We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Croslin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

Let’s rewind to 2017… I started collaborating with brands almost right away once I established my account.

But, no, not my *DREAM* brands or brands you and I hear of regularly. In the early days, I would reach out to boutiques with a similar follower count (or less) to mine and ask if they’d trade product in exchange for social media promotion. This gave me the confidence and skills I needed to start reaching out to larger brands. I learned how to provide quality content and how to be a good partner when working on brand collaborations in the future.

I would definitely recommend trying out this strategy when looking to gain confidence when pitching to brands for brand collaborations.

If I’m being honest, I don’t know if I was ready to start collaborating with these small businesses when I did. I was consistently posting, but I was often sharing random content. My goals were nonexistent and I wasn’t clear at all on my niche. I did not have a schedule of blog posts like I do now. My website design wasn’t anything special. I shared blog posts at random, without any strategy.

Soon after, I started working with smaller boutiques and businesses through Insta DMs, I began applying to collaboration platforms and picking up brand collaboration work there, building up my “resume” a bit. Once I had these collabs under my belt, I was able to pitch brands with my new media kit, displaying the logos of the brands I’m most proud to have worked with.

So what was my big break? After quite some time working on product exchange collaborations with boutiques and smaller businesses through influencer collaboration platforms, I finally got what I consider to be “my big break” in March of 2018, almost a YEAR after I started my blog.

One day I was scrolling through my emails on campus when I saw one come in from Sephora. I literally almost deleted it by mistake thinking it was a spam email about a sale or something like that! But nope, it was FOR REAL! One of my favorite brands, Sephora reached out to me for a product exchange collaboration on Instagram. It was truly a dream come true for me because I had gained the recognition of a reputable brand that I knew and loved.

Keep in mind, this was just a product exchange collab, as was my next “big break.” My next “big break” came when I was offered a $1000 gift card in exchange for an Instagram post and a blog post about The Container Store. This was another amazing opportunity! Once I realized I could gain the attention of two international retailers without having to pitch myself, I started pitching to brands on my own for $$$. I also began seeking out and applying to brand collaborations through various platforms, including new ones I hadn’t used in the past! At the time of this “big break”, I had about 10K followers, for reference.

It wasn’t until I graduated college in 2019 that I started to take my platform a little more seriously. However, with a demanding full-time job and the tough adjustment from post-grad to adult life, I was still putting my blog and Instagram on the back-burner. In fact, I took almost a month off in December of 2019. I was debating if I should even continue because I wasn’t seeing any return. My growth was stagnant, I wasn’t bringing in any revenue, and I was discouraged.

2020 was a HUGE turning point for my business. I set goals and worked hard to negotiate with brands when offered product. I did a full website overhaul. It is true what they say, “You get out what you put in.” In my opinion, starting out by partnering with smaller local businesses and working my way up gave me the confidence and led me to where I am now, making over six figures from content creation and blogging and truly doing what I love!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Emily aka @helloemilyerin everywhere on the internet. Born and raised in Florida, I spent most of my time at the beach, exploring local businesses and the downtown St. Petersburg area. As a Florida-based fashion and lifestyle blogger, I try to enjoy all the Tampa Bay Area has to offer, from incredible restaurants, waterfront views, the amazing art scene we have here, I could go on!

I graduated from the University of Florida in 2019 with my Masters in International Business and my Bachelors in Marketing and a minor in Retail. I loved studying business and marketing as it has helped me greatly in my blogging career. I’ve always wanted to own my own business and use my skills creatively and my work as an influencer allows me to do just that, combining my love of all things business, retail, and marketing. After college, I worked in social media marketing for a financial services firm, Raymond James, and later for a tech startup called Pavilion, all while managing my social media presence + business. Nowadays, I do content creation full-time and help fellow small business owners with their social media management as well through my business Flaunt Media Management.

