investing in yourself – not a platform

on the risks and rewards of having a career in social media for how to be a woman on the internet

Earlier this year, I read a Women’s Health article where the writer, Madeline Howard, talks about the instability of social media. She says, “Social media companies incentivize content creators to live online, without offering much in return.” And goes on to talk about how creators drive so much traffic to these platforms, without any benefits or protections. Only after reading that did I begin to realize how much my life would drastically change if Instagram became irrelevant – which isn’t out of the realm of possibility - and made me reflect on how much time and energy I’ve already invested in social media and how much more I want to invest in it moving forward.

Below are some excerpts from a conversation Ford and I had for how to be a woman on the internet about the risks and rewards of having a career in social media.

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On the pressure to have a presence on every platform:

The smart move would be to be well-versed in multiple platforms, but to me, it’s like having a whole other job. When TikTok came onto the scene, everyone was telling me that I need to build a following there and that a lot of money will soon be pouring into TikTok. And they were right – brand budgets are decreasing on Instagram and there’s been reports of just how much TikTok creators are making. While many did make that jump, I was slow to. I’ve been in social media for 10 years now and it felt exhausting to get on that hamster wheel of churning out more content, this time video, and have to know the ins and outs of what’s trending on TikTok, how to maximize it and try to grow a following on there, on top of having to keep up with all that’s happening on Instagram. I’m feeling a bit apathetic. The same goes for my social media consulting – if I was more money-minded, I would have become well-versed in TikTok in order to consult with brands for that platform, too, but I pretty immediately decided that I would take a back seat on TikTok consulting and gave myself permission to stick to one platform. 

I do think it’s more beneficial to invest in multiple platforms – income-wise, that is. But I do think at some point it takes a hit mentally, emotionally, to try to keep up with all of it, especially with the amount of content these platforms require of us to post. 

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On having genuine interests — for yourself and not just for social media:

While our focus on social media tends to be how to grow - grow our numbers, grow our income, what is important is growing our curiosities and our passions, whether or not that gets shown on Instagram, TikTok, whatever. There needs to be a genuine interest in exploring the things that really matter to us, which transcends whatever platform is in at the moment.

For example, because I really love connecting people and getting to know new people, I started Seen Library, a community for readers and book lovers to come together. Admittedly, when I first thought about creating it, my initial instinct was to think about how to monetize it, which I quickly shot down because I didn’t want another job. I wanted to start it because I wanted a new hobby, something that I would enjoy. I began doing in person book exchanges with friends and acquaintances in order to connect with people and build community outside of social media. From there, I began doing book drives and was able to see how Seen Library could be a tool to give back. And while I’m careful to not put pressure on myself to monetize it, it has been able to translate into financial opportunities – whether brands want to sponsor a Seen Library book exchange, or I use what I’ve learned from Seen Library to inform my work with clients. With one of my fashion clients, I applied this community building mindset to their brand and thought about the ways we could bring people together in a way that made sense for them.

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On choosing platforms based on your needs and capabilities:

I think platforms that people should look into are really dependent on their personality types and how they feel most comfortable. While Substack works for me, I don’t think it works for everyone - not everyone likes writing or sharing in that format. TikTok is obviously a popular platform that people feel drawn to - it feels more candid and casual - which is great for the people who feel at odds with how curated Instagram tends to be. Some people don’t want to be on camera at all and like short, funny or informational tidbits - maybe that’s where Twitter (or Threads) comes in. I’m not too familiar with Patreon, but I know most of the content is behind a paywall, which is nice as it allows for more substantial or honest content reserved for those who are willing to pay for it.

I like Substack because it allows for longer-form copy and the ability to share links and more in-depth thoughts. I found myself wanting to share my feelings on my career or this industry or books I was reading or products I was using and didn’t feel Instagram was the appropriate place to do it, as people there want visuals or quick, short captions. I saw how many more clicks a link to my shoes would get vs. the book I was reading and that was discouraging to me, even though I understood it. Most people follow me for my clothes or lifestyle, not my thoughts. And while I still want to use Instagram to showcase my interests, and I still share books I’m reading on there, I realized that maybe it wasn’t the place to share everything I want to share in full. Which is why I went to Substack. People who subscribe to Substack are craving - or at least, open to - flushed out thoughts and reading more copy. And those who subscribe to my Substack care enough to read what I have to say. And it’s kind of nice to be able to reserve some of that stuff for them, instead of putting it all on Instagram, where it felt like I was screaming into a void. Or into an already too-crowded space. 

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On a career in influencing:

It definitely has the ability to bring in money and lots of it. There are influencers who make millions of dollars each year and many who make in the hundreds of thousands on brand deals alone. And then, of course, there are some who create their own brands and are able to make even more money off of that, instead of lending their face to other brands. The amount of money that could be made from influencing allows for a lot of personal freedom, too – being able to step away and go on nice vacations or setting your own hours. But I think it’s important to remember that this isn’t the case for every influencer. According to one study, only 4.3% of creators make over $100K per year. That type of money is only coming in for a very small percentage, especially knowing how many influencers and creators are out there now. 

But as much money as it has the potential to bring in, I think people need to think about the risks, too. Influencing, a lot of the time is based on looks, and what happens when that feels too hard to upkeep or when you get older? It’s sad, but I think it’s hard to know how long a career in influencing can actually last. This is the first generation of people making a money off of this profession and while in normal careers, the more experience you have and the more years you put into it usually means more income and more career opportunities, in influencing, I wonder if it’s a bit like modeling - that the growth and projects diminish as you get older. I hope not.

Things also change so fast in social media and a career on a specific platform isn’t necessarily guaranteed. I remember during the Vine days, I was coordinating sponsored posts for certain creators, and when Vine became obsolete, some of those creators were able to move their audience to a new platform and make money there, but a lot of others creators didn’t see that same success. I think we’re actually seeing this with the platforms we’re familiar with now – influencer ad spend is already changing. We’re seeing a lot of the budget that was once reserved for Instagram go to TikTok. And I think with this whole de-influencing movement that’s top of mind in the industry at the moment, I can see influencer ad spend start to dwindle and go to other places – whether it’s retargeting ads on Facebook or paid search advertising on Google.

To read more of our conversation, read it on how to be a woman on the internet. Below are exclusive excerpts for paid subscribers — on the importance of pivoting, what I would tell my younger self and those looking to get into this industry, and why I diversify my sources of income.