Diversifying Your Income as an Influencer

Diversifying Your Income as an Influencer

GUEST-STARRING Grace Mattei

One of the most intimidating things about being a freelancer and an influencer is that income can fluctuate depending on outside circumstances that are beyond your control.

Grace Mattei is a multi-passionate influencer currently based in LA. She dabbles in everything from fashion to lifestyle to home decor - all which she embraces with a pop of color and a spunky flair. Her instagram feed is a breath of fresh air and the punchy hues and eclectic content will immediately entice you to hit that follow button.

TUNE IN: APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE PODCASTS

Back in 2013, Grace had started a blog just for the fun of it and although it did not take off, it sparked her passion for content creation. From there, she worked various jobs and ultimately ended up in a graphic design position. Until suddenly, the company she worked for promptly closed their doors - without any warning or notice. This was Grace’s last straw.

This sudden change inspired her to channel her pent up creativity into Instagram. She focused all of her energy into taking photos and growing her following. Eventually, brands started reaching out to her and she landed her first paid brand deal for $35. But since then, it has snowballed into a much bigger entity.

Grace’s creativity and Instagram upbringing is why I really wanted to sit down with her and talk shop. As a freelancer and an influencer, income can fluctuate depending on outside circumstances that are beyond your control. Knowing this, Grace and her husband really found ways to diversify their income while still being able to juggle content creation. In this episode, she shares her tips on staying sane while being online, as well as how she established all her sources of income.

1. If you have a vision, go for it.

Personally, what I had noticed about Grace’s content was how it emulated such a specific style. When she first started taking Instagram seriously in 2018, she definitely fell into a certain aesthetic. Grace really wanted to encapsulate a unique angle of content with eye catching edits. This certainly paid off as she amassed 18K followers and signed with an agency all within her first year of content creation.

2. Take note of trends but don’t lose yourself in the process.

These days, it really seems like Instagram is the same regurgitated content from different people. While, yes, it is completely okay to take inspiration from others, it feels contrite to copy someone’s exact post or concept. So while it is still very much important to take note of trends and tap into them, do not lose yourself in the process. Be sure to put your own spin and style on these ephemeral trends to help you stand out from others on the platform.

3. There’s always repercussions for going viral.

A lot of creators are trying to chase virality - waiting for that one piece of content to blow up. However, from Grace’s experience, having a huge viral moment is exciting but there are also repercussions that others do not think about. For instance, it brings a ton of eyeballs to your account but this also means a lot of unsolicited opinions that you might not have been mentally equipped to take on. It is important to remember that a viral piece of content is something to be celebrated but just proceed with caution. In the end, your true supporters and followers will be there for you no matter what.

4. Find a healthy balance on social media.

No matter who you are or what you do online, social media can 100% be taxing on your mental health. Grace openly shares how she sometimes catches herself dwelling on the numbers and analytics behind her content and how it can make her feel like giving up. On top of that, there is the constant pressure of trying to be something you are not in order to fit the mold and follow trends. This is why it is so important to find a healthy balance. Do whatever it takes to find that happy medium of showing up online and living in the moment.

5. Remember that growth is not linear.

Grace’s account exploded in her early years of content creation. However, her most profitable year to date was last year and she said her account did not grow by much. Her success was largely due to the fact that she was an already established creator. Brands she had worked with in the past kept her top-of-mind for other endeavors and blossomed from there. This is why it is important to remember that growth is crucial but certainly not always linear and that is just the nature of the business.

6. Plan how to diversify your income now.

As a freelancer, it can be a little scary having to depend on other people for your survival. Grace had moved to LA in March of 2021. Once the ball was rolling, she eventually listed her house on Peer Space (like an Airbnb but you can rent spaces by the hour) and accumulated a ton of bookings. Soon after, she also secured a property in Palm Springs and is in the workings of turning this into a full-fledged Airbnb. Grace is dabbling with the idea of working on a studio space in the future.

If you make a game plan early, the better you will be in the future. Of course, this does not have to be a full-fledged business plan. Rather just an idea or musings of where you can expand your business ventures in conjunction with content creation.

7. Tap into your pre-existing skills.

At first, you might not think that content creation and real estate have anything in common. However, the two intermingle more than you would think. Since Grace has sharpened her skills in fashion and all things social media over the years, she was directly able to translate these skills into her side businesses. Plus, she can take it a step further and harness her experience as an influencer to market her properties and advertise it to others.

8. Pick your battles.

With so many fads and an increasing number of ways to make “passive income” and live out your dreams as an entrepreneur, the most important thing is to not overwhelm yourself. The last thing you want to do is to spread yourself too thin. Before diving into anything, really evaluate what your long-term goals are and go from there.

FIND GRACE’S SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS HERE

INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | PEERSPACE