#plus if you dm we can establish a relationship between them

[nerdieforpedro]

My Teddy Bear enjoys Leather

Javier Gutierrez x plus size female reader

This fanfic is for 18+ MDNI

Word Count: 891

Warnings: established relationship, unprotected P in V, riding, oral sex (male receiving), fingers and HANDS (did we expect different from me?), the color red, edging, cockwarming, breath play, Javi G is his own warning (I’m not sorry I had him say any of it!)

Summary: Your boyfriend Javier has deemed it appropriate to finally ask you for something important to him.

Notes: I am a sponge. There was talk of what one might do with a different Pedro character’s nose. I was being a menace in a friend’s DM and thought: “I should take some of these mini drabbles and make something with it.” That friend of course was @lady-bess and she encouraged me. 😆 So here we are with splashes of noses, @morallyinept ‘s Javi’s special room and my own spin on things because Javi’s color is red baby. ❤️ @rhoorl helped me with some translations because I already have trouble with English, I need all help I can get for Spanish because far be it from me to butcher a beautiful language.🥹

Main Masterlist / Javi Gutierrez Masterlist

You’ve never been one to kink shame. You’ve also never been asked to use leather in this manner either. Javier Gutierrez has been the sweetest boyfriend you’ve ever had. He only raised his voice in bed when your hand slipped off his chest while you were riding him and grabbed his neck. You apologized but he of course told you not to worry about it. Javi never wants you to fret or feel bad about anything.

He spends an equal amount of time between your thighs and buried in your cunt. It was after spending another night with him, your tongue slid down his shaft following the vein on the side of his cock down to his balls, waking him by nibbling on the skin lightly with your teeth. So there was another time Javi raised his voice waking up with your ass and swollen pussy from the night before staring at him. He reached out, two fingers parting your folds to see your core twitching while your moans were muffled by your lips nipping at his foreskin. Pausing to raise your head, you looked up at Javi whose chest was heaving along with the soft swell of his belly.

“Buenos días mi amor (Good morning my love). Te estoy dando besos dulces (I’m giving you sweet kisses). I need to focus. Don’t touch me yet Javier.” You said plainly, watching him to ensure he took his hand back. “Put them behind your head.” Javier’s eyes dilated as he interlocked his fingers and placed his hands behind his head, watching as your mouth took in his cock swirling your tongue about the head before starting to swallow more, bobbing your head. Javi resisted the urge to thrust his hips, trying to keep still as possible. He needed to keep from cumming, to watch your thighs drip with slick arousal from taking him so deeply, your fingers grasping his thighs where your nails were digging into his skin. The sensation was too much for poor Javier.

“Quierda (sweetheart)!” Was the only thing he was able to say over and over, watching you drink his spend and it dripping from your mouth.

This was the moment Javier decided to ask you into his special room - private room. He’s never shown this room to anyone, just collecting pieces to use, many of them he couldn’t use by himself.

It was a beautiful dinner, you wore the red dress that Javier enjoyed on you, it was strapless with an asymmetrical split. Exposing much of your thigh and leg when you walked and sat, jiggling as Javier watched you walk across the room to the sealed door that had a keypad on it. He entered his code and opened the door. All manner of leather straps, flogs, bells, lined the wall, two harnesses hung from the ceiling. Your eyes were wide from shock.

“Mi vida (my life). I want more of you did the other night. Command me. Restrict me. Some pain is fine, so long as it is from you. This room has all the tools you will need for this.” It’s not something you’ve ever done, never really entertained the idea of it. But if it’s for Javier, your sweet, never asks your for anything except your time, boyfriend. You could at least try.

Now you’re on a circular bed in this sealed room with Javier Gutierrez, a red leather collar placed around his neck meant for breath play. You’ve told him not to touch himself and not to touch you either, even though you long for them to knead your rolls and folds like he always does, you’ll abstain for him if it brings him greater release. Standing above him naked, you just have him using his perfectly angled nose to tease your clit, but he cannot use his mouth, “Javi, mi bueno niño (my good boy). I’m going to take you in now. You listened so well.” A kiss to his forehead earns you a sigh from him, your palms run along his arms up to his shoulders, centering yourself over his dripping cock. Using him to soothe the ache inside you, your hips became flush with his. “Let’s sit together in your special room. Touch me but don’t move me or your hips.”

Javier’s hands kneaded your back and hips as his mouth, being careful not to move you as instructed. He had a request, he wanted you to do it for him, to him. The breath play worried you, is there a possibility you could hold it too long?

“Cariño (dear). Please, just one time.” Javier pleads with you. Explaining that you’d never done that before and you didn’t want to hurt him, he shook his head. “Mi amor, you could never hurt me. Just pull on my collar enough to make the bell jingle at the end while you sit a top of me, taking me so deeply.” As you warm his cock, you grip the red leather strap connected to the collar, wrapping it once around your hand you pull, cutting his air a bit as his cock twitches wildly inside of you. “Más por favor mi amor (More please my love). You hold my life in your hands. Milk me, have my air, use my cock to come.” Rolling your hips slowly, begins a new chapter with your leather teddy bear Javi.

The fic by @morallyinept is called Door Number Three that helped inspire this. One of her giflets. ❤️

Some peeps who may want to see Javi in red and working that nose 👃: @secretelephanttattoo @maggiemayhemnj @magpiepills @avastrasposts @pedroshotwifey @megamindsecretlair @alltheglitterandtheroar @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @yorksgirl @goodwithcheese @for-a-longlongtime @legendary-pink-dot @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @trulybetty @fhatbhabie @readingiskeepingmegoing @harriedandharassed @survivingandenduring @soft-girl-musings @heareball @rhoorl @mysterious-moonstruck-musings

[foundfam2754]

garvez thoughts after cme s17e6, "message in a bottle" (kind of an essay)

yesterday's episode left me with a lot thoughts on where erica and the team is going to take garvez going forward in the show. it left me kind of conflicted. after downloading with another fan-friend of mine, here's a post on how i feel.

please please please don't be mad if you disagree - in fact i'd welcome conversation with other garvez shippers on this :) dm me, reblog or comment!! also, pls note when i refer to us as the audience, or use the royal "we", i'm generalizing.

thoughts (and spoilers for 17x5 and 17x6) below the fold:

-----------

overall, i think it sucks that they're floating a potential new love interest for luke in teresa; it seems like one more step away from seeing penelope and luke together on the show for real and we've already seen this kind of relationship play out with luke & dr. lisa. i'm ready for him and penelope to get together. plus, this frickin' love square cannot and SHOULD not get more complicated than it already is (anyone else who's seen gossip girl getting nate, serena, blair, chuck, dan vibes? everyone's dating everyone).

plus plus shamefully i kinda love the tyler/luke bromance and luke / teresa could put a dent in that

however, and perhaps a more hopeful outlook than most fans have after 17x06, they've never leaned this explicitly into pen and luke as a couple on CM before. s17 feels like the first time. it's been implied, they've hinted at it, they've even gone on one terrible date, but the words (three words, eight letters for my GG fans) have never been said out loud by luke or pen before. so, to have them actually have the romantic and sexual tension between them be blatantly addressed (even if it is by elias) and for luke to say the words "i love her" (in a manner of speaking, of course) is a big deal to me. it's development of this storyline, even if slow. that gives me hope that there could be something that gets played out in the future.

adding onto this, i do think we have to acknowledge that when it comes to criminal minds, they've never done a romantic relationship within the team before (with the exception of spence and jj, but we can all agree that it was poorly done, rushed and abrupt). also, that it's the chemistry and camaraderie of the team and the friendships that go back 15+ seasons that make the show special. so from the perspective of the writers, i understand that they may feel it risky to play with the luke / pen relationship further than they already have. i'm not saying that having pen and luke dating would mess up the team dynamic, but i am saying it's a change and anything can happen. they know that flirting works with audiences (luke and pen, derek and pen), but they've seen that actual romantic feelings may not (spence and jj). overall, i understand if they want to take introducing and establishing penelope and luke as an official couple slowly

(i do understand that for us it's not been slow and we recognized the dynamic between garvez immediately, but s15 was really the first time the show addressed the possibility of a romantic relationship, and for the writers it may not be a long time coming)

i also think that if the writers are playing the long game, a relationship between teresa and luke may be interesting just to play with the dynamic and maybe get penelope to take some action. plus, i think it adds nuance to the love square. in an universe where we believe teresa's destined for tyler and penelope for luke, each member of the group may need to take their time realizing who they really belong with (but i'm still going to harumph at romantic!teresa/luke or romantic!greencia).

this is all to say that, we may have to just be a bit more patient. it can still happen and the eventual outcome may be even better if we let the writers play it out, now that they're actually addressing the relationship. i'm hopeful, in the meanwhile, we can revel the little nuggets of garvez love that adam and kirsten and erica throw our way and the incredible fanfics that writers in our fandom create.

now, pessimistically and on the other hand, it's very possible that luke's "she knows I love her" and teresa's "but she's still into tyler" were said because the creative team has decided that they played around with garvez enough and they're happy with how they are, and luke's ready to move on...with teresa. luke's feelings have been addressed and said out loud, so now may be his time to move forward. add on to this that PG wasn't too bothered by a luke/teresa relationship and that luke and teresa talked about how it's a bad idea to date coworkers, it's a possibility.

so really, my conflict isn't resolved, and i'm not sure on which side i stand. but, i really love this show, these actors, this ship and this fandom so i wanted to share how i feel.

man, i usually hate slow burns, but this show and garvez are worth it.

[darkdoverpseeker]

character offered: Rogue

fandom: X-Men: original trilogy movieverse

rp you're offering for / rp type you'd wanna play in: Long-term PSL/1-on-1, though I'm always up for throwing in other characters as NPCs. And, for Marvel, I've got a good number of them.

I’m looking something either post-X3 or post-X2 (but still a bit into the future just eliminating the events of X3 -- let's be honest, no one liked that movie).

I'd be looking for a Pyro from this time period (probably putting them somewhere between the ages or 21-26). Preferably one that's been hardened by time with the Brotherhood, hates the hell out of humans, and who isn't afraid to commit to a ton of snark and antagonization between the two (along with the awful awkwardness that goes with them being on two completely opposite sides). I'd love for this to go into love/hate shipping territory. What their relationship actually was in previous movies (because X2 is vague on it) pre-X2 is up for discussion and brainstorming.

Generally, lots of clandestine meetings (being able to utilize the idea of emails and texts in RP is also a bonus) between the two, with a wide range of types of scenes. I'd love scenes with them arguing about morals and ideals as much as I would love more action-packed scenes. So, really, everything from fluff to angst to drama to slice-of-life to action to smut to… well, you get it. The potential for Rogue to switch sides and actually go to the Brotherhood is on the table, but that would be the result of character development and something that could played around with.

The current state of the world around them is completely open for brainstorming as well (DOFP-ish, various states of the Brotherhood’s influence on the world, various states of the X-Men’s influence on the world, how anti-mutant things are, etc.)

I have ideas for pretty much all of this that I'm happy to share, I'm just trying to avoid the dreaded wall of text (I've already failed at that). I'd love to hear from both seasoned-players of this character and people going "huh, I've never written this character but this sounds like something I might want to try". If you're in the latter category and you want a sounding board as you establish the character's voice, I'm more than happy to chat or do test scenes all you want.

preferences: 21+ writers only (I’d like this to go into NSFW territory so this is non-negotiable). I prefer third-person writing and past tense, but let me know if you prefer something else because I can adapt for a great line.

Tag length is really dependent on what needs to be gotten across in the tag. I generally like there to be a good mix of prose, actions, and thoughts so we both have something substantial to reply to. Plus, if I'm looking to write with a specific character, it's because I enjoy the character and want to know what's going on in their head. Basically, if you need five long paragraphs to get across what you need to in a tag, that's fine. If you need one paragraph that's fine. As long as it's not a series of one-liners.

If any of this sparks some other idea you want to pitch, contact me about that too. I’m easily enabled.

If you want more on the preferences/permissions front, I have a post https://gloves.dreamwidth.org/3728.html

I also have a shipping/kink/smut preferences post https://gloves.dreamwidth.org/28913.html

Please feel free to send a message if you’re interested:)

dm if interested!

[souls-gone]

ok like this for something nsft from gehr or freyja (comment if you have a specific preference) 👀

[royalreef]

(( It’s that time of year again! I have a long-standing annual event on this blog for the Merkingdom holiday of M'nghn a' Esl'aaka, which just so coincidentally happens to share the date for my Miranda’s Birthday! This is the third year I’m holding this event, and thus, I’m touching up on the information regarding it, as well as providing everyone a chance to figure out if they want to participate and in what manner.

