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Today I have the absolute pleasure of interviewing Tiffany Goodman, one of my very own students! She is a lifestyle blogger with LESS THAN 300 followers and she is absolutely crushing it! She is landing brand deals, and making it all happen WITHOUT WIFI! Her story is inspiring, uplifting, and motivating.

Questions:

Rapid Fire Questions:

• Where are you from?
• What is your favorite quote?
• Every wednesday I have my students share their win of the week, so I would love for you to share one of your wins from this week with us!

QUESTIONS:

( 3:04 ) First I want you to introduce yourself and tell us your story leading up to when we met.

( 11:43 ) What made this time different than the times you wanted to start doing this previously?

( 13:01 ) How many followers do you have today as we record this podcast, because I want people to know this is possible for them!

( 14:09 ) Tell us about the brand deals that you have been landing! I can’t even keep up there are so many! I am so proud!

( 16:35 ) Something that I notice that you do so well is tagging brands in everything you do. Do you think that makes a huge difference?

( 19:30 ) What do you credit to being able to get all these brand deals?

( 24:45 ) What has been the biggest turning point for you? Or what was it that clicked to make this all work?

( 26:14 ) What does your normal day look like? I know you’re a mom and wife. I would love for you to share more about how you make this work with your life, because I know a lot of people think they don’t have time.

( 31:04 ) Do you think it is possible for anyone with a small following to land brand deals? Do you think there are certain qualities that someone needs to have to do so? Like mindset, hard working, etc?

( 35:01 ) What is your best piece of advice to people who want to become an influencer but are not confident or feel like they are ready?

( 41:54 ) How Tiffany makes it work WITHOUT WIFI!!!

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Links Mentioned

Land The Brand$ Masterclass Webinar: https://www.landthebrands.com/masterclass

Land The Brand$ Course: https://www.landthebrands.com/info

Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/thedailyinfluencers

Tiffany’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffany_goodman

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Complete Episode Transcript:

Erica James 0:07
Hey there, welcome to The Daily influencers podcast My name is Erica Marie Daily, former marketer and brand manager, turned your influencer marketing coach. On this podcast we help both influencers and brands, maximize their collaboration, grow on social media make more money and waste less time. Speaking of which, let’s jump right into today’s episode

Today I have the absolute pleasure of interviewing one of my students, her name is Tiffany. And she’s going to be such an inspiration to you guys because she has less than 300 followers right now. And she is landing brand deals left and right. And I am so proud of her. And I just think her story is going to be so so inspiring. So this is definitely an episode you don’t want to miss out on. And she shares something really, really cool at the very end. So listen to the whole thing. I hope it inspires you guys. And I just want to remind you, if you have not listened to the masterclass yet, make sure you guys tune in. I will put that in the show notes. All right, let’s get to interviewing Tiffany. And we’re gonna kick things off with some rapid fire questions. And the first question is, where are you from?

Tiffany Goodman 1:20
I am from Black Creek, Wisconsin, which is a little tiny town, which is right outside of Appleton, Wisconsin. Question two,

Erica James 1:29
what is your favorite quote,

Tiffany Goodman 1:31
don’t let doubts get to you. Because I’ve had doubts before. And a lot of people have doubts and they let them get to their head. And that’s what leads to not wanting to reach your goals.

Erica James 1:45
Totally. And I think that’s something that a lot of people deal with. So I love that quote so much. Okay, last Rapid Fire question. As you know, every Wednesday I have my students share a win of the week. And I would love for you to share with the audience, one of your wins this week.

Tiffany Goodman 1:59
I think it’s like three brands that have reached out to me this week alone. And I was surprised because usually I’m the one that has to go and reach out. But um, they reached out to me, I was not even expecting it. They weren’t even on my list. I just randomly just started talking about them. And they liked what I was talking about. So sometimes I think like when you overthink things that it doesn’t happen.

Erica James 2:27
Yes. And we’ll talk about that a little bit more, because I love the way that you’ve been posting, because the way you do it tagging all these brands, like it’s just getting their attention. And I think it’s something that I tell people to do often. But they don’t really take it seriously. They’re like, Oh, well, I’ll just pitch them when I’m ready. But there’s no point in not tagging every brand you can while you can if you’re already talking about them. So I love that you do that. And that concludes our Rapid Fire question. So now I would love for you to just first introduce yourself, tell us kind of your backstory leading up to when we met. And when you got started doing this whole influencer thing.

