Influencer Building your personal brand in the age of social media

Online fame-seekers will find a useful resource in this guide to social media success from Hennessy, Hearst Magazines Digital Media's senior director of influencer strategy and talent partnerships. She has paid five figures to the owner of a famous dog and six to a makeup vlogger, and here intends to help eager amateurs become new talent, utilizing the art and science of influence. According to Hennessy, her book is the only one on the subject, geared, naturally enough, toward young readers already well-versed in social media. Her audience is content creators, whose product is "authenticity," rather than celebrities, whose product is fame. She aims her advice at would-be influencers at every stage, whether they are building their communities, creating brands, or monetizing those brands. Readers will learn the nitty-gritty of choosing a name ("You can make your name as simple or as complicated as you like as long as it's easy to promote"), approaching an agent, building an audience, and drawing media attention. For the aspiring stars of Instagram and other social media platforms, her upbeat work-"Why not you?" she asks brightly-will provide encouragement and assistance. Agent: Steve Ross, Abrams Artists Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Influencer" refers to people who have amassed a large following on social media, to the point of steering purchasing and lifestyle patterns. They have successfully moved from collecting "likes" to monetizing content. So how does one become an influencer? Hennessy (senior director, Influencer Strategy and Talent Partnerships at Hearst Digital Media) shares a three-step approach to making the leap: building community, packaging your brand, and monetizing your influence. She provides specific tips on finding and keeping followers by crafting a profile that is both organic and marketable. If brands are noticing your influence, says Hennessy, you need advice on negotiations and the contract process. While admittedly written for female audiences, this book will appeal to male readers as well, who will find many takeaways. Even if you're far from "influential," the cautionary anecdotes about influencers behaving badly are worth the read. VERDICT Recommended for anyone ready to monetize their social media platforms while remaining true to themselves.-Jennifer Clifton, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.