In this week’s talent spotlight, we’re sitting down with photographer, content creator & beauty influencer Shahrzad from The Spot Beauty. Not only has she booked over 87 jobs on theright.fit but she’s also one of the most talented creators getting around, so we sat down to hear more about her journey and her tips for other creators.
Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started as an influencer & content creator?
I have always been passionate about holistic beauty, sustainable style and wellness - so I started sharing my opinions and honest thoughts about the different products and experiences I had through Instagram and my blog. It was through Instagram that I built a following of like minded people and an audience who are genuinely interested in conscious beauty and sustainability. What started out as a side project has now become my full time gig!
What does being an influencer mean to you?
This is a great question and I feel like over the years the answer has really evolved. I personally believe that being an influencer does mean you have an influence on your audience and a good relationship with them. I also think there should be a sense of trust.
Tell us about your journey with building your Instagram following? How has your account grown over time, and has your audience changed?
When I first started on Instagram, the growth was constant and for me it was very organic. Once the algorithms changed it became a lot harder to gain more followers, however I feel like my direction and approach has changed over the years and I am interested in genuine connections with my followers. I believe in the quality of the followers, not the quantity.
You do content creation for brands as well. How do you develop creative ideas for displaying their products, and how do you price your content creation?
Content creation is one of my favourite ways to display my creativity and ideas. I love thinking of different setups and scenarios that best suit the brand as well as my style, to best showcase the products. I usually follow the industry rates for pricing. This does vary on a job to job basis depending on the brand, their budget, how many images or videos they need, how much prep time or styling it will require from me. I usually work collaboratively with the brand to find a rate that works for both of us, and brands can see my ballpark rates on my profile.
What's the best job you've got through theright.fit? What's the best campaign you've ever worked on, and why?
The Sukin 10th Birthday influencer campaign was one of the best jobs and campaigns I was lucky enough to be involved in. I have used their products for a number of years and love everything I have tried - to be involved in their birthday campaign was such a fantastic achievement for me. It was body wash scented like birthday cake, and I loved creating content for it and promoting a product I knew my followers would love.
What should a brand know about how to best work with an influencer? How should they brief an influencer on time frames, budgets etc.?
Brands should try to be really collaborative when working with an influencer. We have spent a long time building our audience and trust and can add a lot of value in the planning or creative process in helping them with what will work or resonate well to make a campaign a success. I also I think some brands need to have a more realistic expectation around budget, and be a bit more flexible with their deadlines on some campaigns. With Beauty campaigns I think it is very important to have truly tested the products thoroughly before sharing my thoughts/review with my audience, therefore more time should be given to trial and create the content so I can really speak authentically about the product.
What does anyone starting in your industry need to know?
Be flexible, be patient and don’t compare yourself to anyone else!
I don’t think I would change anything about my journey, if I was starting in the industry again - I’ve had an amazing career and got to work with some great brands and creatives. I think the number 1 key to success as a creator & influencer is to be reliable, honest and flexible - this is an industry that's constantly changing and evolving so you need to adapt with it.
I also think its really important to align with with brands that match your values and that you are truly passionate about. I just don’t feel right working with a brand that I don’t truly believe in and I think that shows in my content and keeps my trust with my audience.
Which trends do you think will shape the industry this year / in the upcoming years?
I personally think video content in the shape of reels or TikToks is where the current content is heading. The focus is on video - it’s all about videos! More and more brands ask this as part of their briefs, and with the recent instagram changes, I think we will only continue to see video be the hero of campaigns and focus for creators.
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