My Blogging and Influencer Journey - Looking Back

Monday, August 17, 2020

 

I have previously posted a blog post about my journey into becoming an influencer with a tad bit of information and enough tips for you to begin your own influencer journey.

Today, I am giving you a detailed background and timeline about how I started!


The Beginning – Stepping into the world of blogging.

I always wanted to have my own website because I know somewhere in me – is someone who loves to write. I purchased my own domain in September 2016 and started working on the design of my blog. However, it's not until March 2017 that I finally and officially launched it!



The Next Step – Building my Instagram Foundation and Presence

March 27, 2015, when I dived into the Instagram craze and opened my account just for personal use. I was just posting random photos of everything. Came 2016, I was a stay-at-home wife doing odd jobs online and obviously had a lot of spare time in my hands to be on social media platforms, specifically Instagram. I saw people getting free stuff and sharing their thoughts about them. I said to myself, "I want to do that too." I started following freebie hunters so I can learn where to get free products to review that led me to discover different platforms and websites and started signing up for them. I always love to share my thoughts and my experiences with others, so that little fire of passion for sharing my first-hand experiences to others, later become that Influencer passion I have until now. In March 2017, I started to get products to review. I accepted everything – from scissors to kitchen utensils, pet supplies, makeup, and skincare. Then I came to love skincare and makeup – that became another passion.

I then started following makeup bloggers and skincare enthusiasts. I slowly learned how to do makeup and started to have a complete skincare routine! Makeup and skincare became my niche. I enjoyed watching makeup tutorials on Youtube and Instagram. And when TikTok emerged and took over the world (okay, I am just being exaggerated here!), beauty influencers became more active in sharing their talents in this video-based social media platform where they can be more creative. I can tell you that they are absolutely fun to watch!

True, there's a lot of fantastic beauty influencers in TikTok right now, but Popsugar rounded up a few talented beauty influencers that you should be following.

Although blogging is my passion, sadly, I stopped May 2019 due to a lack of time and motivation.


Reaching some milestones – Expanding my Instagram Family

So going back to my journey, I started my Instagram with around 150 – 200 followers, and most of them are friends and family. I reached my first 500 followers in May 2017 and mark the 1000 followers around September that same year. I can't remember exactly how I grew from there, but all I know was, I was stuck at 3k followers for so long – probably a year (2018 - 2019). Fast forward August 2020 – I just recently reached 6k!

And along with it, I was able to find time and motivation again to continue blogging, hence, rebranded and relaunched my blog!

It was a struggle to grew my Instagram following but always thankful to those people who supported me from Day 1. I believe that it's imperative that you know who your target audience is and that you are willing to show up for them every single time, even if you don't feel like it. Engagement is key. I have also learned that taking good photos and adding a compelling caption that gives them a glimpse of who you are, helps a lot in retaining your existing followers and gaining new ones. Plus, don't forget to play with the hashtags if you want your post to be seen by new people.

My current goal is to have 10k followers by the end of the year. Let's make this happen!




Collaborations and Sponsorship – The endless possibility

Is the number of followers important in getting those collabs and sponsorship? For me, it's a yes and no answer. And I will tell you why. I had gotten quite a few collabs when I was just starting out, especially from small brands that needed product testers and can offer you free products. There are also several platforms where you can work with different brands, even if you still don't have that big following. So, in this sense, the number of followers is not essential in getting collaborations. Some brands actually prefer micro-influencers (influencers with less than 10k followers), because they tend to have a higher engagement rate. This means their products will actually be seen by engaged and interested people.


However, big company and higher-end brands tend to rely on macro-influencers (influencers who have over 10k followers) which obviously have a better following. The logic behind this is that, their product will be visible to more people because macro-influencers have a higher reach. Macro-influencers also tend to have a higher chance of getting a paid sponsorship – meaning, brands are willing to pay them with money along with free products, to promote their brand. So yes, in this case, follower count, really counts! Still, this is not always the case; micro-influencers can be paid and offered sponsorship by brands too. I actually have a current paid brand deal in the works while I am still considered a micro-influencer. So all of this comes down to different factors and also depends on the brands.

But nevertheless, we can see here that influencers are becoming essential parts of marketing. That is why many brands are depending on them to promote their products. And then, this is where influencer marketing platforms play an essential role. They help brands find the best and trusted influencers to promote their products. See, for example, Intellifluence, an influencer marketing platform that is home for more than 80k influencers from 176 countries, all ready to collaborate with the right brands. And since beauty is one of the most popular niches, they have a new approach to beauty marketing. They have a pool of talented cosmetics influencers who are waiting to collaborate with beauty brands. 

All that being said, influencer marketing seems to be staying for a long while. And for this reason, if you want to start your own journey as an influencer, now is the time!




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New-found Best Skincare (and current favorite) Brand!

Monday, August 10, 2020




I always love taking care of my skin and have always been excited about trying new skincare products. In fact, I started my Instagram account by posting mostly my love for facial masks.


Screenshot from my Instagram


Then, I came to love makeup and other beauty products.

But as I grow older, I started loving my skincare more than anything. Before, I enjoy trying different products that I can get a hold-off,  but my skin started to detest it, making me think that it's the reason why I started to have more breakouts than ever. I started minimizing the products I used in my face and try to stick to just one or two brands as much as possible.

