Hey, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great weekend! I wanted to stop by to throw up a random blog post! I’ll be doing that a lot more starting ASAP!
As you may already know, I’m a Content Creator that focuses her posted content primarily on Instagram. If you are new here, and you did not know that about me, then I welcome you to my website! Pull up a chair! Stay a while!
I’d really love it if you’d check out my most recent Carousel Photo Post for the absolute cutest pepper spray you’ve that ever seen by a brand called Blingsting, fully equipped with a thorough, honest, and detailed review! Yep, cute pepper spray. Don’t believe me? See it for yourself! If you enjoy my content, then I encourage you to please engage! Your likes, saves, comments, and shares help me immensely! I’m always trying to raise the ol’ engagement rate!
If you enjoy any of my writing in even the slightest bit, then you may just enjoy the captions that I write to go with my photos and videos on Instagram. I tend to write my reviews in more of a short story or even a short essay style, but that’s just the way I write, I suppose. It certainly serves its purpose.
Well, here she is! Please take a moment to visit my Instagram page, so you can interact with my post(s)! Likes, saves, comments, and shares are encouraged and greatly appreciated!
I hope you enjoy, and I hope to read and respond to your comments!
Don’t forget to follow my Instagram page! I’ve got a TON of new content that’s about to be posted, and I’d love for you to hang out with me for a while and enjoy the content! I’ll follow you back, too! And don’t be a stranger! Feel free to shoot me a message anytime! I’m always down to meet new friends and chat!
When we last met, I was tired. Very tired. I was tired of working for free, and I was tired of being tired from staying up too late working for free. I knew that I had to do something: no longer accept unpaid work. I’d created a Media Kit and Rate Card that I posted here on this website. I also linked to my Media Kit through my Link in Bio that I use primarily on Instagram, since they only allow you the one link (for now). Well, it’s turned out to be the absolute best thing that I could’ve possibly done for the progression of my Content Creation journey!
How I have been feeling about working lately.
In that Link in Bio, which brings in lots of collaboration requests from brands and marketing companies each month, I placed the “My Media Kit and Rate Card” link as close to the top of the list as I could while not hiding away links from current or recent collaborations. This past month, since posting my Media Kit and Rate Card, I brought in at least as many jobs as I normally do through my Link in Bio, if not more, but this month was different. Well, it’s the same, but it’s different. The difference? The majority of the offers that I’m getting now either offer a paid rate, or they at least seem to acknowledge that I’ll be expecting the collaboration to be paid, and we move on to negotiations. Sure, a few certainly have no intention of paying for my work, and I move on from those offers. I’ve had to turn down a lot of jobs this month because they were unpaid, and some were just not a good fit. It’s typical for me to have to turn down jobs in any given month for the reasons given, but it’s only increased since I’ve made this promise to myself. I can’t do my best on the pretty big (and also paid) workload I’ve got now if I’m adding on collaborations that don’t pay. I could instead add more paid jobs. You get the idea here.
At the beep, the time will be…
Now, this next part is brand new for me, and boy, is it welcome! Before posting my Media Kit where anyone could access it, I would rarely be offered to be paid for my work. I’ve always had to ask. I’m not talking about negotiating. What I’m referring to is asking something, such as, “Do you have a budget for Creators,” or something to that effect. Sure, I tried and at times succeeded in being paid despite this, but the expectations were mostly that I wouldn’t request compensation. There’s a pretty big reason for this, and I’d like to dedicate a blog post to the topic soon. It’s because there are so many Creators out there that will work for free and all no questions, and this is a pretty big problem for the Creator economy as a whole. (Bookmark this website, and stay tuned for a post about this and more about the Creator economy!) Thankfully, things seem to have changed for me for the good, and I’m hoping they continue to get better. Simply put, I need to be paid for my work if I’m going to work full-time as a Creator, which is the only thing that I want to do and have been working toward for the past 5 years or so. I’m 38 years old, I’m unmarried, and I take care of myself, so there’s no one out here paying my bills. I have to do that myself, and I can’t pay my bills by working pro bono forever. If I knew that things would change so drastically and so quickly by simply posting my Media Kit where it can be accessed by brands for potential collaborations, then I’d have taken it more seriously and done it long ago! That’s alright. I like to think that things happen when they’re supposed to happen, and now is the time!
