[00:00:00] Julianne Skrivan: I think that’s one of my favorite parts of our communities. We have had so many, you know, pieces of feedback of like, oh, I made some of my closest content creator friends through this community because they were able to, uh, have those raw conversations and throw around ideas and brainstorm and ask each other questions that potentially somebody in their own IRL world isn’t necessarily thinking about or processing.
[00:00:30] Jessy Grossman: Hey guys, what’s going on? Welcome back to the WIM podcast. This week, we’ve got an awesome episode for you and I’m just excited to be here with you guys. We have so much going on at WIM that I should probably Share. Gosh, we have so many in person events. I know I’ve been announcing these like slowly, but surely, but we have so many more that have been announced in all these different markets.
[00:00:55] Jessy Grossman: So we can meet you guys, IRL, having fun. Like think of them as like a girl’s night out versus like a stuffy networking thing. We have been producing these now all year in so many different markets. Like, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, LA, we’re coming to London, Toronto. Like there’s just San Francisco, there’s so many different markets that we’re excited to just Connect you guys in and just really, truly build the community that you guys deserve.
[00:01:29] Jessy Grossman: So I’m very excited to continue to share that with you. Check out our website and we will probably be coming to a city near you very soon if we haven’t announced it already. So you can go to Iamwim. com slash events. Please do. Tickets are limited. We are intentionally keeping these meetups on the smaller side, like 30 people max.
[00:01:53] Jessy Grossman: So usually these events will sell out. Members always get first access to tickets. Members always get discounts and extra bonus gifts. Goodies. So if you are a member, make sure you’re logged in when you get your ticket. And if you are not a member, check out the events, meet their community and like, see if it’s for you.
[00:02:14] Jessy Grossman: And then if you really enjoy it, or we offer lots of discounts and promos to our members. So consider joining it after you guys, again, this week’s episode. So good. We’re talking a lot about. Gen Z it’s obviously been a hot topic for the longest time, but we’re talking about like college aged influencers who maybe they’ve never had another job in their life and maybe they need more education because there’s very few real programs out there where you can get a degree, a four year degree and learn all All the things that you need to know to run your own business.
[00:02:56] Jessy Grossman: They’re just expected to know these things and, you know, thrown out into the world and how brave of them is it to be able to just like dive into this world that no one’s parents said, I’m so hopeful that one day you’ll be a content creator. Like said, nobody’s parents ever, but they’re doing it. They’re paving the way for the future generations of people.
[00:03:20] Jessy Grossman: Bye. I want them to know more. I want them to have more confidence. And that’s a lot of what we’re talking about today. We have a great guest. Her name is Julianne Scriven. She’s from Her Campus Media. Most of you have probably heard of Her Campus Media. They’ve been around for quite a long time specializing.
[00:03:39] Jessy Grossman: In that collegiate and recently graduated demo, they are super well connected in that space. That’s their niche. I love it. And they recently launched a cool new educational program, which is helping and credentialing influencers and really like setting them up for success. So I’m all about it. I find it really, really fascinating and interesting.
[00:04:01] Jessy Grossman: They just recently launched this. You’re about to hear all about it. So without further ado, this is Julianne Scriven from her campus media.
[00:04:12] Jessy Grossman: This show is sponsored by women in influencer marketing, better known as WIM, the best online community for the Creator economy, you will meet fellow influencer marketers. You’ll meet brands, you’ll meet talent agencies to talk shop, get hired, and even find a mentor. When you become a member, do not forget to check out all of our incredible resources.
[00:04:35] Jessy Grossman: For example, we have dozens of masterclasses from the top voices of TikTok, YouTube, award winning agencies, and women who are paving the way for us all. So if you want the chance to network with Influencer marketing. Check out what it takes to become a member. Make more money and have fun doing it. Visit i am wim.com/join.
[00:05:01] Jessy Grossman: That’s I am WII am.com/join today and I so look forward to seeing you more around the community. So first and foremost, I’m just excited to have you with us and like have this conversation today. I think we’re gonna get into some really good topics. So thank you for
[00:05:20] Julianne Skrivan: coming. And how are you? I am doing well.
[00:05:24] Julianne Skrivan: Thank you for having me. I love the spring summer energy. I just think it brings such like new, you know, everything’s in bloom. Everyone’s ready to take content outside. Everyone’s ready to start getting ready for pool parties and taking content outside. And I love that.
[00:05:39] Jessy Grossman: Absolutely. It’s like the perfect time of year.
[00:05:42] Jessy Grossman: People are like, Oh, how are you? I’m like, it’s impossible to be bad this time of year. Like the weather’s beautiful almost everywhere. Everyone’s just like, especially if you’re in a climate where it’s legitimately cold other times in the year, you’re like, Yeah, God, it’s sunny. I can go outside. I can start to wear shorts, tank tops.
[00:06:01] Jessy Grossman: Like, exactly. That’s nice. So I, we certainly like heard a little bit about you in the intro to the show. I always think it way more interesting to just hear from your own words, like, or in your own words, tell us more about yourself. And you know, how did you even discover that influencer marketing was your industry?
