So many people outside of our industry hear the worlds “blogger”, “influencer”, or “social media creator” and have their own assumptions about what our job entails.

But, what those people on the outside don’t know is that our job is so much more: It’s putting ourselves out there for the apps to bully - whether that’s by the app itself or by the people using them.

The effects that working in social media full-time can have on our mental health are truly just so real and valid. This is why self-care is so important. Focusing on self-care can actually help make you more money.

Today, we’re here with Megan Porta, a food blogger and the host of Eat Blog Talk podcast. She has an extensive history with not living a balanced life which has set her on a path of constant improvement in that area.

We’re diving into everything you need to know about making sure you’re taking care of yourself and your mental health as a creator AND how it can actually help you make MORE money in your business.

Most people who go into becoming creators have the goal of quitting their full-time job to pursue a career in social media, right?

But, it’s not realistic for a majority of creators to 100% rely on their income from sponsored posts with brands to pay their bills and provide a steady full-time income.

This is why having multiple streams of income is crucial, even mandatory, for finding long-term success as a creator.

This week, we’re here with Harley Jordan, a creator coach and owner of All Influence Management where she coaches and manages creators to build a brand that feels right and fully monetize their online presence with multiple streams of income. She’s negotiated over $200k in brand deals for clients of her agency this year.

Today, we’re diving into everything you need to know about building long-term monetary success as a full-time creator. What options are there for income? What about passive income? How can creators sell to their audience in a way that feels authentic?

Since Q4 is one of the biggest spending periods of the entire year, it makes sense that as creators we’re curious on how to work with brands for the holidays.

Since we as influencers or creators influence purchasing decisions, it’s a prime time of year to make a decent chunk of income. Many brands - especially those that are more prominent during the holiday season like giftable products or alcohol brands - save a chunk of their budget for this time of year. They’re making more money, so they’re willing to spend a bit more too.

Today, we’re here with Alex DiCapo, the VP on the digital & influencer team at AZOINE PR. She has developed and implemented impactful social campaigns across fashion, lifestyle, wellness, and tech for a diverse clientele.

Today, we’re diving into everything that you need to know as a creator to have a successful holiday season working with brands.

How do agencies and brands find and choose the creators they’re working with? When’s the best time to pitch? What can set you apart in that pitch? What makes a brand want to continue working with you even after the holiday season?

Short Version

Since Q4 is one of the biggest spending periods of the entire year, it makes sense that as creators we’re curious on how to work with brands for the holidays.

Since we as influencers or creators influence purchasing decisions, it’s a prime time of year to make a decent chunk of income.

Today, we’re here with Alex DiCapo, the VP on the digital & influencer team at AZOINE PR to give you the scoop on everything that you need to know as a creator to have a successful holiday season working with brands.

In the extremely saturated creator industry, it’s important that we’re doing our very best to avoid the influencer red flags that may inhibit our growth or ability to work with brands, right?

But, for many creators who are just getting started knowing exactly how to act and what not to do comes with a lot of trial and error. What if you knew about those red flags by learning through someone else’s mistakes and experiences? That’s exactly what we’re here to do with you today.

This week, we’re here with Audrey Cash and Terrah Holder, the faces behind TJ Creative Agency and Social Sessions podcast. This Austin-based dynamic duo focuses on helping businesses grow their social media platforms and educate content creators.

With about 13 years of experience in social media between the two of them, it’s safe to see they’ve seen their fair share of red flags when working with content creators for their agency.

Ready to dive in?

How to pitch to brands as a creator you ask? Well, it’s definitely not just as simple as writing an email and hitting send. You need to make a great impression on the brand and start to build an actual relationship with them. But how can you get a brand’s attention and really wow them in one simple email?

This week, our guest Jordynn Nicholson, an influencer coach and content creator, is answering that question for us. Nicholson has been a creator for 7+ years and is an expert in landing paid brand deals.

Have you ever wondered how to become a full-time influencer or content creator? You’ve heard me on Soulcial Scoop and through my social channels sharing tips on how to make it happen, but I’ve never really shared my entire entrepreneurial journey with you.

This week, I’m giving you the full rundown on how I took my boring retail job and turned it into a booming hair, makeup and photography business that I eventually sold in order to become. creator full-time.

