Casey Goode, AKA Officially Quigley, didn't mean to become an influencer. Originally moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music, she began to fill her free time with creative projects and Officially Quigley was born. 

We love Officially Quigley's wanderlust-inducing travel shots and awesome sense of fashion. Like everyone else, she had to start somewhere, right?

As with many people who have fallen into this career of digital marketing as an influencer, Casey's made a name for herself by figuring out what works and what doesn't. These are influencer mistakes that she doesn't want you to make: 

Prioritizing Free Stuff Over Quality Content

Of course, receiving free product from brands is a huge influencer perk and is so exciting when you are just starting out. If you're planning on taking your brand full-time, you'll need to generate actual income as you can't pay your rent in product, right?

"Since I said yes to every opportunity, I reached this point where I was at...

Is it possible to work full-time and grow a successful brand on the side? Absolutely. 

Will it be easy? Absolutely not. 

But that doesn't mean that it is impossible. Take a look at Callie and Leo of The LA Couple. They've grown their following of over 50,000 people while both working 40 hours a week. 

So how do you do it? Callie and Leo share their best tips and lessons they've learned in the past two years.

Plan Ahead

Here's the big secret: Callie and Leo have the same amount of hours as everyone else. They get the content because their brand is important to them and they make time. 

"It's very difficult. We're not gonna lie and sit here and be like 'it's so easy and we sleep a lot!' The fact is, we are up on Saturday mornings after working Monday through Friday every single day, and getting those sunrise shots and planning ahead. That's kind of the key. When you do have a full-time job and that's priority because that's what's paying your bills at the moment,...

Are you having trouble growing your Instagram? Are you stuck and wondering what you are doing wrong? Are you getting super close to 10k followers, but can't seem to get there? 

In this blog I'm going to be covering why you're probably stuck and not growing your following right now, the 10 things you can be doing to grow that following. And also I'm going to talk a little bit about when numbers matter and when they don't.  

My name is Gwen lane and I help influencers grow their following and monetize online. 

Here are 10 Steps to Getting 10k followers (or 10k more!) on Instagram: 

1) Content 

Content matters. It's the most important part of growing your brand. And how often you are posting matters too. Are you posting on a regular basis? If not, then we already know where you are going wrong. 

How about the quality of your content? People underestimate quality because they think they have a decent phone, so the pics are fine,  but they...

In this blog, I’ll be covering:

• The #1 belief you need to get rid of if you want to be successful
• WHY fear and self-doubt comes up and gets in the way
• How to SHIFT your mindset so that you can make a bigger impact

My name is Gwen Lane and I help digital influencers (that means content creators, bloggers YouTubers, Instagrammers, even coaches and small biz owners - anyone who has an audience that they want to impact online) how to build their brand, grow their following and monetize their influence.

So first off, let’s talk about fear and self-doubt. Self-doubt comes from fear, so let’s dive deeper to talk about what you may be experiencing. I believe that the only thing that stops us is fear, it’s only when we learn how to deal with our fear that we can take action and move forward in spite of it.

Biologically, our fear is there to protect us. It kicks in when our brain thinks we are in danger. So the fear that happens when we think we’re about to...

ARE YOU STUCK AT 555 FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM? HERE’S WHY!

 In this video, I’ll be sharing:

• Why your follower number is STUCK on Instagram and it seems like it’s impossible to grow your account no matter what you do

• What you need to do to get UNSTUCK and how to get real, organic Instagram followers that can’t wait to see your next post
• How to get to 10k followers FAST and why this is the number where the magic happens

Here’s what you may be experiencing, let me know if this sounds familiar: You’re posting and scrolling, but your follower count is not going anywhere. It goes up a little then goes down a lot. It can feel like you’re going backwards. You’re using hashtags but you’re not sure if it’s working and you’re lucky if you get a few comments on your post.

Here’s what you want to be experiencing: You’re posting high-quality content consistently and you’re growing your following everyday...