[00:06:22] Jessy Grossman: Absolutely,
[00:06:22] Julianne Skrivan: such a great question. I started really understanding the space when I was in college and I was part of my Her Campus chapter at the University of Utah, and that was really my first insight into what I Media looks like in a way that wasn’t strictly news. I went to college in, you know, from 2013 to 2018.
[00:06:45] Julianne Skrivan: I did five years and something that really spoke to me about this landscape in particular was I knew I loved journalism. I knew I loved media, but I really liked journalism. Lifestyle journalism. I really loved people who were on the forefront of having a little bit more fun and being themselves and bring, bringing that authenticity as opposed to very strict news stories or really, you know, this is only what’s happening current event wise.
[00:07:11] Julianne Skrivan: And there’s such a place. It’s so important. But one of the things that really spoke to me was connecting with people and having that community level. And I think that influencers and Are at their core and at their heart community builders. And so that’s really what spoke to me and brought me in to this entire space.
[00:07:29] Julianne Skrivan: And obviously since 2013, influencer world has, you know, completely grown from that long form blog to what it is now with Tik TOK and Instagram and laps and threads and all of these new platforms that we get to see and lean into to feel an online community. And I don’t even think that online community was even a term that we were using in 2013 and 2014.
[00:07:51] Julianne Skrivan: So. As I was navigating the space that I felt most comfortable in, but also that excited me the most, it was definitely this industry. And I graduated from college and right out of school came to work at Her Campus Media and was just so enthralled with what they were doing with influencers, but specifically with like collegiate influencers and building them up and honing in on that.
[00:08:13] Julianne Skrivan: Everyone can have a voice and everyone can bring something new to that table of. Community
[00:08:18] Jessy Grossman: building. And I love the idea of just like working with younger people like that demographic. I just find it so inspiring and like invigorating to work with like a younger demo. So like for those people who aren’t as familiar with her campus media, like tell us a little bit more about this, like, you know, the focus and like what you guys are all about.
[00:08:39] Julianne Skrivan: Absolutely. Her campus media really is like the number one Gen Z media and marketing ecosystem. We Really at our heart and soul are focused on young people that collegiate age and bringing them into their dream careers and finding that space for them. That makes sense, whether that is in that influencer space with our influencer organizations, such as influencer collective campus trendsetters and college fashionista, where these are three influencer groups really set up for.
[00:09:10] Julianne Skrivan: Whatever range that you’re at for your influencing space. If you’re very established, you’ve got kind of that 5, 000 follower count. The influencer collective is a perfect space for you to connect with other creators who are really taking it and running with it and trying to figure out or have already established their content niche.
[00:09:28] Julianne Skrivan: They are. So fearless and so fun. And it’s such a unique group of people to get to work with because they are all so inspiring and headstrong and so willing to also be like, I’ve never tried that on, I would love to try that for my content. And that is so refreshing to get to see. We also work a lot, as I mentioned with collegiates in our campus trendsetters and our college fashionista organizations.
[00:09:51] Julianne Skrivan: And these are really for students to learn more about, you know, in that college fashionista sector. Learn a little bit more about like the beauty fashion space and for that campus trendsetter, we really are looking for people who are students who are excited about trying new products from brands, sharing their opinion on any and everything.
[00:10:10] Julianne Skrivan: So we can really be the leading space for. What is Gen Z feeling? What is Gen Z thinking? What is important to them? What is less important to them than it was a few months ago? And seeing how they’re evolving. Her campus was obviously started with our Her Campus Chapter Networks and giving students like, like myself when I was a student, a place to try journalism out in a way that is very unique in what is happening in the collegiate space and giving collegiate women, collegiate people that voice.
[00:10:40] Julianne Skrivan: And as well as with Spoon University landing into that food world and figuring out, you know, what does that look like for on a college campus in a college community and giving those people the chance to take gorgeous photos of food and figure out how that looks and feels for them.
[00:10:56] Jessy Grossman: And so for those who are listening or watching on YouTube, like, What if they are like, I really have been wanting to tap into Gen Z, but I don’t want to miss the mark.
[00:11:08] Jessy Grossman: What would you tell them? Like, what should they know when working with that specific group of people?
[00:11:14] Julianne Skrivan: I, I love this question. I so appreciate this question because I think that there’s a little bit of a idea of like, How do we tap into an entire audience that, you know, is still up and coming, is still learning, and is still growing themselves?
[00:11:27] Julianne Skrivan: And I think what’s so cool about working in influencer space, working in media, working for Her Campus Media specifically, is understanding and recognizing the power of that 18 to 24 and leaning into them and fostering them. And I think the big thing for Brands, for agencies, for anybody listening is to remember that what matters to them is that authenticity and being genuine in what you’re doing and what you’re asking of them or from them.
[00:11:54] Jessy Grossman: Yeah. I love that. And I think that’s like, that should always be top of mind and, you know, and also like, I don’t know, I almost am like rolling my eyes at my question because I feel like it’s like impossible to like. Generalize, like an entire generation of people as being all the same, which is, I mean, it’s crazy and it’s a silly question.
[00:12:16] Jessy Grossman: Like, of course there are some like broad stroke differences that you can, like, you can point to, but I think that just like being open minded to, and maybe asking questions of like anyone you’re working with, but someone who feels different is important.
