Becoming a Toronto Influencer: Interview with Patti Alex
A few weeks ago, I had an amazing opportunity to interview social media influencer, Patti Alex. She has a following on Instagram and TikTok – her primary platforms – where she focuses on lifestyle content. Alongside consistently posting on social media, Patti is an influencer for the blog Todo Toronto. During the interview we discussed her experience as a lifestyle influencer in Toronto, and she provided tips to those who are looking to start creating content.
It’s difficult to get started on social media – especially when you don’t know where to start. I asked Patti what inspired her to become a social media influencer, and how she got started. Patti got started during COVID, when she uploaded a video for fun that ended up going viral. From there, she gained her first collab. Patti recommended “giving yourself room for you to grow, and then negotiate higher paid prices. If you’ve gotten better than (you) deserve better.” She says, the worst they can say is no.
There are so many social media platforms out there that it is hard to determine which one is better for you. I asked Patti which platforms were her favourite for connecting with her audience. Her response was Instagram: stories are a great way to maintain engagement and help your followers stay up to date with you. The platform makes it easy to engage with your followers. She says she tries to keep her content on Instagram more aesthetic as she feels it reaches more people. Her second platform of use, TikTok, is where she shows her more authentic side.
I asked her if she could share challenges she faced while building an online presence. She says that it’s not guaranteed that your video will go viral despite the effort you put into the directive process or editing. Patti shared that she often felt disappointed with herself if a video didn’t do well, especially when she had spent a lot of time and energy into producing it. What kept her going was discipline. Other challenges she encountered were comparing herself to other content creators, going through trial and error with her videos to figure out what worked and struggling to find time to balance work and content.
A large part of being an influencer are brand collaborations. I questioned how she was able to decide which brands to collaborate with based on her personal criteria. Patti’s niche is lifestyle. Despite being reached out to by a variety of brands, she was more open to accepting collabs from brands who were within her niche. If she didn’t see herself using the product then she didn’t promote it. She recommends looking at the brand’s content to see if it aligns and resonates with what you believe in and want to put out as a creator. For her future, she hopes to maintain the collabs she has, and aims to get more paid collabs vs. gifted collabs.
We spoke more about one of the challenges she encountered while starting out as a content creator. I asked her to explain further how she was able to find time for her personal life while creating content consistently. Patti says that she had to build a routine. “Think of it as a 9 -5,” she said. “I spent that time answering emails, editing, creating and planning content and reaching out to brands for collabs.” Her focus was not to get burnt out. She made sure to set boundaries around taking time for herself.
Towards the end of our interview, I questioned Patti on the advice she would give to girls who are starting out. She suggests just posting and learning through trial and error. “Don’t be afraid to post all the time,” she said. “Just be yourself.” Regarding reaching out to brands, she recommends direct messaging brands through a social media platform and asking for an email. It’s important to build a portfolio based on the content you have created. Regarding a portfolio, Patti suggested adding a little bit about yourself, your social media insights and demographics, examples of past content creation and your email. For those who are waiting for brand collabs to build a portfolio, she says, don’t wait! Build your portfolio using products you already have and don’t be afraid to reach out to brands with your work.
Above all, Patti constantly advised to have a good time while creating content. She encouraged those who are afraid to start creating content with what they already have. So for the girls out there who are scared of starting a career with social media – remember to post what is true to you and enjoy the experience!