{"id":931,"date":"2019-11-13T04:44:56","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T04:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/11\/13\/20191112what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-influencer-in-2019\/"},"modified":"2021-01-30T03:04:47","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T03:04:47","slug":"20191112what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-influencer-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/11\/13\/20191112what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-influencer-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"What does it mean to be an influencer in 2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nyCf7UBrADs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">By Olivia Schueller<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Caitlin Houston is a 34-year-old Connecticut micro-influencer running the lifestyle and family blog <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caitlinhoustonblog.com\/\">Caitlin Houston Blog<\/a>, posting about things like mom life, gift guides and clothing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who don\u2019t understand what a blogger is and what a blogger does,\u201d Houston said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. like many people her age, but she said a lot of people don\u2019t think blogging is a \u201creal job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cThey don\u2019t understand it,\u201d Houston said. \u201cThe second I say I\u2019m a blogger or influencer, somebody thinks I\u2019m just out there talking about something I was paid to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Houston explains influencing as, \u201cGiving people knowledge about an item or a brand or topic and hoping that they take your opinion as worth more than just an opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">She uses many social media platforms to promote her blogs and communicate with her audience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iDX8u8mG_nk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston uses Instagram to spread knowledge about a product or brand. She also uses it to share pictures of her family and form relationships with people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cSo when I do talk about something, they take my word honestly and they believe what I\u2019m saying is organic,\u201d Houston said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Facebook is Houston\u2019s most active platform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cI have a large audience on Facebook that doesn\u2019t use Instagram,\u201d Houston said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">For every blog post Houston writes, she also creates a graphic with text and posts it to Pinterest with key words.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cI do it with the hopes that they will click that pin which will ultimately take them to my blog and keep them there for a while,\u201d Houston said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston\u2019s goals aren\u2019t just numbers on social media. One goal was to create a presence in her community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">She loves it when people reach out to her, like one woman who wrote, \u201cI love your blog\u201d and \u201cyou helped me through this part of motherhood.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \" data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \" style=\"max-width: 2500.0px;\"><\/p>\n<div data-animation-role=\"image\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_1555\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1555\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_2195.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1555\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_2195.jpg\" alt=\"Houston talking on a panel about influencing along with other Connecticut influencers\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_2195.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_2195-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1555\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Houston talking on a panel about influencing along with other Connecticut influencers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Through blogging, Houston\u2019s connected with people outside her community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cI have friends probably all over the country,\u201d Houston said. \u201cPeople that I talk about daily, talk to daily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston and her friends run lifestyle blogs, but influencers don\u2019t all have to focus on the same subject.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Some influencers focus on very specific niche-interests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Marissa Mullen is 26-year-old living in Brooklyn, New York. The Connecticut native left her job as a house band coordinator for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to pursue her passion\u2026for cheese.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cI am a \u201cCheese Plate Influencer\u201d as they say online,\u201d Mullen said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">As a micro influencer, Mullen is a one-person band. She creates content for three separate Instagram accounts.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B3XigVVHNOn\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"12\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B3XigVVHNOn\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">That \u201cTrick or Treat\u201d Plate \ud83c\udf83 Watch out for the fake eyeballs!\u2063 \u2063 I love all things Halloween. This is an easy plate for a spooky party, or a fun night in if you don\u2019t want to deal with Halloween. Who here is team candy corn? \u2063 \u2063 Learn to build the plate on @cheesebynumbers! #ThatCheesePlate<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">A post shared by <a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thatcheeseplate\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> That Cheese Plate<\/a> (@thatcheeseplate) on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2019-10-08T18:46:58+00:00\">Oct 8, 2019 at 11:46am PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thatcheeseplate\/?hl=en\">@ThatCheesePlate<\/a> shares her full cheese plate creations. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cheesebynumbers\/\">@CheeseByNumbers <\/a>show\u2019s swipe by swipe directions on how to create each cheese plate and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thatcheeseclass\/\">@ThatCheeseClass<\/a> shows boards created at her workshops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">But Mullen doesn\u2019t just run an Instagram accounts, she runs a business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cSome days I\u2019m busy working with clients to create content, which means crafting and photographing four cheese plates in a day,\u201d Mullen said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">As the only employee to her company, she spends days answering emails, handling invoices and booking events. Her most recent project is her upcoming cookbook, \u201cThat Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3k7K7Kt013w\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">But it\u2019s not just family blogs or things like cheese.