[00:12:33] Julianne Skrivan: Exactly, like asking questions. I don’t think it’s a silly question by any means, because there’s even, you know, the idea of, okay, so Gen Z wants authenticity or they want brands to come across as genuine.
[00:12:44] Julianne Skrivan: What does that even mean? And I think it means like tapping into being fun, tapping into learning more about what’s happening in this space and being open to trying on trends that might not, Necessarily completely work for you, but leaning into it and having that, I think, fun and wanting to meet Gen Z in a very transparent way, I think is very important and will continue to be even more so important as you know, we see new generations.
[00:13:11] Julianne Skrivan: We see new people getting onto into content creation and onto content creation platforms and. That’s where people are going to start loving your brand, loving if you’re an influencer, loving the content that you’re creating is when it’s very clear that what you’re doing is purposeful, it’s authentic, it’s meaningful to you, and it matters.
[00:13:29] Jessy Grossman: Absolutely. And so talk to us a little bit about like the, you know, this, I don’t know, I think it’s so interesting that, you know, you guys are so in like uniquely tapped into the collegiate environment. And I love that, like, you’re sort of like this natively Born like person who works at her campus as somebody who also just like started with them as you were in college yourself.
[00:13:53] Jessy Grossman: What is the most attractive thing? You know, we could speak personally, but also I’m sure in like terms of what you’ve heard as to like how this company’s came to niche down into that market.
[00:14:04] Julianne Skrivan: I definitely think it’s a twofold answer. I think right at the forefront, I have to give so much credit to Windsor, Stephanie and Annie who founded Her Campus Media for really seeing, you know, this is an entire group of people who need a voice, have a voice, have opinions, have thoughts, and they need to be able to share them.
[00:14:21] Julianne Skrivan: It’s such an untapped or previously untapped before Her Campus Media market for brands to come in and see this entire. Group of people is extremely valuable from a marketing lens, so I really do want to give credit where credit is due to the three founders for seeing that and for believing in young people and for wanting to bring young people.
[00:14:45] Julianne Skrivan: Into these types of conversations. I think for me, obviously, one of my favorite things about her campus media about working in the space is truly the people because I have made so many interesting connections of people who are also passionate about the space in a different way or passionate in the exact same way, but we get to expand and grow together as new platforms roll out.
[00:15:06] Julianne Skrivan: Like I mentioned when I first started my entire experience with media in general, TikTok wasn’t even Talked about. So it’s like we get to kind of learn together, adapt together. And I think that’s so cool when you get to be in a space that’s so Changing in that way because you get to learn so much from your peers, from people who are younger than you, from people who have significantly more experience.
[00:15:28] Julianne Skrivan: It’s like everybody has an experience and everybody has something that they get to teach and everybody becomes a student in that way.
[00:15:35] Jessy Grossman: I love that. And that like, you’re like, no pun intended, but everybody becomes a student.
[00:15:40] Julianne Skrivan: I agree. And I love school. I was one of those people who I just couldn’t. Wait for school.
[00:15:48] Julianne Skrivan: And I think that influencer marketing is a general gets to kind of become school for forever because there’s always something new to learn. There’s always something different to try. There’s always a new experience or trending sound or trending type of thing that you get to play with. And it’s really just getting to.
[00:16:05] Julianne Skrivan: Learn and play the entire time
[00:16:07] Jessy Grossman: now. I mean, I think that’s a really awesome way of putting it I’m kind of the same way. Like I I always say like a life Fulfilled is a life where I’m continuously learning like forever and ever there’s so much to learn and like of course in the industry that we’re in an influencer marketing like There’s just stuff’s changing all the time.
[00:16:26] Jessy Grossman: So there’s constantly a need for like renewed education. And I also heard that you guys have this really cool new initiative. It’s called certified influence, I think. Yes. And influence. Tell me about that. Cause the premise sounds really interesting and I’m curious, like what it’s all about and like even just what inspired you guys to launch it.
[00:16:49] Julianne Skrivan: Thank you for mentioning. So certified influence is a program That we developed purely from that need to teach, but also the thirst that everyone has in this space to learn. Certified Influence is really crafted to be a program for influencers where they can learn things and topics that they potentially are not able to get elsewhere.
[00:17:12] Julianne Skrivan: And until Certified Influence hasn’t been organized in a way where they can really go through various modules. In a way that’s delivered to them accessibly easily clearly that meets every creator where they’re at. We cover things from understanding key terms and industry guidelines. You know, we always think about influencers getting a brand deal.
[00:17:34] Julianne Skrivan: How do they get a brand deal? What does some of the terms in a brand deal even meet? What does Brandon, what does brief mean? Things like that, where we’re really breaking down for every level of influencers. So that way they feel comfortable and confident going into something like that. Sure. On the brand side, it also is so beneficial because then they’re working with people who are, you know, on that same like page with them of like, this is what they want.
[00:17:56] Julianne Skrivan: And this is what I know how to do. And we can bring that together. We cover things like enhancing their creator profiles so that way when they pitch it to brands, it’s exactly what a brand is potentially looking for and a brand that’s going to make sense for them to get to, to work with something that I think is so powerful is that synergy when a brand and an influencer.
