I had no clue what I was getting into, but I crawled my way out to rediscover what’s important.
I have nothing against social media influencers and those who aspire to be influencers. The medium has given amazing opportunities to some of the most creative storytellers this generation has seen.
I would have never imagined 20 years ago when I created my first social media page on BlackPlanet; decades later, this concept would blossom, making some people have millions of eyes on them daily, equating to dollars in their pocket.
If you really think about it, it’s such a great idea and seems rather fun and interesting to become a part of. But it’s the behind-the-scenes work, consistent pressure, and at times unrealistic demands that most do not see until they enter the world themselves.
And once you have made it, it’s almost harder to walk away from it, even if you so desperately want to.
This past January, I wrote an article titled, “I tried to be an influencer on Instagram — Here’s why I hated it.” It’s ironic that less than 12 months later, I am now writing a similar but very different piece.
My entrance to influencing was not by sharing images and intimate moments of my life. It came from my keen eye to highlighting images of others and relatable captions that captured the attention of thousands who were either in love or aspiring to be.
I became overly consumed in finding a different entry into the influencing game. While others were spending most of their time with the camera pointed inwards, I spent my time differently and still achieved the same outcome as others.
Most choose to enter this world to gain influence and make money. Not many spend an enormous amount of time, energy, and money on Instagram (or other platforms) just for the follower count and likes. There is a benefit to all the hard work and creative energy that goes into it, money.
Because I found another entrance, I wanted to share that with others. Showing them that you too can also use the back door to gain influence, land brand deals, and make money.
Starting another project was never my intention or really even my idea. It was yet another “recommendation” from friends who would ask me for my help or expertise on growing their social media presence or brand. After every encounter, phrases like “you are so good at this” or “you could teach a class or coach people” would always rise.
No one outright told me to monetize something that came naturally to me, but it seemed like a natural progression. If I am gathering information together for friends, why not do something that could really attract big dollars.
The first idea I got was to write an eBook with tutorial videos included. I wish I had stuck with that idea because it was the most convenient way to share my strategy with little effort. But I kept going, pulling my eBook off Etsy to run a weekly paid newsletter.
I got the idea after forking over $997 for a virtual conference hosted by an extremely popular social media influencer turned coach, Maya Elious.
I had been following her and her sister Mattie James for a few months. I discovered Mattie first and then realized one day that she had a sister in the game. While Mattie focused more on building your personal influencing brand, Maya focused on landing brand partnerships and charging six figures for your services.
I had a great idea and already over 100,000 followers on Instagram, so I entered the game way ahead of most of the attendees. I needed that final missing piece which was how to monetize my service-based business without being on camera 247. I was trying to duplicate the same process I had with my bustling Instagram account, but now I was creating and selling something. This was much harder.
Somewhere during the three-day virtual event, I figured it out. I was going to have a membership-focused blog where users have to pay to access the tips and resources that I shared weekly. Eureka!
It sounded like a great idea. While it was, I had no idea the burden I was getting ready to put on myself having a paid service.
Now enters my new service-based business that requires me to send weekly Instagram brand-building tips and create content to share on its own dedicated IG page. My plate now consisted of three things, my Instagram profile, a supporting blog with 10+ writers, and now a subscription-based business.
From one idea blossomed two more, really more than that. I had merchandise for sale, participated in Clubhouse rooms weekly, and hosted IG lives with other creatives to keep my name in the IG streets and introduce my new venture to my already established following.
While this boosted my paid subscriptions, increased my followers, and got me even more connected in the influencer sphere, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Losing sight of why I started this venture in the first place.
I was doing everything I did not want to do when I stepped into my version of social media influencing. I wanted to influence without having to be the face of something or be on my phone 247. I wanted to build a buzz while still being somewhat disconnected. Now I was becoming too connected, and things began to feel forced.
Here is what a week in my social media influencer life looked like:
Instagram+ Blog
- Respond to photo requests via DM and email
- Search for images not overly shared on other pages
- Interact and respond to comments daily
- Post 2–3 IG stories (at minimum) per day
- Edit 2–3 articles from the team
- Update blog 2x
- Create graphics in Canva to promote new blog posts on IG stories
- Promote new blog posts on IG stories
- Schedule 15–25 IG post
- Reach out to influencers to ask if they wanted to be interviewed or featured on the blog
- Schedule personal photoshoots (1–2 per month) to share my own content
- Touch base with 10+ writers
- Check stock levels for merchandise for sale
- Assign virtual assistant tasks for scheduling Tweets and pins on Pinterest
Paid Newsletter
- Write 2 articles
- Record + edit YouTube (1) video
- Create graphics in Canva to share daily on IG
- Schedule newsletter
- Schedule 6–8 IG post
I was scheduling around 30+ posts, editing and/or writing 4–5 articles, creating 15+ graphics on Canva, plus more every single week.