Tiffany Goodman 3:04
So my name is Tiffany Goodman. I am a lifestyle blogger on Instagram. And I originally started like a couple years ago. And I wasn’t really trying, I was just doing it for fun. And I saw these instagramers that were doing stuff that with it was like family related and I became pregnant. And I was like showing off all my stuff that I got when I was pregnant and all these baby things. And when Calvin was born, I decided to just take cute pictures of him just for fun. And I actually had a brand sin an AMA, which is a really big name brand that a lot of people use. They asked for my photo to use on their Instagram. And I said sure. And I’m like, Wow, this is so fun. So I just started doing it for fun. And then I was like watching people make money online. And I’m like, What are they doing that I’m like, I want to know what they’re doing. So I just pretended you know. And then eventually I ended up just not doing it just because it was just more fun. So then I ended up what did I have, I had like 50 followers on my Instagram when I originally started. And, um, I didn’t really get any followers because I really wouldn’t accept anybody following list because I had it set to private. And then finally back in September, I decided I was going to set it public and see if I could get some brands that see if they would see my account and stuff. And I was kind of struggling because I didn’t know where where to even start. And what led me up is when I saw a giveaway, I saw this giveaway and it was like huge and I went on the website to see how are all these people getting all of these Where are they doing this giveaway? Like, why do you have to follow all these counts for this giveaway? And I looked at it, and you pay and all this money goes towards this giveaway. And I’m like, that is so interesting. I’m like, What are these? I’m like, that is like, interesting. I didn’t know about this. So anyways, I just had that on the back of May. I’m just like thinking about that stuff. And all of a sudden, like googling stuff. And you know how your phone like, sometimes you’re looking up stuff, and then stuff will show up. So on stories, one night, I was looking at stories, just watching stories. And your story came up in my feed just about your programs. And I was like, Oh, my gosh, this looks like something I need to know about. Because she looks like she knows what she’s talking about. So I decided to try your free webinar. And I thought, Okay, I’m going to take her webinar, and I’m going to try to use that and see what I can do with that. So I thought I knew it, I’m like, I’m gonna try it. And then it didn’t really go as planned. And I kind of feel like webinars are a little bit of a teaser. And what I would recommend is webinars just to get you in like to see, this is what you could do. But I would recommend people don’t just go buy a webinar, because there’s so much more in depth. And I tried going off the webinar was funny as I try pitching out to a brand. And obviously, it didn’t even work. And I am kinda like, why would I I’m like, whatever. So it was just a learning experience for me. And I would just tell people, like, if you’re going to go for this, you just go give it your all. So anyways, that’s pretty much where it led up to

Erica James 6:44
that. Yes, and that’s a really good point. And I’ll touch on that real quick, because I encourage everybody to go watch the masterclass because it is an hour and a half. And it’s really, really good information. But I think a lot of people think like, oh, an hour long webinars gonna give me all the information I need. And honestly, I wish I could give you everything that you need in an hour. But there’s just so much information because this really is a career. And this is something that’s not taught in schools. Realistically, everyone in the industry is still trying to figure it out. And so you know, people go to college for four years to learn a trade. And yet they think they can learn everything about this in a one hour masterclass. And I’ll definitely say I’ve done this too, in the past for other things. And I wanted to learn it. And I’m like, oh, I’ll take the master class. And I’ll just learn it all and figure it out on my own. But like you said, it’s really just a great teaser. It’s kind of figuring out, okay, does this person teach? Well, do I like the way they teach and do I think they can get me to the end goal based on what they taught me in this one hour. And then if you do think that, you know, they did a good job in that one hour, just imagine what they could do with more hours of your time. And so I always get sucked into buying whatever they sell at the end. But that’s the whole point. And I know going in, that they’re going to sell me something and that it’s valuable. And that what I’m going to learn in the master class is valuable, which I can say not every master class teaches a lot, but I have jam packed mine full. So if you guys are interested in taking the master class, I’ll put the link in the description. But jumping back to your story, I would love for you to also share what you were doing before this because I know you kind of told your story on your Instagram stories that you were working out of school. And then I believe COVID came along. And you talked about how it really affected you, and how now what you’re doing has really been a positive blessing for you. And I’d love for you to just kind of tell that part of your story as well just so people can really understand where you are at right before you jumped into this.