[00:18:15] Julianne Skrivan: Just work together and just mesh. And I think that’s really what we’re trying to, to unfold here as well as like, not every brand is perfect for an influencer, but some are. So like making sure that your profile is attractive and is like making sense for them and vice versa, making sure the brand is getting there for the other.
[00:18:31] Julianne Skrivan: For the influencers, we go through understanding metrics and analyzing metrics and what metrics mean. And that’s kind of a big term that gets thrown around. And we really teach influencers, okay, this is how you find it. This is what it means. This is why, why it’s important. And that way they can. Lean into setting rates, which is another topic that we cover, but we also go over professionalism and communicating professionally and how to balance everything that you have going on, especially if you’re a student.
[00:18:58] Julianne Skrivan: We completely understand that you have finals, you have tests, you have sorority formals that you want to plan for. So we cover how to balance both of those worlds. And lastly, we, there’s the execution of a brand. Campaign once you’ve landed one.
[00:19:14] Jessy Grossman: So is it mostly created for like fresh out of school or even in school, very young creators who are just looking for like a minor, so to speak, the creator economy can, you know, more established influencers still get something from it or it’ll maybe that that’ll come later.
[00:19:33] Jessy Grossman: You’re, I
[00:19:34] Julianne Skrivan: think you’re right on it. So we have really crafted this to meet every influencer. So every influencer is leaving with. Something that they’ve gained for that up and coming influencer really can act as to use your phrase like a minor in Influencing of understanding exactly every single piece of it for somebody who is, you know had multiple brand campaigns We cover topics like okay, you’ve had multiple brand campaigns How do you make sure that your content still feels good for you?
[00:19:59] Julianne Skrivan: And it still feels genuine your followers are still wanting to follow You as a person and really tapping into things and topics that influencers at all levels are thinking about and trying to navigate until this program a little bit isolated and really honing in on the word community for them. And
[00:20:21] Jessy Grossman: I’m glad that you brought up that word, because that was going to be another one of my questions.
[00:20:24] Jessy Grossman: I’m thinking, like, in terms of the formatting of all of this, like, is there a community element? So, like, the students can sort of, like, share their experiences and their practical applications with each other. Absolutely. And I
[00:20:37] Julianne Skrivan: think something that I love about her campus influencer community, whether it’s influencer collective campus trendsetters or college fashionista is it’s community first.
[00:20:44] Julianne Skrivan: So as you’re taking these programs, you can ask questions of your, you know, fellow community members. You can, um, Share that you’ve completed the program and have people who are essentially serving as your cheerleaders and, you know, telling you like, Oh, my gosh, I also just completed it. So you’re really in it with other folks and getting to see, you know, I did this.
[00:21:03] Julianne Skrivan: I just made this piece of content. What do you think and work together? And I think that’s one of my favorite parts of our communities. We have had so many, you know, pieces of feedback of like, Oh, I mean, some of my closest content creator friends through this community because they were able to have those ideas.
[00:21:18] Julianne Skrivan: Raw conversations and throw around ideas and brainstorm and ask each other questions that potentially somebody in their own IRL world isn’t necessarily thinking about or processing. So we really do want our communities to feel like a place where everyone can learn together, can grow together, can use each other as resources, can network with each other, can really lean into people who they’re Potentially not going to meet, especially, you know, when you’re on a college campus and you’re in New York city, you get to connect to creators in California.
[00:21:52] Julianne Skrivan: And that’s something that wouldn’t necessarily happen without that.
[00:21:56] Jessy Grossman: And I love that too. Cause I don’t know, hot take or just my very, my personal opinion, but like, I look back on like my time in school and I just like, I don’t know. I’m trying to not be like resentful about it a little bit, to be honest.
[00:22:10] Jessy Grossman: Like, I just feel like there’s more that I could have gotten from it. I feel like, you know, the academia is just like its own little bubble sometimes, you know, and you feel like you’re learning so much and so successful in that bubble, but then you go out into the real world and you’re like, I am not as prepared as I thought I was, or I wish I had been prepared more.
[00:22:33] Jessy Grossman: And, you know, it’s interesting, like, it’s just this very, like, old system that has been, for the most part, unchanged for a very long time in terms of format and the information and all of that. So anyways, all that to say, it’s refreshing to hear that. There’s also peer led education and like just information sharing and experience share, because I feel like there’s just so much value in that too.
[00:23:01] Jessy Grossman: And of course there’s value in like having maybe someone come up on the screen and go, um, okay, so this is everything that I’ve learned. I’m just going to share it with you. And this, these are all the facts. And like, you know, if you get good people, then sometimes those are incredibly valuable lectures to hear, but.
[00:23:19] Jessy Grossman: I think that there’s so much more to be learned from other people who are just actually doing it and problem solving like in real time. Anyways, I just think it’s cool that you guys have it as like that sort of a format. I think it’s really powerful.
[00:23:34] Julianne Skrivan: Thank you. Yeah. So it really, it does serve as modules that work as like text and video.