Then one day, I got an email from a Research Associate of a brand called Good Molecules at Beautylish that offered me to send a selection of their products in exchange for my honest reviews and by sharing it on my Instagram. I was hesitant because I just started to clean up and minimized my skincare routine due to a recent breakout that I had at that time. I responded with a straight forward answer telling them my current skincare situation. They were happy to send me a bundle that will help me in my skin concern, so I gladly took the offer.

The package from them came in, and they sent me the following:

 

This alcohol-free toner promotes bright and even skin tone and less visible pores. I love that it's gentle and suitable for everyday use. It's also unscented and non-drying.



A primer that moisturizes the skin while prepping it for makeup, check! I love its lightweight formula that helps smooth and plump skin without the tacky feeling. 



My ultimate favorite among all! This soap-free bar gently cleanses the skin without stripping away essential moisture. I love that it clears out blemishes and pimples in a flash!
 


These caffeine-infused Hydrogel Patches work great in hydrating, brightening, and reducing puffiness around the eyes. I love that the result is almost instant. Perfect for a quick pick-me-up in the morning.

The first two things I tried were the Clarify and Cleanse Bar and the Niacinamide Brightening Toner. I remember that time I have a few pimples coming out but after 2 days of using the Clarify and Cleanse Bar, my pimples disappeared! I was so impressed! Even the Niacinamide Brightening Toner helps a lot in brightening my pimple marks. 


After trying their products, I just know I have to get a hold of more of their Clarify and Cleanse Bar and also try other products.

I went ahead and placed an order to get 2 more Clarify and Cleanse Bar plus Overnight Exfoliating Serum ($6), Vitamin C Booster Powder ($8), and Daily Brightening Serum ($9). 



Also, they recently sent me a surprise in the mail - their new Discoloration Correcting Serum ($12) which is also working wonders on my skin right now.




So far, my skin is loving all of them! 

*Before and After Photo





What's great about this brand is that their products are never tested on animals (yes! cruelty-free!) and they recently added 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 on the side of their boxes to show how much each ingredient is in the product. They are determined to educate their consumers through"nothing to hide" ingredients list in their boxes, which I think is a pretty great move!



If you haven't tried this brand, I suggest you try them now! They are super affordable and suit any skin types.



You can check them out at Beautylish

Here's a close-up of my current skin:



This is after using Good Molecules products for almost a month. :)

*Although I was sent some free products, this post is not sponsored and all are based on my own experiences and these are my honest opinions.*




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How to Become an Influencer: My journey into becoming one. Plus Freebie (list of where to get free products!)

Monday, August 3, 2020




Believe it or not, we are all influencers in our own little way. How? By influencing someone to do something or buy something, may it be our family, relatives, friends, or even just our acquaintances. 

An influencer is an individual who has the ability to influence or affect other people's decisions. In the digital marketing world, influencers are the people who have the power to affect the buying decisions of others because of their knowledge, their following, community, and audience.

How did I become an influencer? 

It was a long road. But I remember starting my journey by just reviewing some products I already own. I have always been passionate about sharing my knowledge and my own experiences with others. Background story: I was originally from the Philippines. I moved here in the US 4 years ago. Having to wait to be a legal resident for quite some time and adjust to my new environment, I was a homebody for over 2 years.

What was I doing at home over that span of time? Aside from doing some part-time online jobs, I was hunting all sites where I can get free things to review. Back then, I didn't really have a budget to buy a lot of things to review and share - my resources were limited. But that didn't stop me from doing things I am passionate about. I did my research. I followed people who have the same interests as me on Instagram. I started to become more visible and introduce myself in social media platforms - especially Instagram, as someone who constantly shares products that I use by posting a detailed review about them.

Then, I discovered sample platforms/programs that provide free products. I signed up to a lot! (you can download the list here). Then some product sellers started reaching out to me and even some brands that I never heard of started offering me their products for free in exchange for sharing them on my social media accounts.

Is it worth it becoming an influencer? That's a personal question. For me, my answer would always be YES. Why? Because for me, it's not always about the free products I received in exchange for reviews. It's the personal feeling - the joy I get to experience when people discover things that worked for them because I shared it. It has always been a pleasure for me to help others and that is what makes being an Influencer so worth it. 

What are the takeaways? How do you become an influencer?

💓 Focus on wanting to help others. It's not about getting free things, it's about helping others to make a decision.
💓 Do your own research. Check what everyone else is doing, then see what you can do better. 
💓 Share what you love! It will attract the right audience.
💓 Always be visible. Be consistent and show up for people that you want to help.
💓 Be a person of value. You don't just post pictures with no caption or create content that doesn't have anything to do with your audience. Tell a story that will relate to them.
💓 Engage with your people. Communicate with your audience as much as you can, they are the reason why you are an influencer.

Whatever your chosen platform is - be it Instagram, your Blog, YouTube, or Pinterest - always think about your audience, how you can help them, and how you can grow WITH them.





If you already have enough following in your social media channels, it might be time for you to try signing up to some Influencer Marketing Platforms. Watch out for my next blog about it!

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