The influencer myth

Stumbled across a fascinating story recently:

There's an 18-year-old Instagram “infulencer” named Arii who has over 2.6 million followers.

She decided to release her own clothing line for her fans.

She got great feedback on the prelaunch photos—everyone seemed excited for the release.

When the cart opened though, her “fans” bailed on her.

She didn't even hit the minimum quantity of 36 shirts required by the clothing manufacturer.

The article I read was full of “you're doing it wrong” advice about her style and IG feed.

Probably some of it was good advice, but it all missed an important point.

Social media makes it relatively easy for anyone with an engaging personality and photogenic face to gain a following.

This kind of “influence” though is mostly an illusion.

Rather than chasing massive audience growth and hundreds of thousands of subscribers, here's a better option:

Focus on relationships, not numbers.

Look for ways to go deeper with your email list and customers, rather than obsessing over “scale.”

Structure your offers to cater to the small group of hyper-responsive customers you'll attract.

True influence comes through trust, and the foundation of trust is relationships.