There’s no time like the present.
A lot of my previous paid work was mostly posted on Instagram. That’s changed. A good bit of the work I’m currently doing seems to be mostly away from Instagram, although that’s generally where I’m being found and contacted by brands or companies. Things seem to be changing a bit more, though. Since my last post, I’ve gotten more paid offers than I can handle. Some of these offers have been really awesome, and some not so great, but that’s totally normal. The point is: they’re paid offers. I’ve still got a few “free posts” that I’m working on, but these were already established relationships. I haven’t taken on any new work that isn’t paid. I honestly don’t have any time in my schedule for any more work at this moment, especially if it’s unpaid work. This is going to be a crazy busy month, and I’m more than ok with that!
The work never ends. That’s why I’m no longer doing work for free.
In addition to my Freelance Creator endeavors, I’ve applied to a few Social Media Creator positions through LinkedIn, one of which I’ve got a seriously good feeling about. My “pre-interview call,” as I call it, was nothing short of great! The person from the company that called me was insanely cool, easy to talk to, and she had lots to talk about. Her outgoing personality successfully removed all nervousness from my mind. Needless to say, we hit it off immediately, and we had a really awesome conversation. I feel good vibes and a good energy about the whole thing, so we’ll see how things go this next week! Wish me luck! I’ll be sure to update you on what happened, so make sure to bookmark my site, so you’ll never miss a thing!
I’ve got my fingers crossed!
This is all one huge step in the right direction, and I couldn’t be happier! I’m happy that I’m finally being paid for my hard work because I decided to make the move toward only paid work. It’s working out greater than I’d expected in this short amount of time, and I’m grateful for that. I’m also feeling great about the job that I had the pre-interview call with! It’s an amazing position. I won’t tell you too much about it now, but let’s just say that if I got this job, it would change my life and my father’s for the best. Here’s to things only getting better!
I’ll talk to you again soon to update you on all of these awesome collaborations that I’m working on, the results of my job interview (hopefully), and anything else that happens between now and then! Until then, come over and hang out with me on my Instagram page! That’s where I always am, and I’d love to talk to you! 🤗❤️
Bookmark my site, so you can easily check out all of my New Posts!
Below is my current Media Kit and Rate Card. These documents will give you a general idea of some of the more popular services that I offer and the rates that I charge for each.
Although you see “Instagram” on my Rate Card, this can be replaced with any platform or UGC work. For questions on pricing, please email me directly.
If you’d like to discuss a collaboration, partnership, PR, etc., then contact me at kate@thekateexperience.com, so we can begin working together ASAP!
I’m consistently updating these documents, as they change, so it’s always be up to date!
• Media Kit •
If you’re interested in any of the listed services on my Rate Card, or if you’re seeking services that are not listed above, then I’d be more than happy to discuss partnering with you to create and deliver the type of content you’re looking for! Please email me at the email address listed on my Media Kit, kate@thekateexperience.com, so we can get the ball rolling!
Unfortunately, due to unsavory activities by the company with which I took on the Internship mentioned in my last post, I, as well as the rest of the Internship staff, have decided to part ways.
This means I’m back to job hunting. Except I’ve decided to not only hunt for a career but to also pursue some Professional Certifications while I’m hunting.
In 7 days from now, I’ll receive word from Coursera that will let me know whether or not I’ll be receiving Financial Aid. I applied for aid for the first in six courses in the Social Media Marketing specialization that will help me to obtain a Professional Certification from both Coursera and Facebook.