Tiffany Goodman 8:45
Okay, so I was actually I worked in the kitchen at the school, and I was the cook for an elementary school. And back in March, we had no idea what’s going to happen. And um, which I just got back from maternity leave, I was on maternity leave probably for, I think nine months, which is a really long maternity leave. And so in March, I was back for six weeks. And I remember they were talking like, Oh, we might get some time off and I’m like, Oh, I wouldn’t mind like a week off, you know, and then all of a sudden, like a week turn into two weeks. And it went on and on and on. And I was like what am I going to do with a job because I cannot find a job right now. And I got really depressed this summer and I got a lot of anxiety because I didn’t know what was happening. And I kind of lost myself because I didn’t feel like I just felt worthless in a way because I’m like, I knew I had nothing to look forward to. I felt every day was the same. Nothing was nothing was changing. And then um Come September, or was October when I saw your webinar, or your thing on your stories. And I felt like that was the answer. And I’m like, I finally feel like I’m doing something right now. And I don’t know where I would be right now, if I did not see that webinar lay, I probably would still be depressed and like being sad about everything. But I’ve moved on from that, because I love that I am able to control what I’m doing now. Versus I don’t know, if I will have a job there. I mean, I’m on the sub list. So it could be a long time before I need to go back. They haven’t really given us a date.

Erica James 10:42
Yeah, and I love that story. Because I think a lot of people are going through that same situation where like, everything they were used to, and everything they were doing is now all of a sudden on pause. And you know, a lot of people put so much value in what they do or providing for their families, you know, and so having that getting taken away from you for so long, and just not really having an end in sight. I think a lot of people are really struggling with that. And you know, one of my favorite things about influencer marketing is that really, anyone can add it on to their plate. And it’s a great way to have an additional income. And then you think about with COVID, you know, everything’s going online, businesses are closing down their brick and mortar businesses, and just going completely online now. And so I really think that there’s like no better time to get into influencer marketing, just because everything is going that way. And so I think that it’s just a really great testimony that you have. And I know, I heard you say earlier that you had thought about doing this and then stopped What is different about this time versus last time.

Tiffany Goodman 11:43
Once I saw your webinar, and I saw, like, you can do this online, I just like something just clicked in me. And I’m like, I think I need to do this because if I’m not going back to a job I’m just gonna go for I’m gonna go for it. Because I’ve, I wanted to do it. But I just kept backing down because I didn’t even know like, where to start. And it just seemed overwhelming. And it was more of a hobby. But then once I saw your webinar and all the steps that you need to do to get to where you want to be. I was like, Okay, this looks promising. And I’m just gonna go for it.

Erica James 12:19
Yes, I love that. And I think sometimes it takes like losing that safety net and having that be removed for us to be like, Okay, what do I have to lose? like losing your job temporarily? Because the COVID? And who knows for how long? So you’re just like, Well, I have nothing else to do, why not just give it a shot. And so I think sometimes there’s that little silver lining, that’s a blessing in disguise that we don’t necessarily see in the beginning. But when you look back in hindsight, you’re like, oh, maybe I would have never done this if that didn’t happen to me. Okay. And because I know people are going to ask how many followers do you have today as we record this podcast? And if you don’t have the exact number, that’s okay. Just give us a guesstimate.

Tiffany Goodman 13:01
I believe I have 272 or 273. on that. I believe that’s, that’s about. It’s one of those two numbers. Perfect. And

Erica James 13:11
thank you so much for sharing that. Because one of the most common things I get when I talk to influencers or people that want to be an influencer is them saying, Well, I don’t have enough followers. And I can say all day long. But you know, I fortunately, and unfortunately, on my personal page, have a few 1000 followers. And so when I say it, they’re like, Well, yeah, you have 1000s of followers, like you just don’t know. But it helps so much when I have multiple students who can say, look, this is how many followers I have right now. And I’m making it happen. And so I just love for people to see the actual numbers because you are the poster child for what I preach. And I’m just so excited for everyone to hear how things have been going for you since you’ve been getting all of these brand deals. So what I’d love for you to do now is tell us about the brand deals that you have been landing because I can’t even keep up there’s so many of them. And I would just love for you to name off a few or if you have an idea of all the ones you’ve been connecting with recently that would be great.

Tiffany Goodman 14:09
Okay, so I’ll just name off the ones that I’m that I for sure have. razor the scooter company is sending me out a hoverboard. So I’m waiting for that to get in the mail. And I’ll be doing a review on that and crusties the bakery items, the stuff that you see in the store the pancakes and stuff. They are sending me out product to review for them. I believe it’s a product that they’re not getting enough attention for something or it might be a new item that they need more reviews on. And they actually reached out to me and asked me if I would like to do a review on these this certain product. I’m waiting to hear back from Mike’s mighty Rahman. They say they’re going to email me back in a little bit. So I’m just waiting to hear about from that. treadmill company wants me to do a five page story panel for them. And then I have a few that I’ve been working with and in conversation with at the moment. And some of them that I have reached out to, they said they would contact me back when that time comes, but I’m just like, I’m not going to wait around, I’ll contact them back and maybe like six months. Yeah, instead of waiting around, because they have like, 1000s of people that are reaching out to them. So even though they said that, I’m just gonna reach out to them anyways, and like six months, I did ask for the email, but they they said they would come I’m like, Okay.

