As an influencer, you should be able to accept criticism from your audience. Critiques of influencers, after all, are inevitable. Although, it’s important to actively do your best to avoid producing content that might disappoint or even upset your audience.
Even the most popular influencers make mistakes! Here are 8 of some of the top critiques of influencers, in no particular order, and how to steer clear of similar negative perceptions.
1. Kendall Jenner & Pepsi’s tone-deaf ad
Pepsi jumped on the social movement bandwagon following a period of brands taking a stand and designed a campaign referencing to the Black Lives Matter protests.
The campaign was very poorly thought out, and the inclusion of Kendall Jenner, a white supermodel of status and wealth, didn’t sit well with viewers.
Jenner ended up getting slammed for looking foolish, and Pepsi just came off as insensitive and ignorant.
2. Olivia Jade’s bribery case
A few years ago, social media influencer Olivia Jade and her sister were found to have been illegally admitted to USC after it was revealed that their mother bribed the college with $500,000.
The Internet went absolutely berserk over the nationwide scandal. Sephora and Unilever severed their partnerships with Jade immediately, she lost tons of subscribers and followers, and she’s still currently facing the aftermath.
3. Tupi Saravia photoshopping clouds
Travel influencer Tupi Saravia faced backlash after users pointed out that many of her Instagram posts had the same cloud formations. Saravia admitted later to photoshopping her pictures to add clouds into the backgrounds after screenshots of her account went viral.
While some laughed at the incident, others found her inauthenticity distasteful.
4. Kim Kardashian violating FDA laws
Kim Kardashian made a potentially expensive mistake by posting a picture promoting the morning sickness drug, Diclegis on her Instagram but didn’t list the full side effects.
This is required when marketing pharmaceutical products. The FDA issued a warning letter to Kardashian, taking the Internet by storm. She was ordered to delete the post and reupload it with the side effects listed.
5. Tana Mongeau’s “marriage” with Jake Paul
Back in the summer of 2019, almost 70,000 people paid $50 each to watch a livestream of Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul’s wedding. Viewers complained about the stream’s low quality and that the wedding started hours late. Even worse, it was revealed soon after that the wedding was actually fake.
Viewers were left angry and immediately attacked Mongeau, deeming her as “fake” and untrustworthy.
6. Naomi Campbell’s copy & paste mishap
Naomi Campbell obviously hadn’t read through her Instagram caption when she joined with Adidas back in 2016. The supermodel had nearly 3 million followers at the time and had posted a picture of her posing with a new pair of Adidas shoes.
Unfortunately, she copied and pasted the full message and posted without removing the instructions from Adidas. It was a mistake that led to fans mocking both the influencer and Adidas.
This goes to show that not only do critiques of influencers affect the influencers themselves, but also the people, brands, and businesses they collaborate with.
7. Caroline Calloway scamming fans
Caroline Calloway rose to fame in 2015 after she secured a book deal. She began promoting what she called her “creativity workshops” to present across the country at the end of 2018 and announced that she would gift every attendee with a personalized care package, a garden in a mason jar, and a flower crown.
However, things soon fell apart. Calloway realized she bit off more than she could chew a few months after she began promoting the workshops. She said that she regretted not charging more for them on her Instagram stories.
Her DC and NYC shows did end up taking place, but guests were disappointed by the low quality. There was no care package, no flower crown and no personalized, handwritten notes. Thus, Calloway was declared a scammer by many attendees.
8. Sarah Elshamy’s backstage slip-up
Influencer Sarah Elshamy paired with Huawei to be the face of an ad promoting their newest Nova 3 phone, which shows Elshamy and her co-actor taking a selfie with it.
However, Elshamy released behind the scenes photos on her Instagram, which revealed that the selfie was actually taken with a professional DSLR camera and not, in fact, the Nova 3.
She took the photo down within 24 hours, but it was too late – the damage had been done. The picture was out there, shared, and the Internet never forgets – and rarely forgives!
So, how are you, yourself, able to avoid receiving similar negative perceptions such as these? It’s clear that some of the most infamous critiques of influencers are a result of ingenuity and being unprepared.
In other words, you want to be transparent, honest, and authentic with your audience, pair with brands that align with who you are, and don’t take on more than you can handle!
Good luck!
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- How To Choose The Right Sponsorships As An Influencer
- 5 Reasons Why Influencer Marketing Is Replacing Older Methods
- How To Identify Fake Influencer Accounts
- 5 Reasons Why Influencer Marketing Is Not Just A One-Time Transaction
- Why Influencers Are More Powerful Than Celebrity Endorsements
- The Ultimate Guide To Becoming An Instagram Influencer
- Why Influencers Are Faking Brand Deals And What To Do About It
Bridget Baltazar is a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger. She currently attends the University of Iowa and is studying communication studies, human relations, and environmental sustainability.
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