In the meantime, I’ve taken up management with FamePick for my Content Creation, which I’ll be getting back into very shortly! I hope to work with some very cool brands. It should be interesting to see how it is to have an agent! I’ll be sure to write about this separately! 😘
For now, I’m studying as many LinkedIn Learning Certificate courses as I can while I keep my fingers crossed. I’ll let you know what happens! Until then, my friends.
New chapters and opportunities in our lives can sneakup on us. Be ready, for this change is inevitable and is ever-evolving.
As a self-proclaimed Lifelong Learner, I’m always anticipating changes in both my life and within myself. I came to the realization a while back that I wanted to do something more with the skills and experience in Content Creation, Social Media Marketing, and Communication that I’ve been constantly honing for nearly 5 years.
What began as a simple journey many years ago, spurred on by a powerful curiosity and extreme passion, of dialing into my creative side by finally finding the best mediums in which to express that creativity, ended up becoming a very important trail of new experiences that I believe have changed my life.
During some standard daydreaming, which I find to be very important, especially when working in a creative and often ambiguous field, I asked myself a random question today that I’d never had a good answer for. I had an answer today. That question I’ve been hearing since I was young was, “Where do you see yourself in 1 year from now,” which was a bit of a shocker coming from my brain, due to always having been stumped by these questions. I know the answer immediately: in 1 year, I see myself either looking for the job that I’m aiming for or to have already been in the position for a few months by that time.
I can’t believe I had an answer to that question. I’ve always found the query itself to be difficult for over reason or another, but I wasn’t entirely sure about what was so difficult about it, especially when in college, the younger kids always had very great answers, and I envied yet admired that they knew exactly what they wanted. My problem was that I never truly knew what I to do as far as a career, so I just couldn’t give a true answer. I wanted that clarity, but it turns out, for me at least, that only time and experience would bring me the vision that I needed.
I’ve tried so many different things over the past 5 or so years, including starting, owning, and operating my own small business, and being a Freelance Content Creator all the while. I thought I’d really narrowed it down once I began to get really involved in Content Creation. I love it, it’s the perfect way for me to express my creativity, and I’d always wanted to find that for myself. However, out took me a little bit more thought to realize what I was really good at and was super passionate about at the same time: Marketing – Social Media Marketing and Social Media Management, to be exact.
All along, I’ve been so close to finding out this piece of the puzzle that is my life, yet was always too far away to grasp it. The overwhelming passion that I have for Creating Content seemed to blind me, and I thought, “This is it! It’s the piece that’s been missing,” but that passion opened my eyes to what my true passion was, which was Marketing.
Sometimes, the answer will lie in front ofyou, but not until your eyes truly open, through experience and other trials, will you come to understand what it truly means to you.
In retrospect, I should’ve noticed the signs throughout my life, and not just since I’d created my own business. That’s just where I was first able to apply this skill (that seemed to come so naturally) in a professional way and a way I’d get credit for, as opposed to simply giving advice, for instance.
One of the biggest reasons that my business did not succeed ultimately is because I “accidentally” marketed myself, my business, and my products and services a little too well from the very start. How is that possible, right? Well, when it’s only you juggling all aspects of a company, and you aren’t aware that you excel that much at marketing, you may just become completely bombarded by your very first day of business (the launch), and it can be quite the ditch to dig yourself out of, especially without being able to hire any help to help you out of the hole.
My self-made business may have ultimately failed, but as a Lifelong Learner, I’ve never discontinued learning more about all aspects of business, but it eventually became narrowed down to Marketing, especially with a focus on Digital/Social Media Marketing and Management.
Management has always been something that I’d known that I excelled at, but I was never really given the chance, due to the types of jobs that I kept settling for, which is a partial reason for the creation of my first startup business. I credit my Father with my natural business acumen and leadership skills. They just seem to run in my family, specifically on his side. Almost everyone in my very large family is or has been in management to some degree and/or owned their own businesses, some now defunct and some thriving quite successfully. If they didn’t have their own business, they were in management at their jobs. I’m not sure that this is even something that is genetic in any way, but it sure seems that way.
