In this episode, I’m going to be talking about: 

• How brands look for influencers and how to get found 
• The 3 things they look for when they land on your Instagram feed
• WHAT actually happens when they want to work with you 

If you’re new to me or this is the first time you’re finding me, my name is Gwen Lane and I help digital influencers get sponsored by brands. I’ve been an influencer for 5 years now and I’ve also worked in digital marketing for over 10 years before I started my lifestyle and travel brand, The LA Girl. I’ve worked with brands like Disney, Facebook, Google, Nike, Target, Nordstrom, American Airlines and more and I love sharing my insights and strategies with my community so that you too can build your brand, grow your following and monetize your influence.

And the reason I’m so passionate about that is that I think influence equals impact and the more people you can help, the more of a difference you can...

We're so excited for this episode of The Spark Show where we have our friend, Amy of Amy Tangerine. She’s an award-winning designer, scrapbooking extraordinaire, and the author of the book, “Craft a Life You Love.”

We wanna dive into this interview because it’s SO good and Amy and we talk about creativity and her first major brand deal with Dunkin Donuts when she had less than 20,000 followers.  

We also discuss how she self-published her book and then how it got picked up by a publisher, plus her advice to influencers who are just starting out.

I hope you enjoyed this episode!

If you did, please leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts - I wanna know what you think and if you’re getting value out of these episodes.

Listen to the full episode below:

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In this episode, I’m talking about what an influencer portfolio is, WHY you need to have one, the 3 essential elements and why having just a media kit is not enough. PLUS, I'm sharing the 3 biggest mistake influencers are making when pitching to brands!

Let’s dive in. 

First, what is an influencer portfolio? Basically, it’s a way to present yourself as an influencer in a professional way. If you think of a photographer, graphic designer or an architect, they usually have a portfolio to show you when you’re considering working with them. It shows you what their previous work looks like to get a feel for their style and concepts. 

This is what you would be sending to brands if they reach out to you and request it. Or it’s what you send to brands when you’re pitching to them to hire you and pay you for your advertising services. 

You’re basically trying to get the brand as a client so you want to present yourself in a way that...

In this episode, I’ll be talking to you about how to seal those brand deals so that you can start working with brands regardless of how many followers you have. I absolutely LOVE helping influencers monetize. Why? Because I believe it’s hard work, creating content, building an audience, showing up every single day. It’s more than a job, because it’s something you live and breathe. It’s a calling and a purpose and I believe that influencers deserve to get paid for their creativity and the work that you do. 

I talked about the specifics of a brand deal in Episode 16 so if you haven’t listened to that yet, make sure you do so! I talk about the difference between a collaboration vs a sponsorship and what that looks like. 

In this episode, I want to talk more about how to work with brands through the only two ways you can really work with brands. And that’s to ATTRACT or PITCH to brands. 

Attraction 

Let's talk about the...

In this episode, I’m going to be sharing with you some success affirmations. In the last episode, Episode 17, I talked more about the definition of success and how to cultivate the success mindset. So if you haven’t listened to it yet, definitely do that first! 

Let’s get to it... I talked about affirmation in Episode 17, but I just want to run through what they are really quick so we’re on the same page. Affirmations are basically sayings, words, quotes, or mantras that you listen to, write or say repeatedly in an effort to rewire your brain to believing those words.

It’s kind of like reprogramming your brain because as we grow up we tend to pick up negative things or things that are not even true because we’ve heard it over and over again - so think of it like the un-brainwashing! 

I chose some of these affirmations because they are meaningful to me. You can always choose your own and ones that resonate with you. But if you’ve...

In this episode of The Spark Show I’m talking about success - it’s something that everyone strives for but I feel like when I ask people what it means to be successful for them - they have no idea. Everyone wants success, to be successful, but most people don’t even take the time to define what success means them. 

For me, success is fulfilling my BIG VISION. In Episode 12, I talk about getting clear on your big vision because it’s what drives you and your decisions moving forward. Success means I’m achieving ultimate freedom.

That means financial freedom - being able to meet my monetary and impact goals, physical freedom - being able to travel and be where I want, emotional freedom from guilt and pain - being able to experience joy and happiness. 

Success is something that is an emotional state. I feel successful now, but that doesn’t mean I have everything I want now. As in, I know that in this present moment, I am moving towards...

In this episode of The Spark Show, I’m gonna go into the basics of a brand deal - what it is, the difference between collaborations, partnerships and sponsorships, and how to get one. 

Let’s talk about something I know you want to know all about - and that is a brand deal! I’m gonna go over the 3 ways to work with brands and what terms people use. 

Collaboration

The first way to work with a brand is a collaboration or collab. This is where you work with a brand for an exchange. For example, you get free product and then you post about it on Instagram - that’s a collab. Or if you get invited to an event or you post about it, that’s a collab, or you get a comped hotel stay or a media rate - that’s a collab. 

There are some brands that will offer you a discount code and they don’t give you the product for free. I have people in my community ask me about this all the time. My answer for this, if you’re just starting...

In this episode of The Spark Show, I’ll be talking to you about how to narrow your niche as an influencer, content creator, or personal brand. Whatever it is you’re doing, the more SPECIFIC and SPECIALIZED you are, the better.

If you’re just starting out - this can be one of those things that really make you slam on the brakes on everything because of the questions you might be asking yourself such as:

• What am I gonna post about?
• Is this too broad, is this too specific?
• Is this all over the place?

And then you start thinking about narrowing your niche and you’re not really sure if it’s too narrow or narrow enough?

That spiral of questioning, doubt and FEAR starts coming along. I’m sure you can relate - it’s anything that requires some sort of decision. That feeling of - you don’t wanna do the wrong thing and so you’re second-guessing yourself. 

Here’s the thing, you don’t have to 100% DECIDE on this right...

I’ve been wanting to do this episode for a while now because I hear the words “saturation” and “saturated” over and over again. Yet when we think about brands we love and the people we admire, there’s usually not over 10 or 20 that are top of mind. That’s what I wanna talk about in this episode and I am gonna put my foot down and say OVER SATURATION IS A MYTH. There, I said it! 

So let’s get into it, first let’s talk about the word “saturation.” It’s defined as the state or process that occurs when no more of something can be absorbed, combined with, or added. Let's talk about humans - we are constantly in need to be entertained or stimulated. 

I mean if you think about it, there are literally millions (maybe even billions) of movies out there, but do you think they’ll stop making movies or TV shows? 

No, because people want more. Yeah, they can watch it again but usually you’re...

In this episode, I’m talking to Casey Goodie of Officially Quigley on how to be more intentional on social media! She goes by her stage name, Quigley, and she’s a content creator and visual storyteller based in Los Angeles, California. 

We’re talking about her evolution from the music industry to fashion influencer and how she promotes healthy human relationships on her digital platform. Casey shares her goal of creating a heart-forward positive space where people can explore their identity and creativity. 

We talk about Instagram husbands, brand deals, her program 'Soulcial Media' and so much more!

Listen to Previous Episodes: 

Getting Clear on Your Big Vision

Perfection is a Scam featuring Loren Trlin

How to be True to Yourself First

Forget...