It’s the one single biggest event that I have for this blog, and so I want people to generally be able to plan for it instead of me springing it on them last-second! Plus, I know how long roleplays can stretch on, and this is a lore-heavy event with a lot of stuff going on. As always, if we have plotted something out together beforehand to take place on a certain date or during a certain event, then it will not be restricted to that date alone. We can start that thread early, or even late, and have it stretch on much longer than the given time, which is all the further reason to go ahead and establish something with me over DMs.

That said, this is a very large, very lore-heavy event, so there’s a lot of information to establish!

First of all, it’ll come in phases.

Right now I’m considering this the first phase, being a lot of IC planning and dread. Essentially, the events of the holiday haven’t begun yet, though they’re being considered and put into stone as plans for the immediate future. It also has the least amount of planning involved, and a good place to jump into the event if you know nothing about it. Miranda’s going to be walking around in a sour mood, and all you have to do to get involved is to get her talking. This phase’ll last right up until the end of February.

This first phase is largely through the act of muses ( and muns too ) to be able to gather information on what exactly is happening and why Miranda’s so upset about it from her own mouth. This is the time for questions! Miranda’s going to have a lot on her mind, and be kept rather busy, so it’s not hard to ask her why exactly she has to do what she has to do, what this holiday is, why the Merkingdom has it, why it upsets Miranda, what she has ahead of her, what chances other muses have to hop in, what the Merkingdom is like, and what exactly all of these events entail. 

The second phase is a lot of minor parties and events. Miranda will be visiting other places in the Merkingdom and hosting a few herself, meeting with other Merkingdom royals and essentially keeping them politically calm. She is still going to be having downtime between, coming back to Spooky High here and there, and so can talk with other characters then. This makes it the perfect time to actually talk to her about the event and what it’s about, and possibly even get her mentioning that the main event falls on her Birthday, since she doesn’t actually tell people when her Birthday is! If you want, there is even the possibility of attending one of these events with Miranda, though I will go ahead and warn that you’ll have to be someone Miranda can trust for that to happen, and that both muses’ behavior will be under intense scrutiny during it. This is where the meat of the event is - as it has the highest potential for relationship development and lore exploration without having already been intensely familiar with both Miranda and the Merkingdom.

The third phase occurs within the time of Marth 14th to March 18th. Miranda will be travelling back to the royal palace and the Merkingdom capital city during this time for the “main event” of the Holiday. During this time, she won’t be available for other muses to talk to her about the event nor interact with her involving it, and essentially she’ll be entirely absent IC.

That said, I might still have her join in on dash shenanigans, as they’d be entirely unrelated to the event itself and thus could take place at any time. Anything that could take place at literally any other time in the year, I’ll still do, and I’ll also still write for pre-existing threads, even those that involve the event, during that time, since I know threads don’t typically wrap up in the same time that they last IC.

Another muse can be invited along to this event for a massive amount of lore and relationship development, however, I will warn that the criteria for such a thing is much harder than in phase two, and the vast majority of muses won’t be able to be brought along. You can still ask, but realize this is only for the people that Miranda trusts the very most AND are safe for her to bring right to the heart of the Merkingdom, and if your muse asks IC, be prepared for them to get bitterly rejected. As this is the best time to meet Miranda’s family and explore, not only inside the Merkingdom, but inside their capital and the Royal Palace itself, this holds the MOST potential for lore and worldbuilding exploration, even if it is available to the least amount of muses.

The fourth phase takes place after the night of March 18th, at 12 am EST, as Miranda gets back from the Merkingdom. This is going to be effectively the aftermath. There can still be some plots started, dealing with how exhausted and mentally destroyed Miranda will be, likely with a heavy lean into hurt/comfort as she recuperates from it, but at this point, I’ll start to taper them out and end it.

Here’s the current list of planned dates for both the minor parties and events, where they are being conducted at, and at what time will the main event be:

February 28th: Celebration within the Merkingdom March 4th: Celebration at the Schooltime Castle March 8th: Celebration within the Merkingdom March 11th: Celebration at Schooltime Castle March 14th - 18th: Main Event

If you’re interested in getting involved anywhere in this event, PLEASE go ahead and send me a message! This is a lot of planning and plotting and it is going to be a big event, so the earlier you get in contact with me, the better! This has been incredibly fun for the past two years I’ve hosted it, and I’m very much looking forward to the third. 👑

[sanstropfremir]

Hey, in honor of A.C.E. coming back soon would you mind talking about their outfits and makeup in their Favorite Boy comeback (or really any of their outfits/make up cause their stylists is a god and deserves a kiss on the forehead)? They have some of my favorite styling of any boy group currently. Undercover Byeongkwan in the black and yellow crop top with the pony tail lives in my mind rent free and I’m not complaining. I especially loved the mesh of modern and traditional in Fav Boys.

yes!!!! ok be prepared people this is basically a love letter to a.c.e's stylist, whoever you are please my dms are open i just wanna talk (and maybe also get married, your choice)

(also this is really long because there's a lot of pictures, so sue me)

ok there's three main things i want to touch on here that are all contributing factors in a.c.e aesthetics hitting every time: colour theory, silhouette, and pattern matching. alright let's go!

colour theory

so i won't explain all of colour theory because i’m not as good as i should be with the actual theory, but here’s the basics. colours are divided into groups: primary, secondary, and tertiary. here’s a fun diagram i stole from google:

in centre you have the primary colours (red/blue/yellow), then you have the secondary colours, made from mixing the primary colours (orange/green/violet), and then the tertiary colours are made from mixing the primary and secondary colours (yellow orange/red orange/red violet/blue violet/blue green/yellow green). there are some commonly associated schemes that are known to ‘look good’ to the human eye:

complementary, where you pair two colours directly opposite each other on the wheel (red/green, blue/orange, purple/yellow)

analogous, which is a base colour with accents from the colours directly next to it (red base, orange/violet accent),

triadic - either base colour with accent colours equidistant from it (green/orange/violet), or base colour with split complementary (violet base, yellow green/yellow orange accent)

tetradic - this is essentially a combination of two or more of the previous, usually a double complementary or an analogous triad with a complimentary accent (red/green with red violet/yellow green, orange/blue with yellow orange/blue violet)

now there’s a lot more getting into tone, value, and saturation, but these are the basic hue combinations that we most commonly see. kpop styling sometimes veers wildly from these rules, but they aren’t hard and fast so it usually isn’t a big deal. plus a lot of styling is supposed to be a bit visually overwhelming anyways, so i’m not exactly counting it against anyone. but what makes a.c.e’s styling look so nice, even though it often isn’t that complicated, is that they always stick to a specific palette. like i went all the way back through their instagram and ALL their public appearances are coordinated:

even their dance practice videos, of all things!

this is especially true with their performance costumes:

i'm not saying anything really revolutionary here, most groups get colour matching down correctly, but a.c.e's stylists have really nailed down matching the tone and saturation as well as the hue. here's a couple of examples from concept photos:

complementary - full saturation green base, desaturated red (pink) as accent

analogous - full saturation violet, pink, and magenta with desaturated and black accents

triadic - all desaturated

complementary - full saturation red base, varying degrees of desaturation for accent colours

this is fun, let's do some more! this time from their performance costumes:

analogous (monochrome) - full saturation yellow green, desaturated accents

tetradic (analogous with complementary accent) - full saturation red, desaturated violet/red/blue, desaturated green as accent)

triadic (equidistant) - full saturation red/blue with desaturated yellow, desaturated accents

tetradic (double complementary) - full saturation red/green as main pair, desaturated blue/orange as secondary pair, full saturation yellow as accents

starting to see it? you can do this with pretty much any of their styling; i've watched a lot of their performances and i don't think i've seen a single one that didn't follow a really strict colour palette. (ok there were like two savage stages that were not quite as good, but you can tell the stylist was trying to bring them in line with the current 4th gen styling and it didn't work so it didn't last).

costume colours and lighting

this is an important aside in relation to the mvs. whoever edits their mvs is really good at colouring. a big part of colour theory is tone, which is how 'warm' or 'cool' a colour is. it's super important in lighting; the colour wheel is split in half, with yellow through red-red violet categorized as warm, and yellow green through blue and violet as cool. a really easy way to visualize this in lighting is through the light from different types of lightbulbs: led lights are cool toned (they are often slightly bluish), and old style halogen lights are warm toned (they are amber tinged). tones are a thing that kpop videos seem to have a fleeting relationship with; sometimes they're used effectively and sometimes they are not. a big thing that a lot of kpop mvs do is really quickly switch tones in colouring, without connecting the intentions of the colours. here's some examples: ateez's fireworks mv, and oneus' no diggity mv. the fireworks mv has this really weird desaturated balance between warm and cool tones specifically in the interior shots, where they somehow managed to overblow both at the same time, which ends up making it look like they were trying really hard to make a cool tone yellow. you can actually feel your eyes relax in that first shot that takes them outside, because the balance is much more natural. and the no diggity mv.... i love it but it's so chaotic. everything is on high saturation all the time and there's no real limitation on the palette, established connection between colours or arc in the colour story, so the cuts between colours and shots feel more random than intentional. now lets look at some a.c.e mvs in comparision, first: undercover. for starters there's an immediate establishement of red and white/black, with a mild green accent. then it continues to a stronger green/teal, with brown as an extension of red (same undertone). there's a colour shift at the first chorus, where they are in the analogous full saturation violet/pink outfits that i mentioned previously, but they actually desaturate and de-value the hues with edit in order to have it match the tone of the room. the second colour shift is for the second rap break, with byeongkwan and wow in yellow main on black and white backgrounds, but that same level of yellow saturation only appears at the rap break specifically, it's absent from the rest of the mv. and then there's a third colour shift on the last chorus, where they pump up the blue and magenta in order to emphasize the climax of the song.

second, for something a bit crazier: goblin. it follows almost the same pattern as undercover; starting with a strong establishment of red/white/black, but then it jumps into full saturation green and teal as the other main colours. again there's a colour switch at byeongkwan's second rap break, and after than we start to see that deeper saturation blue and pink/purple more, but the main colours are still red/white/black.

ok that's enough about colour, now let's talk about

silhouette

this is maybe a little bit more vague and difficult to describe, but whatever. silhouette is pretty much exactly the way it sounds, it's the overall shape of the body. clothing and body type play equal roles in how silhouette is perceived, but clothing can do a lot to either disguise or transform the body. now there isn't really that much variation in body type in kpop; it's a microcosm of small differences between a lot of very fit people, which has been normalized as "default" by society at large for the last while. i'm not going to get into body politics here, because we all know that kpop dudes are not the median average male body type, but they are for the sake of what we've been socialized to think of as looking attractive so the rest of this is going to operate from that assumption. and when you have five dudes who are pretty smack in the middle of that slight variation (none of them are the largest nor the thinnest, they're all about the same middling height), you've got pretty much free reign to put them in whatever you want and they'll still look hot. kpop styling has a dubious relationship to actual wearable clothing, but it is all costuming so it's not necessary for it to be wearable everyday clothing. but since view in 2015 there's been a dramatic increase in "normal" clothing as performance costume, and the thing about normal contemporary clothing is that it's actually very difficult to style in a convincing way. because it's the trends that the general public is the most familiar with, it's the easiest for them to pick apart where the flaws are. this is all preface to say that there are often common silhouettes that are popular with specific trends. in 2012-2013 there was that sweater tucked into circle skirt with big scarf trend, in the 2007 was like baggy everything and layered tshirts, etc, and 2018-2019 was big colourful patterned shirts. sound familiar? it should, take me higher came out in summer 2018! now there's a debate here (like with most pop culture and celebrity) whether or not kpop is following trends or setting them, and both points are true, but personally i'm of the opinion that kpop is kind of a median between the two; it's not setting trends because it's often taking directly from the fashion industry and/or other popular culture, but it is popularizing them in a way that said trend may not have otherwise. there's a lot of digressions in this section but i'm hoping this will help you see my point.

using take me higher as a specific example, you can clearly see that a.c.e is sticking to a specific silhouette within the group, which is a boxy/loose upper with a fitted lower. which you can see really clearly in this stage, this stage, this stage, this stage, and honestly pretty much every stage for this comeback. sometimes they'll have a slight variation where one of them is wearing a longer shirt, but otherwise it's pretty consistent. this is actually a really common silhouette for them, because it puts emphasis on their specific style of choreo, which is fast footwork. you can see it to the extreme in their main cactus styling, which goes the whole nine yards, fully making their legs the focus and going so far as to embellish them:

this silhouette also shows up for callin', where they're wearing boxy hip cut bomber jackets, and for the majority of the undercover styling, which is cropper military(ish) jackets. and it's shaping up to be similar for higher, so i'll talk more about it when i get there.

