do influencers still have influence?
I've been blogging for a little over 3 years, and while I'm constantly writing down my thoughts, feelings, recommendations, and things I don't recommend, I wonder, do I have any influence over my readers? Are "influencer's" (not that I am one) still relatable?
Since the rise of influencers, I feel like there has also been a rise of mistrust. It's common knowledge that people get paid and gifted free items to promote certain items, people are more skeptical on whether the person is promoting an item because they're getting paid/gifted or whether they genuinely like a product.
There are influencers that I used to love, and have felt that they "sold out". Ones that I don't know whether to believe what they're loving.
In the same breath, there are some influencers that are extremely well known and successful, and I completely trust every recommendation they give. Those Influencers include, Tati Westbrook, Claudia Sulewski, Samantha Ravndahl, The Latina Explorer, Kathleen Lights, Maria J, Stephanie Ledda & The Little Plum. There are definitely more on this list, but I can't think of them all off the top of my head.
What I've come to realize is that I'm more likely to trust people who live a "humble" life? People who aren't constantly showing off their luxury goods, people who have real chats with their followers, the ones that when you look at their content you feel like they're your friend!
I also think that I'm more likely to relate to people who live a similar lifestyle that I do, so I feel like some micro-influencers have much influence on my life and on my purchases. Some of those people include Always Cleia, Drizzle & Hurricane Books, Writing the Blues Away, and the list goes on.
So while I think it's definitely more difficult to make sure the people you're following are being 100% genuine, I still think there are influencers of all sizes that can be extremely relatable and very influential.
I do think that I've become more picky with who's content I enjoy, because as I've gotten older I think the types of online personalities I've enjoyed has changed quite a bit. I think a lot of it goes back to relatability. In a sea of influencers, I really enjoy those down to earth, content creators that I feel like I could be friends with beyond the screen.
What are your thoughts on influencers? Do you trust them? Do you think they have influence and are still relatable? If you have any favorites, please let me know!
I still love Kathleen Lights so much, when I watcher her videos it feels like she' s hanging out with her subscribers more than presenting products to us! I think influencers come and go for me but there's still the og creators I still love.
and omg, thank you so much for including me in this post! I trust your recommendations too, and I love that I've been able to follow along on your blogging journey over the years x
Ah this is such an interesting post, Melina (and thank you so much for mentioning me ahh, I'm honored! <3 <3) I think that I tend to trust mostly influencers and people after a little while... once I've gotten to know a bit better through posts and conversations and comments and things like that 😀
You're welcome! I would prefer to say thank you for being such an amazing person! I relate to your book posts so much. I love every single book I've read by your recommendation! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂 x
Aww this made my entire week. thank you, this means so much <3 <3
I feel like anyone who posts on Instagram or on a larger scale, all social media platforms, can and are influencers, even if they only have fifty followers someone is hearing and listening to them. Their are influencers like Cleia that I trust inexplicably and then there are definitely others that while I like their content or photos, I don't trust what they are selling. You definitely have to do due diligence, but I also feel like that could be any ad on Facebook as well.
It is actually funny, because a lot of friends promote Tula and for the longest time I refused to try it because I thought it was a gimmick, but I actually love their products.
I've never heard of Tula before, but I've felt that way about other products. I didn't know if the product was just being overhyped, and then when I tried it out myself, I completely fall in love with it! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂 x
I think influencers do have influence, if they are honest and up front. I have brought a few products from people who have shown them and found some great products! Thank you for reading and commenting!
I completely agree, once I catch you in a lie, I'm not going to trust you with anything! Thanks for reading and giving me your thoughts on the subject 🙂 x
I'm a bit cautious of some influencers as there was a bit of bad press around them a few months ago, and like you said you can blatantly tell when someone has sold out on something as they'll just promote any old rubbish! However, having said that if I've gotten to know a blogger over time and what they promote fits in with their usual content I'd still be inclined to trust them. Great post, thank you for sharing!
Yes! If I'm watched their content for a long time, and really like the vibe they give off and come off genuine, they have so much influence over what I buy, read, consume! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂 x