A growing number of people want to become influencers. It’s a trend that has taken the world by storm. Can you blame people for wanting to become influencers? After all, it sounds like a wonderful life. Nobody would object to promoting products, services, and brands and getting paid.
While most influencers specifically enter the field looking to become influencers, Katey Stanley’s experience was different. She had graduated from the prestigious Rutgers University and landed a phenomenal job in marketing and PR. She was a social media manager at Avis Budget Group, collaborating with influencers and helping them extend their sphere of influence.
It was this experience that prompted her to start instablogging. However, she never intended to become a full-time Instagram influencer. Instead, she was only using her Instagram to share her motherhood journey. For Katey, her story stuck a chord with other pregnant mothers who could relate. As a result, they started to follow her. Then, things changed. She was having lunch with Amber Fillerup – a renowned influencer, friend, and client – who recommended she pursue a career as an influencer full-time.
Until then, Katey hadn’t considered life as an influencer. But that was all the motivation she needed to quit her day job and pursue a career as an influencer. That was six years ago. Today, she is a well-known influencer. Legions of women follow her because they find her parenting tips and lifestyle enhancement hacks incredibly useful. In addition, she also enjoys writing about fun family activities and excursions in and around New Jersey. Her followers also appreciate these write-ups, evidenced by her growing followership.
A common misconception exists that becoming an influencer is easy. But anyone in the industry will tell you that isn’t the case. Influencers don’t get a large following overnight. Instead, it’s like building a Lego tower. First, you must slowly assemble it piece by piece. Then, you must follow multiple steps to build the tower incrementally. Katey had to utilize the same approach. She worked extremely hard every day to grow her audience. In addition, cultivating a large following isn’t easy. Nothing stops followers from unfollowing a specific influencer and flocking to another. After all, thousands of influencers exist, and this number continues to multiply.
Creating engaging content is necessary to maintain an existing audience and attract a new one. It’s also what consumes a significant portion of Katey Stanley’s time. Fortunately, things have become easier for Katey as she has accrued considerable experience as an influencer. After all, she’s been a full-time instablogger for over six years. She’s also learned the importance of managing her life properly to avoid burnout.
However, life as an influencer isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Many influencers find the boundaries between their personal and professional lives get blurred, and Katey has similar experiences. But as a professional, this influencer has developed a method that works for her as well as her family. She tries to incorporate work into her fun life in a fun manner. For instance, she’ll try to incorporate a brand deal when going somewhere to offset the costs. Doing so makes it easier to justify living a fun family lifestyle without spending extravagantly.
Another challenging aspect of life as an influencer is that vacations, events, and night outs become work. Unsurprisingly, Katey has also figured out a workaround for it. She’ll designate the first fifteen minutes to take pictures. Then, she’ll put her phone down and enjoy her personal time.
Katey Stanley is now a mother of four children and her youngest is less than a year old. Her family remains her proudest accomplishment despite her massive success as an influencer, and Katey remains committed to being a fun-loving mother who’s a child at heart. It’s her secret to success.