they have a consistant look for the goblin stages too, which is hanbok over a tight fitted underlayer. each of their hanbok are different cuts, which you can see with wow's cropped jacket and skirt combo, but it makes the same shape as the others. and in the goblin mv, most of their looks take a traditional silhouette and pair it with modern fabrics and patterns, and combining modern accessories with modernized traditional ones.

sticking to an internal silhouette is not the common mode for most boy group stylings at the moment. there's usually an adhesion to a specific colour scheme, but i have not noticed the same kind of care taken to silhouette. there's usually an adhesion to a member specific shape, but the general shape of the group is not usually as considered. you can see it in ateez's fireworks styling (yes i'm going to use it again, the styling was very weird and i never really talked about how weird it is). in the intro you've got tight pants, loose pants, short jackets, suit jackets, AND a long jacket. and then it's the same kind of variety in the rest of their outfits. if anyhting i'd say the emphasis was meant to be on shoulders, because of the point choreo; and yunho, hongjoong, san, and wooyoung all have some kind of shoulder padding, but that's only half the group. and the stage outfits are not any better. there's the infamous ketchup packet outfit, this naruto themed styling, this inexplicable bdsm football themed styling, and whatever this snakeskin theme is meant to be. it's all over the place! there's some performer specific shapes (hongjoong with the shoulder pads and hip length jacket, san with crop top, yeosang sleeveless) but if you were to just look at the shape of the outfits regardless of colour and pattern, you'd have no way to tell if they were all in the same group.

ok now lastly, let's quickly talk about

pattern matching and texture

this section won't be as long, but i wanted to cover it because even though it's a small and subtle thing, it does a lot in the visual long run. the general rule with patterns is that you don't combine patterns of the same size. this is kind of hard to explain without a visual reference so here's a few examples:

(not my photos, these are from scott schuman's blog the sartorialist)

small check, even smaller pinstripe

mid-size print on pant, large print on scarf

small shirt stripe, mid-size print on tie, mid-large print on scarf

small print on zip jacket, mid-size on scarf, large plaid on jacket

like all fashion and like everything else i've talked about here, this isn't a hard and fast rule, but it does generally look the most harmonious. a.c.e really nails this in the take me higher stages, which you can see here:

(in addition to using different pattern sizes, they're using different colours as well to make it less visually busy)

(bonus! see if you can name the type of colour stories!)

the goblin stages utilize a combination of texture and pattern matching, where the hanbok are a mix of different fabrics (raw silk, embroidered satin, organza) with different patterns, overtop plain underlayers, or when they aren't in hanbok their outfits are very heavily embellished to add visual interest, but are unpatterned fabrics.

in conclusion: good and cohesive colour stories, emphasis on uniform silhouettes and variety in patterns and textures. they also are very specific with accessories, and use them to emphasize key features.

ok! i think that's all i want to cover for this post, because this is already so long. but i've started on the write up for higher already, so i might get into some of my points here in more detail because i'll be talking about one specific thing instead of like......all of it.

[thejustmaiden]

I am pro-Sessrin and appreciate your analyses because you have valid points and convey them in a respectful way. I'm sorry that some of my fellow pro's aren't able to reciprocate, it really just makes us ALL look bad. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the fandom aren't capable of maturity - part of why I feel the need to be on anon as I don't want to get flamed. Sessrin IS problematic and shouldn't be condoned IRL, but ship what makes you happy and don't be an ass to strangers online.

Hey there, nonnie! If you're the same person who sent me that DM, then yes, we actually have crossed paths on one (maybe two?) occasions. I'm not sure if we've spoken directly with each other before, per se, but I do remember you all the same. Btw, you aren't taking messages which is why I couldn't reply. If you're not the person in my DM then my mistake! haha Regardless of who you are, I want to thank you for reaching out to me. 😊

I really appreciated your kind words. It means a lot coming from a sessrin shipper. After all, the goal of my blogs isn't to create more division than already exists between us but rather the opposite. If they're only meant for other antis, then what would be the point?

Plus, why would I want anything I post to add fuel to the already blazing fire? I'd prefer not to see this fandom continue to go up in flames over this ship if I can help it. Anyway, it's always a relief to hear I'm not the only one who feels this way!

A lot of us on both sides are clearly very invested in this, but we need to remember that spewing hateful remarks gets us nowhere. By no means am I perfect, but this is why I work even harder to make sure my blogs are as informative and objective as possible while refraining from name-calling. Otherwise, fans are way less likely to take anything I write seriously, which means everything I hoped to achieve goes right out the window.

There's just not enough good and healthy discourse taking place. I've seen and been a part of some, but it's too few and far between. We ought to do better, and I have no doubt more of us are capable of it, too. 😌

I agree, we all should have a right to ship whatever makes us happy. I think Sessrin shippers believe antis don't want that for them but that's NOT TRUE. It may not seem like it at times but please believe me when I say this:

ANTIS ACTUALLY DO ACCEPT YOUR CHOICE TO SHIP SESSRIN

We may not like it, but who are we to say you can't? What we don't accept however is how those shippers try to pass it off as some sort of pure and healthy relationship. Portraying a pairing that has very harmful grooming implications in a positive light is a big no-no. That's what so many of us- and not just victims of child abuse or Westerners- have been trying to tell you all along.

It's just like you said, Sessrin IS problematic and wouldn't be condoned in real life. So it should be represented as such, because sending the message that romance is a completely normal progression from the adult-child bond they established is plain wrong.

We need to keep in mind that there are many young viewers watching this show. And by young, I mean under 18. Although a lot them of them aren't technically Rin's age but older, that does not take away from the fact that they still lack the ability to fully think critically for themselves as they're still learning how. This makes them much more susceptible to the influence of predatory behavior. So if ever in a similar situation in real life, why wouldn't they be okay with it? If mainstream media keeps showing them it can be an acceptable and beautiful thing, then why shouldn't they believe the same? We're the adults putting this content out there in the first place, and it's our example they follow.

I totally get why some of you don't want to think too deeply about any of this since it can really start messing with your head. These fictional worlds are supposed to be an escape from our real world problems, right? Well yes, but only to a certain extent. It is still of the utmost importance we closely consider and properly address the major effects and correlations of fiction and real life, as well as the profound impact they can have on each other. They're significantly more linked than many of us realize. What else could explain why Antis react the way they do? We take it personally, because simply put, it is personal.

I'm known to be quite the rambler lol, so I think it's best for all of us if I stop myself here. Thanks again for this ask and also the DM (unless that wasn't you). You're more than welcome to read my other blogs on this topic if you haven't already- and that goes for all of you reading this. I'm interested to know if you have anything more you'd like to contribute to the conversation. Feel free to get back to me in DM, nonnie, if that's more convenient for you. No pressure, this is of course only if you want and feel comfortable in doing so. Alright, bye for now. Hope this finds you well!! 🖖

[hellyeahomeland]

An HYH Exclusive Interview with Dominic Mainl

[Over the last six seasons, Dominic Mainl has worked in the camera department on Homeland, working to get the shots you see in each episode onto your screens. For our “On the Record with…” series, Dom graciously answered our questions about what the Homeland experience has been like, including how he got started, what it’s like to work with cast and crew, and his most vivid memories. Thank you Dom for answering our questions! –the HYH team]

Hell Yeah Homeland: Your first Homeland episode was “Tin Man Is Down” in season three. How did the German guy become a part of the production?

Dom Mainl: Haha, pure luck? In 1998 I moved from tiny Bad Dürrheim, Germany, to Los Angeles because I wanted to work in Hollywood. I was already in the film industry in Germany and wanted to work with the best of the best and that meant moving to Los Angeles. It took a few years and a lot of hard work to “break into Hollywood” and yet another few years and even harder work to become established, but in the end it all worked out. I worked on the HBO show True Blood and met David Klein, ASC there. I really enjoy working with him and over the years we have become a good team, business partners and most importantly, very good friends. One day my phone rings and Dave said, “Hey man, I’m taking over as the Director of Photography on Homeland. Are you interested? I would love to have you on the crew” …. and I had no idea what Homeland even was! I had never heard of it! I said yes anyway because I love working with Dave and looked up the show online. So on my way out to Charlotte (where we shot season three) I started watching the first season and really, really liked it. So I was hyped about being part of the project after becoming part of the project. 

HYH: What do you remember from your first day at set? 

DM: Every project, whether it’s film, tv or commercials, I have butterflies in my stomach the night before day one. David Klein says, “if you’re not nervous before day one you are phoning it in,” and he’s right. We love what we do and there are so many things that can go wrong, so even after 20+ years I still get nervous. The first day on Homeland was really easy though because all the actors are sooo unbelievably nice. As a focus puller I am quite immersed in all technical things to make sure nothing goes wrong (especially on day one!), so Homeland was no different from other shows in that respect.

HYH: We know you can’t talk about season eight yet, but looking back at previous seasons, what scenes still stick with you? Why?

DM: This is going to explain a lot about why I love working with Dave Klein: there’s a shot in season three when Brody is brought back to the US and it's the first time Carrie and Brody meet since he was shipped off to Caracas. He’s laying on the bed and the camera is right in his face. Carrie steps into the background and has an emotional monologue directed at the sleeping Brody. Remember that? 

So, my job as a focus puller is to adjust focus during the shot. And I felt strongly about keeping Damian sharp in the foreground although the #1 star of the show just entered our shot and she was the only person talking! General rule of thumb for focus pullers: make sure the person talking is sharp. If a lot of people talk, make sure the star of the show is sharp... So here I was, new to the show, and breaking all the rules at once. But, to me, it felt so damn powerful to stay on Brody’s face to see his reaction as he slowly wakes to Carrie’s words, until he opens his eyes and (eventually) turns around. So I discussed this with Dave and he brought this idea up with director Lesli Linka Glatter and the producer/creator Alex Gansa and we ended up shooting two versions of this scene, one with the focus shifting to Carrie as she enters the frame and one that stayed with Brody. To Dave's credit he fought for my idea and in the end they used my version. That shows you how amazing it is to work with Dave Klein--you’re truly a part of the team.

HYH: Thinking of some iconic Homeland scenes (pretty much all the scenes which left us heartbroken)--like Brody‘s death scene, Quinn driving into a lethal hail of bullets--how much time did you have to prepare these scenes? How do you in the camera and photography department plan for these scenes? How many times do you shoot them before you got the material we see in the final and aired cut?

DM: Brody’s death was rather emotional for the crew as well because that was the very last shooting day of the season. We were shooting all night in Morocco and we had to bid Damian adieu after we wrapped. It was almost the same with Quinn, although we had a few days of shooting left after we killed off Rupert’s character… But Rupert served the crew champagne after the day ended, still bloodied from the scene, which was very sweet…. plus the bubbly was rather good so I didn’t mind killing him off, haha. As far as preparation for these scenes go, it's the same as for any other shot--for me, anyways. I prepare the gear the same way I would for any other scene as reliability is key. The most important part is that the equipment is functioning flawlessly because, in the end, if the camera doesn’t record what’s in front of it… why are we there?

HYH: Homeland’s main cinematographer is David Klein, and you two have worked together on many episodes over the years. Can you describe the working relationship between the two of you? 

DM: I was asked the same questions a few years ago and I have the same answer: it’s a privilege to work with David Klein because you get to work with him and not just for him. There is a fundamental difference. Of course, he’s the boss and all departmental decisions are his to make but he actively involves the camera operators and the focus pullers in the process and that’s what makes it so much fun! Sure, it really does take a while to establish such a good rapport and a working relationship like ours, because it is 100% built on trust. The example I mentioned [earlier] shows that we have each other’s back and that’s when you can get really creative…

HYH: Speaking of the art of cinematography and photography, how would you describe Homeland’s visual/photographic DNA?

DM: That’s a question for David Klein, haha. Of course I have my 2 cents but that’s not for me to answer…

HYH: What's your secret about taking the perfect shot?

DM: Generally speaking, preparation. Hard work beats talent unless talent works hard. The perfect shot is when all the elements come together in synchronized harmony. Think of it as choreography - the actors, the frame, focus and camera platform (hand-held, dolly or Steadicam, etc.)… everything that moves, everything needs to be perfectly in sync to achieve what the director or the DP had in mind and there is a lot that can go wrong. But when it all goes right, it seems effortless. What’s my secret? Easy: Don’t fuck it up. Don’t be the one element that blows the shot.

