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As we close out week two of this new year, I wanted to share my thoughts on the biggest blogging trends of 2019 in hopes that this will help you fine tune your goals. I figured most of you are either finalizing your resolutions – or trying to find out how you can keep them. And I’m sure that what I have to say below will help you get realistic with what you want to accomplish. In all honesty, I think the previous year left all of us in the influencer space baffled with Instagram’s mysterious algorithms, slow growth, and lower engagement. So what’s in store for 2019? Read on to find out.…
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Focus on transparency & authenticity
As the influencer space continues to flood with newcomers and micro-influencers rise, I think that transparency is going to become more important than ever. One major component of this will be properly disclosing sponsored posts. In a survey shared on Forbes, nearly 50% of people felt that influencers post inauthentic content. This was huge data for me and is a great reminder to put more thought and action into everything I’m sharing.
Another part to this is authenticity. Something I found really off-putting last year was influencers copying influencers from filters to posing to extreme photo editing. It’s so important to remember that your audience follows you for a reason – maybe because you styled something in a cool way they hadn’t seen before, your photography was super fresh and creative – or you just have that elusive, cool factor. Whatever that is, try not to get sidetracked by what everyone else is doing even though it can be tempting.
At the end of the day, there is no formula for authenticity – only you know what that looks like for you.
Recognize that users have become smarter and savvier, then create a thoughtful action plan for the content you produce.
Video & live streams continue to trend
Video and live streams are a great opportunity for you to be both transparent and authentic. Plus, brands seems to favor them these days. If you’re looking for an easy place to start that doesn’t require a ton of investment, consider trying out IGTV rather than YouTube. And get your practice speaking to an audience on IG stories since they disappear after 24 hours. Don’t hold yourself back this year by being late to the video game.
Quantity & quality
There’s tons of negative sentiment out there on where blogs are headed. However, I tend to think there’s a demand for quality content. If you’re able to write eloquent guides on how to do something technical, then you’re in luck. I suggest you start by mixing up bite-sized info with longer informative guides. However, bear in mind that you can’t write a huge chunk of text and expect it to be well-received. It needs to be broken up into digestible sections. One of the guides I wrote here continue to perform extremely well – which leads me to believe that blogs are still a huge player in today’s space.
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It’ll be harder to land brand deals
Given the sheer number of influencers, I also believe it’s going to be harder to land paid deals. One look at Instagram will show you that there are tens of thousands of bloggers over the 100k mark – and all are available to brands. This is where your network comes into play. It’s all about who you know! Your best bet for securing deals is to get out there and meet as many publicists and brand managers possible. If you’ve had paid collaborations in the past, build on those relationships and figure out how to re-engage them.
How are you going to make yourself the purple cow?
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Selling of services
As it gets harder to score partnerships, I’m expecting most influencers will start trying to sell a service of their own, including photography services, photo filters, coaching, fitness courses/regimens, and ebooks. If you’re considering this as an income outlet, I hope you’ll be responsible in providing quality material that’s worth the amount you charge. There’s no getting away with fluff this year!
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What do you guys predict will happen in the influencer world this year?
