Influencer: Book Review

Now that my traffic spike is mostly died down from providing color commentary on planner drama and as much as I would love to unravel the *NEW* Go around of planner drama, it’s time to get back to my regularly scheduled procrastination programming. Books. Who’s got ’em? Who’s read ’em?

This is tangentially related to my previous two part saga on user generated content and ownership though. Girls, Gays, and Theys… today we’re talking about influencers.

Influencer is written by Brittany Hennessy and I believe I got it in a Sparkle Hustle Grow box a few years back. I’ve flipped through it a few times, and tried to start reading it and even found the audiobook, but it just didn’t stick. It’s not a fluffy reading book, you know? It’s a INFORMATION book. You need to take notes. So, while cooped up during #Snowpocalypse2021 that’s what I did. Now my entire book is highlighted purple.

If you are any one of the following:

• Someone with a public social media account
• Someone who wants to build an online “presence”
• Someone who doesn’t really want to build an online “presence” but enjoys participating in online communities and sharing photos, videos, words that you’ve made
• Someone with some sort of active digital footprint of any kind

You will find this book helpful. I recommend getting a version you can notetake and write in; for me, that’s a physical copy.

Brittany Hennessy is a BAMF who was one of the first to create and work with influencer marketing from a business perspective high up in the fashion/lifestyle publishing world. “Influencer” was released in July 2018, but even though the digital world has lived about three lifetimes, the advice and setup is still solid. So much so that half of my notes are things I need to do on my own properties to get them them up to code.

This book covers everything from how to create your content and community, how to package and brand yourself, the MONEY side of things that nobody wants to talk about, and more. There are lists, example letters, advice from other big name influencers, and a glossary of terms so you know the difference between a KPI, SOW, and ROI. Basically, this is your guide book; the only thing missing are the merit badges.

“But Kiwi,” I hear you ask, “I don’t want to be an influencer. I just want to post my stuff on social media and go about my day.” Same, friend. Here’s the dirty little secret that can become a problem. If you have your social accounts public, they are fair game for anyone to look at. Your friends. Your mom (Hi Mom!). Potential clients and employers. Future Ex-Husbands (Hi, Seth MacFarlane!). As we saw from earlier this month, companies who might want to feature your posts on their page.

RELATED: Drama Analysis: Scribbles That Matter & User Generated Content

A lot of this book isn’t anything earth shatteringly new or novel; it’s a lot of the mechanics on what to do, why you should do it, and how to get it done. The whole second section on “Packaging Your Brand” is a great example. Hennessey walks you through things like your bios, your about me pages, and your contact pages. You know what I don’t have done right now? A decent social bio, about me pages, or contact pages. You know what I have on my weekend to do list? Yup… make charcuterie roses. BUT ALSO, work on my aforementioned pages.

This should be required reading, especially in the crafty/bookish nooks of the internet where I currently hangout. But it was also just as important in my previous life of teen fangirl corraller or to the very niche agriculture accounts I interact with now. If you are posting things on the internet that you want other people to see, you ARE an influencer.