I’ll share the highs, the lows, the struggles, and the lessons that I learned along the way so that you can learn from my mistakes on your journey to running a profitable, self-sustaining business from your online influence.

Is it just me or have you considered hopping onto another platform so many times? It sounds like such a great idea, but it’s hard not to think about all of the additional work that would be required and run the other direction.

All of the social media platforms out there offer a different advantage, so it makes sense that we want to dip our toes into all of them, but finding balance and having a content plan that’s balanced and sustainable for you to stick to is crucial. But, how do we figure out what that looks like?

Today, we’re here with Austen Tosone, a New York City-based fashion and beauty content creator and influencer educator who knows a thing or two (or pretty much everything) about diversifying her social media presence with both search-based social media platforms and algorithm-based apps.

After launching her blog in 2012 and creating consistently while working as a magazine editor and a content director, Austen built up her platforms and quit her 9-5 job to go full-time with content creation in April 2021. She’s partnered with brands like Kohl’s, Glossier, Walmart, HellFresh, and more. Austen is passionate about teaching micro influencers to value their work, build their dream audience and make sustainable income from creating content.

Today, we’re diving into what it’s like to find balance showing up consistently on multiple social media platforms. What performs best on each platform? How can you come up with a content strategy that allows you to put out valuable content all the time? How do you balance all of this content creation with having a life outside of the apps?

We’re giving you the scoop on all things building balance on multiple platforms as a content creator.

Learning how to analyze data as a content creator sounds like it might be tedious and boring, but once you see that it starts to bring you real results, I can guarantee you’ll be as addicted as myself and this week’s guest are. The thing about data? It never lies.

As a creator who wants to consistently do better, we need to know how to look at the data that apps like Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube provide us with, find what that data is trying to tell us, and then use it to our advantage.

This week, we’re here with Jules Montgomery, content creator and CEO/founder of Influent, a company seeking to allow creators to just be creators. It’s the platform where you’ll be able to scour brand deal opportunities, read reviews from some of the top brands other creators have worked with, learn how to create amazing content and even calculate what your rates should look like.

Today, Jules is diving into all things data and analytics. She’s giving us the scoop on what she did to find out exactly what her audience wanted to see more of from her and how she tracked it all on a spreadsheet that you can even recreate. She’ll walk us through all the types of data that are important for us creators to be paying attention to so that we’re able to do more of what’s working on our pages. Plus, she’s sharing some tips on how this can help you land brand deals.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve very likely heard of UGC, or user-generated content. It’s a type of service creators can offer where they create content for the brands without any posting requirements. The content is used by the brand in their social media posts, marketing efforts, and sometimes even on packaging or in-store advertisements.

It takes a ton of that pressure of performances off of our shoulders and just let’s us focus on what we’re good at: being creators. But how the heck do you start as a UGC creator? How do you get these gigs? How do you know what to charge? What’s different about UGC vs. classic influencing?

Today we’re here with Mariely Galindo, a jewelry designer turned content creator, who just got her start as a UGC creator about three months ago. She’s dove in full-force, and is finding tons of success working with businesses to create content for them.

Mariely is giving us a peek at what it’s like to start as a UGC creator in mid-2022. She’ll tell us all about the different types of UGC content, what skills you need to have to produce UGC content, where she consistently is finding gigs, and more.

There’s usually a point in every creator’s career where you ask yourself: How can I become a travel creator? How can I land incredible deals with some of the most beautiful places on earth?

As we know, from the outside, the influencer industry is glamorous: free trips, complimentary meals, and gifted experiences, but being a travel creator requires intense work, and today we have Payton Calvin to give us the scoop.

This week, we’re here with Payton Cavin, a colorful travel creator based in Texas.

This week, Payton is answering all of our questions about being a travel creator. How we can start getting travel opportunities? Should we be getting paid to go on these trips? Or is it typically a trade? Who do you contact to land travel gigs? What does the process of working with a travel company even look like from start to finish?

We all know LinkedIn as a platform for professionals, right? We never really think about how to use LinkedIn as content creators as it’s not typically a platform that screams creativity. Contrary to popular belief, LinkedIn can bring in solid opportunities for connection for creators. In fact, it’s the one platform that I’ve had to most success creating connections with potential brand partners.

But, how the heck can we set up our profiles if we’re not in traditional jobs? How often should we post on LI and what should we share? Why is it beneficial to grow our accounts on LI and how can we do that? Plus, is monetizing an option on this platform?

