8 Influencer Marketing Myths to Dispel in 2021

Unfortunately, in the influencer marketing industry, there is a lot of misinformation. My goal as a content creator is to combat this misinformation with transparency. Here are 8 influencer myths to dispel in 2021.

MYTH #1: You should charge a penny per follower

For years, I have heard this thrown around. Brands love to claim that they will pay “one penny per follower” as their rate for one Instagram post. NO!!! If you are using this “industry standard rule” you are waayyyy undercharging. For example, if you had 100,000 followers, with this rule you could only charge $1000 for a post. I make more than this with 19K Instagram followers for most sponsored campaigns and you can too!

Know that your rates can change depending on the brand. Is the brand a smaller business? Are they just starting out? Or are they a larger corporation with a larger marketing budget? I will often work with smaller or local businesses on a smaller budget vs. my typical rates when working with a larger corporation. You can adapt your rates for each partnership. I almost never do standardized rates — see Myth #2.

MYTH #2: You should provide a standard rates sheet to brands

NO! Every brand collaboration is entirely different, so providing a standard list of rates can really box you in. There are so many factors to consider when determining your rates for each campaign. For example, what are the deliverables? Usage rate? Required exclusivity? Turnaround time? These are all line items YOU CAN charge for! There is no “one size fits all” solution for brand collaborations – so assess each campaign separately!

You can also raise your rates during busy seasons like Q4, aka the holiday season. You can offset busy seasons by increasing your rates as a content creator. If you provide a standard rates sheet, you box yourself in, and count yourself out of the opportunity to raise your rates during the busiest time of year. Read more about why you can increase your rates during the holiday season in this post!

Consider instead adjusting your rates on a regular basis. Typically, I’ll increase mine on monthly basis. Keeping things on a planned schedule can help you stay on track with your own income goals over time!

Here’s what I will typically say when asked for a rate sheet:

My standard base rates are as follows for each type of deliverable. Please note that these rates are subject to change depending on required exclusivity, usage, timeline, and content guidelines.

Instagram post (static): $x
IG Story (3 frames): $x
Blog post (300-500) words: $x
Pinterest share with an original pin: $x
Instagram reels or TikTok: $x

Please let me know if you agree that we could be a great fit for a partnership! I’d love to know how best I can support your marketing needs.

MYTH #3: Brands will only work with influencers who have over 10,000 followers

When I first started blogging, I remember hearing that brands would only work with influencers that have over 10,000 followers. This statement is absolutely not true. This is an outdated “standard.” Influencers with a smaller following can actually be preferred by brands as they typically have a much higher engagement rate than influencers with a larger following and it typically costs less to hire them.

You don’t need a specific number of followers to start getting brand deals. I go through my entire journey as an influencer in this post. Gaining the attention of brands doesn’t come from a follower number. It comes from an engaged audience. So stop obsessing over your follower count and start getting to know your audience!

When you stop worrying about the numbers, you can focus on connecting with your existing audience and making sure you are providing as much value to them as possible. This strategy will help promote your goal of growing an authentic, sustainable following.

MYTH #4: I need to wait for brands to come to me with collaboration opportunities

NOPE! This is a myth. You can absolutely start pitching brands on your own.

Start small! When I started in 2017, I would DM boutiques and small businesses with a similar number of followers to mine and ask if they’d like to do a trade-based collaboration. They would typically send me a clothing item or two in exchange for a post on Instagram. This helped me to get comfortable with the pitching process and ultimately helped me to attract larger brands. Doing so helped me get established as a content creator and as a partner who could deliver on deadlines and expectations from brands. I also joined influencer collaborations to help me get more comfortable before cold pitching brands. Joining these platforms helped me build up my “resume” as a content creator and pitch more confidently. You can read more about my start in this blog post!

Looking for tips on how to help your pitch stand out? Check out this post for more info!

MYTH #5: Being an influencer is all about posting cute outfits and getting free stuff

One of the biggest things I hear when I tell people that I’m a content creator is “Oh, that sounds like fun!” “You just post pictures and get free stuff or GET PAID? I want to do that!” “I can’t believe you get paid for that” Most people do not know the many roles that influencers play!