Is creating content a HUGE pain point for you? Creating the content for all your platforms, posting consistently, and keeping the quality up - who has the time?

We've all been there. The content overwhelm is a very real problem. Content creation is supposed to be FUN, right? Getting inspired, working with graphics, honing our photo skills - it feels AWESOME to create! So why is it that planning out a social media schedule feels like a huge chore?

Don't worry - there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Here are strategies to get out of the slump and back into the content creation groove: 

Why Content Creation is Important

There are lots of schools of thought on content creation. Do you need to post daily? Are weekly scheduled blog posts important for growth? What does the ever-elusive Instagram algorithm want with us? 

In our experience, a consistent posting schedule is the way to go.

So why do we hear that we have to be posting daily content and have a consistent...

Jasmine Ann Shea, also known as ‘JazzyThings,’ is the founder of Your Dinner Is Planned, the host of the Dinner Table Talk podcast, and the author of over 10 healthy cookbooks. Your Dinner Is Planned is the fastest and most affordable way for busy families to get healthy dinners on the table.

With thousands of healthy recipes introduced into households across the world, Jazzy's continuous mission is to prove that eating healthy is easy, flavorful, and fun!

The Beginning

Jasmine  wasn't in it for fame, money, or followers. "I created an Instagram solely to share my recipes and things that inspired me," Jasmine says "so I can inspire others".

Beginning to Monetize

How did she connect with brands? Jasmine tagged her favorite brands in posts for over a year before they reached out with a paid offer. It's all about building relationships - remember that there's a person behind those accounts.

Fighting Through A Saturated Market

If you set...

Jacquelyn Umof is a former LA Laker Girl turned yogi - Action Jacquelyn is one of the biggest yoga influencers online. Known for her stunning poses, positive messaging and beautiful photography, Jacquelyn engages her fans through her "Get Stretchy" program. Jacquelyn's vision is the heal the world through daily rituals of movement and positive mindset that take 15 minutes or less.

Jacquelyn reaches millions through her huge instagram audience, her subscribers on YouTube and on her wildly popular interactive blog. Her fans love her 1-week challenges, daily motivations and infinite tools for mental and physical strength, growth, and improvement. Jacquelyn is a classically trained ballerina from a very young age, and has danced professionally for LINES Ballet, and went on to be USC Song Girl, Clipper Girl, then Laker Girl. She is currently certified in Kundalini Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Breathing, Reformer Pilates, Barre, Personal Training, and...

We are fresh off the heels of this year's #sparksummit, and we learned a LOT about the industry! Our industry panel revealed some insider secrets of how they find influencers, what they look for in an Instagram feed, and what happens once they want to work with you.

How brands look for influencers and how to get found

They look through hashtags, locations, and sometimes even Google. Another key to being found: have your e-mail address in your Instagram bio!

The 3 Things Brands Look For in Your Instagram Feed

Authenticity

Brands can tell if you're really passionate about your brand or if you're just in it for the likes.

Aesthetic

Your aesthetic is the general look and feel of your feed.

Audience

Brands may be checking out your page, but they're also looking at your audience. This is ultimately who they will they

WHAT actually happens when they want to work with you

If a brand e-mails you - great! You're halfway there. However, you can't assume you're the only influencer they've...

When it comes to being an influencer, it is so important to provide VALUE to your audience. This is what brands will want to see and will have your followers stick around for.

So what exactly is value? Ask yourself: what kind of content will serve your audience?

If you don't know your audience, then this will be really difficult, right?

Some common ways to provide value to your audience through content is to post tips, how-tos, tutorials, and guides. 

Another way to share content with value is through your personal core values. In my membership program #Sponsored, I teach my students exactly how to get clear on their core values. Once you zero in on these values and know why you do what you do, value in your posts will follow.

What is value NOT?

But providing value does not necessarily mean constant teaching.  Does the content mean something to you? Adding context to the content and why it's important to you is key in adding value.

Consistently providing value is about...