This week, we’re here with Madison Masterson, CEO of Mad Marketing and an official LinkedIn creator who focuses her content on mental health awareness, disability awareness, and influencer marketing for the last 11 years. And today, she’s giving us the scoop on how to find success as a creator on LinkedIn.

As a creator, we want to know how brands and agencies choose the content creators that they’re working with, right? We want to get inside the minds of the campaign managers. Aren’t you curious what they were thinking when they went with another creator over you? Wouldn’t it be helpful to know how budgeting works and why the brand can only pay you a certain amount of money?

This week, we’re here with Sonia Elyss, a marketing consultant and the founder of incredible talent, marketing, and content agency, Round Twelve. Sonia takes a fluff-free approach to helping modern beauty brands gain visibility, become fan-favorites, and amplify their “why,” She has ideated and executed campaigns for top beauty brands like Clarins, Kiehl's, and IT Cosmetics.

Today, Sonia is giving us a peek at the other side of the business. How does she find creators to work with? What does she focus on when looking at our profiles? How does she determine what rate she can offer each creator? What do her agency and the brands she represents expect for sponsored post-performance? What makes her want to work with a creator again (or NOT)?

We’re giving you the scoop on all things newsletters. This my Biz BFF is Soulcial Scoop.

Building your email newsletter is essentially mandatory at this point for content creators as you need a way to reach your audience in case our favorite social media platforms shuttered one day unexpectedly, right?

But creating your list and sending out weekly emails is a bit overwhelming, and you may not know where to start. We get it!

This week, we’re here with Dylan Bridger, an email marketer who helps coaches and course creators make more money with email marketing. He does this by providing done-for-you email copywriting services, and done-with-you email marketing coaching and training. Over the past 10 years, his marketing funnels have generated $2M+ in sales for his clients.

This week, Dylan is answering all of our burning questions about newsletters. What do we include in them? How often should they be sent? How can we avoid people unsubscribing? How can we grow our email list? And how and when can we monetize it?

How can you utilize Instagram Stories to build loyalty with your audience and drive traffic to your other content on the ‘gram? What should you even post there? How many days a week should you be posting? How many Stories posts per day will suffice?

Those are the questions we’re answering today with lifestyle content creator Danielle Gervino. Danielle got her start in 2015 when she needed an outlet for her designs and writing passions. Danielle’s creative approach to the latest style and beauty trends coupled with her passion for living a career-driven yet well-balanced life has allowed her to connect with the “everyday girl”, offering all kinds of inspiration to her community along the way.

She has absolutely mastered the art of creating Instagram Stories that people actually want to watch, find incredible value in, and can relate to.

Danielle has an incredibly loyal following, and for many of them, her Stories are why they feel so close to her and come back time and time again for more. Today we’re answering all of your questions about utilizing Instagram Stories as a creator like a PRO.

As creators, we know that follower count isn’t everything, but it absolutely holds some weight, right? However, in today’s creator economy, follower count is becoming less and less important and things like community and engagement are what the brands are really interested in.

Depending on the brand’s goal, engagement and community can be the make-it or break-it. If the brand’s goal is sales or even brand awareness, they want to know that you have an audience who listens to you. That’s why it’s so important for creators to focus on building a community vs. just a following.

But what’s even the difference between a following and a community? What are the benefits of having a community vs. just a following?

This week, we’re here with Melissa Chanel, a fellow Charlotte creator and the founder of Kicks & Fros, a community celebrating black women and sneaker culture. She has done wonders on her platforms to create genuine communities that gather because of their similar interests.

Today we’re answering all of your questions about creating a loyal community vs. just a following. First of all, what’s the difference? Also, what can creators do to boost their engagement and build community? How can you slide into someone’s DM to build a relationship with them without it being weird? What does a loyal community look like from a brand’s perspective?

We all love using Pinterest to find photoshoot inspiration or DIY projects, but when it comes to growing and monetizing your Pinterest account as a creator, there’s a lot to learn.

Did you know Pinterest is more of a search engine than it is a social media platform? Did you know that it can take a couple of months for your content to get indexed in the search results before you see growth?