HYH: You’ve traveled with the Homeland production all over the world -- to South Africa, Germany, Morocco, and several locations in the US. Which trip did you enjoy the most and which one was the hardest work? Why?

DM: I really enjoyed Morocco. And I really disliked Morocco. For clarification, I met my wife in Morocco while shooting the finale for season three there and I will always have fond memories of that time. And I disliked season eight in Morocco, because even though my wife had become a member of the crew by then (she is the script supervisor for season eight), shooting there the second time around was unnecessarily complicated and frustrating for reasons I will not go into detail at this point…. but it really wasn’t much fun.

We loved South Africa a lot, too. That was probably one of my favorite seasons. Not necessarily the scripts but the location.

HYH: Compared to other jobs you did before, what’s different about working on Homeland?

DM: After 7 years (well, on and off) of True Blood I was happy I didn’t have to work with vampires and at night anymore. The spy game turned out to be fun and intriguing but you pay the price for getting to see the world. The biggest challenge was the constant shifts in location. One, because we ship a lot of camera gear around the world which adds a ton of work and stress (carnets, inventory, maintenance, etc.). Two, it’s really hard to find and keep a good crew around and given we were on the road for six years we had to start over almost everywhere we went and train the team to the workflow that Dave and I have had established. I admit, I am quite demanding and finding a crew that could do the job to my expectations in all those locations was not easy. But we ended up making some life-long friends… and probably a handful of enemies too, haha.

HYH: From what we were able to follow on social media, we got the impression that filming season eight has been a long and tough journey, much harder than previous seasons. Is there anything you can share about the reasons why?

DM: Well, if you go into Africa expecting you can shoot an American TV schedule with an international crew within the same time frame and on the same budget... you have to be crazy! But there isn't just one party to blame for the exhausting Moroccan portion of season eight but rather a combination of unfortunate misunderstandings paired with inexperience and a healthy dose of negligence. As they say, “everything that could go wrong, did.”

HYH: Was there ever a scene for which you had just one take to get it right? Which one?

DM: Let’s just say there is going to be an explosion in season eight and we only had one try at it. And we nailed it.

HYH: For the tech nerds among us, what's your favorite camera and objective and which scene you shot with it comes to your mind?

DM: Hands down, the ARRI Alexa Mini. Homeland is a predominantly handheld show in order to keep the tensions high while (subconsciously) keeping the audience always on the edge of [their] seat. If the cameras are handheld the image constantly moves. You can even see/feel the breathing of the camera operators. The Alexa Mini is lightweight yet robust and the sensor is the best money can buy. We used ARRI Master Primes for added sharpness for seasons five, six, seven, and eight, but sprinkled in a few Zeiss Supreme Primes this year to take off a little bit of weight. We also like to use Canon Cinema Zooms for their high quality.

HYH: Butter bei die Fische (Now’s the time for straight talk), why is Homeland still filmed in HD?

DM: Because Showtime wants it that way. I would’ve loved to shoot 4K or with a different aspect ratio or utilize a different sensor size but the people at the helm want to keep it “the way it was.”

HYH: Homeland’s eighth and final season is wrapping up and now airing. How does it feel that the show is coming to an end soon?

DM: It’s bittersweet. I have had some of the best and some of the worst moments of my career on the set of Homeland and I know I will miss it down the road but right now I’m happy that Carrie finally gets to…. Never mind, can’t tell you that, haha. I know I’ll miss it but we’re just exhausted right now.

HYH: What other projects are you working on after Homeland? Any plans yet?

DM: Vacation. No more jobs in 2019 and hopefully a good movie with a good script in 2020. I think after six years of spy TV I want to take a break from the small screen, if possible.

[lifeofanadultsucks]

Fuck.

Hey there my nonexistent readers. I hope all is well in your world. I know I have been off the radar for a while, but I am back. My goal for 2019 is to post more, it is never too late to get started on a goal.

Okay, today’s topic is a topic that comes up quite often in conversations with my friends. The topic for today is DATING! Yup, good old fashion dating. Please do not get confused, this is not about love or relationships, this is about the search in finding that person.

Last week, I was having a conversation with a friend, who happens to be gay, and he said that dating as a gay man is difficult and that women have it easy in the dating. In this conversation, he argued that gay men that do not have the nicest body or this certain “look” then it is harder to find a man. Being gay and single by the time you are 30, just means you are going to end up alone. He is gay and he is 27, so he still has some years.  Keep in mind, my friend is not ugly, he has an average body, and in my eyes he is dateable. I understand his pain, and, trust, I know his frustration. I was about to sympathize until he said, “Women have it so much easier when it comes to dating.” 

That was my exact face followed by a “bitch what”. That comment alone got me thinking.

I have been single for the past 7 years. My last and only adult relationship happened and ended when I was 21. We were only together for roughly three months and kept in contact for about 6 months. Contact=sex.  I am not going to go into the logistics of why we broke up, just know I was really heartbroken when we called it quits. Listen, you cannot be with me and not tell me you have a wife and boyfriend...yeah...broke my damn heart. He was a class A asshole. Anyway, I have been single for quite some YEARS and the older you get, the harder it becomes to find someone.

There are numerous ways to meet people online, there is Tinder, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, Zoosk, Match, Eharmony, FarmersOnly, Black People Meet, Christian Mingle, Grindr, and the list goes on. So you would think with all of these sites meeting someone would come easy right? WRONG!! It is so fucking hard to get a date, I am being dead ass serious. I meet guys online all the time, but our conversation never goes past the second or third day. I can’t even get a guy to go to dinner for conversation and drinks. Fuck dinner, I can't even get drinks. I have been in the dating game for 7 years, I have been on a handful of dates, majority bad, a few okay, and a great deal of no shows. I know all about being single and almost 30.

Let me say this before I proceed, there is nothing wrong with being single. There are times when I enjoy it. I love my freedom. I love just doing what I want when I want. I enjoy discovering who I am and I want I want both in and out of a relationship. I am not going to lie, being single has its perks. It is nice. I know some people in a relationship who loved to be single. I understand that 100%. I enjoy my time, but I wouldn't mind sharing my time with someone.

After that conversation with my male friend, I started talking to another friend of mine who happens to be on an online dating app called Hinge. I told her about the conversation I just had about dating. Like me, she agreed that dating for a female is also difficult. It wasn't until our conversation that I realized, “I am lonely as fuck.” I am serious. I have been single for 7 years. In that time frame, I have had friends have multiple relationships, have a relationship, get engaged, get married, and have children. No focusing on the order, the matter of the fact is they have accomplished. In my love life, I long list of one night stands and random hookups plus one shitty ass two-month relationship. And yeah, I am almost 30. In that area of my life, I have nothing to show for it but some wild stories that will make my mom disown me. I am sorry mom,  but thank for reading.

Let me see if I can explain this correctly- it always sounds so good in my mind.

There is this curve or this timeline in which things happen that shows that you are #winning a life. By the age of 25, I should have established a relationship, have my own place, graduated college with a 4-year degree, be supporting myself, working a good job, preparing to be a mom, or having a dream of being a mom. At 25, I accomplished none of those things. Okay, I might have one of those things: a 2-year instead of a 4-year.

By the time I am 30, I should be established in a career, a loving girlfriend or wife, have plans of marriage, have children or desire children, children should be somewhere in my future, have my own place, and support myself.

I am hoping to have at least one of those goals completed by the time I am 30. I cannot begin to tell you my frustration with this curve. I see people on Facebook or Instagram posting their happy relationships and their cute children, and it makes me miserable. I could be okay if I were just casually dating for fun or hell just dating. But I have none of that. I have no boyfriend, no one I am talking to, or hell a “friend” that is a nonsexual partner but there is mad chemistry between us. Hell, it would be easier if I had a strong friend group- I do not even have that.

Am I the only one that feels like this? 27 and lonely. I do not have guys texting me. Oh, and online gets weird as FUCK. I can’t even a guy to grab a drink with me. The act of trying to date is frustrating. I used to have this friend that would tell me, “girl, just play the game”. I would respond with a “no, this is bullshit. If I do not put out right away I am a prude, if I put out too early then I am a hoe.” Sometimes there is no pleasing these men. Wait...do not let me have an opinion and feel strongly about a subject, then I am a bitch who needs to tone it down. I had a female friend of mine tell me that. She told me that I am abrasive and I need to tone it down. If I recall, she is still single.

With all of this being said, I was just wondering if I was the only one feeling like this? Older adults ask me all the time if I am married or dating, and when I tell them no, they say things like, “why are you single, you’re so pretty.” BITCH, I DO NOT KNOW, YOU THINK I WANTED TO BE SINGLE FOR 7 YEARS. Oh, my favorite is the “you’re single, you don’t get it.” I wanted to slap the shit out of that old lady when she said that. Or the question of “where is your ring?”. Shit like that gets under my fucking skin.

You think I want to be single. Wake up alone. Sit around the weekends. Do you think I like going out alone all the time? NO. That shit gets annoying. It does. I would love to take cute couples pictures, go on vacations, or meet the family. Hell, I would like to get cute and go on a date.

See how social media works. People post a photo and it makes 800  people wish they had something of that nature. Oh, online dating does nothing for me. Absolutely nothing. It frustrates me. Dating in general frustrates. How dating is portrayed in movies and mainstream frustrates. No one is offering to hook me up. Or I am not falling for my best friend’s brother--I am taking applications for a best friend, DM for details. I am just saying. Dating is hard as fuck. It does not discriminate if you are gay, straight, or Bi. It does not matter.

Dating fucking sucks! It is the absolute worst. If there was someway to make it easier would be great. Seriously. This curve of accomplishment is bullshit. I mean fuck the system. But can how can you say fuck the system when you’re still lonely. Damn. I just have to know, am I the only one who feels this way? 

[sempiternalsandpitturtle]

How to boost your audience numbers with an influencer marketing campaign

We get it. Reaching out to your target market is tough. It’s so much easier to develop a relationship with a single person, then have that person tell their thousands of loyal followers why they should buy from your business, bringing you sales and expanding your company’s reach.

Okay, realistically, influencer marketing can’t replace your other campaigns completely. That said, it can be a great addition to your overall strategy.

What on earth is an “influencer”?

Influencers are people with hundreds or thousands of followers that match your target market. Apologies for breaking it to you so bluntly, but, yes, that number of followers is light years above yours. Influencers are well-respected industry thought leaders who often find fame through social media. The good news is that partnering with them, whether through short-term campaigns or longer investments, grants you access to all of their potential customers with minimal effort on your part.

If that famous life is a little too much for you to even watch from the sidelines, you can also utilise the power of micro-influencers. They don’t have quite as many followers as the traditional influencer, but the thousands that they do have are there to stay. That’s because micro-influencers often have a narrower focus that draws a distinct audience.

While you have to work with multiple micro-influencers to get the same reach as celeb influencers, the return in audience engagement can be worth it. Micro-influencer marketing works especially well for brands that want to reach more niche audiences.

Key takeaway: Think of micro-influencers as the long-tail keywords of influencer marketing. It can be easier to reach a super engaged audience of 5,000 members rather than one with millions of followers.

But if you think launching an influencer campaign is as easy as sending a DM, you’re mistaken. Influencer campaigns are two-way streets. We’re talking about savvy, well-established business people, which means they want to know that partnering with you will be beneficial for their brands, not just yours.

Don’t let this fact scare you. Simply think of influencers as another source for content – an outside voice posting articles, social updates, images and video about your business. Most influencer partnerships take the form of short-term campaigns and are designed to promote a single product or service. They don’t, however, conform completely to your company guidelines. In this way, influencers are more like contractors than employees. They’re paid to accomplish a task, but they have some flexibility to achieve things in their own way.

Get an endorsement and grow your audience

So, why do you need influencers? Simply put, people trust third-party sources. Outbound marketing isn’t as effective anymore – it’s all about generating inbound leads, especially through digital marketing efforts, for higher levels of engagement. While your own content marketing efforts get the job done well enough, a glowing endorsement from someone in the industry can convert potential customers of skeptical minds to your brand.

That’s why review websites like Yelp and Amazon Reviews are so trusted. These people may not be industry experts, but they have expectations about the products and places they’re reviewing – expectations that are similar to those of other shoppers. Influencers are like Amazon reviewers but with more, well, influence.

Not only do people listen to influencers, but these people already have large audiences that you want to reach. Many of them are well-known and respected within their industry, either through detailed blog posts, conference and media appearances, speaking engagements or their prior industry history. People believe what they have to say, and you can meet a lot of people if influencers say you’re good.

Plus, if you don’t target those influencers, your competitors certainly will. You’ll want to win influencers to your side before other marketers get there first.