[00:23:40] Julianne Skrivan: So we’re really trying to meet people where they’re at. We have. Quizzes after each one. So you can test what you learned and think like, okay, I want to improve that. Or, okay, that’s something that I definitely have down pat. And then you can really take it into our community portal and chat with each other and make those connections and whether or not it helps you process what you just learned or even like expands on it even more, both are so important.
[00:24:02] Julianne Skrivan: And I really, I completely hear you on. I think I said this at the beginning, but the term online community didn’t even really exist. And so the fact that we can. Bring that to life in this way is so exciting to me because I think that out of any generation, like this is really the generation who gets to learn from people in a way that has never happened before.
[00:24:23] Julianne Skrivan: And they get to take all of that and figure out what is going to make the most sense for them moving forward in a content creation space and in, in their lives in general.
[00:24:32] Jessy Grossman: Totally. And so like, Where do you guys envision this going? Like, is this, are you, is there a roadmap to continue to build it out and to expand it on it?
[00:24:42] Jessy Grossman: Or is it like, you know, right now it took a lot of work to get to where we are. We’re just focused on that.
[00:24:47] Julianne Skrivan: I think it’s a combination of both. So I, you know, right now. We just launched this in late March. So we really do want to give folks a chance to go through these modules, see how this is working for them.
[00:24:59] Julianne Skrivan: We’ve had such a positive response from our creators of, you know, this is things that I’ve potentially even been nervous to ask because I’ve taken on this label of content creator. So of course I should understand my metrics and having this as a tool has really been so beneficial to the community because it gives them something that they can also pull out of their toolbox.
[00:25:20] Julianne Skrivan: And having that label as certified content creator is something that I think is really substantial and is going to continue to be because what separates one content creator from another and it’s that education piece and having somebody who is a content creator and knows their own content super well and knows the strategy super well but also understands the nuance of all of that.
[00:25:43] Julianne Skrivan: Combined. So that’s definitely where we are currently and really wanting to make sure that people have access to it and people can lean into it. I think that something that is wonderful about the influencer space and really how this conversation has gone is such a reflection of that, where content creation is ever changing right now.
[00:26:00] Julianne Skrivan: You know, so much of our programming is based off of metrics for Instagram and to talk and that it’s going to have to shift as, as platforms change and evolve, and I think what her campus media does in particular is really Consistent looking at what is changing. What is evolving? How do we change? And how do we evolve with that as opposed to staying so rooted?
[00:26:20] Julianne Skrivan: So this is definitely a program that will continue to grow as content creators grow and will be a best friend to those upcoming influencers and influencers who have taken the program has gotten their content creation certification and we can continue to grow with them as the space grows.
[00:26:37] Jessy Grossman: I love that.
[00:26:37] Jessy Grossman: Are they getting like a little diploma or like
[00:26:40] Julianne Skrivan: a credential? Yes, absolutely. So somebody who is just loves having something to frame and hang on the wall, this is definitely scratching that itch a little bit. They also get LinkedIn badges. They can put it on resumes. We are so aware that this, the hard work that you’re putting in should be rewarded in the same way that it would be in a different space.
[00:27:01] Jessy Grossman: I love that. A quick question for you guys. How much do you love redlining agreements? Yeah, me too. Let me tell you about our latest sponsor called Caveat. So Caveat, with a K, is an AI powered contracting platform that simplifies and Automates your contracts. It’ll hugely improve the way that you review partnership agreements.
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[00:28:41] Jessy Grossman: More and more of those is like people graduate from your program. I love that so much. And again, I think it’s smart. Cause like influencers are constantly trying to set themselves apart and you can do that in a number of different ways. And like, how cool is it to sort of be credentialed as saying like, you know, I, especially at a younger age, I think like that’s really impressive to some people, I think like in the creator economy, on the brand side, on the agency sides, I feel like there’s, I’ve definitely heard some snark around like, you know, They’ve never had a job in their lives.
[00:29:10] Jessy Grossman: And, you know, they’re treating the creator economy and their job and as an influencer the same way. And it’s like, maybe like some people, but there are also some people who are like, I look at these like 20 year olds and I’m like, you are like me now at like a third, as like a 37 year old, like, I wish I was where you are at 20, like doing the things that you’re doing.
[00:29:31] Jessy Grossman: Like, I dunno, I’m, I mostly see it as this, like, I’m so impressed with what younger, like the younger generations able to achieve. Way earlier than we were. So anyways, I love that. I’m curious on the brand side though, cause you guys work with so many different brands, what are some of the struggles that you’re hearing the most from your clients these days?
[00:29:53] Jessy Grossman: Are they struggling to find good creators to get ROI? Are they struggling? What are they wanting and maybe not getting or struggling to achieve consistently these days?
[00:30:04] Julianne Skrivan: Yeah, I think the biggest thing for brands is that they’ve understood the nano influencer, they’ve understood the micro influencer, they’ve understood the power of the peer to peer, and I think Where certified influence in particular is solving for brands and is helping in this capacity is exactly with that brand need of, okay, we totally get that peer to peer marketing, that influencer at a micro or nano level is so powerful, but those influencers haven’t had that education piece or they haven’t worked with other brands before.
