There are no paid ads on this website. But let me be perfectly clear that if someone whose product or service I truly believed in came along and offered me a sack of cash, there’d be a banner up top you wouldn’t be able to miss! I don’t actively sell this space for profit.
That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with someone who sells their web space. Money makes the world go round and we all need some. It’s just not something I pursue.
I hail from a time long before being an Influencer was a possible career goal. Now so-called influencers are everywhere and it’s getting ridiculous. Surveys show kids are barely able to tell the difference between what’s just a product and what’s not. They actually confuse influencer content with news. This is why social media accounts like Michael Ulloapt are so important. They call out dangerous influencers who will say anything to make a sale, usually of a bogus supplement or food replacement powder.
I have been misled by influencers in the past without even realizing it. For example, the viral worry about spikes in blood sugar from eating certain foods. Um, yeah, that’s how blood sugar works! You eat, your blood sugar goes up. It’s definitely something to monitor if you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic. Staying off sugary foods is just better for you anyway. But this is one that got way out of control and had healthy people avoiding everything that made glucose, which the brain and body need to function.
Another one: sugar feeds cancer. The real concern isn’t that sugar directly feeds cancer. It’s that a diet high in added sugar can contribute to obesity and insulin resistance, and those conditions are linked to a higher risk of several types of cancer. All cells, including cancer cells, need glucose. Cancer isn’t starved by eliminating sugar. Even if you stopped consuming sugar, the body would still make glucose from other foods. It doesn’t direct that glucose to cancer cells.
Rules are Meant to be Broken
One thing Michael Ulloapt says that I take some issue with is that if an influencer offers a discount code, they’re a grifter. That is absolutely not true in the case of Gracefully and Frankly. We have two sponsors in whom we completely believe. We used their products long before starting the podcast and we know they’re legit. I would never promote anything (and neither would Erin) if it didn’t work and genuinely help people. We’re not “influencer” influencers. This isn’t our mission in life!
Recently, I was asked to do some promotional videos for a gaming app. The company claimed to offer real cash payouts for wins and while no one I know would probably ever see it, I just couldn’t do it. For one thing, they’re targeting young people. Wouldn’t I make the app seem uncool by promoting it?! Plus, it just isn’t something I’d use. You see, I take this influencer thing far too seriously to ever acquire Kardashian-level wealth.
Phasers On Skepticism
While looking for ways to promote my previous novels and my new one (Little Voices! Now available!) I was surprised by a few things. For example, those “staff picks” at a certain retailer? They’re paid promotion, online for sure and maybe in store. Yup, your book can be one of Stacey’s favourite reads of the month if you pay for it. Maybe it’s naive but I thought of staff picks like the old DVD store recommendations which were like mini-reviews. Purchasing Stacey’s influence isn’t in my budget. And that’s why you see the same books promoted over and over again.
Even people who share social media posts they hate are making money for the awful people who made them. Engagement is engagement. Social media algorithms don’t differentiate between whether the share was positive or negative. Every time you comment about how much you hate what that person said, they hear “Ca-ching!” It’s a crazy world. The more I know, the more I want to stay in my basement studio with my cat, who, by the way, says he’s open to endorsement deals. But you have to go through me, first.