Here are a few tips for launching a successful influencer marketing campaign:

Prioritise their branding guidelines, not yours. Influencers know what works for their audience much better than you do. Forcing your partner to create content in a different style or brand voice causes readers to doubt the influencer’s credibility. He or she will seem more like your puppet than a trustworthy source who believes in your brand.

Diversify your platforms. Some influencers have a major presence on Twitter, while others are stronger on LinkedIn. Choose both instead of one over the other, and grab the attention of two audiences at once for double the engagement.

Give them control. Let influencers promote your product or service in a way they feel comfortable. The more flexibility you offer, the more willing influencers will be to enter a partnership (unless you just throw tons of cash at them, of course).

Using influencers in B2B marketing

Still doubt the influencer marketing strategy? Take a look at the world of B2C marketing, specifically fashion and beauty. I could list probably a dozen partnerships between bloggers and brands live today. And these aren’t local companies or indie names; they’re major players like Target, Nordstrom and Macy’s.

Now, this article would have a lot more pictures of Rihanna if influencer marketing was only for B2C fashion and beauty brands. But like any form of content marketing, influencers have their place in B2B markets as well. Every industry has its own innovators and thought leaders, from manufacturing to enterprise software and beyond. And, yes, they are also making waves on social media.

Want to know who the best influencers in your industry are? Look at who writes the blogs you read, who creates the (relevant) Twitter posts you retweet, who’s invited to speak at the conferences you attend. These are the people you want talking about your brand.

Be our guest (blogger)

On that note, what if the “influencer” you want is less of a person and more of a publication – Entrepreneur, Forbes or an industry-specific website?

This is where guest blogging comes in to play. Instead of having the influencer create the content, you write it yourself and publish it on their website or social media profile. This gives you near-complete control over the content, but you still have to prove that you’ll be beneficial to the person or platform. Can you guarantee your content helps their marketing goals? Are you bringing something new to the table, or are you repeating content they’ve promoted 20 times over?

I don’t say this to discourage you, only to emphasise the point that influencer marketing is helpful for both parties. They’re giving you a boost in viewers and reach, but you need to show them results as well.

Be mindful of the FTC

Before we dive deeper into the idea of influencer marketing, we need to emphasise transparency. Influencer marketing is a form of sponsored content; done incorrectly and the Federal Trade Commission could come knocking on your door.

Essentially, readers need to understand that an influencer’s post is a piece of marketing, not something created of their own accord. The endorsement could be the same, but the FTC wants to make sure viewers know they’re looking at an ad – even if it isn’t coming straight from the brand.

Here’s a brief list of things to consider:

Keep the disclosure at the beginning of your content so readers are alerted immediately.

Use full words: The regulars frown on #ad and #spon.

If you’re using a social media platform, use that programme’s native advertising tools rather than mixing influencer content with your regular posts.

If the influencer is posting content on their platform, make sure it’s adequately disclosed when it goes live. Otherwise, you could both get in trouble.

For more information, check out this press release.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way let’s get to the fun parts.

Creating your strategy

As with any marketing project, a successful influencer campaign is all about strategy. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for marketers to lead brands on a journey that starts on the wrong foot.

You may think your first task is to find influencers who resonate with you and your business. Instead, you think about what resonates with your audience. Who does your target market look up to? Which influencers have an audience that matches what you’re looking for? Is there someone who already gets a fair share of engagement from the people you want to love your brand, product or service?

Finding the right influencer for your target audience

Some influencers are a better fit for your brand than others. The Twitter King of Human Resources (not a real person, and whoever wants the title should know it’s up for grabs) might have 2 million followers who meet many of your demographic categories (professionals, 30-45, live in the city), but he’s probably not going to be the best person to promote your data-cleansing software.

For that, you’ll want someone who catches your audience’s interest – none other than the Queen of Clean Data, of course. Her preferred social media platform is LinkedIn, and her audience is full of your dream clients.

However, if the Queen typically focuses on a different kind of content – say webinars and graphics instead of blog posts – partnering with her could be a great way to explore new media.

The long and short of it is this: Choose your influencers wisely. Go for someone who suits your marketing style and audience goals but can also help you explore new content types.

“That’s all good to know,” you say, “But how do I actually find one?”

When influencer marketing first got off the ground, getting them on board was a hunt. Searching for contact information, sending a message, working out a contract over email and refreshing web pages to see if the content went live.

Now, things are a lot easier. There are plenty of influencer marketing tools to help you find partners and track projects, including:

Tapinfluence

Upfluence

Revfluence

Traackr

Each of these systems puts you in touch with thousands of influencers, but they vary in terms of content creation. Some are primarily focused on building trust, while others are full content creation platforms that let you track the performance of your various sponsored posts.

Choosing your platform

Influencer marketing is a great opportunity to expand your content platforms, spanning across the social and internet worlds. Mix and match where the content is posted to see what turns out to be most effective; if you see a great hit, you may want to focus on that platform for your own content a bit more.

Here’s a brief rundown of the benefits of the most popular influencer marketing platforms:

Instagram is great for spreading brand awareness and getting your influencer’s audience excited about your company. Have your partner use compelling visuals and hashtags in these social posts.

Twitter is perfect for increasing the conversation surrounding your brand and product or service, primarily because it’s so easy to share and comment on content.

LinkedIn is a great platform for thought leadership. Here, influencers can essentially be cheerleaders, talking up your company vision in a way that appeals to high-level professionals.

The influencer’s website and/or email newsletter puts your brand in front of that person’s die-hard readers. This is also an opportunity to link back to your content.

Emphasising brand awareness

One of the great things about influencer marketing campaigns is their ability to get your company in front of fresh, new eyes. As such, brand awareness should always be a key part of your strategy – and, if necessary, included in the contract between you and your influencer.

Have your influencer include your brand and keywords in their copy, feature your logo or color scheme in any images, end their captions with your custom hashtags or some other tactic that lets their audience know who you are.

Incorporating user-generated content

Depending on how much creativity you allow, influencer marketing can be its own form of user-generated content. Your partners can create their own blog articles, Instagram updates, LinkedIn features and more, which you can then feature or link back to on your website and social profiles.

In fact, you can use influencers to increase your UGC by leaps and bounds: just have them ask their audience to create their own content that supports your brand – and say hello to some fresh engagement.

On Instagram, for example, you could have an influencer post an image of themselves with your branded hashtag and encourage his followers to do the same.

View this post on Instagram

This is a cat wonderland! NYC-cat lovers, don't miss your chance to visit the #CatsOnGlass Gallery, which is only open through 2/19. Stop by and make your selfie count! Every Instagram post from the event triggers a donation to the Humane Society of New York. More info at link in bio. #AD @freshstep @humanesocietyny www.CatsOnGlassGallery.com

A post shared by Nala Cat

(@nala_cat) on Feb 16, 2018 at 11:22am PST

Tracking ROI

You’ll of course want to see results with all of this effort. While the platforms above allow you to track content performance, the best way to see if influencers are bringing you leads is to use UTM parameters. That acronym stands for Urchin Tracking Module, and the full term describes a bit of code you add to the end of a URL to track user actions.

How far did that priceless influencer reach go for your brand? Once clicked, links with UTM parameters send information back to Google Analytics, allowing you to see which links lead viewers back to your website and whether or not people converted. Add UTM parameters to the referral links in your influencer content to see who or what is driving the most leads or sales.

You can also offer discounts for content viewers. You’ll see this a lot in B2C influencer marketing; partners will share a unique code that customers can input during the checkout process. While this idea is obviously easier if you run an e-commerce business, you can still think of creative ways to reward the people who discovered your business through such a partnership.

Examples of great influencer marketing

Showing is better than telling, right? Well, not always, but I believe showing you some examples of good influencer marketing content will help you make your own creative campaigns.

Love My Store by American Express

First, let’s look at American Express. In 2015, they partnered with blogger and small-business owner Grace Bonney (of Design Sponge) and design blogger and influencer Emily Henderson. Bonney designed decals for small businesses to display, alerting customers that the establishment took American Express. Meanwhile, Henderson made a video of design tips to help small businesses attract new customers.

According to the company’s Shorty Awards entry, Amex distributed more than 400,000 campaign-designed decals, making them the most-ordered of the company’s offer. Online, the campaign garnered more than 5 million total impressions and over 50,000 social engagements from small-business owners. (Cue B2B marketers green with envy at those engagement numbers.)

G.E. and Lenny Letter

If you want ideas for partnering with a publication, look at G.E.’s campaign with Lenny Letter, Lena Dunham’s online newsletter. Given that the campaign’s goal was to encourage women to enter the tech industry and that Lenny Letter is one of the most recognised platforms targeting millennial women, the partnership makes sense.

The weeklong campaign included an interview between Dunham and G.E. Vice Chair of Business Innovations Beth Comstock, along with science fiction stories, G.E.-inspired art and interviews with notable women in tech.

#MakeWhatsNext from Microsoft

Want one more? Microsoft partnered with National Geographic with the same goal as G.E.: to encourage more women in tech. While this partnership seemed less likely (and its objective less obvious), the result was an incredibly stunning visual campaign.

Launched on International Women’s Day 2017 and #MakeWhatsNext, the partnership used photos, video and storytelling to feature the amazing accomplishments of women in science and technology and promoted a series of free workshops Microsoft hosted around the country.

It brought the tech company over 1.5 million online impressions on National Geographic’s distribution channels and almost 300 attendees at its workshops. When factoring in Microsoft’s live streams of the events and latter videos, the workshops reached 2.7 million total views in the days that followed.

See? If you haven’t yet experimented with influencer marketing, 2018 is the time to do it.

So, marketers, it’s time to ask yourself: Who are some of the major influencers in your industry, and how would you build a campaign with them?

from http://bit.ly/31spgT7

[mentalillnessmouse]

hi idrk what to do atm i've ended up w very few friends bc all of my school friends left for uni and i was left behind to resit a year and like idk most of us haven't spoken in months so like i was left w a very small number of (mostly online) friends but when stuff got worse bc i was lonely i was always having to turn to this small group for help and eventually they got too busy/ too overwhelmed by me to be supporting me every day which is fair enough so they started to ignore my messages and ~

~ tweets which made me feel worse so eventually i deleted my twitter and now i only allow myself to message them once a week and i don’t want to change that bc it was a v difficult decision to make and its taken a lot to get myself to a level where i don’t impulsively message them every day but now i feel like we’re barely friends, we used to be so close and while it’s probably best for them it just keeps making my mental health worse and worse, i had to quit school and i can barely tell whats ~

~ real these days, and at night i get so low and i get horrible thoughts and i have nobody to turn to. I have a therapist and i tell her most of this but there’s not much she can do, friends don’t just materialise out of thin air and since i no longer go anywhere im not exactly meeting anyone, plus my severe anxiety means that even if i do meet anyone i can’t talk to them. My current/past friends are the first i’ve had in my life, i’ve only made friends the once and i honestly can’t make myself~

~ believe that i’ll ever make any again but i don’t think i can last much longer without them, i need people to talk to every day but nobody should have to deal with that, i just don’t know what to do, i guess im messaging you bc ive nobody else left to ask idk sorry i hope you are having a nice day

CW: Suicide mention

hey anon, 

the problem here to me is one of communication. 

a relationship be it platonic, familial, or romantic, can only work if all people involved in the relationship communicate their needs, desires, and expectations of the relationship to one another. 

you need a support system and asking for attention is NEVER wrong. human beings need attention from other human beings. we are social creatures after all, that’s just how we function. social isolation cannot be helping you imo. 

you are NOT a burden, and your message to us makes it sound like these friends made you feel like you were. 

here’s some of my tips for how to have a health relationship with others: 

1) remember that communication is a two way street. conversations should not be solely centered just on one person’s issues and concerns and problems 100% of the time. other people have problems too and a relationship no matter what the type is all about helping support each other. 

2) be open to criticism. however, make sure to know the difference between criticism and emotional/verbal abuse. someone saying ‘you tend to make everything about you’ is a valid concern and you should reconsider how and why you’re approaching people. are you ONLY messaging people when YOU’RE having a crisis? do you message them just to ask how they’ve been? just to check in? just to see how their lives are going? 