No matter how I developed into the leadership type of person that I am and have always been, whether it be somehow genetic or simply through exposure to positive role models, I’m truly glad that I do possess these skills. I mean this not as a brag, by any means. It’s just fascinating how I’ve never been able to flex these skills, then when given the chance, I find out that they’re better than even I’d thought. Even as a child, I was always taking charge, despite being a bit of an introvert.
“I’ve never been more happy in my life than I am now.”
I’ve never been more happy in my life than I am now, and I know that this is partially due to having jumped into it and just started a business when I had nothing going on. By doing this, it’s led me down a path of self-discovery that’s taught me more about myself in the past 5 years than I’ve learned in the 15 prior. I’m all the richer for having taken a chance, and for once in my life, I can actually say that I know exactly what I want to do for my career, and attaining a position in that field is my ultimate goal.
Thank goodness I finally have this goal. As I’ve mentioned above, I’d always envied and admired younger people when I was also their age that knew what they wanted to do, what they were going to do to get there, and seemed to have it all together. I never had this – until recently. Sure, it took me a lot longer in my life to come to this realization myself, but I was growing more discouraged as time passed that I’d ever know the answer or have that ultimate goal. I can proudly say that I finally have that ultimate goal, and I know exactly what I’m going to do to achieve this goal. It’s one of the most wonderful feelings that I’ve ever felt inl my life. I’m one of the people that I used to admire so much, and hard, patience, and perseverance have gotten me here.
I’m prepared, passionate, and ready for whatever’s about to be thrown at me!
Never give up on your passions. They can often turn into goals, so be ready by preparing for life to happen at any moment! ❤️
Everything is beginning to fall into place, and with my realized goals and ways to attain said goals, I’m feeling very confident about where I am in life, in terms of my future and my career.
Some people are ready to go from a young age, but it takes others, like myself, to find something that will not only earn money, but that I can also use my creativity, passion, and I can be happy in my life, overall!
Can you relate to this blog post? I’d love to hear your story! If you can relate to anything that I’ve mentioned in my (hastily written and published) blog post, then I’d love for you to share your experience below in the comments!
Have you ever been so interested in something, started to do that something, and got distracted and moved on to something else? That’s exactly what happened to me and blogging.
Writing is and has always been one of my absolute favorite things to do. As a child, I was a huge fan of reading. I can remember the feeling I’d get when I found out we were going to the library to pick out some new reads. It was an intense feeling that I’ve not experienced much as an adult. The rush of dopamine was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. In retrospect, I now know that this wonderful feeling that I was experiencing was passion.
My passion for reading helped to develop an even greater passion: my passion for writing. I used to write a lot. As a kid, I loved to write short stories. As I got older, I started to feel an intense need to write a book. But why? And about what? I still don’t know the answers to these questions. I’ve tried tons of times, but the perfectionist in me would always get stuck on that important first sentence, and without realizing I was abandoning my love, I’d soon find myself moving onto my next interest. Plus, my passion for writing kept taking me in new directions. The intense feeling to write a book that I’d once had eventually developed into an intense need to write articles. I suppose it makes sense, having once been obsessed with writing short stories. I wanted to express myself, but I wanted to get my point across in a more condensed fashion.
Not long ago, I have in to the whole blogging thing and created my own. I didn’t expect anyone to be interested enough to actually want to read what I’ve written. I still don’t. But that doesn’t matter much to me. There’s never been a love for attention to my work attached to my love for writing. I just want to do what I enjoy. If people find it interesting, then that’s just a pretty cool bonus.
After creating my blog, I planned on being consistent and writing at least a few blog posts per week. My plan was successful for about a week or two, but I soon found myself moving on to another activity yet again. It’s disappointing to think about, but if you love something enough, you always come back to it. My love for writing has only grown over time, and it’s brought me back to my blog.