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Video gamers can also have a career in influencing. They share their content when they post videos to either their social media or YouTube channel. Videos game influencers are unique because they take you through an experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cFacebook, Twitter, they don\u2019t allow for the sharing of the experience itself,\u201d David A. Tomczyk, professor of Professor of Entrepreneurship &amp; Strategy at Quinnipiac University, said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">The video itself is a solo experience and the social interaction happens before and after.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston and Mullen are a part of a large group of micro and macro-influencers, world-wide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \" data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \" style=\"max-width: 630.0px;\"><\/p>\n<div data-animation-role=\"image\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-12-06-at-1.33.00-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1556\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-12-06-at-1.33.00-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"82\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-12-06-at-1.33.00-PM.png 630w, https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-12-06-at-1.33.00-PM-300x39.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cInfluencers are considered to be thought leaders,\u201d Professor Mary Dunn of Quinnipiac University\u2019s school of communications, said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Dunn teaches a class called \u201cStrategies of Social Media,\u201d and her research includes influencers. Dunn said that people don\u2019t realize how much production goes into being an influencer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cIt\u2019s beyond a job, it\u2019s a whole industry,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">This \u201cindustry\u201d is made up of macro and micro-influencers. Macro influencers often have over a million followers. Micro influencers have a couple thousand followers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">John Powers, who teaches a course called \u201cSocial Media in the Digital Age\u201d at Quinnipiac University said, \u201cIt\u2019s a natural way to do what you love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Before social media influencers starting popping up, brands used well-known celebrities to endorse their products or brands. Today, it is more common for a macro influencer to partner with brands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cLeBron James wore them, so I have to get them, has turned,\u201d Powers said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/musefind.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MuseFind<\/a> is a influencer marketing platform. Its data shows that 92 percent of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Powers said, he sees that average people with a large following were more trusted by the public then celebrities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">In the late 2000s, American model and reality television star Kendall Jenner endorsed Proactive, a skin care brand. In 2017, she endorsed Pepsi. This shows how she went from a small product to a worldwide brand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">From the outside looking in, this can still look like a glamorous career, but it\u2019s much more complex on the production side than anyone realizes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Micro-influencers may work independently, while macro-influencers work with their team to produce content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cMany of what we call macro-influencers, who have over a million followers, but aren\u2019t considered cultural celebrities, those accounts that are posting so regularly often have teams behind them,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">These teams are forming a number of careers for people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cThere are actually supportive creative careers within the industry of influencing,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Amanda Perelli is an editorial fellow at Business Insider covering YouTubers and influencers. She said both smaller and larger businesses are only growing in popularity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cI think people think right now that the industry is very saturated, but I would say it\u2019s only going to get bigger,\u201d Perelli says.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><strong>In 2019, spending on influencer marketing will\u2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \" data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/chart.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1557\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/chart.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/chart.png 600w, https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/chart-300x186.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Parelli said a lot of brands still don\u2019t practice influencer marketing. She thinks that once more brands use this type of marketing they\u2019ll see the success of influencer marketing versus celebrity endorsements or television advertisements.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-1.49.59-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1558\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-1.49.59-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"766\" height=\"88\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-1.49.59-PM.png 766w, https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-1.49.59-PM-300x34.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Powers said the success of \u201cgreat content\u201d comes from being active on multiple platforms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">The research firm, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emarketer.com\/content\/average-us-time-spent-with-mobile-in-2019-has-increased\">eMarketer<\/a>, found that on average, people will spend 3 hours and 43 minutes each day on their smartphones, feature phones and tablets this year. That\u2019s 8 more minutes than they\u2019ll spend watching TV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cHuge percentages of people are spending vast majority of their time on those social networks, that is where information is being shared,\u201d Powers said. \u201cIt\u2019s where messages are shared, it\u2019s where brands and people are expressing themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YHzB6m9ZpTo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Social media also gives influencers the ability to network with others in their niche.