Why Micro Influencers Experience Burnout

What causes a micro influencer to experience burnout (and how to cope with burnout)

“They just stopped doing content. When creators do try to speak out on being bullied or burnout or not being treated as human, the comments all say, ‘You’re an influencer, get over it.’” Truly, no more relatable statement was ever spoken in a report from The NY Times: Young Creators Are Burning Out and Breaking Down.

Over all, micro influencer burnout comes from constant negative attention, desperation for something they don’t know how to have, not knowing how long success will last, etc. These were among some of the sources of micro influencer burnout given by Vox.com: The Influencers Are Burnout, Too.

So, which burnout struggles resonates with you?

1. Expectation that you shouldn’t have human emotions causes micro influencer burnout

Truly, “You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.” – Pam Moore ✨ Remember, sharing your journey with your audience is key. When you share your path to success, goals, accomplishments, and revelations (along your business journey and your transparent struggles), you cultivate a more trustworthy community. Pam says, “being human beings with your community” is invaluable as an micro influencer fighting burnout.

2. Micro influencer burnout from overwhelm of constant negative attention

In the end, “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth” – Ted Rubin | “Social media is not just an activity; it is an investment of valuable time and resources. Surround yourself with people who not just support you and stay with you, but inform your thinking about ways to wow your online presence” Sean Gardner. The truth is, in the online space, you open up the door for more vulnerability and unwarranted opinions. However, you can be proactive in who you let into your community.

So, follow along with people who inspire you, help you, and support you. Also, you can even hire a virtual assistant to filter through particularly hateful or negative feedback. Receiving constructive criticism is important. But unnecessary, negative, or hateful attention can be removed.

3. Desperation for what they don’t understand develops micro influencer burnout

“Nothing BIG will happen in your life, until you build off of the many SMALL things” – John Paul Aguiar. The best decision I ever made for my business was investing in a mentor and coach. Sometimes, when we are online creating and so close to our vision, our perspective is clouded. Business owners need someone who’s several steps ahead of us. We need someone who understands and appreciates our mission. It’s these decisions that can lead to incredible clarity as a micro influencer.

4. Not knowing how long success will last creates micro influencer burnout

“Our digital future is about enabling better productivity and decision making to enjoy a better quality of life.” – Yacine Baroudi. In general, there are always going to be fears when taking risks, especially when it involves putting yourself out there online. It all comes back to “why” you are showing up at all. What pain points do you solve for your audience?

Have you been in your audience’s shoes? What can you do to make their life easier, more joyful, or better? These are the questions you should be asking. If your “why” is simply to make money, that success is going to be short-lived. Don’t get me wrong, money does matter. In the end, you need money to keep your micro influencer business going. But, money shouldn’t be your only reason for being a content creator.

Lifestyle Coach’s Wellness Retreat in Greece Benefits Micro Influencer Burnout

Entrepreneur you should know as a micro influencer: Kat Paraskevopoulos

Kat’s business: Kat Health Fitness & Eyia Retreats & Eyia Wellness

She “doesn’t believe in a one size fits all approach. We all have different bodies and challenges and stresses to overcome. She understands that your environment, relationships, career, school, time, and spirituality all play a role in your health and lifestyle.” Her Eyia Retreats “take the inspiration, lessons, freedom, and joy from your retreat experience back into your daily life” (kathealthfitness.com).

Primary Channel: Instagram

Other Channels: Facebook group, Email marketing, Eyia Retreats blog

Time to First Dollar: Kat started her Instagram as a blog and way to share her healthy lifestyle between 2012 and 2013, with no intention at first to monetize it. She became a personal trainer and started coaching group fitness between 2013 and 2014. Her business officially started in 2018 when people started asking her for one on one help with their nutrition and fitness.

Kat’s pricing growth, revenue streams, and micro influencer advice:

Pricing Growth: Kat used to charged $75 for one month of one on one coaching. Now, Kat’s eight week wellness coaching one on one program which includes a detailed intake process with wellness review, food journal, and habit evaluation. It includes one sixty to seventy-five minute intake session (via phone/Zoom), seven 30 minute follow-on sessions (via phone or Zoom), tailored meal guidance, and customized Lifestyle and Action Plan.

Over all, this action plan is based on you, your body, lifestyle plus goals. You also receive unlimited access to her Virtual Fitness Membership, and access to a user-friendly platform for notes, and easy tracking. The total cost of this is $1778. Kat’s program provides long lasting results built from key lifestyle and mindset changes.

Rev Streams: Kat’s revenue streams include one on one coaching, Virtual Fitness Membership (live virtual group fitness classes), Retreats (via her company, Eyia Retreats), Corporate Wellness Consulting and Programs (via her company, Eyia Wellness). Want to learn how to make money as a micro influencer? Take a look at this blog post on making money as a micro influencer.

Kat’s favorite actionable advice:

In the end, there will never be a perfect time, the ideal situation, or an exact moment to start going after your dreams. You just have to start. Investing in yourself is the best decision you will ever make. Kat says she is still leaning into this mindset.

