Discovering the blogosphere with star Influencer Anna Andres
Do you remember the day when you decided to start your social media account?
Yes! It was 2008, and I was 14. It was on VKontakte. I can openly admit that I’m glad to have had a real childhood with no social media! I created my Instagram account in 2013 when I was 19. Of course, blogging wasn’t as advanced back then as it is now, and I only used social media to share pictures and talk to friends.
How do you manage to be sincere with your audience, and are there spheres of life that you prefer not to show?
I just show myself and my life, not trying to pretend to be someone I am not, not trying to convince my audience of anything for my gain or peddle some defective product for profit. Everything is totally transparent! Except for one thing: I prefer to keep my private life or my family away from exposure.
How much time does your influencer activity take? And how long does it take to create content?
To be honest, blogging full-time takes a lot of time, especially if you want to do it well, to be useful and interesting to your audience. It is a legitimate job: if you are going to monetize your blog, you need to put in the effort.
Do you feel your Internet popularity in real life? Do people recognize you on the streets?
They do, quite often! Of course, I like it when people come up to greet me or take a picture.
What was the most unusual offer for you made by advertisers?
Promoting motor fuel!
What kind of offers do you usually reject?
Anything I myself wouldn’t use, drink, places I wouldn’t go, and so on. Many people know there’s a very selective promotion of respectable brands in my account, so my audience trusts me.
Could you please comment on the following statement: bloggers’ credibility has dramatically dropped in recent times since 80% of them have fake followers, and all quality-assurance programs are very quickly cheatable. And it is the reason why a lot of big brands go back to old advertising methods, where reach is quantifiable.
Yes, of course, you can buy fake followers, likes, and even comments for a relatively small amount of money. I get offers of such services in my DM every day, just like many others. However, there’s such thing as statistics, reach, account accesses. And these you can’t fake. So many brands, when they offer you to collaborate, the first thing they do is ask for your account statistics.
What is the most influential social network, in your opinion?
Instagram, without a doubt!
What do you consider a blogger’s peak of success?
Actually, when I see a blogger is literally beset by major global cosmetic and fashion brands, I know she has reached her peak, and I can imagine how long and uneasy her way was, how much effort made to achieve these successes.
How to learn to be open with an audience of a billion people? How to deal with hate, and is it worth it?
If you’re a public person, you have to be prepared for the fact that not everybody’s going to like you. There’s no way around it. If you’re morally unprepared for it, you’d better close your account. I try to ignore haters and never reply to them.
What software do you use while working on your blog? Can you give some tips to bloggers who are only just starting?
VSCOcam, InShot, Facetune, SquareGram. Try to keep the overall look of your Instagram clean and only post things that are relevant.
What inspires your post ideas?
Everyday events, people, books, life in general.
Do you think bloggers are today’s trendsetters? Can they be considered A-list celebrities?
It depends on the blogger. There are lots of bloggers now; you can always see who’s worthy and who’s not.
Do you style your blogger looks by yourself, or do you have a professional stylist?
I’ve never had a stylist. All my looks are of my own invention :)
Whom do you follow? Who do you consider fascinating bloggers now?
I follow lots of accounts: movies, art, fashion, cooking, even political pages. I couldn’t even begin to list them here!