Erica James 15:34
No, I love that. Because I always tell people, you know, brands are, of course, gonna say that. But unless you were like really somebody that stuck out, or they write down your name, the odds of them contacting you back are pretty low, just because you got to think they’re super busy. And they get that many more people contacting them in the meantime. And so leading up to the next time, they’re ready to do a campaign, they might not even look back at people they like promised they’d email back, they’re just going to look back at the last people that contacted them within the last month. So whenever a brand says they’ll reach back out to you, I think of it like, hey, if they do, that’s amazing, that’s like a bonus. But fortune really is in the follow up. And so do it yourself, reach back out to them. And so I love that you say that, you’re going to do that, because that’s exactly what I want you doing. And you know, another thing that I’ve seen you doing a lot, which we kind of talked about in the beginning, is that you’ve been tagging a lot of brands. And beyond just getting these collaborations, you’ve actually been getting a lot of really big shares, correct, like brand sharing you on their pages,

Tiffany Goodman 16:35
lots of shares, lots, even from celebrities, shares from celebrities, like, I just would tell people tag the crap out of everything. Well, don’t do it obsessively. Like there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. And the way I’m doing it is, I guess, the right way, because they’re reposting their resharing it and I do see people tag brands, but they don’t really like go into like, they don’t do it the way I do it. And, um, I feel like I shouldn’t say too much information, because they should learn that from your courses. But um, I know for me, I just, I just like to tag stuff. So that way I can remember later on when I’m putting in my highlight stories where to put it if I need to put it in the highlighted stories.

Erica James 17:26
Yes. And I always tell people that is the best foot in the door, because you already did it without them knowing which all a brand wants is for influencers that are truly passionate about their brand. And the best way for you to show that to a brand is hey, I talked about you even before I was talking to you about a collaboration. And then now you’ve had your name in front of their eyes. So they’ll remember your name. And you have, you know, examples of what it would be like if you worked with them. And especially if they reshare your content that just lets you know, like, hey, they obviously liked what I’m doing. So the odds of you landing a pitch down the road is a lot higher, and you’re on their radar now. And so there’s really no harm, no foul and tagging brands that you aren’t working with yet. Because it’s getting your name in front of them. And it’s getting your foot in the door. And it’s getting you attention on their page. And like you said, I know you had a celebrity page repost you, and they had hundreds of 1000s of followers. And so it’s just more exposure for you as well. So I think it’s great that you’re doing that. I wanted to pop in here while I’m editing this to give you guys a little tip. So if something like this ever happens to you where a big brand or celebrity or somebody repost your content, or somebody says something like a testimony, or shows that you’re doing a great shot a job, make sure to screenshot it, especially if it’s a story post because as we know, those go away in 24 hours. But this is really great evidence or social proof to use in your media kits, or when you’re pitching or just in general to show like, Hey, I know what I’m doing. Hey, look at this evidence that I have to prove. And so make sure that you guys are just collecting this evidence along the way and on your journey because these things are really important. And brands do like to see these things because we want to see that proof that you’re going to do a good job if we hire you. And what do you credit to being able to get all these brand deals? Do you feel like it’s a mindset Do you feel like it’s that you’re tagging them? Is there something that like really sticks out to you like hey, I think that’s what’s working for me.

Tiffany Goodman 19:30
A lot of it has to do with mindset and having goals set and not having unrealistic goals. And there’s so much competition out there. Like every you have to look at what you’re doing. What are you doing that and what are they doing? And what are you doing to make it seem really cool Are you just you have to make it you have to stand out. And if you’re doing the same thing everybody else is doing. It’s just it’s it’s not it’s It’s, you’re just gonna blend in with all of that. And like, I will do whatever I can to get noticed. And I’m just being myself like that is just who I am. And I sometimes get, like, in the beginning, I was a little shy. And I’m like, okay, don’t do that. Don’t do that. Because that is like going to be really weird. But I’m like, just do it, just do it, Tiffany, it’s going to be cool. It’s going to be awesome. And it turned out awesome. And now that I’m doing more reels, I have a lot more confidence. And believe it or not, but back in high school, I used to be very, I could not talk on camera I could not. It was just really bad. I actually my best friend’s wedding, I was the maid of honor. And I was supposed to stand up and talk and I just got stage fright. And a lot of this has to do with confidence, confidence as well. Because if you don’t have confidence, if you’re not going out there, you’re just going to be lukewarm. And you want to be like hot, you want to you want to give it your all. And that’s just, that’s my advice for that. Yeah.

