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Hey Roe Magazine, my name is Amy Kaleski and today I'm going to be showing you my everyday makeup routine while we talk all things influencing.
What was your first approach to monetizing your platform, & has it evolved over time?
Honestly, I have to give all credit to my talent agency. They were the ones who found me on Instagram in the first place and ended up transforming my entire career. They were the ones who first showed me how I can make money off of Instagram, and that was about five years ago, and I'm still signed with them to this day.
How do you determine which brands align with your personal brand and values?
Before I collaborate with a brand, if I'm offered a partnership opportunity, I will always make sure that the brand aligns with my values, which includes making sure the image that they portray is an image that I want to be associated with. It also means asking myself if I genuinely use the products and if I would honestly recommend them to a close friend of mine. And if the answer to any of those is no, then I don't work with them.
How do you handle the income fluctuations that are common in the influencer industry?
This is definitely something that a lot of people don't talk about when it comes to being an influencer. The way I've learned to handle income fluctuations over the years is through having really strong savings. You've got to be financially switched on and have around three to six months of savings. And it's super important not to be dependent on one campaign to pay for your previous bills, because sometimes there'll be payment delays of three months, and you do not want to be out of pocket during that time. I once had a brand take nine months to pay me, which was very awkward to discuss, but sometimes it happens.
What have been some unexpected challenges or costs associated with being an influencer?
I found that trying to maintain relevance with an audience while growing as a human being is a little bit complicated, especially when you've been on the social scene for over five years. People grow, audiences change, and sometimes it's just hard to maintain a certain image when unexpected things are happening in your life. It'll also be hard as a fashion influencer to keep showing new and shiny objects when you yourself are trying to maintain a more sustainable and considered wardrobe. That's one of the personal challenges I found this year because one of my big goals recently has been to stop buying unnecessary products just for the sake of showing them off on TikTok or Instagram. But I found with less products to promote and talk about, I've got less content to create. So it's a really fine line to balance.
What advice would you give aspiring influencers and brands?
I would say the biggest tip is to find something that sets you apart from others, create really unique content, create something really unique that other creators don't have that gives your style a really signature aesthetic. The influencer market is full of a lot of creative and really talented individuals, so you want to make sure you stand out. The biggest tip I can give, which I'm sure everyone's already heard before, but it's to be authentic. There is no point trying to create an image that you yourself do not subscribe to that's inauthentic because people can see right through it.
Thank you so much Roe Magazine,
Amy Kaleski
Where to find Amy Kaleski: Instagram