How Influencers are Dominating their Platform of Choice

I will explore how influencers on different social media platforms are succeeding and differentiating themselves from the rest.

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How Chiara Ferragni Went from Salad to Millionaire:

Chiara Ferragni is considered to be one of the original blogger/influencers in the game. Back in 2009, she started her blog The Blonde Salad  that highlighted fashion and travel. As she gained her following, New York Magazine introduced her as a “breakout street-style star of the year.” She would piece together outfits and stand outside fashion shows where she knew photographers would be willing to take her photos. In 2012, Chiara began her Instagram page which only boosted her following. Between 2012 and 2014, Chiara collaborated with various brands like Steve Madden to create capsule collections that emphasized her fun, street style.

In 2015, Harvard Business school performed a case study on her and The Blonde Salad. That year Chiara was also on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. In 201, Chiara transformed The Blonde Salad into a platform with a “see now, buy now eCommerce of capsules and an online magazine.” This allowed for Chiara to sell her multiple brand collaborations in one marketplace -- making it significantly easier for the users to shop her style. A year later, (2017) Chiara was nominated for Forbes most powerful influencer in the world. Chiara currently has over 15 million followers which continues to grow every time she collabs with other brands. She has started her own clothing/accessory line which is a direct reflection of her style and female-entrepreneur mindset.

Works Cited:

-https://www.theblondesalad.com/en-US/about

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiara_Ferragni

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Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and how she created a fitness EMPIRE:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick is the creator of the extremely successful blog: The Skinny Confidential. Lauryn first envisioned her blog as a fitness blog. This led her to spend two years attending nutrition classes, reading everything on diet/fitness/balance/body/recipes, becoming a certified fitness trainer, and practicing photography. She launched The Skinny Confidential in 2011 once she felt that she had enough knowledge to publicly give others advice.

Along with the blog, Lauryn wrote and published her book The Skinny Confidential Lifestyle Guide and a BODY GUIDE. This is a monthly subscription service that contains new/updated meal plans and workouts. As she gained more followers, they were interested in all aspects of her life, not just food and fitness. She began posting about her beauty routines, tagging her clothes in Instagram posts, sharing hair tutorials. Lauryn is now considered a lifestyle and fitness blogger. @theskinnyconfidential currently has 938k followers on Instagram, but Lauryn’s success does not stop there.

Lauryn and her husband, Michael Bosstick host a podcast that interviews other entrepreneurs called The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER. The podcast has over 55 million downloads. Lauryn and Michael interview everyone from Jordan Belfort to influencers like Chriselle Lim about their lives, advice, and stories.

The success of The Skinny Confidential is due to Lauryn’s determination to provide her followers with accurate, trustworthy information that they can truly rely on. Her followers trust her and are now avid fans.

Works Cited:

-https://www.theskinnyconfidential.com/about/

-https://www.theskinnyconfidential.com/blogging-tips/

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How Chriselle Lim emerged from fashion stylist to celebrities to lifestyle influencer to the masses:

Chriselle Lim began her career in fashion as a stylist for major celebrities and fashion books. Her passion for clothes led her to start her blog called The Chriselle Factor to keep track of everyday pieces that inspired her and helped her to grow her own personal style. As her blog grew, Chriselle launched a YouTube channel that expands beyond just fashion. Everything from beauty, cooking, skincare, fashion, workouts, events, and more are vlogged about in order to inspire women all over the world. She is a muse to others who offers great advice when it comes to all things lifestyle. Chriselle’s YouTube channel has over 750 thousand subscribers and over 29 million views. These stats have awarded her the title of Number One Fashion Expert on all of YouTube.

