94: Under the Influencer (with Jenn Lake)

This week, Kate had the pleasure of sitting down with Jennifer Lake as part of the podcast’s Under the Influencer series. A successful blogger and influencer in her own right, Jenn has paved a unique career being both inside the industry and working alongside it. As a full-time SVP at a PR agency (that often works with bloggers) and a blogger herself (The Style Charade), she has a unique perspective on all things influencer marketing. They discuss personality tests' relevance to your career, the lady that would weirdly bring color swatches to your house in the 90s, the ins and outs of having a full-time job (with no intention of leaving) and a time-consuming side hustle, the importance of recognizing when something isn’t working for you and how to pivot, where the influencer world is headed, followed by Kate’s favorite topic: influencer PR trips. How do you vet and select people for trips? Are they always paid? How is it different when you’re invited on one versus coordinating one for your job? How do you track effectiveness and performance? Do you professionally lurk to find the right people and what if they don’t do a good job? Do you put people in middle seats on international flights? How does Kate get Arby’s to notice her? Kate has all the questions and Jenn graciously answers with incredible insight into the biz from a multitude of professional and personal angles. Also, she may have changed Kate’s mind about the Nsale, not an easy feat. Hope you enjoy!