Recently, a blog post of my blew up and was spread among many people. I was very surprised because while I've been blogging for a long time, it isn't really public among my peers. Most people know me for what I do on Instagram, and I've been pretty lowkey in the blogging sphere.

Many people (especially those who got to know me for the first time) tend to be very surprised when they know that I do Instagram content. I currently have 11k followers on Instagram, which honestly isn't a lot, but it's a considerable amount and I'm proud of what I've built. I really don't like being called an "Influencer", like - really, please don't call me that. I don't really have a positive view on Influencers in general, especially Singapore ones, and calling me that when I built my Instagram solely on content instead of my tits can be a bit insulting...

Anyway back in the days when I first started, the term "Influencer" wasn't even a thing. So I'd like to call myself what I'd like to be called - a social media content creator and blogger!

Here are some commonly asked questions that people have for me in 8 points!

1. How did you start?

I was actually very late to the Instagram party. Instagram started being very popular sometime around 2012, but I only made an account sometime in 2014. At that time, I wasn't very interested in jumping on another social platform because I was still actively using Facebook (LOL). Then I read somewhere that there were people who were using Instagram to make money by growing their followers and creating content. I remember reading this at 3 in the morning, and I was like, SHIT THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.

So yeah, that's how I got inspired to start. At first, it was more about the money than creating good content. I was kind of a Kpop fan back then - like the OG SHINee, EXO fans ok, sorry BTS - so a lot of my followers were fellow Koreaboos who followed me because I posted a lot of topless oppa pics. If you look thru my followers list, you may probably still see some of them (lmao). I also had a lot of friends since I came from a small town in Malaysia and everyone knew almost everybody, so my followers grew from there too.

I posted a lot of reviews on things I bought, such as Kpop merchandise, concerts I went for, cool restaurants, and occasional travel posts. Then I migrated to Singapore, and that's when I found a lot more things to do and actively went out searching for content. Initially, I spent a lot of my own money, especially if the content required me to spend, e.g. new restaurants, hipster events, new face products...

My first ever sponsor was actually Takashimaya, and I was required to cover events that they held at the events space. They didn't even pay me cash; they gave me vouchers every time I came down to promote events. I eventually had about $200 worth of vouchers that I could spend at Taka, and bought a shit ton of Calvin Klein underwear.
The initial process requires a lot of reaching out to companies and asking if they are looking for promoters/ collaborations. This process requires a lot of thick skin. Eventually I started building my base of small sponsors, and continued growing from there.

2. When did you start taking off?

I started getting sponsorships like crazy once I hit 10k followers. That was actually some time in late 2018. It was really insane. Around this time, I started getting approached by big brands such as Grab, Food Panda, Swarovski, and StarHub. They would usually drop me a DM on Instagram, or email me. I also got sponsored to travel and was offered a stay in hotels overseas such as Taiwan, Malaysia, and even Maldives. It's quite a bummer that I had to turn down some of these offers because the dates clashed with my school schedule.
After 10k, I guess I had some form of credibility, and brands started paying me more. While previously I was getting paid $30-$50 per post, now I was being paid in the hundreds. That was when it really dawned on me that I was doing a good job.

I also had the power to start turning down brands I wasn't interested in, or brands that didn't really add to my portfolio. Sometimes, brands ask me to do a ridiculous amount of work for free - and this is when I'll finally have to power to be like, hell no.

Some people asked if working at The Smart Local had anything to do with my surge in followers. Honestly, nah. I was only a writer there, and unlike the YouTube people, I didn't get a lot of time in the spotlight. However, working there taught me how to create better content and research on things that may go viral. In these cases, I guess it did help me a bit!

3. How do sponsorships work?

Sponsorships come in a few categories - "promo code + commission based", free samples, paid promotions, or a mix of free stuff + cash payment. When I first started, many of the "sponsorships" I got were the "brand ambassador" kinds where brands such as Shopee or Zalora reach out to you and offer you a special discount code for you and your followers. When your code is used, you get commission. These kinds are pretty common, and you'll see many poly or uni students doing this, with captions like, "link in my bio" or "use my code XXXX for 10% off".
Later, brands (mostly startup) started reaching out asking if I would promote their brand if they gave me free samples. Most of the products were skincare, haircare, accessories, or clothes. I did this for a few months when my followers were around 5k-8k.

