Vent: That "influencer" pitch I got made me laugh out loud

Some girl messaged my business Instagram last Tuesday saying she could get my brand in front of 50,000 people for just $500. I checked her profile real quick... she had 4,000 followers and her last 3 posts got like 15 likes each. I deal with local shops here in Portland, actual retail stores that move real inventory. I asked her what her engagement rate was and she sent back some vague answer about "quality reach." That's when I decided to look deeper and saw 2 of her followers had banned accounts. It's just wild how much this fake influencer stuff is clogging up small business marketing. Are any of you guys actually getting results from these micro-influencers or am I just seeing the bottom of the barrel? I'd love to hear what's working for someone else.

3 comments

3 Comments

samk771mo ago

Those 15 likes might actually be 15 loyal buyers though.

jamie_adams1mo ago

Bet on it @samk77, those 15 likes could be the difference between a failed launch and a steady income. Most people chase vanity metrics but I've seen small accounts flip 10 loyal followers into a whole side hustle that pays bills. It's way better than having 500 ghost followers who never click anything.

charles_young921mo ago

Ha, exactly. That's the thing people miss. Those 15 likes aren't just numbers, they're 15 people who actually read your caption, clicked the link, and might buy. I've seen accounts with 2,000 followers that get zero sales because all those followers came from some bot follow-unfollow game. Meanwhile a guy I know has 80 followers and he makes rent money off digital products every month. Quality over quantity isn't just some cliche, it's the only thing that matters when you're actually trying to make money.