We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Miller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
ABSOLUTELY! I earn 4x my corporate job salary with my content creator/lifestyle blog/influencer marketing business on social media. There’s no denying that influencer marketing is lucrative. This industry is BOOMING and it is only continuing to expand. To put it in perspective… in 2021, the social media influencer industry soared to $13.8 billion. This year, the market is projected to expand to a $16.4 billion industry – INSANE! However, this was never my intention when starting this business. Truthfully, I had zero idea what I was even doing half the time. I started my blog and social media journey with the sole purpose of expressing my creativity, being a resource for my friends and family, and because I simply enjoyed it as a hobby (it was actually my moms idea and I just executed — she’s always been the brains behind my life decisions lol). To put it simply, the influencer marketing industry is not a world that you can just succeed in from the start. It’s actually the complete opposite. I work roughly between 12-18 hour a day — and that’s not just me being dramatic, that’s honesty. It’s much more behind the scenes work than what you see on instagram or TikTok. But… I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT, & that’s the most important thing. Looking back on where I started versus where I am now, I am starstruck. I am proud of who I am and what I have built. The only milestone I wish I would have overcame sooner is not putting other’s opinions above my own. I took their judgement to heart and let it get in the way of my growth in the beginning/most crucial stages of my journey. I wouldn’t necessarily speed up the process, because I believe I am right where I am supposed to be on this path. I find value in the journey, not the destination. I never would have thought that this would be my life and career. I am living my dream life right now, so I am soaking in every bit of it and enjoying the hard work I have put in to get here!
Amber, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Amber Miller, a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Journalism with a concentration in videography and a Bachelor of Science in Family Consumer Science. I was a D1 collegiate cheerleader throughout my career as a Hokie, a member of Alpha Phi sorority, and worked closely with the VT Athletics Marketing Department. I am the CEO of Pretty as Peaches LLC — a social media marketing and digital advertising company. I am the co-owner of Double Tap Marketing LLC, as well as an Account Manager for Power Move Marketing. I am also the Marketing Specialist for the City of Suffolk, Virginia as well as a shareholder and a marketing advisor for Armed Forces Brewing Company. If you are local to Virginia, you may even see me on local commercials up and down the East Coast as a talent for Studio Center and MMG.
That’s my simple elevator pitch for you! Here’s a bit more detail:
For Pretty as Peaches LLC, I specialize in influencer marketing. I partner with brands such as Dunkin, Papa Johns, Express, Kroger, etc for digital marketing and content creation.
For Double Tap Marketing LLC, I am the co-owner and operate the “influencer marketing” side of the business. This is similar to Pretty as Peaches LLC, yet I am on the completely opposite end of the collaboration. I am organizing campaigns, selecting influencers, creating briefs, drawing up contracts, discussing with the brands/business, etc.
For Power Move Marketing, I am an Account Manager specializing in brand partnerships, influencer marketing, and content creation. To put this in more simple terms, we are your one stop shop for all things Marketing, such as: Digital ads, website design, social media management, content creation, SEO, Blog write ups, social media growth, Email Campaigns/SMS, E-commerce consulting, Public Relations, and much more.
For the City of Suffolk, I am the Marketing Specialist for the Parks and Recreation department. I am a one-girl show in this marketing department, so I handle all advertising and marketing for our programs/events/etc. for Suffolk Parks and Recreation.
For Armed Forces Brewing Company, I am on the advisory board and marketing team to assist in commercial shoots, content creation, advertising, etc. I work closely with the advisory team: Ray Care (former Navy SEAL), Robert J O’Neill (Former SEAL team 6 Operator), Darren McBurnett (former Navy SEAL), and Gretchen Smith (Owner of Code of Vets), and many more to push this company to success! We launched on July 4th of 2021, so we have all been working diligently to expand our market.
As a local talent, I work with Studio Center and MMG for commercials and TV shows. If you’re local to the 757, I often can be seen in commercials for: Casey Auto Group, Busch Gardens, and Water Country USA.
Needless to say, I stay VERY busy in my career. But again, I love every second of it and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am so blessed to have grown so quickly in this space and have the opportunity to meet all of the incredible people I work with!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
When I began my influencer marketing business back in 2018, there weren’t many resources available. I read a few blogging books that my mom had bought me for Christmas, and they helped exponentially with understanding how to build a website and how to gain traction there. However, I still struggled to find resources for social media marketing directly. This year, I decided to write my own book as a “how to” for those looking to dive into the influencer marketing space. My publisher and I have been putting many hours in and are so excited to be crafting this opportunity for upcoming bloggers/influencers! If you’d like to stay informed with updates on my book, DM me on instagram @ambermiller9
I did listen to a few podcasts when starting: Blogging Unscripted, The Goal Digger Podcast, and Simple Pin podcast.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building an audience on social media is arguably the most difficult yet rewarding parts of my job. When I began back in 2018, instagram was at a limbo point of not having a nailed down “algorithm.” Therefore, growing an audience was a lot more simple. Post a unique and high quality photo, add value to your caption, utilize searchable hashtags, engage with your audience, and BOOM… IMMEDIATE GROWTH. That’s no longer the case. You have to do all of those things + more. Utilizing all the tools that the platform provides, establishing a distinct niche and providing consistent content for them, creating trending content while still being unique, and sometimes to put it blunt… its sometimes pure LUCK. My best advice is to create content that you enjoy that best serves your audience while maximizing your tools and resources. It’s not always about the number, but about the value.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.prettyaspeaches.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambermiller9/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettyaspeachesblog/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/amber_miller9
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyMkYo0kx69bz7hWhHgbjMQ
- Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prettyaspeaches Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/prettyaspeaches/pins
Image Credits
Kelsie Shae Photography: Photo in sunflower field Life in Focus Collective: Photo in Arizona, walking on the landing with pink sky background