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> I'm exploring a "microinfluencer" (1k-1000k followers) management platform, initially focused on the fashion industry in NYC. So a management company that re

> I'm exploring a "microinfluencer" (1k-1000k followers) management platform, initially focused on the fashion industry in NYC. So a management company that recruits hopeful influencers and skims the top of their take-home pay? No, thanks. I'm sure plenty will be fine on their own.

alephnan 7y ago
Yes, it would skin the top off their take-home Venmo payments that is currently lacking in legal paperwork. In addition, they wouldn’t have to orchestrate these deals over direct message and email exchanges. This criticism is akin to saying Stripe or Visa or any broker platform not adding value. It’s a fallacy of smaller pie slice in a larger pie. These are economic activities not being pursued because of barriers to entry for brands, and the overhead of orchestrating many smaller influencers versus 1 legitimate big contract with a more established influencer. And yes, they would get 30% less, because they have to pay taxes now.
- seattle_spring 7y ago
  Exactly what legal paperwork does some tool who does stupid yoga poses with a free t-shirt need?
  - alephnan 7y ago
    I lived in Seattle for half my life, and I see where this question stems from. It’s unbelievable to people in the Northwest that people in NYC, London, and other fashion hubs spend $1K on an article of clothing. This is the norm, not the exception here. Brands like Supreme barely want to sell their $600 t-shirt to paying customers, much less give them away. Point being, it’s a strawman to compare the target demographic of free tech swag to up-and-coming models getting free designer clothing. Still, it seems the fashion industry is adverse to paperwork and the formality. They’d love it if they didn’t have to deal with paperwork, and can get a tax incentive to give out more (which can potentially be abused, but that’s a separate discussion).
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - seattle_spring 7y ago
      > it’s a strawman to compare the target demographic of free tech swag to up-and-coming models getting free designer clothing Au contraire! I was actually specifically referring to some jokingly overpriced Balenciaga or Supreme shirt, almost certainly purchased by someone who is somehow shocked (shocked!) that they can't afford rent. EDIT: Ah I see the confusion. When I said "free t-shirt," I meant, "t-shirt given to the influencer to promote for free," not "free tech t-shirt usually worn to a gym."
      - alephnan 7y ago
        Sure. But the Balenciaga or Supreme shirt is a good point. This in some ways supports the hypothesis that people buy brands based on social influence. Value on the West Coast tend to coincide with utility, but this isn't the case with these fashion brands. Balenciaga revenue broke over a billion in revenue, and Supreme has been rumored to be a unicorn.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
It works both ways though. A few days ago on /r/smallbusiness, someone was complaining that he gave away a lot of product and money to "influencers" and didn't get a penny in return. The responses were overwhelmingly telling him that he can't just hand out stuff, he has to tell them what to do with it, where to show it off, how many times to do that, etc. A platform that provided a more structured agreement between the influencers and their clients would go a long way to fixing this, and would help both parties. It's perfectly reasonable to take a fee for doing that.

alephnan 7y ago

Yes, it would skin the top off their take-home Venmo payments that is currently lacking in legal paperwork. In addition, they wouldn’t have to orchestrate these deals over direct message and email exchanges. This criticism is akin to saying Stripe or Visa or any broker platform not adding value. It’s a fallacy of smaller pie slice in a larger pie. These are economic activities not being pursued because of barriers to entry for brands, and the overhead of orchestrating many smaller influencers versus 1 legitimate big contract with a more established influencer. And yes, they would get 30% less, because they have to pay taxes now.

seattle_spring 7y ago
Exactly what legal paperwork does some tool who does stupid yoga poses with a free t-shirt need?
- alephnan 7y ago
  I lived in Seattle for half my life, and I see where this question stems from. It’s unbelievable to people in the Northwest that people in NYC, London, and other fashion hubs spend $1K on an article of clothing. This is the norm, not the exception here. Brands like Supreme barely want to sell their $600 t-shirt to paying customers, much less give them away. Point being, it’s a strawman to compare the target demographic of free tech swag to up-and-coming models getting free designer clothing. Still, it seems the fashion industry is adverse to paperwork and the formality. They’d love it if they didn’t have to deal with paperwork, and can get a tax incentive to give out more (which can potentially be abused, but that’s a separate discussion).
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - seattle_spring 7y ago
    > it’s a strawman to compare the target demographic of free tech swag to up-and-coming models getting free designer clothing Au contraire! I was actually specifically referring to some jokingly overpriced Balenciaga or Supreme shirt, almost certainly purchased by someone who is somehow shocked (shocked!) that they can't afford rent. EDIT: Ah I see the confusion. When I said "free t-shirt," I meant, "t-shirt given to the influencer to promote for free," not "free tech t-shirt usually worn to a gym."
    - alephnan 7y ago
      Sure. But the Balenciaga or Supreme shirt is a good point. This in some ways supports the hypothesis that people buy brands based on social influence. Value on the West Coast tend to coincide with utility, but this isn't the case with these fashion brands. Balenciaga revenue broke over a billion in revenue, and Supreme has been rumored to be a unicorn.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago

It works both ways though. A few days ago on /r/smallbusiness, someone was complaining that he gave away a lot of product and money to "influencers" and didn't get a penny in return. The responses were overwhelmingly telling him that he can't just hand out stuff, he has to tell them what to do with it, where to show it off, how many times to do that, etc. A platform that provided a more structured agreement between the influencers and their clients would go a long way to fixing this, and would help both parties. It's perfectly reasonable to take a fee for doing that.