I’ve got plans to continue writing for my blog and being consistent, but I’m doing everything I can to not move on to anything else and neglect my blog again. I’m researching ways to be consistent while still being able to incorporate other passions, likes, and work into my life. Plus, now that I’ve been a Beauty Influencer and Content Creator for a few years, contributing to my blog almost goes hand in hand with my work, which is a total blessing! I’ve got a lot to write about, which has always been a problem for me. I know, I know: that sounds like a great problem to have, right? It’s not. My OCD overloads my brain with so many ideas that it’s nearly impossible to pick only one.
In an attempt to help turn this overwhelming feeling into something that will help me, I’ve begun to find ways to narrow down my ideas. They may have been narrowed down, but there are still more ideas than I know what to do with. Having this many ideas is exactly what causes me (and others) to subconsciously become overwhelmed with the task at hand and subsequently move onto the next idea or task.
Here’s the plan: I’m not going to try to choose the best idea from my list of ideas: I’m going to close my eyes, point my finger, wave it around, and let it drop onto the list. That will be the blog post that I write that day. The only exception will be if there is something pressing that I feel the strong need to write about. Now, this is just an experiment, so I’m not sure how well it will work, but I’m giving it a shot!
I’m excited to get back to blogging! I’ve got so much to write about, and I’d love to share with you my experiences being a Content Creator, because there are a lot of really interesting situations I’ve been in that would make for great reading. No more procrastinating. No more being overwhelmed with my excess of blog post ideas. I’m jumping back into the blog pool head first, and I’m going to make it to the other end without taking a rest on the edge.
Have you ever wanted to keep that special person in your life close to your heart everywhere you go? Well, here’s a new and super unique way to do just that! Say “I Love You” to someone you love, including your pets, with Jewelry or a Tattoo from Everence!
If you haven’t already, then you definitely need to check out Everence! It’s one of the coolest, most unique concepts that I’ve ever seen or heard of! I’m currently obsessed with them! You can always keep that special person, memory, moment, etc. close to your heart! ❤
I can’t wait until my Collection Kit comes in the mail this week. I’m going to buy a necklace to keep my puppy, Buddy, close to my heart at all times – literally!
Buddy being his loving self with my Dad in the morning. 🐶❤
So take a minute, and check out Everence’s website to learn more and see exactly how cool and unique this brand’s products really are! I promise you that I would never steer you wrong! This is just AWESOME! I hope you love it as much as I do!
You’re probably wondering, “What exactly IS Everence? Since I’m digging them so much, I’m going to tell you all about Everencein my next blog post. In the meantime, I highly recommend visiting Everence’s website so you can check it out for yourself. Trust me: this is something new and different that you’ll really enjoy!
Don’t forget to use discount code KATE10 at checkout to save money on your order!
I’m also going to get the discount applied to my necklace order. I love a discount just as much as I’m sure you do! I just can’t decide if I want a heart or paw inlay on my piece of jewelry. I can’t wait to order! My baby Buddy will be with me wherever I go! 😊
My best friend, Buddy! ❤
I’m soo excited! I can’t wait to tell you all about Everence in my next blog post (but seriously, go read about them now)! The post will be followed by a series about my Everence journey that I’ll be sharing with you! I’ll take you through my whole process, so you can see exactly how cool it is and how easy it is to do! I want you to come on this journey with me, so please: come with me! And, of course, I’ll be showing you which necklace I’ve chosen. 😘
⭐ UPDATE(08/2022) – Thank you so much for reading my post about Everence! I know it’s been a while since it was written, but I wanted to let you know that I’ll be posting the follow-up post that I’ve promised above very soon! It’s a really cool brand, and I can’t wait to tell you about the awesome concept in an upcoming blog post! Be sure to bookmark my blog and check back often for new blog posts!
I did it! I just landed my very first PAID Influencer job!
Since my last entry, I’ve been having issues with my video equipment and other technical problems, which led me to invest in a few greatly needed upgrades. This has delayed my first YouTube videos from being recorded.