[00:30:36] Julianne Skrivan: And this is exactly where and why we launched certified influences. So that way, For a brand side, working with a micro or a nano influencer feels like you’re working with an influencer that has been in the game for years and has those millions of followers and those gorgeous huge deals because I think on the brand side, it’s they want that same result, but an influencer who had less experience.
[00:30:59] Julianne Skrivan: And so we’re trying to really match. The brands need and up the certified influencer experience. So that way they have both parties are winning in that instance.
[00:31:11] Jessy Grossman: Yeah, no, that’s great. I love that so much. And then like on the flip side, you know, what are you hearing from the creators? All the creators that you’re working with these days, like, are they hungry for more work?
[00:31:23] Jessy Grossman: Are they like swamped? Are they feeling like rates are getting paid? You know, You know, on par, they wanting more money. Like what are some of the positives and the negatives of what they’re feeling these days?
[00:31:35] Julianne Skrivan: Yeah, well, as a director of community, like I am so focused on what do our community members need, want, feel.
[00:31:43] Julianne Skrivan: And so for me, this is such a fun question because it. Is really reflective, certified influence is really reflective of what they needed and what they wanted and what they needed was that education piece, but they wanted it in a way that would feel less academic, less like school and also be like pretty realistic with them about this is.
[00:32:05] Julianne Skrivan: Not just like how to post a picture and like get likes. Like, this is how you should move forward as a content creator in finding who you are as a content creator, that it’s okay to try on various trends that don’t make sense for you. And it’s okay to like, say like, okay, I actually didn’t love that. I’m going to try something new and I’m going to continue to go back to like.
[00:32:25] Julianne Skrivan: What my roots are as a content creator, I think like the big thing for Gen Z as a whole is it’s a huge percentage of them that want to be full time content creators in a survey. We took it was 82 percent of Gen Z wants to be a content creator. So really, it’s Figuring out what that means person to person and leaning into everyone’s individuality.
[00:32:47] Julianne Skrivan: And like, there is the cool thing about the internet is there is a space for everybody on the internet and finding your community. Something that our previous influencer award winners have shared is that they found their space. They found the corner of the internet by. Being themselves and posting consistently and not second guessing it and just posting it.
[00:33:07] Julianne Skrivan: And then their community, if they wanted to build that community, the community would come to them. We’ve had so many influencers mentioned that prior to certified influence, they were very self taught and this kind of gives them that confidence boost. And I think that’s huge in this space where a lot of that confidence comes from metrics.
[00:33:25] Julianne Skrivan: And this is a way to like, Gain confidence without having to be solely relying on one piece of creation.
[00:33:32] Jessy Grossman: I respect that so much because I think that I don’t know i’ve talked about this on the show before I feel like there’s a part of the creator economy. That’s like almost I mean I don’t know if I want to say almost that is like Predatory on creators and hear me out.
[00:33:47] Jessy Grossman: I have said this before, but like, if you are making money off of creators on the, around the premise that like, they just don’t know their business stuff and you’re the one who will come in and do all the deals cause they don’t know business, they’re not good at business. I feel like predatory. I feel like if there are brands who.
[00:34:07] Jessy Grossman: Low ball creators in terms of rates because like they don’t have the hotspot to, you know, negotiate back and, you know, to ask for higher rates like that feels so predatory to me. Like, yeah, it feels like really taking advantage of. of a group of people that are, you know, sometimes they don’t know better, but sometimes there’s just a lack of confidence.
[00:34:31] Jessy Grossman: And I am just like, I’m really excited by what you guys are doing. And I hope more people follow suit because I want to see creators Be just as knowledgeable, if not more knowledgeable than anybody else said, yeah, like they are all business owners. They’re all entrepreneurs. They’re also ballsy in doing this.
[00:34:53] Jessy Grossman: That like was certainly not an industry that their parents were like, when you grow up, I am so hopeful that you’ll become a content creator, you know, like they’re creating this brand new path and I love it. And I just want to see all of them. Have the confidence that you guys are helping to instill, have the education and the knowledge to be able to speak to their unique businesses as intelligently as anybody else can, and not to always rely on other people to do it for them.
[00:35:25] Jessy Grossman: There’s absolutely relevancy to outsourcing, right? Like you can’t grow unless you outsource, build a team. But, um, I want them to not outsource because they have to, because they don’t know better, but because they want to and they want to expand their business. Right.
[00:35:43] Julianne Skrivan: Yeah. I think something that helps.
[00:35:46] Julianne Skrivan: build that confidence is when you know your, you know what you’re doing and you know what you’re worth. And that can be, it can be really hard. I mean, I imagine even trying to say that to 22 year old Julianne and she would be like, well, that’s easy for you to say. And it is, it’s one of those things that’s so much easier said than done.
[00:36:05] Julianne Skrivan: And so I think the best thing that a creator can do is arm themselves with knowledge, especially because to your point, they don’t have in most cases, I would say in like, majority of cases, they don’t have a parent who they can go to and be like, when you were doing this, how did, you know, navigate this in the same way that other professions?
[00:36:25] Julianne Skrivan: Have that kind of, you know, potentially like generational resource. And so I think what’s going to be so important and is so important to young content creators and even content creators who are very established and have been doing this for a while. It never hurts to have something else that you can say like, well, I also am.