My goal is to bring a bit of sunshine your way each day. 
As a native Floridian, I spend most of my time at the beach and by the water. I enjoy sharing colorful, beachy, boho-inspired looks and Amazon finds. My followers know I’ve been one to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on all things content creation, providing tips for those looking to get started on their creator journey. You can check out my tips on IG with #emilyerintips.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My insights on how to keep in touch with your audience and foster brand loyalty? Building a strong and engaged community on Instagram is the key, so let’s dive into some effective strategies.

First and foremost, maintaining a consistent posting schedule is crucial. By establishing a strategy that works for you and sharing three high-quality posts each week on specific days, you set expectations for your audience and encourage them to regularly engage with your content. Remember, quality over quantity is key to building a sustainable presence.

Defining your niche and content style is another important aspect. By focusing on a specific area of interest or expertise, you can attract like-minded individuals who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Embrace your uniqueness and let it shine through your specialized topics, distinct aesthetic, or particular perspective. Authenticity is the key to building a dedicated community.

Create content pillars that align with your brand and resonate with your target audience. These pillars are broad topics that form the foundation of your content strategy. By consistently posting within these pillars, you provide valuable and relevant content that your community can anticipate and engage with. Consider incorporating a regular series within your pillars to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.

Adding value with each post is essential to building a loyal community. Ask yourself, “Would someone save this to refer back to later?” By sharing informative, inspirational, or entertaining content, you position yourself as a valuable resource and build trust among your followers. Remember, Instagram’s algorithm favors posts with high engagement, so focus on creating content that people genuinely find valuable.

It’s crucial to avoid cutting corners and engaging in inauthentic practices. Stay away from tactics like engagement or comment pods, as Instagram actively flags them as inauthentic. Instead, invest your time in authentic engagement with your audience and connecting with new accounts that align with your niche. Building a genuine and engaged community takes time and effort, but it’s worth it.

Interacting with your audience is key to fostering brand loyalty. Take the time to respond to comments on your posts and leave genuine comments on other creators’ content. Seek out new accounts by using relevant hashtags and engage with their posts in a thoughtful manner. By reciprocating engagement, you encourage others to do the same, fostering a supportive and interactive community.

To summarize, keeping in touch with clients and fostering brand loyalty on Instagram requires consistency, authenticity, and a genuine commitment to adding value. Maintain a consistent posting schedule, define your niche and content style, create content pillars, and offer a regular series. Always focus on adding value with each post and engage authentically with your audience. Partner with influencers for giveaways that align with your brand values. By implementing these strategies, you can cultivate a loyal and engaged community that supports and resonates with your brand.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

I almost gave up on social media entirely.

In 2019, I was so discouraged about my work on Instagram. I had been at it for 2.5 years and felt like I wasn’t seeing any “success.”

But the fact is, I didn’t have any focus. I wasn’t making the time to create quality content. I didn’t know anything about my audience and their personas. I was disorganized and missing deadlines. I’d run home after work, stressed and trying to beat the daylight to get a picture, even if it wasn’t a good one. I wasn’t planning ahead and I certainly wasn’t tracking my income.

That December, I almost gave up on my dream. I kept downplaying my work and thinking I wasn’t good enough.

Imagine if I did that – I never would have started my tip series to inspire fellow content creators, never connected with my audience of over 35,000 people, never created relationships with brands, and never had the chance to bring in over almost six figures in brand collaborations in addition to working full-time. I likely would not have been able to buy my house. And I probably wouldn’t have found my way to my role in social media at Pavilion or to starting my own social media management business in 2023.

I was really leaving EVERYTHING on the table by thinking … “Oh, I’m just not cut out for this.”

At the beginning of 2020, I re-evaluated everything and set goals to help get me back on track. And looking back, I was actually able to double my income goal last year, contracting over $54k in 2021.

I share this story because we have all been there at some point. Imposter syndrome is powerful. It’s always going to be easier to give up than keep going. Be honest with yourself. Reevaluate your priorities. Make sure you are giving it your all.

Don’t quit your daydream — keep going!

Contact Info:

• Website: helloemilyerin.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/helloemilyerin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-croslin/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@helloemilyerin