Erica James 21:04
I love that. And I think a lot of times people think they need this competence right away, or they need to be perfect. And you know, this is a huge limiting belief for a lot of people. And I always tell people my story about YouTube. My very first YouTube video was absolutely horrible. You guys, I think I said like over 100 times. But that thing took off. And it is still my most watched YouTube video, it is still up and left it up. Because Hey, free views. But doing that video led me to the next video. And every single video I did I got better and better. And if and I knew at the time that video was crap, but I was like, You know what, I’m just gonna put it out there and see what happens. And I’m so glad I did. Because I still look back and I frickin laugh because I’m like, wow, that’s embarrassing. But you know what, what’s not embarrassing is the fact that I just did it. And I went for it. And I encourage everybody to do that. There’s a saying that I love where they say done beats perfect. And it’s still something I’m working on honestly, like even starting this podcast, everything I do, do, I think I could be better at it. Absolutely. But you only get better by doing it. But I think this is such a defense mechanism for people. And we all do it. We think that we need to be perfect before we start, but the only way to get to perfect is to just start and you’re not going to be perfect the first time, that’s just a fact. But luckily, if you’re just starting out, not that many people are going to see it if you don’t have a huge page, you know, you’re just try it out. And you can always delete it. That’s the one thing I do love about social media, besides going live is that if you record a story and you mess up, you can delete it and start over, but just start doing it and you’ll get your groove for it. And you’ll get that confidence when you practice. And the same thing goes with pitching like people are so scared to pitch because they’re scared of getting rejected. But you got to think the worst thing that can happen is you get an email that says, hey, I’m sorry, we’re not accepting you at this time. And maybe even better, they’ll give you advice that you can take and say something like, Hey, we want to work with people that have XY and Z. And now you know, for next time, once you have x, y and z, they’re going to accept you. And so that’s really great feedback. So next time you go to pitch them, you know, you’re going to get it because they just told you exactly what they’re looking for. But the worst thing that’s ever going to happen is they say no, and you get a lot of practice pitching. But every single time you pitch you get better and better. And then it just becomes you know, like second nature. It’s easy, but it’s never going to be easy the first time, nothing you do is so I think it’s really important that you said that. And I just wanted to really drive that home.

Tiffany Goodman 23:35
When I made my first edit my very first edit was horrible. I just video taped a lot of random stuff. And it made no sense. And it was just for practice. That’s another thing. I think people if they want to get better, just make pretend videos, and edit them and and like see what you can improve because I had no idea how to work any of these editing apps. And people can use there’s so many tools online. And now I know how to edit and it’s crazy. Like I’m not like a pro. But

Erica James 24:08
yes, that’s a really great point. And I think people should absolutely pretend to make real videos without ever having to post them because it’s great practice and you won’t know until you try and you can only get better every time you do it. And so if you just plan on your first few not ever being posted, by the time you actually post rather than being on your first video, you’re on your 10th win win for everyone. Okay, back to the questions. What would you say has been the biggest turning point for you or something that really clicked to make this all work? Like was there a moment in time when you’re like, Okay, once I did that, it all seemed to click

Tiffany Goodman 24:45
once I understood how to connect with the brand. It started clicking Okay, this is what I need to do. And then looking at who they’re working with and what My competition is with them. And what I need to do to improve myself because I mean, I obviously I’m just starting out and I’m going, I’m looking to improve myself every day. But um, I think the the clicking point was just like, looking at the relationship with these brands, and being like, Oh my gosh, this is actually happening, like, I am getting these brand deals, and this is what I’m doing. And I’m like, I can’t stop. I just got to keep going and going and going. And like, that’s just, that was how it clicked?

Erica James 25:37
Yes, for sure. Just seeing it actually happen, I think is a huge thing. But like, once it clicks, you’re like, Okay, this is for real, I’m actually doing it. And then from there, I think it really does take off. But again, the best way to do that is to actually start. So I think that’s really great. And then what is your normal like, day to day look like, I know, you’re a mom, you’re a wife. And I’d love for you to share more about how you make this work with your life. Because I know a lot of people think that they don’t have time, or you know, this or that will like my life’s just too busy. I’ll do it later. So I’d love for you to kind of talk about how you balance it and incorporate it.