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cInstagrammers also do a lot of cross promotion with others of similar interest,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Cross promotion allows influencers to work with other influencers. This can lead to an increase in followers and the opportunity to partner with more brands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">For example, MAC cosmetics isn\u2019t going to come out with a line of hardware tools. So if you\u2019re a beauty blogger endorsing brands, you\u2019re not going to endorse your \u201cfavorite\u201d hardware tools.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cIf it feels random, the audience is going to think you\u2019re just in it for the money,\u201d said Dunn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">The audience just wants partnerships to make sense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cAudiences don\u2019t care that they\u2019re doing partnerships,\u201d Dunn said. We\u2019re seeing that consumers are actually excited for these micro influencers, that they\u2019re getting to make some money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">However, the audience wants to see disclosures when working with a brand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cYou would think it would put off a bunch of people, but instead if you\u2019re upfront about it then the consumers are like OK, I still value your opinion,\u201d said Dunn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">The brand, influencer and audience ideas have to mesh, but the influencers has to practice transparency in order to be successful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cThat full disclosure is a better business practice for the audience who\u2019s the vulnerable population, the influencer who has to manage this relationship and the brand who\u2019s using all this tactically to support the brand,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \" data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-11.32.33-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1559\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-11.32.33-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"764\" height=\"116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-11.32.33-AM.png 764w, https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-14-at-11.32.33-AM-300x46.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">A big change has come to some Instagram accounts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">The social network is testing a feature that will no longer show someone\u2019s \u201clikes.\u201d Account holders can see their likes, but their followers won\u2019t know the amount of likes on a picture or video.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">In an article on Instagram hiding \u2018likes\u2019, Perelli writes, \u201cBy promoting products to followers, Instagram has become a huge source of revenue for many social-media influencers and a major part of their online businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Instagram likes are often used as measurement for brands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Adam Wescott, a partner at Drm Select Management Group, told<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/instagram-to-test-hiding-likes-impact-on-influencer-business-2019-11\"> Business Insider <\/a>that, \u201c&#8221;For creators, it&#8217;s a big change because likes are the number one tool for tracking post engagement. They know within minutes how their content will do based on number of likes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \" data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1560\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1560\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19_image-asset.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1560\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19_image-asset.jpg\" alt=\"Talking to Lifestyle blogger, Caitlin Houston\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19_image-asset.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19_image-asset-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking to Lifestyle blogger, Caitlin Houston<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \" style=\"max-width: 2500.0px;\"><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\"><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston, the creator of Caitlin Houston Blog, isn\u2019t worried about Instagram\u2019s trial feature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cTruthfully I feel a sense of relief that they are going to be doing this because I put too much pressure on myself when a picture doesn\u2019t get as many likes as I think it should,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Houston thinks brands will be able to look at quality and \u201cimpressions\u201d instead of quantity. The lifestyle blogger focuses more on her comments than her likes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cComments are huge to me and I think more important than likes because people are stopping to engage with the photo,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Influencers will still be able to make an income from their social media accounts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cFor a lot of people it\u2019s a career because they\u2019re able to make money in so many different ways,\u201d Perelli said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Wescott told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/instagram-to-test-hiding-likes-impact-on-influencer-business-2019-11\">Business Insider<\/a> that he believes brands will find alternative ways to measure engagement through looking at things like comments, shares, and Instagram stories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">An increase in influencer marketing will also create job growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhen mainstream brands and bigger brands start putting money into that, I think it could really become a career for even more people than it already is,\u201d Perelli said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">When you hear that someone is an influencer, what do you think? Do you think their \u201cjob\u201d is so easy, posting \u201ccandid\u201d pictures on Instagram for profit? Or, do you see influencing as a real 9a.m. to 5p.m. job? This article will explore the job of an influencer in 2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,236],"tags":[428,423,429,427,430,425,424,426],"class_list":["post-931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capstone-projects","category-qnn","tag-videogammers","tag-bloggers","tag-branding","tag-capstone-projects","tag-content","tag-influencermarketing","tag-influencers","tag-lifestyleblogger"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=931"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3476,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931\/revisions\/3476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}