Going to be honest – this stuff gets old! After almost 4 years as a blogger and content creator, I know that this is absolutely a myth and that we as influencers wear MANY HATS! Influencers have absolutely revolutionized the marketing industry. Nowadays, influencers fill many roles that were once required in the traditional marketing environment for every ad campaign.

Did you know that influencer marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry? Yes, you heard me right, billions with a B! Business Insider predicts that the influencer marketing industry will be on track to be worth $15 billion by 2022.

In the past, for marketing campaigns, advertisers would have to hire a stylist, makeup artist, photographer, editor, videographer, content copywriter, AND pay for ad space in a newspaper, TV commercial, or magazine. Influencers have effectively replaced ALL of this for many campaigns! Influencers are able to provide all of these resources to brands, at a considerably lower cost. This is not to say that influencers will ever FULLY take the place of an expert in each of these categories, but rather, that influencers can wear many hats and replace traditional costs for brands.

MYTH #6: I have to post every day to be a “successful” influencer

Quantity over quality. What actually matters is developing a consistent schedule.

Work to develop a schedule that works for you. Consider what you can manage. What can you maintain on a weekly basis? 2 posts a week? 3 posts a week? 5 days a week? Okay, now how many static posts? What about reels?

Find a content strategy that works for you and stick with it! And no, you don’t have to post every day. That is a common misconception. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you can share 3 awesome pieces of content Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that is great! I find that people often get over-ambitious with posting goals and their content suffers as a result.

Having a consistent posting schedule will allow your audience to expect content from you on certain days or times. Maybe you share sales every Monday, or travel tips every Tuesday. Creating consistent content is a huge attractor for your community on Instagram – and hey, brands love to see it too!

Narrow in on your posting strategy and content plan. Once you have it, write it down and stick to it! You can even share with your audience what days and times you’ll be posting each week so they’ll know what to expect from you. I always share my Tip Tuesday posts for bloggers and content creators on Tuesdays, and my audience knows to expect this from me. As a result, Tip Tuesday posts always receive high engagement and views!

MYTH #7: I need to post about a lot of things to attract all kinds of followers and people

You’re actually hurting yourself with this mentality. You can’t be all things to all people and that is OKAY!

Think about the influencers, celebrities, or brands that you follow. You follow them for a reason right? Think about what that reason is. What keeps you from hitting that unfollow button? What does their content mean to you? For example, maybe you’re a mom to toddlers and you love following a blogger who shares gluten-free recipes for your kids. Perhaps you’re a new homeowner looking for home design inspiration from your favorite home decor Instagram. Or maybe, you love a good Amazon find, so you turn to your favorite influencers to help you seek out the deals.

Either way, it is the same thing with your account. Think about what your content should mean to your audience. Clearly define who you are & what you do. Work to establish your niche and content style. Maintaining followers can be tough when you’re not clear on your mission and branding. Get clear and your audience will stick around! Remember, you can’t be all things for all people. And that is okay! Think about what makes you or your content unique.

MYTH #8: The influencer industry is oversaturated

The industry is NOT over saturated. There is room for everyone to grow! Combat this myth by finding out what makes you YOU!

Establish your niche and content style. After all, it will be difficult to pitch brands and gain a following if you’re not clear with your mission or goals as a content creator.

When I first started, I tried to mimic content I was seeing on Instagram from popular creators in the fashion and lifestyle industry. But, it just wasn’t me! And it certainly wasn’t unique. Why would someone choose to follow me over anyone else when our content was the same?

It wasn’t until I got clear with my niche and brand mission that I started gaining followers. I consider my niche to be Florida lifestyle and colorful content with educational resources for new bloggers and content creators. In this space, I still get to share fashion and my favorite outfits, just through a different lens!

Finding your niche can really help to drive content strategy and style. You can’t be all things for all people. And that is okay! Think about what makes you or your content unique. Maybe you’re a food blogger specializing in kid-friendly recipes. Maybe you’re a hairstylist focusing on extensions and balayage. Are you a travel blogger discussing luxurious trips on a budget? A friend of mine applying to PA school told me she follows a blogger who focuses primarily on tips for applying to PA field and success in the medical field. The point is, find what makes you unique and RUN WITH IT!