3) most importantly remember to be respectful of each other’s needs and wants and space. practice self care and know when to disengage. 

it sounds like you and your friends need to work on establishing boundaries on what is and isn’t appropriate. 

personally, i think...you should be able to have a twitter account however you shouldn’t expect your friends to like/respond to every single tweet you post or to have the emotional strength to deal if you’re the type of person to post up suicidal statements or self harm announcements (i used to follow a few people like this on twitter). people are allowed to care yet stay silent which isn’t the same as ignoring because they aren’t always sure what to say OR if it warrants a response. 

like for me...for example if someone i follow were to post “i want to die” i would be concerned but i wouldn’t rush to their DMs or reply to each tweet like “oh no! please talk to me!!!” because to some people that can be seen as harassing when that person just wants to vent. however in the past i have called services on someone i follow for posting that they were going to kill themselves at a specific time and stating that they had a plan. that’s because i have experience with how to handle crisis situations like that--but not everyone does? i’ve had plenty of people DM ME instead of someone who was posting suicidal statements because they did not know how to respond to the person and wanted me to intervene....iunno, just keep that in mind. 

i’m going to link to some things on creating boundaries: 

10 ways to build emotional boundaries

Creating emotional freedom

Healthy personal boundaries

Emotional boundaries

tl;dr

you and your friends need to sit and talk honestly about what you’re all getting out of your relationship with one another. you need to be able to go back to feeling like you can talk to them more than once a day, and they need to be able to tell you when they’re not able to handle your episodes and you should respect that. 

i hope this helps. 

stay safe, 

kei

[cathrynstreich]

Making ‘Work From Home’ Work for Everyone

How Homes.com Is Delivering for Employees and Clients in a Remote Environment 

Like most companies across the country, when lock-down orders were put into place to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 crisis, Norfolk, Va.-based Homes.com was confronted with an unprecedented and monumental task: to transition their 400-plus employees to a remote work environment while not missing a beat in servicing clients. “Our goal was for our teams to feel supported, engaged, connected, and able to thrive in whatever environment we found ourselves in,” explains President David Mele. To his surprise, however, not only did Homes.com excel in the transition, business has actually flourished since. Here, Mele explains why the #WorkFromHomes movement has been a boon, not a burden, to employees and customers alike. 

Maria Patterson: What were your priorities when you first made the decision to switch to a remote work environment in light of the escalation of COVID-19? David Mele: Our first action item was equipping our teams to work remotely. At the onset of the pandemic shutdowns, about 40 percent of our workforce needed equipment like laptops and headsets to transition to remote operations. Within a week, almost everyone who needed equipment received it through no-contact, drive-through style office parking-lot pickups.

Secondly, we knew that we needed to develop a robust communication plan to keep employees informed, but also help them navigate such a sharp pivot. Our senior leaders and key managers worked together to develop a plan that balanced corporate updates with positive news, helpful information, and fun activities to keep everyone engaged. We developed an internal webpage to host all of this content, and we also created a schedule of daily emails dedicated to a range of topics that employees might find useful or entertaining.

MP: What were some of the challenges employees had and how did you address them? DM: Many of our employees have families with young children whose schools had closed, forcing them to balance working and parenting without much reprieve. To help everyone cope and adjust, we directly asked our employees what they needed; for example, did parents need tips on working from home with small children? Did anyone feel that their sleep was suffering? We took their feedback and created informative webinars to help navigate these new challenges. We even offered virtual yoga sessions! We created an internal website to act as a centralized hub of this information that employees could access 24/7 at times most convenient to them. Our goal was for our teams to feel supported, engaged, connected and able to thrive in whatever environment we found ourselves in.

MP: How have you adjusted your approach to leadership to ensure connectivity and continuity, as well as reassure and motivate employees during such an unsettling time? DM: We tooled management with proper accountability measures and guidelines for performance expectations that emphasized grace and empathy. Part of this effort was a daily, company-wide email we called “The Daily Dose,” which included everything from corporate video updates and employee home tours to fun activities and tips for staying healthy in mind and body.

Additionally, we have always believed that there’s something special about recognizing someone’s hard work in front of their peers and supervisors. Working at home made this much harder to do, so we decided to include “Orange Alerts” in those daily emails. Those alerts were sections dedicated to praising specific employees or departments for their accomplishments.

Most recently, we instituted a live Q&A session with our employees to ask questions of their senior leaders for instant feedback. The response to these tactics has been overwhelmingly positive, which will continue long after we return to a “normal” environment.

MP: How are you striking the balance between being sensitive and supportive to the challenges presented by the pandemic (both to employees and clients), and continuing to generate business? DM: We emphasized our existing open-door policy between employees and their managers, and highly encouraged everyone to be transparent if they were struggling with balancing the “new normal.” Our managers were quick to ask questions like, “What do you need?” or “How can I help?” so that employees felt supported. Sometimes this meant a shift in working hours, or taking a day off without much notice. But we knew that without healthy and happy employees, we wouldn’t be able to operate at our best. And the results have been astonishing; as an organization, we are just as, if not more, effective remotely than in traditional in-office spaces. This, again, proves that investing in your employees is the smartest business decision.

MP: Despite these unprecedented challenges, your business is actually up over last year; what were the key strategies that led to this success? DM: Meeting consumers where they were meant we had to make it as simple as possible to continue their home searches in a safe and convenient way. We spent countless hours making sure virtual tour content was as robust as we could get it, and as accessible to consumers as possible.

On the industry side, we knew we needed to approach them as a partner more than ever. So, we pivoted many of our product and development efforts to ensure agents felt more supported to continue their business during this unprecedented time. We also dramatically increased the frequency and type of online learning opportunities that allowed agents to gain knowledge in areas that helped them move their business forward.

Finally, we knew our marketing also had to shift; we conducted surveys related to the changing needs and behaviors of both consumers and real estate professionals and used the insights to craft educational resources that would best serve them.

MP: How are the strong culture and core values you have in place at Homes.com helping your efforts with both employees and with clients? DM: One of our core values is “humanity,” the idea that we should care for those around us—both in and out of the office. It’s a value that’s demonstrated top down, so even prior to the pandemic, our employees knew that they mattered and trusted that we had their best interests at the forefront of our decisions.

When we had to abruptly shift our operations, that established relationship helped everyone feel more confident and supported, and motivated our teams to work even harder to take care of our customers and each other. In fact, they proposed the idea that we send our clients a special video message simply to let them know that we are in their corner during this unprecedented time.

MP: Which changes that were made because of the pandemic may become a lasting part of your operations and why? DM: Prior to the pandemic, we didn’t have an official “work from home” policy across the entire organization. After seeing how well our teams were able to keep momentum after transitioning to remote working, it’s highly likely that it will become incorporated into our operations at some level even after the outbreak subsides. Our employees have told us they have enjoyed not having to deal with the stress of commuting, and they’ve appreciated having more time with their families. To us, it’s a no-brainer that this is a policy we should offer moving forward.

Virtual meetings and events have also been crucial to both the personal and professional aspects of our work, so we see them maintaining a strong presence in operations moving forward. You would think that being physically distant from each other would have a negative effect on how teams operate, but it’s actually been the opposite for us. From hour-long virtual happy hours with colleagues to educational webinars for customers, we’ve utilized virtual meetings and events as much as possible to keep the human element and educational opportunities as robust as possible, while allowing everyone to remain safe.

MP: How will this experience and the lessons learned position Homes.com for an even stronger 2021? DM: In 2020, we had to abruptly adjust to working remotely and meet the changing concerns of our client base. We did this very well, but it was largely reactive to the rapidly changing world we were in. It taught us how to be more flexible and how to “think on our feet” more than we’ve had to before. Now that we’ve had some time to adjust and thrive in this new environment, we’ll be entering 2021 in a much stronger position with renewed energy and focus.

For more information about Homes.com and their suite of lead generation products, please visit marketing.homes.com.

Maria Patterson is RISMedia’s executive editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to maria@rismedia.com.

The post Making ‘Work From Home’ Work for Everyone appeared first on RISMedia.

Making ‘Work From Home’ Work for Everyone published first on https://thegardenresidences.tumblr.com/

[socialattractionuk]

How to get started with sexting and make dirty talk feel less awkward

Ready to sext? (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

With IRL dating and sex with people who don’t live in your household not currently a possibility, the ability to sext (that’s sexy messaging, all you cool cats and kittens) is all the more important.

Dates over video chat and long drawn-out phone calls are all well and good, but eventually in the world of romantic relationships, you’ll want to make things sexual.

That’s where sexting comes in.

But the art of turning someone on through messaged words alone doesn’t come easy to everyone. Sexting can feel awkward and uncomfortable, and it can be tough to find the right words.

Mia Sabat, a sex therapist at the audio-based intimate wellbeing app Emjoy, knows her way around a good sext, and so we’ve chatted with her to get the essential tips we all need to get started.

Start with consent

Last year we did a feature on whether you need to ask someone for their permission before you drop a nude into their DMs, and the general consensus was yes, you do.

This doesn’t need to be a formal arrangement that feels like a cold contract.

Mia recommends trying one of these phrases to ‘signal that you’re keen to spice things up a little, but also allow someone to easily say no without pressure’:

Do you fancy a little dirty talk?

Do you want to take this up a notch and give sexting a try?

I love when you talk dirty to me – could we try it over text?

Are you turned on right now? If you want, I’d love to hear more

Keep it relaxed and breezy, but do always make sure a person actually wants to get sexual before you send over sexy messages or images.

And if your partner doesn’t fancy it, respect their ‘no’.

‘Unsolicited dirty texts (or even worse – sexual images) might seem funny to some, but make no mistake – they are offensive, upsetting and can even be classed as harassment,’ says Mia. ‘Avoiding them is the best way to keep yourself and any prospective partners happy and safe.’

Establish ground rules

Before you get going, it’s worth chatting through what you’re both comfortable with.

Mia suggests asking some questions: ‘Are you going to share pictures or videos? If so, how suggestive or explicit will they be? Are you comfortable incorporating toys? Will you allow your partner to tell you what to do or how to touch yourself? What platform are comfortable sexting on, and does it protect your privacy? Do you want to explore more wild or vivid fantasies? Where is your line with dirty talk – do you like to be called names, and if so, what is on, and off, limits?

‘Before moving forward, make sure you’re on the same page to ensure you both have the most enjoyable and pleasurable experience possible.’

Again, don’t stress about this being a super rigid checklist – just a few brief questions to make sure everyone’s comfortable will make a world of difference.

Plus, once you know everyone’s personal boundaries, you can get on with sexting without worrying your messages may be poorly received, getting rid of a lot of nerves.

You’ll have to play by yourself in 2020 (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Keep it simple

Trust us, you don’t need to get too poetic. Sometimes simple is best – especially if you’re feeling a bit uncertain.

Mia recommends: ‘Tell your partner what you wish you could do with them: where you want to stroke or lick them, how you want to touch their body, how you want them to touch themselves. You can also ask them to do the same.

‘Alternatively, you can narrate what you’re doing to yourself, how your body is responding, and what you’re wishing they could do, if they were there with you.

‘You can also try exploring fantasies that you’ve long-dreamt of sharing with your partner – just be sure they’re comfortable exploring them, too. Ultimately, don’t be afraid to vocalise your wants, needs and desires. This is an intimate experience for you to enjoy together, so leave your inhibitions at the door.’

Use the phrase ‘I want…’ as a starting point. What do you want to do? What would you do if you were together right at this moment?

Don’t force it

This ties into keeping it simple, but if you’re someone who experiences a full-body cringe at certain sex-related terms (pussy, for example, which makes many people shudder) or tone, you don’t have to use those words.

Don’t force yourself to take on a smut-filled persona if that feels deeply unnatural. And don’t worry about your words being perfectly written – it’s not important and if your partner is going to judge your sentence structure, they don’t really deserve the joy of a nice sext.

‘Just express yourself comfortably, in a way that feels sexy and exciting to you,’ says Mia. ‘If you’re uncomfortable with using more explicit words, establish terms that you and your S/O like to use when getting intimate.

‘Like all forms of intimacy, sexting is at its best when communication is clear and carefree.’

Virtual dating is where it’s at (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Go slow and be responsive

Tune into how your partner is responding to your sexts and respond based on their responses. This is supposed to be an interactive conversation, not a monologue with one person loving life while the other one grimaces at their phone screen.

Respect those boundaries you discussed earlier and make sure you’re thinking of your partner’s pleasure and turn-ons, not just saying whatever you want to get yourself off.

Mia advises: ‘If you have agreed to incorporate raunchier dirty talk into your sexting session, it’s best to start off slowly, rather than jumping right into the deep end.

‘Like any sexual experience, it’s important to understand and cultivate a positive connection between the two of you while sexting.

‘Know your audience, ask questions to help bring them up to your wavelength and let them decide what they would, or would not, like to engage with.