Nine years later, Chriselle employs a staff of 13 at her office in Downtown LA. Together they work to create content for Chriselle’s blog, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media accounts. She has accumulated 1.1 million followers on Instagram where she shows her everyday life. From picking up her daughter Chloe from school to attending the most glamorous fashion shows in Paris, Chriselle finds a way to stay true to herself and be honest with her followers. She has recognized that while her followers love to see her work life that involves some of the biggest names in fashion what really pulls them in is how she balances all the other aspects of her life. From being a mother to two, a wife and entrepreneur, Chriselle certainly has a lot on her plate. She makes sure to let others know that it is normal to feel overwhelmed and explains how she copes with stress. Chriselle is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle guru that many people, but especially young moms, relate to.

Works Cited:

-https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/326838

-https://thechrisellefactor.com/about/

-https://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/a25682449/fashion-bloggers-with-clothing-lines/

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How Marianna Hewitt created a successful skincare brand based off of her own blogging expertise:

Marianna Hewitt also known as the lifestyle blogger/vlogger of lifewithme.com and co-founder of Summer Fridays beauty product, has previously been named influencer of the year by WWD and beauty influencer of the year by Revolve. Marianna began her career after college when she moved from Ohio to Los Angeles working in public relations. On the side, she began posting YouTube videos of herself on trips with her mother and slowly began to share her entire life. Marianna posts videos and weekly blogs regarding must-have beauty products, DIY tutorials, outfit inspo, diet and workouts, and travel.

Marianna used her platform with over 20 million YouTube subscribers and over 850 thousand Instagram followers to build a cruelty-free, vegan beauty brand called Summer Fridays. The brand is most popular for its Jet Lag Mask that claims to “Drench your stressed-out skin in antioxidant-rich hydration for an instant spa glow.” Marianna and other co-founder Lauren Gores Ireland (owner of the blog: You & Lu) consider themselves “product connoisseurs.” They have been sent and have tried hundreds of different beauty products but continued to be on the lookout for a product with clean ingredients that gave you skin an immediate glowy effect. They teamed up with experts and created Summer Fridays. Marianna has used her platform on YouTube and Instagram to promote her brand @SummerFridays and has repeatedly sold out her masks/oils. Marianna and @SummerFridays is an ever-growing brand that all stemmed from her ability to share her life and beauty expertise with others.

Works Cited:

-https://summerfridays.com/pages/about

-https://lifewithme.com

-https://www.marieclaire.com/career-advice/news/a19273/marianna-hewitt-worth-the-wrinkle/

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How Claudia Oshry created a business without having to go to work:

Claudia Oshry, otherwise known as Girl With No Job across social media platforms, has over 2.4 million followers and works from the comfort of her own home. Her blog stemmed from her miserable experience as a fashion intern where she would send her mother funny emails complaining about the job. The company ultimately ended up firing her as she had called in sick “too many times.” Claudia began posting her grievances (in meme form) to Tumblr and soon after, Instagram and Snapchat. She quickly grew her following among millenials who could relate to her funny anecdotes stemming from her once miserable job. She has partnered with brands like Uber, Spanx, HGTV and Food Network to implement their products into her social media posts.

Claudia discusses topics like celebrity news and gossip, dieting, and of course the trials and tribulations of a nine to five job. Millennials have followed her because she states what everyone is thinking/feeling but not verbally saying. Her crassness and brutally honest behavior is what has allowed her to have no “job.” Claudia currently has a podcast with her sister, Jackie O. titled “The Morning Toast” which records Monday-Friday at 10:30am. On the podcast they discuss more of their opinions on trending millennial topics (like last night's episode on the bachelor). Claudia continuously grows her following by vocalizing her honest complaints as a regular millennial.

Sources:

-https://narratively.com/this-millennial-makes-more-money-posting-selfies-from-bed-than-you-do-at-your-9-to-5

-https://www.girlwithnojob.com

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How Melissa Wood Tepperberg Uses Social Media to Demonstrate to Others the Effects of Self-Love:

Melissa Wood Tepperberg is a mother, yoga/pilates instructor, wellness coach, meditator and social media connoisseur. Before Melissa’s career took off, she struggled with anxiety, acne and a severe eating disorder. After battling with her insecurities for an extended period of time, she faced her fears and asked for help. Melissa defines this as her “turning point,” when she was truly honest with herself.