What I'm doing now is mostly paid promotions, or a mix of free stuff + cash payment. I wouldn't really settle for less, because I know that I can create good content and I deserve more credit for the effort I put in!

4. What sponsors have you worked with?

To date, I've worked with so many sponsors that I can't really keep count. But the most memorable ones are DBS, Grab, Rad Russel, Swarovski, Kotex, Pink Dolphin, Food Panda, and ATC Travels!

As you can see, I work with all sorts of clients, and I don't really limit myself to a certain genre. However, I've been trying to move my content towards travel, so I've been taking on more travel-related sponsors such as hotels, airlines, insurance (sometimes), and travel agencies!
If you're an interested sponsor in that field, do HMU *hint hint*

5. How do you plan content?

Coming up with content can be very stressful because I'm a perfectionist and I want whatever I do to be as aesthetic as possible. I usually plan my feed and work it around a certain theme. I don't really have a name for my theme, but the aesthetic is muted colours with mainly blues!

I'm not the most photogenic person, so my photos usually focus on the background instead of the foreground, where I'll be standing. The editing process takes a lot of work, and the final photo chosen to be uploaded would have gone through rounds and rounds of editing on Lightroom, VSCO, and Meitu - my 3 favourite photo-editing apps!

I think the downside to having a feed and all that is that you can't really post whatever you want whenever you want. Some photos just don't go well together, so you have to space them out, even if you really, really want to post them today! But for my feed, I think it's worth this little sacrifice ;)

I don't have an "official photographer" like a lot of major Influencers do. My boyfriend is actually my unofficial "manager" and photographer, so he takes most of my photos for me, and he contributes to the aesthetic direction as well.

6. Are there any downsides of having your life so open to the public?

Not really... I mean, I'm not really famous? So I don't think people really give a damn about me. BUT there have been times when I've received backlash/ hate/ criticism for the things I've said. Sometimes I may say something that doesn't mean any harm, but people will take it the wrong way.

I've posted certain things before, only to wake up the next morning to random people calling me out or "educating" me because they found what I said offensive. Sometimes, people judge too quickly and fail to see the overall picture, and I guess that's what bugs me the most because they don't even know me but they have so much to say???

This actually contributed to my social anxiety as well, because I felt like I wasn't free to say whatever I want, and had to tiptoe around to be "politically correct".

7. What are some challenges of being an Influencer content creator?

Staying true to your values and what you set out to do is SUPER DIFFICULT in this industry.

Let's just put it out there that this industry is as superficial as it can get. Social media glorifies the "perfect lifestyle" and the "perfect body", and it's very annoying when you just want to be recognised for the work you put into creating good content, but you'll just never be as successful as random girls who parade their tits on Instagram.

Like, I spend hours trying to create the perfect flatlay for my clients, and it'll never be as viral as some random girl in a bikini with her nenehs spilling out while she holds the product. It's just how it is.

There are SO many times when I just wanted to follow the status quo and show some skin, but I failed because it just isn't me. Also, my boobs are probably the size of my thumb.

8. Do you buy likes/ followers? Have you felt pressured to do so?

Honestly, is it even that easy to buy these kind of things????? If I could, I probably would have done it a long time ago because why would I be working my ass off when there was an easier way to fame, like WHY.

But seriously, I do know of people who are guilty of doing this, and even high-profile Singapore Influencers are suspected of buying followers. I don't do these kind of unethical shit, but I can understand why they did it.

Some sponsors pay a base-rate, and then increase the rates depending on your post performance (engagement/ likes/ shares). Likes can be difficult to get, especially if it's a sponsored post because followers will look at it and be like, UGH HERE COMES THIS INFLUENZA AGAIN, and not want to "like" it. Also now that Instagram has hidden likes, and other social media such as TikTok are on the rise, it is more difficult to maintain fame on Instagram.

I've had friends who suspected that I bought followers when they saw my account and actually went through my follower list to check for fake accounts but didn't find anything.

SO THIS BITCH IS REAL OK. I dare you to check.

I definitely feel sad when my posts don't perform as well, but buying followers and likes are a new low y'all.

YAY IM AN INFLUENZAAAAA


So that's the story of how I started and my experience as a Instagram content creator! Do check out my Instagram as well as my photos and content, and leave comments if you'd like! If you do give me a follow, do let me know that this blog post brought you there!



Love this post? Feel free to share and comment below or check out my internship review at The Smart Local here.