Trusting Influencers

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Trusting “influencers” has always been a debated topic. Recently, a lot more information about the industry has come to light and has really hurt the credibility of some of the most popular influencers.

You can’t trust everything you see on-line. No one lives a perfect life and no one looks that perfect everyday, all day. A lot of time and editing is used to make us all think that somewhere, there’s someone living the dream.

Personally, I trust a handful of influencers. I mention some of them in a previous post…My Favorite Bloggers. Anything they recommend, I’m jumping on. Thankfully, most of the products they influence me to buy, work well for me!

I’m a blogger, obviously, and I like to think I am truthful when it comes to the products I review. I get free products that I post about and sometimes I get paid to review products. Every blogger is in the same boat as me, only some make way more money than I do!

Here’s how it works…

We get PR from companies. We aren’t obligated to post about the products, but I personally like to at least hop on my Instagram stories and show my followers. I’ll typically create content with the products I’ve used and liked. Some of the products I will set aside for giveaways or for my friends and family since not everything will work for me.

Sometimes, brands reach out and want to pay us for reviews on our Instagrams, YouTube channels and other social media platforms. They typically send the products and allow time to try and work with the product. In my experience, I’ve been given time. In fact, I ask for time now if I don’t feel I can properly judge a product in the timeline the brand sets.

Having someone pay you to review a product can be really tricky. Do you say you love it because they are paying you? Do you bash it because it sucks and take the money and run? It really is tough to be honest, and that’s why I don’t trust every review I see.

Using the proper disclosure is really important too. When I’m getting paid by a brand, I use #sponsored or #ad. If I’m posting because I want to and I don’t have a relationship with the brand, you’ll see my normal hashtags. Now, if I get sent the product but they didn’t ask me to post or review, I’ll use #gifted and typically thank the brand for sending me the product.

Before taking the plunge and buying a product someone raves about on-line, do some research and check out other reviews. Also, consider your source. I always wait until the product is officially launched before grabbing it, except for some of those limited edition releases!

There is nothing wrong with trusting your favorite YouTuber and buying product you want! My point is to be more aware of the #ad’s you see on-line. Not every product that launches will be life changing, and not every product will work for everyone. Having trust in the people you follow, blogs you read and channels you watch is really important!

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