[00:36:44] Julianne Skrivan: I’m a certified content creator. I have put myself first by educating myself. And I think that’s really going to be the big game changer in getting that confidence and sparking things in you that are also exciting for not only your path forward as a content creator, but in those conversations where Where you’re confidently able to say, this is what I would like to do, and this is how I’m going to do it, and while still being respectful, while still taking feedback, while still making tweaks, while still balancing work and life, but just having that wherewithal and the understanding that you can do that.
[00:37:22] Jessy Grossman: Yeah, I mean, how many industries are out there where like you can make, you know, multiple six figures and not have like a formal education in it, you know? So it’s like the expectations are like incongruent with each other, right? Like you would expect anyone who’s like, You know, working in finance to have a finance degree and the more successful you are, the better education you had.
[00:37:48] Jessy Grossman: I mean, you know, there’s a certain level of course of like, you know, on the job experience and connections and all that. But generally speaking, like the point being is that. There’s this expectation that the creator economy broadly is going to continue to grow. I think this year they said it’s supposed to be a 24 billion industry, but how do we expect it to grow if we don’t arm the up and coming people or even the people who are in it with the education and the awareness that they need to succeed?
[00:38:20] Jessy Grossman: It’s not. It just, it seems like you’re setting people up for failure. Not you, obviously. You guys are doing the opposite. So I appreciate that. So anyways, I just, I come from, I have a theater degree. So like, I have a theater minor. I love it. I love it. And so maybe you probably can relate. that. I just, you learn what you learn in school, but then you go out there in the real world.
[00:38:45] Jessy Grossman: And if that, if your art is something that you ultimately want to pursue, there’s so much more that I personally needed to know in order to actually make a career out of that. And so I feel like. Similarly with creators, another type of artist for sure. It’s like a modern day artist and like, sure, maybe people, you know, maybe they’ve observed other creators.
[00:39:13] Jessy Grossman: And so they’re like, Oh, interesting. Like when they create something that’s a little bit more buzzworthy, they get more comments. Okay. If they, you know, collaborate with someone in a YouTube video or something like there seems to be more buzz around it. Okay. But like. What about like, you have to incorporate your business?
[00:39:31] Jessy Grossman: Like, what about like, how do you, what do I have to invoice people? And like, I have to review my agreements. Like, again, there’s just, there’s stuff that, because when you as a creator start working with a brand or whoever is going to be hiring you, if you feel as if you don’t know what you’re talking about, it, it like elongates the process, you know, people sort of would have, I think.
[00:39:56] Jessy Grossman: Much more respect and be more in eager to rehire you based on just having a good working relationship with you. Having good experience in that way as well,
[00:40:07] Julianne Skrivan: right? Absolutely. I completely agree. I think something that is so different for newer generations and part of that is because of people posting and routinely talking about what it’s like to be in any position.
[00:40:21] Julianne Skrivan: Field and all of that is credited to social media. You know, you can be an influencer in so many spaces. I follow so many folks who are, you know, I just graduated nursing school. This is really what it’s like after and having that type of conversation. Influencing does not necessarily just mean a lifestyle creator can mean anything and.
[00:40:39] Julianne Skrivan: Really allowing for people to get to learn. I think rather than having to graduate school and just trial by fire, you get to have some education under you from your peers in a way that has never happened before and is really exciting. So I really do. Look forward to more influencers in this space, having those real conversations.
[00:41:02] Julianne Skrivan: And I think that they’ve already started happening and I think it’s really exciting to see where we’re gonna move with that.
[00:41:06] Jessy Grossman: And that’s my, like my last question for you is like, you know, we’re midway through 2024, if you had it your way and you were to see more of this or less of that, in terms of brand partnerships, in terms of creators, brands.
[00:41:23] Jessy Grossman: What’s the landscape you’d like to see? Yeah,
[00:41:27] Julianne Skrivan: I love this question. It’s something that I think anybody in influencer marketing kind of thinks about in a different way of, well, if I had it like my dream world, what would it look like? And I think for me, influencing should be a very inclusive, welcoming space.
[00:41:44] Julianne Skrivan: As I mentioned, you know, I think that if you want to create content. If you want to lean into posting, if you want to build that community, the community is there, you have to, to find it and you have to create it and you have to become part of that. So in my like dream influencer space, it becomes a very inclusive, welcoming environment where it doesn’t feel like.
[00:42:06] Julianne Skrivan: To be an influencer, you have to climb all of these hills. You can, you know, join a community like one of our influencer communities and start having those conversations and join in on conversations that are already happening. So that, that barrier is a little bit broken down there where this is, these are people who have, you know, potentially been, you know, Hitting the influencer ground for a few years, and so they can serve as mentors, but it’s also people who are joining right at the beginning with you in that space, too.
[00:42:35] Julianne Skrivan: So you feel like you have a best friend in the content creator industry to navigate together as a pair. I think the other thing that I’m really excited about for influencing, and I really hope and I’m sure that this is something that’s weighing heavily on anybody. Anybody’s mind is exactly what you mentioned where we recognize influencers for exactly what they are for artists, and we recognize them as extremely hard workers who are putting their business first.