Tiffany Goodman 26:14
My husband, um, personally, he is home during the week, he works Friday through Sunday. So he is home during the week to help. But he also he’s a hunter, so he goes out and hunts or he does his own thing. We kind of just get a schedule be like, Okay, do you have plans? And he says, Yeah, I’m going to go hunting tomorrow. So I try to write out a schedule of what we’re going to do. And, um, for me, I mean, I just blog when I’m able to, because if you’re on your phone, scrolling on Instagram, liking pictures and wishing like I could do this, why don’t you just do it now, like start, start making stories and in your stories and blog, your your life, because you’re wasting time, valuable time. And I just get I tried to get everything in the ugly and the pretty. And I’m not I don’t have a glamorous life. And I think a lot of people feel like, if they’re a parent, they have to have like, picture perfect house. And in reality, my house is a mess today. And I will tell you, sometimes I will just clean the kitchen and film in the kitchen because I’m like I I’m like I don’t have time to clean the living room at this moment. So I’m going to film in the kitchen today. And I’m going to have it nice and clean. And my living room will just have toys all over the floor. And I think a lot of parents feel that they have to have this perfect pitch this picture perfect house, because that’s what they see online, but they don’t see like their house might be cleaned. But their bathroom might be trashed with clothes all over like sometimes minor because my I have a laundry basket.

Erica James 27:57
Yeah, totally. And you know, I like to tell people all the time, people don’t want to follow perfect. Like there are of course influencers that paint this picture perfect life. And you know, some of them are successful, but people want real, they want the connection. And I think you know, this is something that I learned in a marketing quite a few years ago, I actually went to a conference and they were talking all about this topic. And even like in the entrepreneur world, it used to be like everyone was posting pictures of their super fancy cars and their super fancy houses. But it just becomes so unrealistic that you don’t actually connect with your audience, when you’re going that extreme. And I know that’s like an extreme case. But I think more and more especially like with everything going on this year, like people want to see real, they want it to be relatable or feel like the person they’re following is relatable. And so I think that when you can share, you know, not just the highlight reel. And obviously we don’t want to be depressing on our Instagram and share all the bad things. But when you can share like the reality of the things that are happening in your life, people can relate to that so much more than this picture perfect life that isn’t even really what the real life looks like. And so I think it’s important thing to note, and something else. I always tell people, even on my own stories, I will gladly admit that my feed is not ecstatic. I am not at all color coordinated. And my stories are not super fancy and put together like some of these bloggers You see, but the fact that I just show up and I put things out there even though they’re not perfect and fancy are gonna get me a lot farther than not doing enough because I want it to look perfect and match my feed and all of these things. And I think you know, there’s these professional influencers that have teams that can make their feeds aesthetic or there’s just people that are really good at that and I love that about them. I wish I had that. But I think it’s making people think that they have to have this picture perfect feed and stories that look so perfect and I just want to encourage people that that is not what sells and that is not what’s going to get you further so don’t put so much weight on having This picture perfect feed and these really pretty stories, because that’s not the point. And when you look, overproduced, it looks fake. So going back to being more realistic and being able to connect with people, the more commercialized you look in, the more like produced, the less real it is. So just get out there and do it. And don’t put so much attention on that aesthetic. If you can, and you’re good at it. Great. Please keep going. And I’d love to have one of you guys on the podcast to talk about how you do that, because I am not good at it. But just stop putting so much emphasis on it because it’s slowing people down. And so I think it’s really good that you mentioned that too, because it’s something that I always like to encourage people about, but I don’t think that I say it enough. And so I really wanted to drive that point home, I feel like I went on a little bit of a tangent there. But getting back to the questions I wanted to ask you, I know that people can get brand deals with any size following and I know that you feel that way too. But do you think that there’s certain qualities that people need to have on top of that? Like, do you have any pointers for people? Like in general?

Tiffany Goodman 31:04
Yeah, um, you need to be outgoing. And you have to not be afraid of the camera. If you have a small following, you need to prove yourself because you need to prove yourself, why are you different from everybody else? And you need to get out there. And if you’re afraid of like getting on camera, you’re you need to you need to give it your all, because what are you what are your What is your competition? And what makes you different? Because if you have to think your own accompany? And are you going to trust somebody with a small following that is just mediocre and not really giving it all like, whatever or are you going to trust somebody to has a similar follower account, but they are like, giving it their all and they have people interested, they’re going to go for the one that is like giving it their all. And if you don’t have that many followers, you need to prove yourself why you are different. And a lot of these brands that I’ve like one of them, they see that I am so dedicated to this because they actually I have rent the brands that I picked out, they started following me, and they actually watch my stories. And they see that I am so passionate about it, you need to be passionate, because if you’re not passionate about it, you don’t have you’re not, it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna work out the way that you want it to. And it’s not going to happen as soon as you want it to.

