Married at 28, divorcing at 29 — how I learned to own the narrative At 28, I thought I was building the life I’d always dreamed of. I got engaged, shared it with my audience, and then brought them along on the journey. Over 10 million people watched my “Get Married With Me” video across my platforms. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, magnified by the fact that I had built this level of trust and connection with my community. But a year later, I wasn’t preparing for another celebration. I was preparing for a divorce. The person I had married misrepresented who they were on nearly every level. Behind the curated moments and public smiles was a predatory relationship. I took what could have been my deepest humiliation and turned it into a story of resilience. I launched my “Married at 28. Divorcing at 29” TikTok series. I wasn’t sensationalizing my heartbreak. Instead, I was reclaiming the narrative and processing what had happened to me in the most honest way possible. Here’s why I decided to share my experience and how the experience shaped my career as an influencer. Table of Contents Choosing to Go Public Courage That Inspires Lessons I’ve Learned Choosing to Go Public When your life unravels on a stage that big, silence feels tempting. Hiding feels safe. But, silence doesn’t set you free. Truth does. I decided to go public about my...

Why brands should stop overlooking their most powerful influencers: customers Every January, I sit down to write my predictions for the year ahead in social media and consumer behavior. And this year, one trend stood out to me more than anything else: the rise of customers as influencers. In the past 18 months, we’ve seen people boycotting brands, blocking campaigns, and becoming much more marketing literate. We know how influencer deals work, we see the behind-the-scenes, and in many cases we now view influencers as brands themselves. That changes how we trust them, and how we want to engage. It’s made me stop and think: what if customers are the new influencers? This article is about that shift. Why consumers are growing tired of influencer culture, what happens when brands put their customers in the spotlight instead, and how any business — big or small — can start building a customer influencer strategy of their own. Because in 2025, I believe the smartest brands will be the ones who give their customers the microphone. Table of Contents Why Brands Are Ditching Influencers The Benefits of Swapping Influencers for Customers How to Get Started With Your Own Customer Influencer Strategy Why Brands Are Ditching Influencers Over the past year or so, the sentiment around influencers has changed. At the start of 2024 we saw the “blockout” after the Met Gala — entire communities boycotting brands and creators at once.   Source For...

Keeping up is exhausting, here’s how one social media creator helps brands beat trend fatigue How’s your cottagecore vibe? Are you ready for light academia aesthetic to dominate your feed or for the next generative-AI action figure trend? Fashion trends used to spin in 20-year cycles, but there is no playbook anymore. Microtrends peak, then disappear in weeks or even days. It’s a never-ending cycle of trying to keep up with culture, and I’m exhausted. Just 53% of marketers say they’re confident they can keep up with new cultural trends. Here’s how trend fatigue is affecting marketing, plus my take on how to figure out which trends to chase — and which to let pass. What is trend fatigue? Trend fatigue is the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion when facing the pace and volume of new trends, especially on social media. The New York Times recently wrote that logging into social media feels like “standing in front of a fire hose of fashion and internet fads and cranking open the nozzle, full blast.” That metaphor resonates with me, even as a social media professional. After half a decade in the industry, I’m seeing a shift where the volume of social media trends is starting to outpace their value. Viral trends are rising and falling on TikTok and Instagram faster than ever, from demure to Dubai chocolate to mermaid-core. Almost before you can hop on the trend, it’s gone. It’s become so ridiculous that The New Yorker‘s humor column started...

Why Everyone Is a Social Media Entrepreneur Right Now — Trends You Need to Know In TikTok’s early days of mostly dance challenges and lip-syncing exchanges, Shola West, a Gen Z career advocate, speaker and educator, spotted a gap. “I decided I wanted to come on the platform to share tips and tricks from my career working in the media industry,” she says. Now affectionately known as the “Big Sis to Young Creatives” — with accolades including Forbes 30 Under 30 — West is building a digital brand around providing career advice to rising professionals. “I didn’t go into it thinking it would be a social media business per se,” says West. “It was about adding value.” Now, it’s her full-time business. The social media entrepreneur makes her money from brand partnerships, workshops, and other aligned collaborations. Want to learn more? You’re in luck. I chatted with some of the best in social media entrepreneurship and I’m diving into trends, tips, and more below. Table of Contents What is social media entrepreneurship? Why is social media entrepreneurship so popular? Top Social Media Entrepreneurship Trends Tips for Social Media Entrepreneurs What is social media entrepreneurship? Social media entrepreneurship entails building a business using social media as the predominant method of driving sales and marketing. The concept goes hand-in-hand with a surging “creator economy” — the term used to describe influencers or content creators who...

The State of Social Media in 2023: How You Can Build Communities, Drive Sales, and Go Viral, According to 1,000+ Social Media Managers There's no two ways around it: Social media is hard. Nowadays, social media marketers are inundated daily with information on evolving trends, social platforms that are gaining or losing steam, and new types of content.  It can be hard to keep track. As a social media marketer, you might be asking yourself:  Which social platform is going to offer me the highest ROI in 2023?  When is the best time to post on social? Should I invest in micro-influencers? Should I hire creators? Should I do neither? What's all the fuss about social media communities?  Do my customers care about customer service on social media, or not really?  To help you identify which trends matter most to your business, and how you can shape your social strategy accordingly, HubSpot Blog Research polled 1,000+ social media marketers globally to learn the biggest trends, challenges, and opportunities of social in 2023.  You'll also hear from social media experts at G2, Dropbox, Vimeo, Aircall, Rakuten Advertising, HubSpot, and more on how you can effectively engage audiences, cultivate communities, and drive revenue on social in 2023.  Keep reading, or skip to the section(s) that pertain to you:  Important Findings & Takeaways for Social Media Marketers  To start, let's go over some...