[00:43:02] Julianne Skrivan: They’re putting themselves first as well, and they’re really me. Maintaining their true to form and true to self. And I think that’s so cool about the influencer space in general is who you are matters and your opinions and your thought processes and what you’re excited about and what you’re experiencing.
[00:43:20] Julianne Skrivan: And I have learned so much from influencers posting about their natural everyday experience, because I, you know, have even thought like, that’s exactly what I’m going through. And now I feel so so validating in the human experience to get to have somebody else validate your feelings there and it’s really powerful.
[00:43:42] Julianne Skrivan: So I think that is really what I’m excited to see. I’m excited to see so many more influencers finding certified influence and taking certified influence and joining the folks that have already because we are really At our core, trying to give people that confidence, give people that skill set. And on the flip side, we’re hoping to help everyone create content that they feel really strongly about and really are excited about and love.
[00:44:06] Jessy Grossman: So for those who are like, this sounds amazing for either themselves or they want to recommend it to somebody who they know, what’s the best way for them to learn more? Absolutely. So
[00:44:18] Julianne Skrivan: I would always start with checking out the join her campus community page. You’re gonna learn all about our three influencer networks, that’s our influencer collective, our campus trendsetters, and our college fashionista.
[00:44:32] Julianne Skrivan: See which of those communities makes the most sense for you as a content creator, and you’re welcome to apply to To join more than one, we hand vet every single member who joins our community. We check through profiles. We have a lengthy application that we really do encourage you to go through. And we can also help you navigate which community seems like the right fit.
[00:44:54] Julianne Skrivan: If you are a. Student who is really excited about more of that digital journalism piece. I highly encourage her campus chapter network in the spoon university chapter network as well. They’re going to also very much instill that portion of it while touching on social media.
[00:45:11] Jessy Grossman: And you guys are on what? I don’t, I don’t know if you have a number, but like how many campuses are like, you know, are you guys in hundreds?
[00:45:17] Jessy Grossman: Are we talking about, you know, how many are we talking about here? Absolutely. I will pull that up for you right now.
[00:45:23] Julianne Skrivan: Sounds good. And then it changes every, we get it every month. So yes, great question. We’re at over 2000 campuses, whether you are on a chapter network and a chapter front or in an influencer space over 2000.
[00:45:39] Julianne Skrivan: We always pull it literally the 31st and I did not, or the 30th, I guess in the April case. And I didn’t want to be like, we’re at 1500. And then it’s like,
[00:45:47] Jessy Grossman: Julianne, no, that’s, I mean, that’s incredible. Like I, I didn’t know what number you were going to say over 2000. Like, that’s really unbelievable. So that’s awesome to know that like you guys are out there so much and that these resources are even available in the first place.
[00:46:00] Jessy Grossman: So like, I want to be one to help spread the word about that. Cause I do think it’s like incredibly valuable, like you said, both for the creators, of course, but also for the brands and the agency, but like people who are hiring these creators, because they’re going to be more educated, they’re going to be more prepared and.
[00:46:15] Jessy Grossman: I love that. So, yeah. Yeah. So for those people who wanna just like learn more about you, connect with you, what’s the best way? Is it LinkedIn, Instagram, what do you
[00:46:25] Julianne Skrivan: think? Yes, absolutely. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Julianne Screven, I am. Always available as well over Instagram to connect and to chat through really any and everything I also want to make sure to mention the her campus media Instagram account is a great place to know everything in terms of what her campus is doing We obviously have social accounts for all of our communities from her campus through all of our influencer networks But the her campus media account is also a great education tool for all of us What’s happening with her campus media and of course the generation hired instagram for anybody who is Navigating that career space in general.
[00:47:01] Julianne Skrivan: We we post quite a few career tips and I Would be remiss not to mention the generation hired newsletter for anybody who is trying to navigate First time job, especially in the influencer space, especially in that post grad world and how to have those conversations with your boss and how to, you know, what is normal in a job interview, things like
[00:47:22] Jessy Grossman: that.
[00:47:22] Jessy Grossman: I love that. Okay. So we’re going to drop all of that information to the show notes to take a peek there. We’ve got Instagram handles, LinkedIn, Tik TOK accounts for you to follow websites and all that. So take a peek there guys. It was so nice having you today. So thank you So, so much for joining. I encourage you guys listening to absolutely reach out, continue this conversation, ask her any questions and get involved.
[00:47:45] Jessy Grossman: So please, thank you again for coming. Thank you guys for tuning in and we will see you next week. Yeah. Thank you so
[00:47:52] Julianne Skrivan: much for having me. This was such a fun conversation and it’s just, I think what you’re doing, it’s so It’s so important, not only for, you know, the women who actually work in influencer marketing, but for influencers as well.
[00:48:03] Julianne Skrivan: So I really appreciate your platform and what you’re doing here. Right back
[00:48:06] Jessy Grossman: at you. Thank you. Thank you. If you enjoyed this episode, we got to have you back. Check out our website for more ways to get involved, including all the information you need about joining our collective. You can check out all the information at IamWiim.com. Leave us a review, a rating, but the most important thing that we can ask you to do
[00:48:30] Jessy Grossman: Thanks for listening. Tune in next week.
