but I cannot can't guarantee anything.  

Note that "gifting" is different from an "exchange" (see next question).

I rarely accept an exchange as payment.  In my experience businesses don't often see eye-to-eye in terms of the exchange value of products and services and one person usually feels shafted.  

Also note, if I agree to take product/service as payment I am required to claim it as income on my annual income taxes as the CRA considers it taxable income.  Because I pay taxes on this payment, I have to be careful regarding my decisions surrounding accepting products/services as payment.

*IMPORTANT* Those who are experienced in the influencer industry rarely accept an exchange of services as payment, you may find someone who will agree to work with you but they will likely be new to the role.  

Yes, of course I will, if you hire me!  We'll discuss what you are looking for and you are guaranteed a certain number of stories/posts/video because it was decided in advance and to be posted by a specific date.  Technically a contract should be involved, but for smaller dollar amounts/faster turnarounds an email exchange will often suffice.  The message I will relay will be positive and contain elements we spoke about in advance. 

If you don't have a budget you can simply invite me as one human to another.  But note, this falls under "gifting" and I would not be required to post anything specific or even anything at all. (This avoid complications with the government and taxes).  Note that I receive a lot of these types of invites so don't be disappointed if I'm not able to fit it in.  It's not that your business isn't wonderful and worth visiting, trust me, I'd love to go to everything!  It's just that my paying clients are my highest priority and everything else comes second to that.

Ah I feel you! That makes it hard doesn't it? I have however created a resource to help out people hosting events who have $0 to work with.   See it here.

Often these events are organized by PR companies or Social Media Managers, but really anyone can throw one. Here's what you need to know.

1. Send an email invite out to your list of influencers, media, and industry people (whoever you want to be there) with a request to RSVP by a certain date so you can have a sense of numbers.
2. Let invitees know everything is free. Or if it's not, be clear about what is or isn't included. Be clear on the incentive for media to attend your event.
3. Include on the invite if people are expected to arrive at a specific time or if it is drop in during a time range.  For example, if the event is from 5pm-8pm, do you want people there at 5pm or can they show up whenever within that range. 
4. Allow people to bring a guest. There are so many reasons this is important. For one we don't want to attend an event alone so this decreases our chance of attending, second, my guest is usually my boyfriend who's my photographer/videographer and I NEED him to create content. Third, to make something look realistic/fun there needs to be people in the shot. Me, alone at an event or sitting at your restaurant does not make for an exciting video. 
5. If you have a hashtag or want your PR company/social media company tagged in posts let people know what it is or who we should tag. This isn't obvious and it's actually helpful if you provide this information.  Example verbiage: "We'd be so grateful if you share Calgary's newest Pancake Shop with your audience. Should you choose to do so, we'd love it if you used hashtag #yycpancakeshop and tagged @JacksonPrMedia."
6. If at all possible separate media events from the general public. You'll get way better coverage with a small concentrated event of media only.  Media need space to work. Events that are overly crowded make the job very difficult and even if we want to share you, we may not have the content available.  I LOVE when there is dedicated time, space and content for me e.g. "At 6pm we'll be revealing our newest cocktail and the bartender will do a mini-presentation." Heck ya, This gives me the perfect opportunity to take content FOR YOU. Versus an event with the public where I have to fight in a crowded bar attempting to order the new cocktail, give up and go home with zero footage. It's happened.
7. The more you provide, the more coverage we have to work with. The more food, entertainment, decor, etc, the more content creators have to work with.  We will try to work magic with the smallest low budget events but there is only so much we can do.
8. Don't request a certain amount of media coverage in order to attend. If this makes you nervous, don't let it. I understand you're scared of being taken advantage of, as in, some media come for the free food and don't provide you any coverage, but that's rare. In the majority of cases, you're going to get a ton of coverage (assuming its a good event).  If you hinge your invite on this "exchange of services" it puts media in a difficult position and technically the CRA counts "exchanges" as payment that we are to pay taxes on.  Stick to a party invite format to avoid problems.