Erica James 32:36
Yes, you’re just coming in here with all of the great points. I’m so excited for everyone to hear this. But that wasn’t even anything that was on my radar. But you know, something that I teach, and I’m sure you obviously know this as one of my students is that there’s so much more to offer as an influencer than just your followers. So of course brands want more eyeballs on the products. But something that you do so well with your product reviews, is the way that you talk about products. And brands don’t just want eyeballs from your page, or to get in front of your followers, but they might actually want content. And so if you’re really great on video, which you are, and you’re great at giving these product reviews, a brand can absolutely pay you to create a video for their page, and they can share it on their page, or they can use it on their website, or on their ads or whatever. But there’s so many more things that influencers can do besides just posting on their own platform. And the best way for you to show those skills is to actually do it on your platform. And so while you don’t have this huge audience, if you’re tagging brands, and then they see the way that you’re talking on video, which like I said, is something that you’re great at, it then becomes on their radar, like, hey, let’s have this girl film some videos for us that we can use on our platform. And I know that something that’s been working really well for you. And so I do think it’s very important that everyone has a skill set, or something that really makes them stand out and something that is also valuable to a brand. So if you’re worried about your follower account right now, maybe just make a list of all the other qualities or skills that you have that are valuable to brands and really double down on those. And so for like you Tiffany, it would obviously be just the way you talk on video or the way that you talk about products and doing these reviews, and really start pitching brands like hey, I’d love to do a review for you that you can share on your profile and you can share on your Amazon store or add to a review on Amazon. I mean people there are so many tools that brands can get from influencers and if you want to learn more about those By the way, I have a whole podcast episode about 14 reasons why influencers are so valuable to brands. So very first episode I put out and it is so so good. And so I think that’s a great point. And then I’m really just gonna wrap it up because you’ve given so much great advice and you know I love that you’ve been able to share your story. But what would be your best piece of advice for people who want to become an influencer, but just don’t feel like they have the confidence Don’t feel like they’re ready,

Tiffany Goodman 35:01
highly recommend taking these courses. Because once you take these courses and you understand how it works, you’re gonna build a confidence because you’re going to be like, oh, okay, I needed to do that I had no idea. And don’t skip out, because all of these courses are valuable. And you’re going to learn so much. And, honestly, you need to have the confidence because if you’re not into going online and talking and stuff, maybe you just need to wait until you’re ready, because it has a lot to do with mindset. And I was in real estate in my past, and I sold my for I had my first buyer in one month. And I was like, on it, I was that Rockstar realtor that came in and was selling was getting people. And I didn’t use all the tools, I wasn’t getting myself out there. And I thought I had confidence. But I didn’t, I wasn’t utilizing all these tools. And it’s crazy. Because everything that your courses have, if I would have taken your courses, while I was in real estate, I probably would still be in real estate, and be like, a huge realtor. But um, I actually got out of it, because I just feel like I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Like it just felt like it was the same. And I felt like I was doing way too much work. And if I was if, honestly, like the courses that you have, the way that this works is almost similar to the same way of doing real estate in a way. But I didn’t have the right mindset. And right now like, if you want to get into it, you need to have the right mindset, you need to use all your tools you need to, you need to just get at it, and I am proof. If you look at my Instagram, don’t copy somebody else’s Instagram, because they’re gonna see that and they’re gonna think like, this is not who they are, be yourself, be who you are, if you’re gonna get the right audience, you don’t have to be a certain way to get people, you can just be yourself, you don’t have to like be, I don’t know how to say it. Like, if you’re weird, just embrace your weirdness, because you’re going to get people that are going to come in, and they want to see that. And if you’re, if you just have to embrace who you are, because people are going to see that because you get passionate about who you are. And those people will come in. If you’re not bracing, you’re who you are, you’re just gonna be mediocre. And it’s

