We pore over their likes and drool at their Insta feeds but how much do we know about the people behind them? For one thing, don’t call them influencers.

Google “I’m not an influencer” and you’ll find myriad examples of YouTube stars and Instagrammers keen to put plenty of distance between the word and what they do. UK beauty blogger Jamie Genevieve (1 million Instagram followers; 750,000 YouTube subscribers) is one of them: "Influencer. Ugh. That word gives me the boak," she told the BBC (Translation? Makes me want to vomit). "It's almost like it's manipulative – manipulating people into buying things. I don't do that.” For Jamie and many others in the world of blogging, the unease over the term is due to its connotations of only pushing products for a fee.

“I won't work with things I don't believe in,” she says. “I won't promote it unless I like it. My subscribers are my wee internet family and I'm really proud of what we have built on telling the truth.”
The word doesn’t get much more support from the local “influencers” Cityscape approached for this article, with “content creator” getting the vote instead. Mary Outram, who started her Instagram account in 2014, says she “actually kind of hates that word”. And Renee Stewart describes her relationship with it as “love/hate”. Shayden Whipps, who with wife Georgia is the force behind home and lifestyle blog Mooch Style, is OK with the term but quick to give it his own definition. “An influencer to me is someone that is trusted in their niche. We set out to be influencers, not the stereotype but a couple that can lead by example and share content that helps people be more educated in interiors, DIY and spaces.” 

Michelle Sullivan of Christchurch Daily Photo is similarly ambivalent: “I just do my own thing, and if that influences people in a positive way so be it.” And Instagrammer Vanessa Ortynsky says the term influencer “diminishes the amount of work and creativity that goes into creating engaging content. I never want to be seen as someone who pushes products.” Whatever you call it, there are perks, such as the occasional invitation to an event or “free stuff”. But there are responsibilities too, and the work is not as easy as it might look. Says Shayden of Mooch Style, “Your friends think you just get free stuff, your family thinks you’re lucky, but it’s hard work – I’m up till midnight most nights creating content or researching new methods.” Here’s what our panel of “content creators” had to say about what they do and the responsibilities, perks and pitfalls that come with it:

Mary Outram

Mary Outram started her Instagram feed in January 2014. By slowly growing her profile, opportunities and collaborations with brands have naturally evolved. 

Mary: I actually kind of hate that word “influencer”, although I haven't thought of a perfect alternative yet. I just think the definition means you’re a creator. You're someone who holds a platform where you can share your love for something, mine being fashion. I'm clothing obsessed and although I share a bit of lifestyle and other elements of my life/brands on Instagram I try to bring it all back to my love of clothes, outfits and creating fun looks.

Of course there is responsibility. I think you hold the responsibility to be a positive message to people and do as much good where you can also. I've made a point to never complain or be negative online because it’s just not me and also I don't want people to feel that way too. I see the platform as a positive space for happy, vibrant and feel-good messaging plus my fun pictures and I want to portray those things so my followers feel that way too.

Pitfalls I guess are that people who don't know me may have a perception of me that perhaps isn't accurate. I know a lot of other “influencers” have had online bullying or negative comments about them said or sent but to be honest I've never had anything major or that hurtful thrown directly my way so I am really lucky in that sense. I try to share my personality as much as I can but I am not an over-sharer online so I also don't set myself up to be a target for bullying or online negative judgement as much.

There is good money in it with some things and some of the collaborations you get offered, but not others and I don't think it should be about the money. Some of my favourite brands to work with are the non-paying ones where you work on a contra basis. Being paid to work with a brand is just a bonus really and also how you value your time. It’s important to remember that you've worked hard to gain your following and followers’ trust so you don't want to undervalue yourself either. I take on paid collaborations when I can see the product fitting into my lifestyle and what I do and I almost always use the money to fund buying more clothes for the pictures, haha!

One of my favourite quotes is 'You can't be everything to everyone'. I used to feel guilty turning away a brand or product or saying no to being sent “free stuff” in return for a post, but also I'm not a newspaper that anyone can just advertise in and I don't want to be. It’s not your job to do it all, being selective is good.

@mary_oh_

Michelle Sullivan

Michelle Sullivan is the snapper talent behind the wonderful Christchurch Daily Photo website and social media feeds. She started the website more than 10 years ago after being inspired by similar blogs to go out and record her own city.

