Legal Issues re Instagram Bots and Engagement Pods

Legal Issues re Instagram Bots and Engagement Pods

The following post is not legal advice.

In the influencer marketing world, having a large social media following is everything.  Followers equal influence, which equals attention, which can equal big bucks from top brands.  As Instagram continues to become more and more saturated with thousands of new aspiring influencers each day, influencers must decide if they want to ‘pay to play’ and quickly amass a large following overnight, or, ‘play to win’ and achieve an authentically engaged following organically- and for the long-haul. Read More

The Blog Societies Conference #TBSCon 2019

The Blog Societies Conference

This post contains affiliate links.

Last month, I attended The Blog Societies Conference at the Barnsley Resorts in Adairsville, Georgia. This was my fourth time to attend #TBSCon (I have presented the last 3 years)- and probably my favorite.

What is The Blog Societies, #TBSCon

The Blog Societies is a cultivated community for influencers to unlock the resources, connections and tools necessary to grow their blogs founded by Cathy of Poor Little It Girl and Jessica of My Style Vita.  I have so much respect for these boss ladies and all of the amazing work they have done to cultivate such an incredible and inspiring community of bloggers and influencers. I look forward to this conference each year.  I have made so many friends and learned so much by attending this conference. Read More

Instagram Loop Giveaways: Are They Worth It?

Instagram Loop Giveaways

The following post is not legal advice.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, loop giveaways seem to be taking over Instagram these days.  

What is a Loop Giveway?

Instagram loop giveaways are contests that offer big prizes, but require you to follow a large amount of other accounts in order to enter.  They can be exhausting and never-ending. Brands and bloggers often participate in loop giveaways in order to reach new audiences and quickly grow their social following by pooling together resources with other brands and influencers. Depending on the size of the giveaway, you may only have to follow 5-10 accounts.  However, for more enticing prizes, i.e. designer bags, laptops, large sums of cash, etc., you may have to follow upwards of 30-70 accounts.   Read More

The Business of Blogging: Blogger Xchange

Business of Blogging

This post contains affiliate links.  This post is not legal advice.

BLAZER: Similar | PANTS: Similar |

Last month, I presented at the Blogger Xchange Conference at Nossi College of Arts in Nashville.  I co-taught two classes on The Business of Blogging: Contracts and FTC Guidelines for Bloggers and Influencers.  We started by discussing contracts for bloggers, including what contract terms to include, contract negotiation and how to negotiate with brands, as well as everyone’s favorite term, payment (#showmethemoney).  Also, we discussed exclusivity at length, usage rights for intellectual property and what traps to avoid. Read More

Influencers Named in Fyre Festival Fraud Lawsuits

Fyre Fraud Lawsuit

Image via Fyre Media

On Wednesday, attorneys for U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee Greg Messer filed more than one dozen lawsuits against modeling agency DNA, American Express and four talent agencies to try to recoup more than $16 million fraudulently raised by Fyre Festival Founder, Billy McFarland, who is currently serving a six year federal prison sentence in connection with Fyre. In addition to suing top modeling and talent agencies, Messer’s lawsuits named models Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for promoting Fyre Festival on their social media accounts, as well as rock band Blink-182, citing claims of fraud. Read More