INFLUENSTER
INFLUENSTER – Why I Quit & Gave Up All The Free Products
I started Influenster over a year ago, wait, have you ever heard of Influenster? First let me explain.
It’s a company where you can go online and read product reviews, but also, if you’re a social media ‘influencer’ then you can collaborate with them. If you qualify, meaning, if you fit the demographics they are looking for and you have a descent amount of followers, you’ll get boxes of free products. And all you have to do is show them off on your social media channels.
Doesn’t that sound fantastic? Well, it is until it isn’t.
Influenster Badges – Everything Comes With A Price
In the picture shown above, that was my first ever package, valued at over $450. I was on cloud nine. All these ‘free’ products and all I had to do was promote them on my social media channels.
Unfortunately, these products weren’t really free. I had to promote the products and Influenster. So that means I had to fill all my social media feeds with Influenster every time I got a box.
As soon as I received a package I had to log on to my account, follow their instructions, and finish the projects so I could earn badges. The more badges I earned the more likely I’d get picked for the better and more expensive campaigns later on.
Influenster Deadlines – You Better Work, B*tch
How did I earn these badges? I had to create content based on the products that I received and then post them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. So I had to create pictures and post them on my social media accounts by their deadlines. That’s right, there were deadlines that I had to meet or else I wouldn’t earn my badges, which would make it harder for me to qualify for future campaigns.
Why does this suck? My life is already kinda hectic as is, and adding deadlines did not make me happy. I did not like the pressure and obligation I felt to promote all these free products. I have a type A personality, and I spend a lot of time on my projects, I don’t just post crap. It was all just too time consuming.
Sell Out
Also, I’m pretty picky about what goes on my Instagram account. I like that it looks aesthetically pleasing. But with all the Influenster content it made my account look like advertisement. Duh, and that is why I’m getting all the ‘free’ stuff because I’m advertising the products and Influenster. And who likes constant commercials and advertising? I honestly felt I was sacrificing my integrity for free products that I didn’t even need.
Influenster – The ⊕Pros & ⊗Cons:
Pros:
⊕ You get free products: Beauty products, clothes, pet supplies, cleaning supplies, food, etc.,
⊕ Try out new products and enjoy stuff you probably would’ve never spent your own money on.
⊕ Free content that you can use for your blog or youtube channel.
⊕ Perfect if you’re budgeting and you wanna get stuff for free.
⊕ It can be a fun hobby if you have the time.
Cons:
⊗ You don’t get to choose which campaigns you want to be a part of, it’s a surprise.
⊗ It floods your social media with advertising. Your social media accounts look like billboard signs.
⊗ Your followers will get sick of seeing all your advertising. You’ll probably lose followers and engagement from them. You won’t receive as many likes.
⊗ There are deadlines that must be met, if not, you’ll probably not be chosen for the better campaigns in the future.
⊗ You don’t always like the stuff you receive, but you still have to promote them on your social media accounts or else you can’t earn badges.
Influenster Products Aren’t Free, They’re Earned
⊗ The customer service is mediocre and unorganized. There were times I didn’t get credited for completing a task, which means I didn’t get my badge, and the effort/work I put in was for nothing.
⊗ No monetary compensation. You’re only compensated with free products.
⊗ My blog and social media accounts didn’t feel genuine with all the advertising.
⊗ Stuff goes to waste. Unnecessary Items. In reality I didn’t really need all the stuff I was getting for free. It started to clutter up.
⊗ All these products aren’t really free because you have to spend your time and energy creating and promoting content based on the products you received by their deadlines. It takes up a lot of time, especially if you already have a busy schedule.
⊗ Big time waster.
I Don’t Really Need All The ‘FREE’ Influenster Products After All
I immediately noticed after I posted my first Influenster campaign to Instagram that engagement from my followers dropped quite drastically. The likes were way less than my normal pictures. And at first I didn’t care because I was just so happy to get boxes filled with free products, but now I do care. I hate that I have to sacrifice engagement for objects that I don’t really need.
And that’s the thing, I don’t really need all these products. I have a pretty comfortable life, I can afford everything that I’ve already received for free. A lot of the stuff that I was lucky enough to get I didn’t even use. I have sensitive skin and allergies, which means I have to be picky about the stuff that I put on my skin. A lot of the products that I got have gone to waste because I never even used them. (The blush shown above, I didn’t like at all. It had no pigmentation. I didn’t like the way it looked on my cheeks, and it went to waste.)
I Disliked A Lot Of Products
I didn’t save any money while I was collaborating with Influenster because I still went out and purchased my holy grail products. For example, below are two pictures, on the top is a bareminerals foundation, and below is a small fragrance bottle from Marc Jacobs (I hated the scent, btw), both I got for free. I haven’t used either one of them, because I use a Chanel foundation and I wear my favorite fragrance from Jo Malone.
INFLUENSTER Is Time Consuming
I have nothing against Influenster. I did not create this post to bash them. I just wanted to inform everyone that it is a time consuming hobby. Obviously if they’re giving stuff away for free they want to get their exposure. It was a fun learning experience.
INFLUENSTER is perfect for :
- Youtubers or bloggers that want free content for their channels.
- Anyone that is on a budget & can’t afford to buy blogging/youtube material.
- College students
- Stay-at-home moms: ideal if you need extra stuff but don’t have a lot of money to spend.
- Makeup lovers.
- Influencers that have a lot of time on their hands.
- Beginning bloggers, youtubers, or social media accounts that need content or topics.