Michelle: I just do my own thing, and if that influences people in a positive way so be it. I don’t really see that happening on Instagram as I’m not publishing enough there, but certainly on Facebook I see comments from people that they never knew a place existed or something had reopened. If I am an influencer, it’s a very gentle effect. Since our earthquakes, I’ve always tried to accentuate the positive. I’ve never wanted it to be a platform for making comments about the direction of the city. I just want to showcase things in a positive light. The perks are two-fold. One, I get many emails and comments from people that love the photos and are appreciative of the effort I put in, especially homesick Kiwis. I occasionally get given tickets to events. It would take a very concerted effort to make a living from it. I haven’t got the time to do that, as my own business needs so much of my time and energy. I do however sell high-resolution images from the blog to many different organisations. I’m always a little surprised myself at where the photos end up.

christchurchdailyphoto.com

Vanessa Ortynsky

Vanessa Ortynsky was another of our panel to be an Instagram early adopter, starting her blog when the platform launched in 2012.

Vanessa: Content creators shy away from the term “influencer” because it diminishes the amount of work and creativity that goes into creating engaging content. I never want to be seen as someone who pushes products; rather, I’d like to encourage my audience to find joy in the everyday and to get out and explore their city. In 2019, we all have a responsibility to influence positively and to be conscious consumers. This includes properly researching the ethos behind the companies and products we’re sharing and only working with brands that align with our values. The most exciting perks include working with brands you’ve loved for years and getting to try new restaurants in town. I know it’s possible for many content creators to make a living out of it but personally I find spending too much time creating content for others can hinder my creativity. I always want to create (and write) for myself first and foremost. While I don’t mind doing the odd sponsored post, which is a revenue generator for me, I prefer earning my main income from my writing and marketing work.

@vanessaortynsky

Renee Stewart

Renee Stewart has been sharing her favourite things about Christchurch through her Instagram feed for about four years now.

Renee: I have a love/hate relationship with the term “influencer”. In my opinion we are all “influencers”, we all have people who will be “influenced” by what we have to say or what we do. But for this question, let’s just stick to social media influencers – in the broadest sense, an influencer is someone whose relationship, built on a level of trust, loyalty and authenticity, can influence the actions of others. Absolutely there are responsibilities that come with it – I feel like we all have the responsibility to create a positive impact on the lives of our audience. I also think we all have a responsibility to start conversations and spread awareness around important topics such as equality, diversity and mental health. Unfortunately there are also some pitfalls that come with being an influencer. It is hard work, a lot of people don’t see how much work actually goes into everything. For me the positives far outweigh the negatives. I love having a platform where I can help and inspire people from all walks of life. It is truly such a blessing and I am so grateful to be able to do what I do on a daily basis. A lot of influencers do make a full-time income from it. Instagram is not my full-time job. I also work in sales and marketing four days a week and would consider that my main source of income.

@reneestewart_

Shayden Whipps

Shayden Whipps and wife Georgia have been sharing their home renovation tales and triumphs on Mooch Style since 2015. They started using Instagram as a platform to share content about three years ago and stepped that up last year.

Shayden: An influencer to me is someone that is trusted in their niche. People can rely on them to bring them fresh ideas, and brands can partner with them to share in a different look and feel to their own as they take their product to market. We set out to be influencers, not the stereotype but a couple that can lead by example and share content that helps people be more educated in interiors, DIY and spaces. We found it hard to find that content ourselves so we decided that it would be us that created it for people like us!

Responsibilities? There are morals more than anything. You could easily fall into the trap of being a sellout and partnering with everyone and anyone but that’s not what we are about; it’s about exploring and building trust so your community want to see more from you. We take brand partnerships seriously so we ensure that we keep a level of dignity in all our content and that everything that goes out is polished for our following and brands. The pitfalls are the assumptions people have about you. Your friends think you just get free stuff, your family thinks you’re lucky, but it’s hard work – I’m up till midnight most nights creating content or researching new methods.

If you know the value of content to a brand and demonstrate a work ethic in your approach you’ll get to a level where paid opportunities come your way. We make money through photography and selling photo-editing presets also, so you could argue that building our following to where it is has helped do that too.

moochstyle.com

Monique Tinnelly

Early adopter Monique Tinnelly has been on Instagram since it launched and started @christchurchinsider (then Christchurch Foodie) a couple of years ago when she moved to the city. “What I love about Instagram is meeting people,” she says. “The number of amazing people I have met through Instagram has truly been life-changing and especially great for being new to Christchurch.” No algorithms or spooky AI here, Monique just shares what she loves about Christchurch – “Places to eat, walks to go on, stores to visit etc.” The blog has grown from there. “I think Christchurch people and tourists visiting the city want insider knowledge.”
Monique’s day job is as a social media specialist through her company, ZABI Social Media. “Managing @christchurchinsider has been great for my business as it has allowed clients to find me that may not have otherwise,” she says.

@christchurchinsider

Meet the content creators

We chatted to each of the content creators and they dish the deets on what they love about Christchurch and where they love to go. Check out their Q&A's below:

Mary Outram 
Michelle Sullivan
Vanessa Ortynsky
Renee Stewart
Shayden Whipps
Monique Tinnelly