It’s that time… We’re thrilled to welcome talent manager + influencer guru Johanna Voss to the blog today for 5 Questions with SPPR!
As an influencer agency, we bridge the gap between influencers and brands, which means a ton of communication with various influencer agents and talent managers. When you meet someone who does it right, they’re hard to forget! We first met Johanna when working with one of the influencers on her roster and were blown away by her professionalism, energy and knowledge. She was someone who we seamlessly worked with and truly admire.
Johanna runs her own agency as a trusted talent manager who social media influencers look to for clarity on how to build their brands, grow their businesses, earn their worth and plan strategically for the future. Her roster is full of a diverse range of multicultural talent! On behalf of her clients, she’s closed over one million dollars of brand deals, partnerships and speaking engagements with brands invested in authentically engaging new audiences. WILD, right?! You definitely don’t want to miss out on what she’s sharing today. Keep reading for Johanna’s coveted advice on how influencers can level up their game, what influencers should look for in an agency partner and what brands should be thinking about when reaching out to influencers for the holidays
1. We are in awe that you were a Field Director on two presidential campaigns! At what moment did you decide to make the jump into the world of influencer marketing and launch your own biz? We love a founding story! Thanks so much! Truth be told, I never set out to be an entrepreneur. I’ve now run my own small business for almost 10 years. Go figure. After working on campaigns, I took some time off and travelled the world with a tiny backpack for a year and also managed to live in Spain twice. During my time in Spain, 2010-2011, I was ready to use my brain and make money! I launched a Nutrition Coaching Business in January of 2011, skyping with clients back in the States on Saturdays, camping out at a friend’s apartment in Barcelona who had better internet than I did. After building my business with Nutrition Coaching clients for a few years, I pivoted to doing Operations and Strategy work for female solopreneurs who were planning for their next stage of growth. From there, about 4 years ago, I began doing Influencer Management as another part of my business and now I’m full time with my agency. Being a Talent Agent is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I love it!
2. We get tons of questions from micro influencers on best practices for growing their brand. If you could give one piece of advice to them on how to level-up their game, what would it be? Keep showing up. Consistency is #1. So many people, entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, whomever, start things but never finish them. Understandably – it’s hard, it’s stressful, the excitement wears off, it’s lonesome etc. Keep creating content. Keeping being active on social. Keep writing your newsletter – even if you feel like no one except your mom and your favorite aunt are watching and reading. 3. Finding the right partners for your business is essential! What is one question an influencer looking for an agent partner should always ask before signing on with them? Great question. Ask about expectations. What expectations do they (the agent) have of you (the Influencer)? What expectations do you (the Influencer) have of them (the agent). This helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page. You know what to expect of them as an agent, how they run their business and what elements they are doing for you and vice versa. Unmet expectations are tricky situations when you run into them.
4. The holidays are here and they look a little bit different this year due to the pandemic. With the world of content creation shifting to accommodate our new normal, what advice would you give to brands who are thinking about reaching out to influencers for holiday content? Give the Influencers creative control with their content. Yes, send a brief. Yes, give messaging points. But allow the creator to have freedom to showcase what they’re actually doing at home now vs something super staged. And to the brands I say, be creative. Think outside the box (and zoom!) I’ve seen some great at home, super engaging activations with brands and influencers. 5. We love keeping up with your valuable and honest content on IG. It gives us so much inspiration! Who or what is giving you inspiration right now? Bear with me now, but the silence. There’s so much noise – literal and figurative in the world + in my head (!) right now that I treasure the silence. When I’m out on an early morning run, late afternoon walk to detox from my laptop or driving to Target in the silence, just alone with my thoughts – that’s when I get divine downloads and creative visions which serve as my inspiration.
We hope you loved meeting Johanna! She shared some amazing tips that we hope will help you keep pushing forward and growing your biz. If you want to connect further with Johanna, you can visit her website, http://www.johannavoss.com, or find her on Instagram and LinkedIn. Have any other questions about the influencer industry? Pop them below!