In the meantime, I’ve been hustling to get more jobs. I’m very happy to say that I’ve landed quite a few jobs. They’re all jobs that require my review and promotion in exchange for their product(s). I’ll have lots of videos on my YouTube Channel and product photos and reviews on my Instagram page. Keep an eye out for all of the new content I’ve got coming. Once I start to post these upcoming product review photos and videos, they’re going to become consistent, so I’ll be pumping them out!
Some of these “product in exchange for review” jobs that I’ve gotten include several skincare products, several haircare products, a couple of fashionable apparel and accessory jobs (I’m very excited to start doing these), hair supplements, CBD products, plus more that I’m surely forgetting off the top of my head. If you’re following me on Instagram and YouTube, then you’ll be seeing a lot of new content from these jobs (and unsponsored content) very soon.
Yesterday, I received an email from one of the Influencer marketing websites that I’m a member of, and they introduced and connected me with the owner of a company that I’ve pitched to recently. When I checked my email this afternoon, I’d recieved an email directly from the owner of this company. They want to work with me, too, which is great. I’ll tell you all about them and my new job in my next entry after we’ve officially sealed the deal!
The job is a lot like all of the other jobs that I have right now: receive a few product, promote the brand and their products, and work for commission. I’ll be working as an affiliate with them, as I do with several of the other companies that I’ll be promoting. Of course, I’ll try my hardest to promote the brands and their products, create the very best content that I can for them, and if I’m lucky, I’ll make some commission. I’m just happy to be getting so much experience!
There’s one difference with this new job: I’m going to be paid for my posts! This may not sound all that exciting to you, and I would understand that. The thing is that I’ve just reached one of my goals! Up until now, I’ve only been receiving products from brands as my payment, which I’m very grateful for, as it gives me lots of experience, and I get to try a lot of new products. Now, I’m on Cloud Nine because I’ve reached one of my goals sooner than I’d expected!
To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. Sure, I’m excited to be paid for my content, but it feels bigger than that. I’ve just reached a goal that I’ve had, and I’ve reached it much sooner that I’d expected. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment. It’s a lot of work just looking for Influencer jobs, and it’s even more work once you get jobs. It can get a little discouraging at times, especially when you’re flat broke. To finally get a paying Influencer job means that all of this hustling that I’ve been doing is really working, and it’s actually paying off – literally. It’s not a lot of money, by any means, but this is just the start of the next chapter in my journey. I’m strapped in for the ride, and I’m ready to go!
Stay tuned, because I’ll certainly be keeping you all updated on my journey! I’ll tell you more about the job itself as soon as I’ve signed my paperwork and made it official! I can’t wait to tell you more, because the product is extremely unique. It’s very cool!
Come back to visit my blog to hear more about this new chapter of my journey! You can also find me (and my upcoming content) on Instagram and YouTube. I hope to see and talk to you soon on my main accounts! ❤
I’ve been trying to record these first videos for my YouTube Channel for a while now and telling you that they’re coming. Well, I’ve been having tech issue after tech issue (can you tell how new I am to this lol).
I’m happy to say that I’m 99.9% positive that I’ve fixed everything, propped everything up right, got my settings right, and learned A LOT about making YouTube videos in the process!!
With that being said, I’m gonna record 1 or 2 videos early today. However, I’ve yet to try to tackle video editing software…ever. lol. That’s alright! I WILL get at least 1 video up today if it’s the last thing that I do!!!!
I’ll post again when it’s finally a wrap and recorded, edited, and uploaded onto my brand NEW YouTube Channel!!! Keep an eye out for my next blog entry! Love you all! ❤
Don’t forget: I still have an announcement for you! Tune in to find out what it is! 😘
Subscribe Now! I’ve got a TON of videos on my schedule to be recorded, and I’m constantly adding more. If you enjoy Beauty, Lifestyle, and Wellness content, then this is the YouTube Channel for you! My Channel is going to be highly active, and I’ll be consistently uploading new content! Expect to see at least a few new videos every week! So go ahead and Subscribe! You’re not going to want to miss a thing!
The Kate Experience 