Some of Kat’s Story: No doubt, being true to yourself is the key to success. Kat is multi-passionate and everything she does makes sense because it is authentic to her. It took Kat a long time to see her business this way. She loves to share what she’s passionate about, educated in, and experienced with. If she can leave you with advice today, it would be, don’t be afraid to take the first step and try! What do you have to lose? You can always change your mind, adjust things, shift, or even go back to where you were. In conclusion, this is your one life, so go for it.

Do you know a content creator who’s going full reroot? Direct message or email reroot@morgantyner.com.

Uprooted on Twitter to help micro influencer burnout:

“I invest in people…. @Societygal retweet from Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon

Money and Finances as a Micro Influencer Overcoming Burnout

When smaller is better as a micro influencer:

“As the name suggests, a micro-influencer has a smaller following. And in our work with these types of influencers, we have found they have stronger relationships built on expertise and trust with their followers. A micro-influencer serves more niche audiences and can be beneficial to a brand because they provide access to a small subset of a targeted demographic interested in your business” Forbes). Due to that tight-knit, targeted, reach brands will pay an upwards of $1k’s to partner with micro-influencers.

Honestly, you can’t sit back and watch the money roll in as a micro influencer. Network and connect with not only brands you love, but other content creators who have worked with those brands. Basically, expound on your worth to those dream brands. Less is more, and you don’t need a dozen partnerships, per month, to make good money. You just need a handful of authentic, intentional, targeted partnerships. Take a look at some incredible brands here on my partnership page.

Create courses, get paid as a micro influencer:

So, let’s talk about Skillshare. In general, Skillshare is an American online learning community for people who want to learn from educational videos. The courses, which are not accredited, are available through subscription. “Over all, the majority of courses focus on interaction rather than lecturing, with the primary goal of learning by completing a project”(Wikipedia). Incredibly, Skillshare allows you to get paid off course views as well as affiliate referrals to the platform.

Unfortunately, many micro influencers are unable to create online courses. The inability comes from lack of funds to buy a course-hosting platform. Thankfully, Skillshare gives the option to create online courses and get paid in two different aspects. It keeps content creators from having to own a course hosting platform. However, that is still recommended should your finances allow.

Business Advice for Micro Influencers Overcoming Burnout:

Email isn’t dead: Even In 2021, email marketing is a tool that gives you the ability to create a interconnected and undisrupted buyer’s journey. More importantly, email marketing allows you to build relationships with leads, customers and past customers. Remember, it’s your opportunity to speak directly to them in their inbox, at a time that is convenient for them (lonefircreative.com). Coupled with the right messaging, email can become one of your most impactful marketing channels.

Here are email stats that micro influencers should know:

• Organic reach is around 4x higher on email than on social media.
• Mail generates $38 for every $1 spent, which is an astounding 3,800% ROI, making it one of the most effective options available.
• Marketers who use segmented campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue.
• Click-through rates are 100.95% higher in segmented email campaigns than non-segmented campaigns. (lonefircreative.com)

If you are unsure about email marketing, I strongly encourage you to develop your own email marketing strategy. You don’t have to be super fancy about it, especially starting out. Do you have questions about the best email platforms? If so, join The Reroot email subscription. You’ll learn more about ActiveCampaign in these emails.

Tech, Tools, and Training for Micro Influencers Overcoming Burnout

Make finances quick & easy: Quickbooks is an accounting software package developed and marketed by Intuit. Products are geared mainly toward small and medium-sized businesses. It offers on-premises accounting applications as well as cloud-based versions. Amazingly, Quickbooks accepts business payments, manage and pay bills, and payroll functions (Wikipedia).

Truly, one of the biggest pain points influencers face is not keeping track of bookkeeping, budgeting, etc. Until you treat your influencer content creating as a real business, it will never be one. Quickbooks is SO user-friendly, organized, & affordable. It’ll change the finance game for your small business!

Oils and entrepreneurship: An extremely simple way you can make your work space more efficient is via oil diffusers. Specifically, the doTERRA “Balance” oil creates a refreshing work environment. DoTerra perfectly blends Spruce, Ho Wood, Frankincense, Blue Tansy, and Blue Chamomile with Fractionated Coconut Oil to offer an enticing fragrance. The fragrance creates a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere. The “Balance” oil was used by Native Americans for health and spiritual reasons and is still used today to bring harmony to the mind and body (doTERRA). If you want a quality oil diffuser to go with your “Balance” oil click here.

Making your home office space (and work space in general) peaceful, relaxed, and motivating is crucial. Take something natural and healthy (like doTERRA diffusers plus oils) to make your work day much more productive, peaceful, and positive.

Podcast to help micro influencers with burnout:

In one of the latest The Curious Hero Podcast episodes, you’re going to learn some golden nuggets about the business of micro influencers. Big brands often over-look social media marketers with less than 100,000 followers. This is just fine with Morgan Tyner as she knows exactly what small businesses need and helps micro-influencers fill the void left on social media. Don’t miss two golden nuggets during our conversation today that could cost you thousands of dollars in future earnings online as an influencer. (curioushero.com)

There is big business opportunity for small businesses that work with the right influencers online. Morgan helps micro influencers have less overwhelm, more money, and healthy boundaries when authentically growing online.