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Have a beautiful day 🙂
I loved your post… At first it does feel amazing to have received free products and later on you realize that those aren’t of any use… The products you received were pretty good though! ?
Author
Thank you so very much 🙂 I thought Influenster was a fun experience, but too time consuming. The only reason I stuck with it for so long was because I got some fabulous stuff, but I never really used a lot of it. I completely recommend it though. Hope you have a beautiful day!
I am registered on it but don’t use it much…and I totally agree with you on the fact that it’s time consuming..I did a few posts on Instagram for few products but now I feel it’s much worth to concentrate on my blog. When in free space, will try influenster as I have to figure it out on how to go with it ??
Author
I completely agree with you, lovely. If you ever need any help with Influenster or have any questions, just let me know. I’d be glad to help.
Very informative. Well written post
?Thank you!
Great post! I’ve been working with Influenster since I started blogging three years ago. You do make some really good points that I agree with. The different tasks to receive badges and more boxes can definitely be time consuming. I work full-time and try to socialize with my friends, family, and boyfriend as much as I can. Sometimes, it’s a struggle trying to make time to review the products, sample them, and post about them on your social media. But I guess that’s the downfall of these “free” products. You give up your time, effort, and creativity for free products while the brands basically get free promotion. Both parties benefit from it.
Valerie | avecvalerie.com
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
I joined Influenster last year then deleted my account because I didn’t think I was doing it right. I almost rejoined but thankfully I read your post first. As a food blogger and someone who is incredibly picky about what products I use on my face and in my hair, I wouldn’t benefit from a random box of stuff. As you said, I would be totally worried about alienating my IG audience. Thanks for the warning!
Author
I completely agree with you. Both parties do benefit. I kinda miss Influenster even now, I miss receiving free packages, but I don’t miss the deadlines or earning badges or writing reviews or not being able to pick which campaigns I want to be a part of. I’m glad you’re happy with your experience with Influenster, hope you keep getting amazing stuff!
Author
Lol, that’s exactly what I learned from my experience with Influenster. That’s exactly the point of this blog post, you’re not getting anything for free, you gotta work for it 🙂
Author
That’s exactly why I wasn’t too thrilled about my experience with Influenster also. It was just a box of random stuff, and sometimes it was amazing and sometimes it was not, but I still had to promote just the same. I did feel like my IG account felt like it was too much advertising. I’m so glad you took the time out to read my post, so glad that it was helpful and that you can understand where I was coming from. Hope you have a beautiful day!
Author
Btw, lovely, I tried leaving you comments on your blog and it wouldn’t let me. I ‘liked’ several of your blog post. LoL, loved reading your post about the murderino event you went to “about the time she found a human head (it’s never a mannequin)” so cute & funny. Hope you have a beautiful day.
I used to use influenster but I have it up too! It’s so great to hear your story
http://www.petiteelliee.com
Ellie xx
Author
Thanks so much, lovely! I appreciate the feedback 🙂
I totally get where you are coming from. I collaborated with hem in the past as well. However, I don’t see why you need to promote the products in the manner you implied. If I did not like the product I would still post on IG and whatnot, but I would make it clear that the product did not meet my standards which is something that my followers actually appreciated.
Sill, a great post. thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with the service.
Overall, I also agree that there is quite a few things to do which might not make it worth it for everyone. Personally, I also gave up the service.
Author
Nana, thank you so much for the feedback. So glad you can relate to the post. Hope you have a beautiful day 🙂
Hi! Late to the party but I just came across your post. I joined Influenster about a year ago and it sounds like things have changed since you were using it. Every so often I get email surveys for a voxbox, and at the end of the survey it lists the campaigns I can opt-in for & the social media requirements for each. I’m really glad this is the case now vs the surprise system that you had to deal with, I wouldn’t have liked that at all!
Author
Elise, better late than never 🙂 Thanks so very much for the lovely feedback. It sounds like Influenster is a lot better now. It seems as if it is a lot more user friendly for everyone. Glad it is working out well for you. Hope you have a beautiful day.
Really honest and thorough review of that program. Much appreciated and helpful for influencers looking to get involved.
XX Angelica
https://eraenvogue.com
Author
Thanks so very much, Angelica. So glad you enjoyed this post. I sincerely appreciate the lovely feedback 🙂
Hi! Do you think it would be worth in terms as a “practice”/ learn to figure out social media marketing? I have no interest in revealing my face on a public account but I do wanna try Influenster but like any other teen I am a little skeptical about my privacy. I do know it might be a little time consuming, but if it would be worth my experience I think i’d wanna go for it.
Author
Tiara, most definitely. As I mentioned in the article, Influenster was a great learning experience. You learn about deadlines, collaborating, and you get experience working with major brands. Influenster mainly picks people that have a good following, so if you’ve got the followers and engagement, maybe Influenster will be a fun experience for you 🙂
I get surveys all the time and fill every one of them out. I have been a member for five years and only received one jar of face cream. I am 60 years old. I began to wonder why I wasn’t getting boxes because I wear makeup every day. I love eyeshadow pallets and wear it all! Now I know it is due to my age.
Author
I’m sorry to hear that Influenster hasn’t provided you with hardly any boxes. It also matters how big of a social media presence you have online. They pick people with a good amount of followers so they can advertise for them. Regardless of your age, if you have a huge following you would get more boxes for sure. Subscribe to my blog, lovely. I do luxury skincare & makeup giveaways 🙂 Have a beautiful day!
You can always give stuff away! I know I’d be super happy, especially if I knew you/knew the products were only used with clean brushes etc.