‘Asking questions like: “Are you naughty or nice?”, “Do you like it soft, dirty or hard?” or even simply stating “I’m wet/hard/horny” can help you gauge the context to see if it’s best to pursue the topic, or simply play it off and move on to something the both of you find stimulating.’

More: Sex

The realistic guide to OnlyFans from people who sell pictures on the platform

Brilliant advert in New Zealand tells families to talk to their kids about porn

How to have video sex

Have fun

This whole sexting thing is supposed to be fun – if it’s filling you with anxiety and dread, you don’t have to do it.

Anyone you’re sexting with should want you to enjoy the experience, too, so shouldn’t make you feel judged or uncomfortable. Relax into it and try to have fun without worrying whether you’re doing sexting ‘right’.

‘Remember that sexting is primarily a tool to help you and your partner build intimacy and enjoy a positive, fulfilling sexual experience together,’ Mia adds.

‘Don’t get too caught up on figuring out the perfect thing to say, or even in executing every detail of each others’ fantasies. It’s okay to fumble, be spontaneous and keep things fun and light!

‘Once you are on the same wavelength, see where the conversation goes and focus on pleasure, exploration, and desire. The best sexting sessions will come out of excitement – so lie back, relax, and have fun with it.’

MORE: How to have great video sex

MORE: What you need to know about safely sending nudes

MORE: Woman accuses dating app Badoo of sexism after it lets male users ask ‘what’s your favourite chore?’

[catherinesnyder]

7 simple steps to marketing yourself as a designer

As a graphic designer, you’re already busy with client work and focused on doing what you do best: being creative. The idea of marketing yourself can feel kind of icky—especially if you’ve never done it before.

No need to reinvent the wheel for this one! Design by Yokaona

But forget everything you know about traditional marketing and buckle up for some truth: marketing yourself is an important part of being a successful designer and scaling your freelance business. Otherwise, how will people know you exist, and that you’re the answer to their creative needs?

It doesn’t have to mean mindless self-promotion or employing sleazy sales tactics, and it also doesn’t have to be complicated. It begins with a bit of self-awareness and understanding your brand. Then, you can identify the right touch points, reach out to people and ultimately cultivate great relationships (and ideally, repeat clients).

As a natural storyteller, you’ve totally got this. With a bit of commitment and elbow grease, you can market yourself organically and grow your list of prospects.

This article highlights how you can market yourself as a designer—without the ‘ick’ factor. Let’s jump right in.

1. Have a strong foundation in place —

Hang on there, champ. Before you start shouting from the rooftops, make sure that your personal branding is in tip-top shape. You’re ready to hit the ground running if you’re clear on who you are as a designer and what you stand for, and you know exactly who you’re going to target. A good foundation isn’t something you can hack, since it will influence your entire marketing strategy.

A bit of hard work will yield great results. Design by Spoonlancer.

This requires a bit of self-awareness. So if this first step has you stumped, we suggest to start by thinking about your personal brand’s purpose, or your “why?”.

Why do you get up in the morning and do what you do?

What is it that you’re ultimately trying to achieve? This could be professional success, or supporting others with your creative talents.

Then, think about your core values. What do you want to stand for? What do you value most of all in your personal and professional life? Creativity and innovation? Integrity and respect? Discipline and dependability? Let these values drive your communications going forward.

If you still need to brush up on some knowledge, check out our tips on how to brand yourself as a designer.

2. Make the internet work for you —

No try-hards, here. 99designs designer C A P S has nailed it. A cohesive and stunning feed, a simple CTA and a decent follower/following ratio.

We have some news, and you might want to sit down for this one: mastering the Internet is essential to marketing yourself as a designer.

We know, we know. Groundbreaking! But sit tight. Your brand is defined and you have an idea of who your target client is. Now, you can choose the most appropriate online channels to establish a presence and reach the right people. Popular social networks are an obvious place to start—Instagram is a very creative and visual platform, while LinkedIn is the most professional platform for contacting businesses.

Look into which freelancer-centric platforms you might want to join as well. 99designs provides design opportunities and dedicated support, while Behance is great for showcasing your best work. Lots of social networks give you the option to track insights like your follower account and overall growth. This is great for measuring your marketing efforts.

Pro-tip: Depending on your brand, you might consider keeping your personal accounts separate from your professional ones (as your passion for death metal may or may not vibe with your corporate design offerings).

The point is, the internet is free! And it can be whatever you make of it! Plus, you need a place to drive prospective clients. So whether that’s your Instagram, a freelance platform, your inbox or your own personal website, set a stake in the world wide web—and invite the world to work with you.

3. Build your audience —

It takes time to build an audience, so start sooner rather than later. Design by Natalia Maca.

“If you build it, they will come” sounds awesome in theory, but freelance designers know it’s hardly realistic. Everyone starts with zero website visitors and followers, so when you’re first beginning your marketing journey, you’ll have to actively build your audience. This involves a bit of give and take.

Search for and connect with your ideal client on LinkedIn, follow the people you admire on Instagram and invite peers to like your Facebook page. Here comes the “give” part: in addition to regularly sharing your own work, attract visitors by being generous with your likes and support. If you’re already following people you truly connect with, this should be a piece of cake.

Consistency is key—but so is cross-linking. Include links to your other social networks where it makes sense, in your email signature and tattooed on your right arm (okay, maybe not that last one). With a little patience and effort, you’ll start to see your audience grow.

4. Keep at it —

It’s not enough just to sit there and scroll—you need to flex those design muscles. In addition to polished pieces, showcase your WIPs and offer prospective clients a sneak peek at your process. You can even share content created by others (with permission and proper credits, of course!) that resonates with you and your audience. This helps position you as knowledgeable in your field, and does double duty as a community-building exercise.

If you need help sourcing content, remember sketches are your friend—anything you put out into the world, even if it’s unfinished, contributes to your design story and makes things more personal. Oftentimes clients want to hire the whole person, not just a robot who can use Photoshop. The key here is to show, not just tell.

And don’t worry: if you’re just starting out, you can create and share some personal or passion projects, or work you’ve done for friends and family.

5. Build authentic and long-term relationships —

Things are moving along. You’re sharing your work, you’re giving praise, and you’re probably receiving some inquiries, too, thanks to a snappy CTA.

Networking should feel organic—it’s all about building relationships with the people around you. Via Unsplash.

But when it comes to approaching people yourself, it helps to find some common ground and ease into the conversation as naturally as possible. Did you grow up in the same hometown? Do you support the same basketball team? Be yourself, keep the conversation authentic and act like a human being. Make sure you take the time to have a proper dialogue before you get to the pitch. If you’re doing things right, your pitch won’t sound like a pitch at all.

When it comes to transitioning into your services, always start by listening and understanding the client’s needs so that you can respond with a solution to their problem. Look for ways to bring value to your client, so that even if they don’t hire you today, they’ll be impressed enough to remember you. They might even recommend you to someone else or come back and hire you later. Be in it for the long game, not just the quick sell.

6. Master the follow-up —

A personalized note to a prospective client makes the right impression. Even better if you design it yourself. Via Unsplash.

Independent creators know it can be disheartening to see an empty inbox first thing in the morning. But be forgiving and patient towards yourself and others, and remember that people are busy. It’s incredibly common for leads to be dormant for a year and then come back to tell you they want to work with you.

That said, don’t wait around for clients to get back to you. Find a balance between locating new leads and engaging with past ones. Past clients are great to re-approach. Since they’ve worked with you before, there’s less barrier to entry. Get in touch with people you haven’t heard from in a while and see if they have any upcoming projects. Consider asking for referrals, too, as your clients are likely to know similar businesses and will be more than happy to recommend you if they’re impressed with your work. Finally, consider trying out new mediums to engage with people you’ve already tried reaching another way. Do they prefer DMs to email? You’ll never know unless you try.

7. Flex your network —

You never know who in your network could be the one to connect you to your dream client. Via Unsplash

The word ‘network’ sounds clinical to some, but it’s one of the most important tools in your marketing arsenal. If a friend asked you if you could help them out with a contact, wouldn’t you be happy to oblige? Sometimes you have to ask to receive, and other times it’s as simple as letting people know you’re taking on new clients.

Consider sending a personalized email to friends and family with your latest portfolio attached. Be as specific as possible in how they might be able to help—because there’s nothing worse than a vague request. Do they know someone who could use your services? Are they looking for a collaborator themselves? For extra good karma, do the same for your peers. Respect the network flex, and it will respect you, too.

See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Simple, straightforward steps to marketing yourself. Zero ick factor.

Want a head start on building your online presence and marketing yourself successfully?

Of course you do! And a portfolio on 99designs can help you get ahead.

I’m in!

The post 7 simple steps to marketing yourself as a designer appeared first on 99designs.

via https://99designs.co.uk/blog/

7 simple steps to marketing yourself as a designer syndicated from https://www.lilpackaging.com/

[helenpattersoon]

7 simple steps to marketing yourself as a designer

As a graphic designer, you’re already busy with client work and focused on doing what you do best: being creative. The idea of marketing yourself can feel kind of icky—especially if you’ve never done it before.

No need to reinvent the wheel for this one! Design by Yokaona

But forget everything you know about traditional marketing and buckle up for some truth: marketing yourself is an important part of being a successful designer and scaling your freelance business. Otherwise, how will people know you exist, and that you’re the answer to their creative needs?

It doesn’t have to mean mindless self-promotion or employing sleazy sales tactics, and it also doesn’t have to be complicated. It begins with a bit of self-awareness and understanding your brand. Then, you can identify the right touch points, reach out to people and ultimately cultivate great relationships (and ideally, repeat clients).

As a natural storyteller, you’ve totally got this. With a bit of commitment and elbow grease, you can market yourself organically and grow your list of prospects.

This article highlights how you can market yourself as a designer—without the ‘ick’ factor. Let’s jump right in.

1. Have a strong foundation in place —

Hang on there, champ. Before you start shouting from the rooftops, make sure that your personal branding is in tip-top shape. You’re ready to hit the ground running if you’re clear on who you are as a designer and what you stand for, and you know exactly who you’re going to target. A good foundation isn’t something you can hack, since it will influence your entire marketing strategy.

A bit of hard work will yield great results. Design by Spoonlancer.

This requires a bit of self-awareness. So if this first step has you stumped, we suggest to start by thinking about your personal brand’s purpose, or your “why?”.

Why do you get up in the morning and do what you do?

What is it that you’re ultimately trying to achieve? This could be professional success, or supporting others with your creative talents.

Then, think about your core values. What do you want to stand for? What do you value most of all in your personal and professional life? Creativity and innovation? Integrity and respect? Discipline and dependability? Let these values drive your communications going forward.

If you still need to brush up on some knowledge, check out our tips on how to brand yourself as a designer.

2. Make the internet work for you —

No try-hards, here. 99designs designer C A P S has nailed it. A cohesive and stunning feed, a simple CTA and a decent follower/following ratio.

We have some news, and you might want to sit down for this one: mastering the Internet is essential to marketing yourself as a designer.

We know, we know. Groundbreaking! But sit tight. Your brand is defined and you have an idea of who your target client is. Now, you can choose the most appropriate online channels to establish a presence and reach the right people. Popular social networks are an obvious place to start—Instagram is a very creative and visual platform, while LinkedIn is the most professional platform for contacting businesses.

Look into which freelancer-centric platforms you might want to join as well. 99designs provides design opportunities and dedicated support, while Behance is great for showcasing your best work. Lots of social networks give you the option to track insights like your follower account and overall growth. This is great for measuring your marketing efforts.

Pro-tip: Depending on your brand, you might consider keeping your personal accounts separate from your professional ones (as your passion for death metal may or may not vibe with your corporate design offerings).

The point is, the internet is free! And it can be whatever you make of it! Plus, you need a place to drive prospective clients. So whether that’s your Instagram, a freelance platform, your inbox or your own personal website, set a stake in the world wide web—and invite the world to work with you.

3. Build your audience —

It takes time to build an audience, so start sooner rather than later. Design by Natalia Maca.

“If you build it, they will come” sounds awesome in theory, but freelance designers know it’s hardly realistic. Everyone starts with zero website visitors and followers, so when you’re first beginning your marketing journey, you’ll have to actively build your audience. This involves a bit of give and take.

Search for and connect with your ideal client on LinkedIn, follow the people you admire on Instagram and invite peers to like your Facebook page. Here comes the “give” part: in addition to regularly sharing your own work, attract visitors by being generous with your likes and support. If you’re already following people you truly connect with, this should be a piece of cake.

Consistency is key—but so is cross-linking. Include links to your other social networks where it makes sense, in your email signature and tattooed on your right arm (okay, maybe not that last one). With a little patience and effort, you’ll start to see your audience grow.

