Do you REALLY know what an influencer is? Have you heard the term but aren't exactly sure what it means? 

Influencers are oftentimes portrayed as self-centered divas who only care about getting the perfect photo and are always boasting about how many followers they have, and there’s even been bad press lately about influencers asking for free stuff like hotel stays or meals.

Now I’m not gonna lie, there are influencers like that who fit the bill. But when I talk about influencers on this podcast, I’m talking about a different type of influencer: one that is not growing a following for fame or fortune. But because they want to help people. You can help a lot more people if you have a bigger audience. Your message, whatever that is, can reach more people if you have a big audience. That’s just the truth.

I break it all down more in Episode 2. 

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Welcome to The Spark Show! In this episode, my very first episode, I wanted to just introduce myself and share my vision for this podcast. I also wanted to share with you why I started this podcast and what I hope to achieve.

First of all, let’s talk about who this podcast is for because audience is the most important thing. The Spark Show is for digital influencers and to me, that includes content creators, bloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers, entrepreneurs and business owners who are growing their audience, monetizing their following and making a positive impact with their platform.

I started this podcast because I wanted to create a platform where I can talk to you one-on-one, ear-to-ear where I can share tips, strategies, stories and experiences that will inspire and empower you through your influencer journey.

                                             ...

In this blog, I’ll be covering:

• The 3 steps to get a brand’s attention and make a genuine connection.
• The #1 mistake influencers make when wanting to work with brands.
• How to get brands to notice you and reach out to you for partnerships.

If this is the first time we’re connecting, my name is Gwen Lane. I’m the founder of the travel and lifestyle blog, The LA Girl and Spark Society where I help digital influencers get sponsored by brands EVEN if they don’t have a huge following yet.

So first let’s talk about the SPARK ATTRACTION METHOD - this is my 3 step process that I use to attract brands. I’ve used this process to work with brands like Disney, Facebook, Nike, Target, Starbucks and more, and it’s the same method that my students are using to work with brands and get paid brand deals with less than 1,000 followers.

Do you want to learn these too? Keep reading. 

The 3 steps of the Spark Attraction Method are: IDENTIFICATION,...

 Are you posting to your social media channels, creating great content and want to get to the point of working with brands either through collaborations or fully paid sponsorships? If you answered yes, you are in the right place! 

But wait. There's a process. There's SO much more to it than just reaching out to your dream brands and hoping they will want to work with you. There are steps you have to take BEFORE you even start pitching. Don't make the mistakes that so many influencers make by jumping into pitch emails before doing the other work. 

If you're ready to really prepare to be a paid influencer, check out our 5 step process that will get you on the road to YES! 

Today we're sharing the Spark Pitch Process, a 5 step guide to getting you #Sponsored. Now, the first three tips may feel familiar because its the same as our Spark Attraction Method, but it's because all of this applies when you are getting ready to pitch to your favorite brands. 

Step 1:...

Working with brands as an influencer isn't as easy as posting pretty photos and using the right hashtags.

Every time you choose to share a pic, you are either attracting media buyers and their budget, or you are making them turn away and email someone else.

Want to be the person who gets the deals and makes real money by sharing content online? 

In this post, I will be sharing: 

- The top 3 things brands look for when working with influencers
- WHY your IG bio needs to change if you want brands to reach out to you
- What is an influencer portfolio and why you need one

Let's get started!

Your Instagram Bio Needs to Be Crystal Clear

The first thing you need to think about when you are creating your Instagram profile is your bio! Yes, that little section underneath your name can make or break your chance at a brand deal.

Within five to ten seconds of someone (whether that is a potential follower or a media buyer looking to collaborate) that person should know...

One of the first things that people think about when they hear the title 'digital influencer' is all of the free products you can get when working with brands. And it's true, that is a definite benefit of this career and allows you to create great content while receiving things that you and your audience can enjoy. But before you accept every offer that comes your way, there are some Do's and Don'ts you should think about. 

In this blog and video, I will be sharing when you should and when you shouldn't accept free products from brands. This is great information for anyone just starting their career as an online influencer, and for people who are currently stuck in the 'free product but no paid sponsorship' phase. And let's face it, even if you are already making money from your online influence, there's always more you can learn. 

Let's get started! 

Here are the things you should think about BEFORE you accept free product from a brand: 

Will it Benefit Your...

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...