I am sure I left out a few mundane tasks, but you get the gist of how full my plate was. On top of the above tasks, I am a DEI consultant, which requires anywhere between 25–35 hours per week.
No one besides my spouse saw the behind-the-scenes effort I put into my brands. Most people see the final result every single day on their feed and assume that it is effortless.
Writing is my creative outlet. I created the collective blog to share the voice of Black writers and my own, but my writing always took a backseat because of everything else I had to handle.
I began to resent the idea of it all. I lost excitement in using Instagram to share beautiful images of Black love. I wasn’t interested in what my friends were sharing on social media. And I didn’t care to share anything personal. Everything began to feel inauthentic and daunting. I wanted to crawl my way out of the hole I felt I had dug myself in, but I didn’t know where to start nor felt like I could.
I had 10+ writers who depended on my audience to share their passion and voice. I had hundreds of people sending me emails, DMs, and comments sharing how important my Instagram page is and what it meant to them. I had sponsors who actively looked to me to share and promote their products and services.
I had people who invested in my service-based business. Paying a yearly or monthly fee to get access to strategies weekly.
No wonder I was overwhelmed. I was juggling too many things with very little help.
Becoming a social media influencer isn’t just about taking beautiful pictures and sharing your experience with tens of thousands of loyal-ish followers. There is so much more to it. Most top influencers also have a weekly blog, newsletter, YouTube channel, Podcast, or email list that they also have to stay on top of.
Yes, brands will see your large follower count on Instagram and approach you with an opportunity. Still, most of the time, they want to understand other ways you can help promote their brand versus just posting an image that will lose its legs within 48 hours.
Social media has made people feel obligated to share intimate parts of their everyday life or create moments to share with their internet friends when there is nothing to share. Trips to the coffee shop turn into photo shoots or videos. Instead of sharing memories, a romantic vacation or group trip turns into “look at me, where I am at and what I am doing” footage.
One would say, “isn’t that the same thing,” it’s really not. You can tell the difference when someone is sharing a moment versus someone sharing a curated moment. The even crazier thing is we can’t get enough of it.
There is a reason why influencing has become one of the most popular entrepreneur-type jobs over the past few years. According to a study conducted by Morning Consult, 86% of Gen Z and Millennials surveyed would post sponsored content for money, and 54% would become an influencer given the opportunity.
Many people aspire to have a following that will allow them to land sponsorships and paid opportunities. Social media, more so Instagram, has turned into highlight reels of blurred lines between what is really happening and what people are making happen.
Influencing is not for the weak. It looks simple, but it is far from it. The amount of dedication and attention to detail required is almost ridiculous, but some people are amazing at it. I have quite a few full-time influencers friends, and I am often amazed at their level of commitment to something that they do not own, Instagram.
I really didn’t understand what it takes to be a successful influencer until I became friends with successful influencers. They indirectly influenced me to join in on the fun. Stepping into the limelight that I created to share my life in a digital format.
I wanted to results of their hard work — free products, paid gigs & trips, beautifully curated photos, exclusive VIP invites, and so much more. When I peeled back the layers of what is required (revisit my weekly to-do list) to grasp those results, I realized it was not sustainable.
I assumed stepping into the influencing world after being laid off during the pandemic would give me more autonomy over my schedule and life.
While wildly different than my former career at a tech company, Influencing still had many of the same requirements I was trying to step away from. Granted, I designed my own days; the days seemed filled with much more than I anticipated.
One day, I finally listened to my body and decided to pause and evaluate what I wanted out of my time, energy, and life at the moment. I discovered it goes against pretty much everything a social media influencer strives to be.
I like to be low-key and spend hours unplugged away from my phone. Enjoy technology-free days and weekends. Binge a murder mystery series or read a book over discovering the latest trends.
Since stepping away, I have enjoyed being unplugged from the social world. Not feeling obligated to share anything with anyone. Leaving my phone on DND for hours or in another room. And most importantly, I have discovered my passion for writing once again.
The reason I started the collective blog was to tell and share stories from other independent writers. But I got caught up in the esthetics of the website, how many writers I had, promoting blogs, and letting people know that I own a brand that has a robust blog with several dedicated writers. I didn’t have time to write. Where was the time?
Influencing took me away from my #1 passion, writing. I’ve been journaling since 1999. Stepping into the influencing game took me away from that. Focusing more on imagery than words. Content versus context. Captions versus stories.
But isn’t that what social media was designed to do? Keep everyone distracted from what is right in front of them?
I walked away because it was the best thing for me to do. To be happy and reclaim my time and energy.
If and when I return to my audience, I will remember why I began in the first place to share beautiful images of Black love, not to become a social media influencer.