4. Keep at it —

It’s not enough just to sit there and scroll—you need to flex those design muscles. In addition to polished pieces, showcase your WIPs and offer prospective clients a sneak peek at your process. You can even share content created by others (with permission and proper credits, of course!) that resonates with you and your audience. This helps position you as knowledgeable in your field, and does double duty as a community-building exercise.

If you need help sourcing content, remember sketches are your friend—anything you put out into the world, even if it’s unfinished, contributes to your design story and makes things more personal. Oftentimes clients want to hire the whole person, not just a robot who can use Photoshop. The key here is to show, not just tell.

And don’t worry: if you’re just starting out, you can create and share some personal or passion projects, or work you’ve done for friends and family.

5. Build authentic and long-term relationships —

Things are moving along. You’re sharing your work, you’re giving praise, and you’re probably receiving some inquiries, too, thanks to a snappy CTA.

Networking should feel organic—it’s all about building relationships with the people around you. Via Unsplash.

But when it comes to approaching people yourself, it helps to find some common ground and ease into the conversation as naturally as possible. Did you grow up in the same hometown? Do you support the same basketball team? Be yourself, keep the conversation authentic and act like a human being. Make sure you take the time to have a proper dialogue before you get to the pitch. If you’re doing things right, your pitch won’t sound like a pitch at all.

When it comes to transitioning into your services, always start by listening and understanding the client’s needs so that you can respond with a solution to their problem. Look for ways to bring value to your client, so that even if they don’t hire you today, they’ll be impressed enough to remember you. They might even recommend you to someone else or come back and hire you later. Be in it for the long game, not just the quick sell.

6. Master the follow-up —

A personalized note to a prospective client makes the right impression. Even better if you design it yourself. Via Unsplash.

Independent creators know it can be disheartening to see an empty inbox first thing in the morning. But be forgiving and patient towards yourself and others, and remember that people are busy. It’s incredibly common for leads to be dormant for a year and then come back to tell you they want to work with you.

That said, don’t wait around for clients to get back to you. Find a balance between locating new leads and engaging with past ones. Past clients are great to re-approach. Since they’ve worked with you before, there’s less barrier to entry. Get in touch with people you haven’t heard from in a while and see if they have any upcoming projects. Consider asking for referrals, too, as your clients are likely to know similar businesses and will be more than happy to recommend you if they’re impressed with your work. Finally, consider trying out new mediums to engage with people you’ve already tried reaching another way. Do they prefer DMs to email? You’ll never know unless you try.

7. Flex your network —

You never know who in your network could be the one to connect you to your dream client. Via Unsplash

The word ‘network’ sounds clinical to some, but it’s one of the most important tools in your marketing arsenal. If a friend asked you if you could help them out with a contact, wouldn’t you be happy to oblige? Sometimes you have to ask to receive, and other times it’s as simple as letting people know you’re taking on new clients.

Consider sending a personalized email to friends and family with your latest portfolio attached. Be as specific as possible in how they might be able to help—because there’s nothing worse than a vague request. Do they know someone who could use your services? Are they looking for a collaborator themselves? For extra good karma, do the same for your peers. Respect the network flex, and it will respect you, too.

See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Simple, straightforward steps to marketing yourself. Zero ick factor.

Want a head start on building your online presence and marketing yourself successfully?

Of course you do! And a portfolio on 99designs can help you get ahead.

I’m in!

The post 7 simple steps to marketing yourself as a designer appeared first on 99designs.

via https://99designs.co.uk/blog/

[unifiedsocialblog]

How to Work With an Instagram Influencer According to an Influencer

As the creator of the blog Style Bee and the Instagram account @LeeVosburgh, I write about responsible style and thoughtful consumption and share brands I love. I also started the 10×10 Style Challenge, My Instagram account, which has been active since 2013, has grown into a wonderful community of over 46,000 engaged followers.

For several years at the beginning of my career I was using Instagram as a means to share my blog content and direct my readers to new posts. That’s still a big part of what I use it for. But, as my following has grown, I’ve had opportunities to work on Instagram collaborations and projects exclusively (not just as part of bigger blog based campaigns).

As an Instagram influencer, I receive enquiries from brands several times a day. This is great, but it takes a pretty special set of conditions to pique my interest—partly because my business is focused on a niche market (responsible fashion) and partly because I’m very particular about what I share with my followers. It’s taken me five years to build up the audience I have and I genuinely value their trust in my opinion. Any brand partnership I take on has to align with my (and my audience’s) values, taste, lifestyle and editorial calendar!

Like any other business partnership, the partnership between brands and influencers should be carefully considered and thoughtful. Read on to find out my tips for brands who want to work with Instagram influencers—what to do and what not to do in order to build successful campaigns and long-term working relationships.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

1. Do your research

I get it, time is precious. But, it always shows when a brand representative has done their research and actually knows what my brand and I are all about.

Try to be as thorough as you can when first exploring influencer options and make sure the ones you’re reaching out to are a good fit for your brand. This might take longer initially, but will lead to better suited partners, saving you time in the long run.

Here are a few questions to keep handy as you research:

Does this influencer’s brand align with mine in terms of values, aesthetics, and personality?

Is their photography of the style and caliber you want your products associated with?

Are the brands and products they have previously worked with similar to mine?

Another tip: Put more value on an influencer’s online integrity than on the number of followers they have. Having 10,000 devoted followers is way better than 60,000 bots that were paid for. Ask yourself:

Is this influencer’s content high quality?

Are their captions thoughtful and well written?

Is their audience engaged?

These are all things that take time and effort and can serve as a good indicator of how they’ll be to work with. Even if the influencer has fewer followers than your brand’s account they may be able to send lots of new followers your way.

Also consider how often they’re posting sponsored content. Personally, I try to keep my brand partnerships and sponsored content well spread out. When an influencer has sponsored posts back to back to back there’s a good chance they’re not terribly discerning when it comes to the brands they work with and their audience will notice too.

2. Introduce yourself thoughtfully

Most influencers will be happy to hear from you and much more inclined to reply to a message that’s been thoughtfully written, not copy and pasted. Keep it short and to the point about why you’re reaching out. Talk about your brand and how you’re interested in working together.

Initial contact via direct message is OK, but I usually prefer to hop over to email when it comes to digging into the specifics of a project. Plus, sometimes I don’t check DMs from new contacts so I won’t see it until days later.Y our best bet when making initial contact with an influencer? If there’s an email address or contact info in an influencer’s profile, that’s the best way to get in touch.

Even if I don’t have room in my calendar or it’s not a good fit, I’m always happy to hear from an interesting new brand or independent designer because it could always lead to projects down the road.

Just don’t send out a mass email. This may seem like a given, but I’ve lost track of how many of those emails I’ve received. The truth is that it’s immediately obvious when a DM or an email has not been sent personally. For me, those types of initial contact will rarely get a reply. I’ll often immediately decline or delete them.

Earlier this year a marketing rep from Elizabeth Suzann, a responsibly produced clothing line based in Nashville, TN, reached out to say hello and express their interest in participating in the Spring 10×10 (a style challenge I created and host every season). Instead of diving right into what they wanted to see from me they outlined why the challenge was important to them, how the brand could support the community I’d been working to grow and ways in which they’d be open to giving back to the participants.

I could tell right away that they had really considered the possibility of working together in a meaningful way, not just to get eyes on their products, and that this was going to be great for everyone involved. The collaboration went ahead and was one of the most enjoyable and well-received ones I’ve worked on to date.

3. Plan to pay your influencer partners

Of course, your product or service might be amazing, but keep in mind that it takes years of consistent and dedicated work to build up a loyal audience on social media. Your brand stands to benefit from this hard-earned and well-established trust.

Not to mention, it takes time to communicate and plan, produce images and/or videos, edit, caption, and share and promote content in a unique and meaningful way. Even before I was blogging full-time I stopped accepting gifted product in exchange for a post 99% of the time.

The bottom line is that free product won’t pay the rent and the work is worth real dollars if it’s going to generate sales for a brand.

Rates are variable depending on followers, engagement, the project and the individual influencer, but can often be negotiated. Sometimes Instagram influencers with less than 10K followers might be more open to gifted product in exchange for a post as they’re looking to build their audience.

But what if your brand has a small budget? No problem. Sometimes I (and other influencers) will work on a commission or affiliate basis instead of a flat rate fee. If the influencer you’re looking to work with is out of your price range, you can also try to find similar creatives who have fewer followers and find out what their rates are.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Get the free checklist right now!

4. Embrace a lack of creative control

You know your brand well and likely have ideas about how you want it represented online, but keep in mind that you’re working with this influencer because you like their content. You want a unique take on how your brand fits into their lifestyle and how it will resonate with their audience. So, my tip? Try to keep the art direction to a minimum.

Personally, the best partnerships for me, in terms of audience response, are when I’ve had some time to experiment the product and have complete autonomy over how I share it with my followers. These posts always feel more genuine than if I have a scripted caption or predetermined content. My audience responds very positively to authenticity, and I’m sure it’s the same for other Instagram influencers.

Feel free to share some visual references of what you’re looking for or point out some posts of theirs that you like. Mention any hashtags you’d like incorporated, especially if they are branded hashtags.

That said, it’s always pretty obvious when a sponsored campaign goes out and a bunch of Instagram influencers are posting very similar images. Audiences can tell that these campaigns are heavily scripted and are likely to recognize the lack of authenticity. The more it feels like the brand or product is really a part of an influencer’s life, the more successful your campaign will be.

For example, I had an opportunity to style and feature a piece from the Velvet by Graham Spencer Resort collection in January 2018. At the time I had a trip to Mexico coming up and asked if we could extend the post timeframe in order for me to share the product in a warm setting. They thought this was a good plan and sent the product (a lovely embroidered top) my way to shoot and style.

I shared the top on my Instagram feed in both a flatlay format and in an outfit post, along with my Mexico Trip stories and received lots of great feedback from my audience. Several followers also noted that they’d ordered it for their own upcoming vacations too!

5. Ask for a Story too

With the Instagram algorithm being what it is, it’s important to use every available touchpoint within the app during a campaign. Make sure you negotiate to have an Instagram Story included along with a post on the influencer’s feed. Not only can your influencer partner link directly to your product or website (if they have over 10K followers), they can also collect valuable data about Story interactions like how many actions were taken and how many people viewed the story.

Personally, I was a slow starter when it came to Instagram Stories, but now I actually prefer them over my feed as a way to interact with my followers, especially when it comes to campaigns. I can tell a broader “story” about the product, show it “in action,” have personal discussions, be a bit more playful, and make it even easier for my audience to access items.

For instance, Boot Rescue is a Canadian based line of shoe care products that make it quick and easy to clean shoes and leather goods (if you’ve spent a winter in Ontario, you know how important that is). They approached me to share their all natural Boot Rescue wipes and, after testing them out, I felt they’d be something my audience would love to learn about. I’d received lots of questions about how I care for my leather footwear during the winter, so I suggested creating a tutorial series on my Stories (in addition to a post on the feed) which would include a demo and mention of the product as well as lots of other information about shoe care steps.

The series was a huge hit with my audience and both the brand and I were really happy with how it turned out. I’ve since saved the tutorial to my highlights!

Pro tip: Be sure to use your own Stories and feed to share the collaboration too! It’s always great when a brand partner directs their audience to my account during the campaign period. It shows our followers that we’re really collaborating and let’s both sets of audiences intersect.

6. Share feedback

This last step often gets overlooked by both parties involved in Instagram influencer campaigns. It’s so easy to be done with a campaign and on to the next thing. But, it’s helpful to share feedback after a project wraps up.

If you’ve collected data from the campaign such as new followers, sales, site traffic etc., pass that along to your influencer. In turn, they should be able to pass along any data that you wouldn’t have been able to track, such as post saves and reach, Story interactions, and impressions.

This information allows you to evaluate the campaign better and understand what to expect going forward. It also gives the influencer useful insight into how their work converts to sales, so they can strategize for future campaigns.

Also, did you enjoy working with this influencer? Let them know! Did you feel something could have gone differently? It happens, and of course, that’s important to share so everyone can improve going forward.

If you’re really happy with how a collaboration went, consider pitching another project down the road. Personally, I’m always inclined to work with brands I already have an established relationship with before collaborating with new ones. Plus, the calendar fills up quickly, so it’s good to get on the list for a new season of campaigns ahead of time.

These tips should help you navigate your next Instagram Influencer campaign or project. Thanks for reading and for supporting the creative and talented folks on Instagram!

Save time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can schedule and publish photos directly to Instagram, engage the audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.

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