Melissa enrolled in IIN, The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and received a certification in health certification. As she began to build her community of clients, Melissa wanted to introduce her other passion: working out. Previously Melissa had always thought high-intensity workouts were the key to get her desired body, but when she stopped listening to what “worked” for other people, she attained her goals. Melissa created her own method, called The MWH Method. This method consists of slow controlled movements through yoga/pilates movements to create “long, lean lines.” She credits her post-baby body and emotional well-being to The MWH Method.  

Melissa began sharing her workouts via Instagram and gained a large following, expanding her community to more than just a few clients. Melissa currently has 192 thousand Instagram followers and 15.1 thousand YouTube subscribers. She focuses her platform on “help[ing] [her clients/followers] become [their] best self through [her] movement principles, mindful eating, and meditation.” She empowers her followers to practice self-love in all aspects of their lives. By Melissa using her platform to show the ups and downs of her day to day life, she has created transformations for thousands (both physically and mentally) as well as an online subscription-based workout plan.  

Melissa Wood Tepperberg has found her true calling and changed the lives of millions through her social media platforms. She has become an influencer to thousands and counting.

Works Cited: -https://melissawoodhealth.com/about/

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Formerly known as @peaceloveshea, Shea Marie is a 32 Southern California native. While attending University of California San Diego, Shea studied Communications and Journalism. She took what she learned at UCSD and combined it with her love of fashion, modeling, and styling -- thus beginning her blog “Peace Love Shea.”

She would model the clothes she styled herself. With the emergence of Instagram, she continued to post her perfectly styled outfits just at a more frequent rate. Brands began to recognize her sophisticated style and well-known social group and started to send her clothes, skincare, food, etc. Over time her site and Instagram began reaching over 8 million people each day. Shea Marie has become a leading street style blogger as well as a beauty and health influencer. 

Shea has outgrown her blog “Peace Love Shea” and transferred all of her content over to her Instagram handle @sheamarie. She now receives over 90 million impressions per month by documenting her travels around the world (paid for by brands) and her day-to-day life (including behind the scenes of fashion week). Additionally, Shea launched a luxury swimwear line “Same Swim” which is worn by top celebrities, tastemakers, and of course INFLUENCERS. Shea owns this company completely as has taken her money made from collaborating with top brands and invested it in her brand's most important asset: herself.

Shea Marie is an incredibly smart business woman who has used her social status/who she is friends with (i.e. Caroline Vreeland) to shape a career filled with everything she loves: design, travel, creativity, and her friends.

Works Cited:

-https://peaceloveshea.com/about/

https://www.samelosangeles.com/pages/about-us

https://adamkatzsinding.com/shea-marie-caroline-vreeland-new-york-city-4/

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How Huda Kattan has become a Top Influencer in the Beauty Industry:

Iraqui-American celebrity make-up artist and beauty blogger, Huda Kattan began her blog named “Huda Beauty” in 2010. She posted make-up tutorials with tips that range from how to find the foundation color that exactly matches the color of your skin to “14 eyeshadow hacks that will take you from beginner to pro.” 3 years later, Huda created a cosmetics line called “Huda Beauty.” Sephora released her main product: a series of false lashes. These lashes were worn by Kim Kardashian and aided in the success of the Huda Beauty make-up line.

With the success of the false lashes, Huda Beauty began to offer other beauty products. She continued and (still does today) to post tutorials on Instagram and YouTube. With more than 35 million Instagram followers and 3.53 million YouTube subscribers, Huda Kattan has been declared one of the “ten most powerful influencers in the world of beauty” according to Forbes.

Huda acknowledges that her success is due to not only her talented make-up skills but her easy-to-follow tutorials on various social media platforms. She also began sending out PR packages of new make-up releases to celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lilly Ghalichi, and Mario Dedivanovic. This press creates a tremendous amount of exposure toward Huda’s videos and make-up line. She recognized that people were buying the products she was using in her videos, so why not create her own and begin to make a capital.

