Industry Voices: Amandina Altomare

My top recommendation would be to get your media kit looking great with solid numbers. If you can prove that you brought in money for a brand, you will be able to charge more. Brands want security; there are so many influencers with a large audience that don’t sell much. 

Also, when a brand reaches out with a campaign proposal, don’t answer with “what’s the budget for this project?” I see this advice so much on social media and it makes me cringe every time I see it! Having executed a lot of influencer campaigns, this is our biggest pet peeve. We want to know what your rates are and how you can prove ROI for a brand.

It is going to be harder and harder to grow on all platforms as they continue to become more saturated. TikTok was the “it’s so easy to grow there” space for the first two years, but now it has as many users as any other app and is just as saturated with ads.

To really grow an audience, it will take more content than ever before. Make sure you’re accounting for that need with time and budget. But the good news is, social media and digital marketing continue to be the fastest growing industries, and I believe we’ll continue to see more and more brand budgets allocated towards investing there.

I spend my time scrolling intentionally and use it as research (which helps diminish comparison syndrome too).

And I recommend subscribing to newsletters from top marketing platforms like Later and Media A La Carte (Ours! Sorry, shameless plug), who do the research for you. Make sure who you’re taking your advice from is a reputable source, and don’t throw your strategy out the window as soon as new info comes along.

Slow and steady wins the race.

• Alix Earle: Her rise to fame is really interesting. I think seeing how she capitalizes on her 15 minutes is going to be a case study for future creators. Her TikTok and Instagram feature all unique content, which is hard to do but important. Creators should take note!
• Batsheva Haart: From reality star to creator and influencer, she is a lesson in diversification. Between working to grow TikTok, Instagram, and a podcast as well as design collabs, you can tell she’s working hard. She’s an example of how authenticity and “real” content have become so important compared to the overly curated content from influencers in the past. 
• Hannah Godwin: Her content is inspirational and her aesthetic lets her personality shine. She’s done a great job of navigating through the “old” influencer style and adapting to the “new” style, which is less curated and more honest.

ClickUp for systems, operations, and project management. Literally our agency wouldn’t function without it. If you’re a creator, this tool will help you increase your revenue.

Later for scheduling and analytics; it is an elite social marketing tool.

Flodesk for the most aesthetic emails and customizability—it’s the best email marketing tool in the game.

I’m a firm believer that the best place to look for inspiration is other industries!

Comparison is the death of creativity, so instead of looking at direct competitors, think outside the box. I love looking to major fashion houses like Gucci and Jacquemus for design inspiration.

I think it’s a good parallel these days for “transparency.”

Today’s TikTok audience can sniff out a lie before it even gets to 10k views. We spent five years digesting overly edited photos on Instagram and now we’re looking for ‘transparency’ behind it. Post the edited photo but let us know how you made it.

We’ve got a keen sense for when we’re being lied to, and we’re moving into an era of peeling back the curtain, which I think is refreshing and exciting!