Samara Maloney on being an Influencer in Trinidad & Tobago

Key takeaways from her interview with AC Marketing

How does being an influencer actually work in a country like Trinidad and Tobago? Well, no one would quite know the answers to this question like Samara Maloney.

The content creator and influencer has become one of the most popular local influencers especially within the beauty and fashion industry. She has worked with both local and international brands such as White Oak, Pretty Little Thing and Fabletics. But what is it really like working as a Trinbagonian Influencer?

Here are some take away's from Samara's interview with AC Marketing about being an influencer in the Caribbean:

"I think a myth is that brands have to reach out to you"

I think it is safe to say that many people think that brands go to influencers to make deals however, Samara made the point that the conversations between brands and influencers are not always a one-way street.

“I think a myth is that brands have to reach out to you continuously but it is both ways and I spend a lot of time reaching out to brands that I would like to work with.”

Keeping a Balance of Sponsored and Non-sponsored Content

Having a balance of both paid and regular content is key to keeping an engaged audience for an influencer. Especially, when it comes to influencers posting too much-sponsored content. Audiences want to trust that an influencer is not just taking any brand deal they get but that they are using, testing and sharing the products they actually like. Ultimately that trust between an influencer and their audience is the selling point for many companies.

In the interview, Samara explained that she puts a lot of effort into keeping this balance on her page. She also emphasized the importance of ensuring that the brands she works with align with her own brand and audience.

“My audience very well knows the things I say I have liked versus things I have said that I don’t.”

Fun fact: Samara actually has more male followers than female followers, she shared in the interview that her audience was 40% female and 60% male. She also stated that she was focusing her content on women to even out this ratio.

PR vs Paid Partnerships

Influencers typically work with companies in a variety of ways such as affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, paid partnerships, gifts and others. Typically, in Trinidad and Tobago, influencer marketing tends to be PR packages, paid partnerships and brand ambassador deals. Samara says she typically works with both local and international brands through PR packages and paid partnerships.

She explained that with PR packages she gets gifts and creates a post if she likes the product. However, with paid partnerships, she engages in negotiations with the brands to come up with a price that works for both of them and to clearly state the deliverables. Thus far, her highest paying job has been US$2,000 for 1 Instagram post.

As one of the biggest influencers in the Caribbean, Samara has some key insights into influencer marketing with both international and local brands. Learn more about her and her influencer journey on our interview with her here.

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Join us this Tuesday at 6 pm EST on our YouTube channel to watch our new Influencer Series discussing everything from how local influencers make money to the power of local Facebook groups for marketing! You won't want to miss it!