This week, we’re here TWO special guests: Whitney + Allie, the Pinterest pros behind Ride the Wave Social. Whitney is a Verified Resident Pinterest Creator with a background in creative marketing that fuels her passion for brand integrity and turning first-time followers into brand loyalists. Allie is a Certified Pinterest Strategist with a passion for fusing innovative strategy with authentic content to help grow an engaged community on social media.

Ride the Wave is a Pinterest-First social media agency for content creators. They help creators, service providers, and course creators use the power of Pinterest to build an engaged community, increase their income streams, and diversify their online presence.

Today we’re answering all of your questions about using Pinterest as a creator. How can we grow the views and follower count on Pinterest? What’s the best way to research keywords to use on the platform? Where do we need to put these keywords? How can we actually make money on this platform?

Everyone creator - no matter their follower count, engagement rate, or niche - compares themselves and their work to other creators on the internet. There’s even a term for this: Imposter syndrome.

When you’re experiencing this, you find yourself wondering “Why would anyone care about what I have to say? I don’t even deserve the recognition that I get. I’m not even that good.” It’s easy to feel like a fraud.

The worst part? It inhibits growth. How are you supposed to do your absolute best to start or grow your business when you’re busy doubting your abilities and telling yourself that you can’t do it?

This week, we’re here with Kaitlin Anthony, an Empowerment Coach, podcaster, and multi-passionate entrepreneur dedicated to helping women to come back home to their authentic selves.

As an empowerment coach, she uses her life experiences, professional training and community to coach women to claim their personal power and live their happily ever now.

Today we’re answering all of your questions about dealing with all of the mental blocks that come with the territory of being a creator or an influencer. How can a creator deal with fear? Does imposter syndrome ever go away? If not, how can we cope? What are some specific actions that creators can take to love themselves more? How can a creator tune out all of the negativity on the internet and stop worrying so much about engagement or follower count?

One of the toughest things for creators is to find out how to turn their online influence into a full-blown, profitable business. Every creator wants to know how to be a full-time influencer, right?

The hard truth is that is takes a lot of skill, education, and tons of work to get there, but the answers to many of the questions that creators have go unanswered. There’s no specific place to go to learn how to turn this side hustle into a career, so instead, we have to search and experiment quite a bit.

This week, we’re here Emma Cortes, a truly impressive full-time fashion and lifestyle creator who was able to quit her full-time job in the aerospace industry, because she was matching that income with content creation and influencing.

We’re answering all of your questions about becoming a profitable, self-sustaining business as a creator. How do you know what to charge? How often should you be pitching to brands? What does the perfect pitch even look like? How do you negotiate three, four, or even five-figure deals as a microinfluencer?

One of the best ways to build a connection with your community as a creator is to spend time with them - Lives being one of the best ways to do this. However, it’s also the one option that most creators don’t take advantage of - mostly because they’re nervous about putting themselves out there.

Live videos can be extremely uncomfortable. What if you mess up? What is no one comes? What if the people that do come don’t interact? Will Lives ever not feel weird?

This week, we’re here with Emma Ragland, owner of Ragland Clothing Co, who has truly mastered the art of hosting an incredible Instagram Live. Emma started her business when she was only 17 years old and runs it currently as her full-time job - with Instagram Lives being a huge driver of her income.

Today we’re answering all of your questions about lives on social media. Emma shares her top tips on how to bring traffic to your Lives, what you can do if you’re ever feeling awkward, and how you can use Lives as a way to drive real traffic to your profile/business.

Many creators simply don’t know what they’re getting into when they get into this industry. Not growing quickly, low engagement rates, constant imposter syndrome, trying to “niche down”, the frequent rejection from brands we’ve been working hard to impress - these are all struggles that creators everywhere deal with incredibly frequently.

This week, we’re here with Jordyn Rush of Your Pal Jordyn, who is a lifestyle, fashion, and travel content creator focusing on incorporating a bold, vibrant element into the lives of everyone in her audience. With a background in both sales and marketing, Jordyn has been able to take her social media career full-time in 2 years.

Today we’re sharing our experiences of going through the struggles that each and every single creator reading right now goes through no matter how long you’ve been at this or how many followers you have.

What do you do when everyone around you is growing faster than you? Will brands still take you on even when your engagement rate is low? How do you deal with imposter syndrome as it sneaks into your life more than you’d like it to? Why won’t brands pay me my rates or anything at all?