Erica James 37:38
Yes, and I will drive all those points home for you. I mean, people are so afraid of sales and pitching and talking to brands really is sales because right you’re selling yourself, and why you’d be a good partner for them and why they should pay you to work for them. But when you think about life in general, I mean, everything you do is sales when I want to go to my favorite restaurant, versus my fiance’s favorite restaurant, like I’m gonna sell them on why my restaurant is better. And everything you’re doing in a conversation almost is sales, someone is always selling the other person whether you want to think so or not. Like when I asked Tiffany to be on this podcast, I had to sell her on why she should be on here? And not really I mean, of course, she said yes. But if she didn’t, I would have to sell her on why she should want to be on here. And so I think it’s really cool that you pointed that out with real estate. And it really does go very similarly. And with a lot of industries, because you are your own boss and real estate and you’re the one that’s happening to go out there and get the clients and get the deals. And so it is very similar to influencer marketing and a lot of ways and so are a lot of things in life. And so I love that this program isn’t just great for influencer marketing, but it’s great for life in general. And I swear I did not pay Tiffany to say that. And then your point to not copying people. I love that because I’ve had so many people come to me and say, Well, I don’t think people will follow me because I’m not this I’m not that, because they’re looking at these influencers that are this or that. And realistically, you’re not going to go anywhere. If you’re not yourself, people can see right through it if you’re not being authentic. And you know, just like you said, embrace your weird. There are people that are very similar to you that you are going to attract when you’re being yourself. And there’s an audience for every single type of person. And another example I’ve been told before, and this is funny, because this happens with my fiance is that sometimes it’s just the way somebody says something like me, and you can say the same thing. But different people are going to hear the message from me and take it then if they heard it from you, it might not click and so there’s just so many nuances that make certain people more attractable to other people. And there absolutely is an audience for every single type of person. And, you know, when I was even first thinking about posting fashion stuff, I was like, Oh, I need to get all these fancy outfits. And reality is that I’m in freakin yoga pants almost every day. And so when I actually started posting about you yoga pants more and actually what I was wearing, I was getting so many more sales. And so it’s like even within each niche, I think people look to the people that are already doing it big and think they have to be like them. And you absolutely don’t, they got big because they just did what they wanted and who they are. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get big being who you are within that same niche, even though it’s different from them. Because people want different, they don’t want to follow 20 of the same person. Trust me, I’ve done that before. And I unfollowed all of them. And when found people who were unique. So I’m going to go ahead and wrap this up. But Tiffany, I just wanted to tell you that I am the most proud coach, because you of all people, you know, when I first met you, you were just getting started. And you just took this by the horns and really made something of it. And I think as a coach, the hardest thing for me is always seeing so much potential in students they get started. And then seeing them take the course and then do absolutely nothing with it. And you have all people you know, from the outside looking in, most people will probably say like, Oh, well, she doesn’t have hardly any followers, she’s not going to be that successful. And you just went and prove them all wrong, and you stand for everything that I stand for. Because like I said before, I can sit and stand at the top of a mountain top and scream that you don’t need a lot of followers. But it takes people like you to really help me prove that point. And I’m just so so proud of you. And you know, this is something that takes time and you’re already killing it. And so I just cannot wait to see where you’re at in a year, five years, because truly the sky’s the limit with you and with your attitude. And with what you’ve been doing, you’re gonna go so so far. So I just cannot wait to see and we’re gonna have to do like an episode in a year and be like, okay, here’s where Tiffany was last year. And here’s where she’s at now. And it’s just gonna be a message to people like, Okay, get started now because this could be you in a year, what are you waiting for? And so I’m just so excited to see where you’re at.

Tiffany Goodman 41:54
One thing that I look forward to having, and I’m gonna be honest with with not having a job, I do not have Wi Fi. I’m probably the only influencer on Instagram that does not have Wi Fi. I do everything from my phone. And I tell people, you do not need any fancy stuff. But I know one thing I’m getting as soon as like, things sore off, I am getting internet because this has been the hardest thing. Do you know how many times I’ve had to go to the coffee shop like I’m here right now, using their Wi Fi because my data has slowed down. I am like I am doing whatever I can to get there. I will go and buy coffee just so I can use their Wi Fi. Because I have got to be consistent, and I have to show up. And yeah, I’m like, I’m like, Oh my god, I need Wi Fi so bad. But we we are very humble people. My husband and I and we just try to live as simple as we can. But now I’m like, I really really need internet because I can’t keep doing this. This is like really hard. I’m like, people probably think I have like Wi Fi and they would be shocked to find out like no, I don’t I have Wi Fi.

Erica James 43:03
That’s amazing. And I’m so glad you shared that because that’s just another example of like, you know, the people that make things happen, make it happen regardless. And you know, the excuses that other people have that I hear all the time are nothing compared to you just being like, Hey, I don’t even have Wi Fi and I made it work like that is just amazing. So I’m so glad you told that story. Holy cow, you guys, how great was that interview with Tiffany, I’m so glad that she agreed to come on and share her story because I hope that really inspired so many of you guys. And if you want to follow her, please do her name is at Tiffany underscore Goodman. on social media, I’ll make sure to link it in the show notes. And number two, if you guys ever have any questions reach out, if you’re worried you want to get started, you don’t know where to start. Our Instagram actually has a step by step system for you guys to get started, which includes the master class, which is amazing. Start there. And then hopefully we can get you guys in one of the programs so that you can have the same success that Tiffany’s having. But again, I just want to be a resource for you guys. So thank you again for tuning in to this week’s podcast. I’ll see you guys next year. Thank you so much for listening. If you liked what you heard, it goes a long way if you could take 30 seconds and leave me a five star review and share this podcast with your friends. All right, you guys. I’ll see you on the next episode.