Saturday morning we returned for an Influencer brunch at Restaurant Iris, a French-Creole concept restaurant in Midtown by Chef Kelly English. Similar to last year, the out of town influencers joined a larger group of local bloggers to nosh on some yummy eats and hang out. Hosted by Memphis Travel, this year’s grouping was a bit smaller and more intimate, so it was a lot easier to connect with everyone in the room.
Photos above by: Christen Jones Photography
We enjoyed 3 courses from a specialized menu and everything was delicious (those macerated strawberries were amazing!).
Most of us already knew each other, so conversation flowed easily and we were able to talk about more than blogging.
Photo by: Christen Jones Photography
But… don’t get it twisted: when you get a group of bloggers together, the topic of blogging WILL come up, lol. What I enjoyed the most about this luncheon was how open Anne, Tania and Psyche were. Better monetization practices was a big topic of discussion, and I appreciated how transparent they were. The biggest takeaways that I can pass on to any bloggers reading this is to: 1) get your media kit together NOW if you haven’t already + make sure it includes info beyond your following number (like your IG engagement rate + your Click-Through Rate on your blog), 2) focus on creating content that provides value vs. just taking a photo of yourself (this is what brands look for + will pay more money for 3) research what other bloggers are charging/making within your niche and readership/following size so that you can make sure you’re charging what you’re worth. It may seem like some of these tips are obvious, but you would be surprised how many bloggers with large followings are still only receiving product from brands vs actually making money from it.
Photos above by: Christen Jones Photography
After the luncheon we went for a tour at The National Civil Rights Museum. I hadn’t been there in years, so it was nice to visit with people who hadn’t been before, and we actually had an interesting conversation about race and cultural relations in different cities, interracial dating and more. Learning about the experiences of others is the best way to grow and to expand your mind because you see you always learn that some things aren’t quite what they seem.
Last year I didn’t get to spend a lot of the time with the out of town Influencers so this really was a treat.
To see an archive of my Memphis Fashion Week coverage, click here.
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