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Ask Carmen
What if you do a brand deal and there are no sales?
Q: I just did my first brand deal, but the client is disappointed at the lack of sales. What should I do?

A: Well, the client came into this project with the wrong set of expectations.⁠
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Unfortunately, there are brands and agencies who think that influencer marketing is a direct marketing mechanism, like running a Facebook ad. You see an ad, you click, then you buy.⁠
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A tell-tale sign of this is when a brand or agency’s very first outreach email to you includes a request for screenshots of your Instagram story impressions. They’ll do this because other than a link in your bio, Instagram stories is the only place to put a link. Emails like that get an immediate “no thanks” from us because I know they are expecting this to be a direct marketing campaign that drives immediate sales or downloads. ⁠
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Pro tip: Those are also the agencies who pay the most pitiful rates. So fellow creators, beware! ⁠:cough:BEN:cough
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Now, that's not to say there aren't creators who really do drive sales in a direct way. Fashion/beauty creators certainly do this often, and so do “deals” creators. Meaning, creators whose Instagram stories consist mostly of links to sales, deals, and coupons and whose audience follows them specifically for cool products to buy.⁠
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But creators in other niches don't always cultivate a “swipe up” type audience. ⁠
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Travel, for instance, is a long and complex sale. Nobody swipes up to book a vacation. There are multiple school and work schedules to be managed, PTO requests to be approved, flights to be bought, accommodations to be booked.⁠ It doesn't mean we don't hold any influence.

Every day, I am inundated with direct messages and comments from people who have booked resorts/trips after seeing our family travel to these places. I just heard from a family who booked a stay at the ultra-luxury safari lodge Angama Mara after watching our YouTube video 10 times in a row, for example, but none of this is happening from a single Instagram story swipe up (or link tap these days).
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The best-paid and most pleasant projects to work on are with brands who recognize there's more to influencer marketing than getting an immediate conversion. So focus on landing more of those, and just consider this a lesson learned!

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Take care,

Carmen Sognonvi
Creator Economy News
The Rights And Privacy Of Children Are Due To Take Center Stage In Influencer Culture, And It’s About Time
Whether it’s coaching your children to cry for the camera or making them the subject of cruel pranks, the act of leveraging the welfare of children for clicks or leaving them overexposed and vulnerable has made clear that there is a need for an overhaul of how children exist on the internet, starting with the influencer space.
How Zitsticka engineered a new product to go viral through a creative influencer campaign
Zitsticka enlisted approximately 100 influencers who had overlapping followers to ensure that any single follower would see Zitsticka promotions several times in their social feed. This was based on the marketing idea that any individual needs to see a brand or product approximately five times before becoming interested in learning more or purchasing, said Johnson.
Never Ask a Food Influencer to Pick Up the Tab
On the surface, getting paid to talk about food on Instagram seems like a sweet gig. But influencers say that the job gets exhausting quickly.
The Gear I Use
iPhone 13 Pro Max

What's the best camera to use for travel vlogging? Unless you're already a proficient videographer, I always recommend starting with an iPhone! It's so easy to use and the quality is amazing.
Insta360 GO 2

If you want an action camera that is super unobtrusive, the GO 2 is a great choice! The stabilization is amazing, and because it's so tiny, it allows you to get some really creative shots!
GoPro Hero 10

There's a reason GoPro has been popular with creators for so many years - it's a fantastic all-purpose action camera. Stabilization is great, and it's hardy enough to handle wear and tear.
Insta360 ONE X2

If you haven't hopped on the 360 camera bandwagon yet, this is your sign to do it! These cameras capture what's in front, back, above, below all at the same time!
13-Inch Macbook Pro

This laptop pretty much powers my entire business as a travel creator. Not only do I use it to edit all my photos and videos, but it's also a great productivity tool for email, writing, and research.
Tascam DR-10L Audio Recorder

Viewers can forgive bad video quality, but they won't put up with poor audio. This audio recorder is my go-to for capturing crisp, clear audio. It's so easy to use and the output always sounds great.
Travel Industry News
Airlines have a bold new plan to make air travel better: replace airplanes with buses (paywall)
Imagine departing your home in suburban Dallas, getting on a bus to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, hopping on a plane, and landing to find the Uber you booked already waiting for you. The car takes you to your destination, where your luggage is already waiting — all without needing to coordinate anything beyond letting the airline know where you are and where you're heading.
New Tulum Airport Will Host Four Million Passengers A Year
The forthcoming Tulum International Airport will have the operational capacity to host four million passengers a year according to the Mexican General Gustavo Vallejo. The airport is slated to be completed by the end of 2023.
Nine tips to save on expensive airfare this summer
Airfare is up 40% from the beginning of the year, according to Hopper. The average domestic round-trip ticket is currently pricing at $330 — and is estimated to be on its way up another 10%, to an average price of $360, in May. That’s higher than 2019 averages and is actually the highest domestic airfare prices that Hopper has seen since the company started collecting and tracking that information.
A Travel Must-Have
How to Avoid Getting Stuck in a Foreign Hospital
What if you’re on a trip, but you suddenly have a medical emergency? Travel insurance or credit card benefits will only get you to the “nearest acceptable facility" -- not your home hospital.

Medjet is the premier global air medical transport and travel security membership program for travelers. If you become hospitalized internationally, Medjet will arrange medical transportation to a home-country hospital of your choice for inpatient care.
Culture and Society
Everyone Is Beautiful and No One Is Horny
Modern action and superhero films fetishize the body, even as they desexualize it.
What Is a ‘Nepotism Baby’?
Gen Zers have turned a term of derision into one of admiration. That doesn’t mean they’re not jealous, though.
Squishmallows are adorable, but their online fandom has a dark side
Vigilantes are doxxing and bullying resellers. “People are going feral,” says one collector.
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