Huda Kattan continues to dominate the beauty world on Instagram and YouTube at 35 years old.

Works Cited:

-https://hudabeauty.com

-https://www.businessinsider.com/influencer-huda-kattan-turns-down-million-dollar-brand-deal-interview-2019-8

-https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2018/07/11/huda-kattan-huda-beauty-billion-influencer/#5575a2fa6120

-https://www.youtube.com/user/hudaheidik/featured

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How Arielle Charnas has used Instagram and her Personal Blog Something Navy to create a multi-million dollar clothing brand with Nordstrom:

Arielle Charnas began her career as an influencer in 2009 by posting her daily outfits to and her website-blog @somethingnavy and a year later to Instagram. Arielle has described her style as “elevated basic.” This leaves her followers feeling inspired when getting dressed in the morning. Aside from posting her daily outfits, Arielle has been open about her personal life. She shared her experience of planning a wedding, pregnancy, and life as a working mother. Through Instagram, her followers have not only watched Arielle grow up but her two daughters Ruby and Esme as well.

In the Fall of 2017, Arielle launched her first collection with Nordstrom. This line consisted of ready-to-wear items at an affordable cost. The collection quickly became Nordstroms most successful launches for any brand at the retailer. Through personal appearances at several Nordstrom stores and Instagram posts/stories about the launch, her collaboration exceeded over a million dollars within the first 24 hours.

In February 2018, she signed a “long-term contract with Nordstrom to license Something Navy and her likeness, as well as establish a stand-alone brand.” Arielle continues to sell out the collection with Nordstrom. Charnas separated her personal account from Something Navy and has raised $10 million in funding from investors, valuing the Something Navy brand around $45 million dollars.

Arielle Charnas is the perfect example of the benefit of sharing her life with the public. She speaks out about how she has been body-shamed for being “too skinny” but has overcome it by not blocking followers who have rude or mean things to say about her and her family. Arielle has used her blog but most importantly her Instagram platform to sell out multiple collections with Nordstrom and build her own ready-to-wear brand. Charnas has become an influencer, entrepreneur, and mother over the past 11 years of creating Something Navy.

Sources:

-https://somethingnavy.com/about/

-https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/pete-nordstrom-something-navy-launches-most-successful-for-any-brand-1202908318/

-https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/somethingnavy-arielle-charnas-nordstrom-partner-on-standalone-somethingnavy-brand-1202595986/

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How Danielle Bernstein is Dominating the fashion business on Instagram:

Danielle Bernstein, creator of fashion blog and brand @weworewhat has become a top fashion and lifestyle influencer on Instagram. Bernstein began her blog in 2010 and has seen rapid growth, amassing in over 2.1 million Instagram followers over the past nine years. Her daily posts consist mainly of outfits which are a mix of high (Chanel, Tom Ford, Saint Laurent) and low (Zara, Asos, Urban Outfitters) brands. This mix allows her followers to relate to her and also have aspirations to be like her. By being able to purchase what she is wearing, Danielle has become an influencer to millions and counting. Danielle has launched a line of overalls, a swim collaboration with Onia, a denim collaboration with Joes Jeans, and a boot collaboration with Archive shoes. Each launch has been extremely successful and it is all due to her self-promotion. By showing the creative process of picking the fabric and designs of her pieces to her wearing them out Danielle has figured out how to utilize her platform as a marketing tool.

Bernstein has become more of a lifestyle guru over the past few years. As she continued to evolve @weworewhat she began talking about where she’s eating, going out, vacationing, and most importantly her business advice. Bernstein is one of the first influencers to be open about how much bloggers get paid per Instagram post and what it takes to monetize a business via Instagram and blogging. By being transparent with her audience, Danielle Bernstein has become more than just a fashion and lifestyle blogger, she has become a business guru to the masses, earning her a spot on Forbes 30 under 30.