The truth about influencer marketing: The good, the bad and the reality | Whitney Lauritson

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word influencer? 

How would you feel about being described as an influencer?

Is there a good side to being an influencer?

My guest Whitney Lauritson could be described as an influencer but she won't thank you for saying it because it has come to have so many negative and often shallow connotations in the online world. When I think about the people who tend to describe themselves as influencers, they are people who have large online followings in places like Instagram and YouTube and are often putting out vacuous content featuring their attractive and often enhanced features and generally relying on physical attractiveness or being intentionally contrarian and controversial.

Fortunately, Whitney Lauritson is not one of THOSE kinds of people. She's someone who cares about human connection and about putting good things out into the world and that's one of the reasons she is such a great match with this show, where we share those values. We talk about how Whitney prefers to be introduced and delve into the world of influencer marketing and what the future may hold.

In this episode:

• is there a good kind of online influencer?
• WTF is influencer marketing and why should I care?
• Which is better: a bigger following or a more engaged following?
• Where does podcasting fit into online influence?
• What is the future of influencer marketing?
• Why we should stop getting hung up on vanity metrics

and much more. This was a great fun conversation with someone who really knows the industry well and also deeply cares about people and connection. We went to some places I didn't expect but I did thoroughly enjoy the conversation and got some great perspectives on influencer marketing and how we can all be making use of our online platforms.

If you would like to connect with Whitney, you can visit: http://whitneylauritsen.com/ and check out her podcast This Might Get Uncomfortable where she and her co-host explore mental health, mindful living, and sustainability. Whitney's book recommendations are Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee and Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle and I will definitely be adding them to my audible wish list.

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