Ellie The Empress and Mila Santos | Brand advocacy and try-on hauls

I can say social media makes it easy for anyone with an account to be a content creator. In other words, in the social media sphere, there are as many content creators almost as there are the audience. Do you know what that means? It is very challenging to generate content that attracts viewership and keeps the fans loyal. But that is not all of what it takes to be an influencer. See, there is the investment part, having the right camera, good setup, lighting gadgets, and not to mention the right attires. All that has to be paid for, meaning whatever content is created, has to be paid for in a way. But do we even pay to view YouTube reels?

To answer this question, I will focus on one of my favorite influencers I follow. Ellie The Empress is a very consistent YouTuber and influencer who has majored in creating try-on hauls and outfit commentaries. Her fan base, like me, follows her to check out her style and creativity around fashion. Her content does not only inform and advise on wardrobe hacks but her demeanor and sense of humor ( she has any?) are very entertaining, as can be seen by the number of subscribers on her YouTube channel.

But how does Ellie The Empress monetize her skills? Well, that is the trick part. You see, fashion try-on hauls are based on what resonates with the fanbase's requirement rather than what the fashion brands are trying to say. In other words, there is so much in terms of clothing lines and fashion accessories, much as there are diverse personal preferences. Not everything is enticing to everyone. Ellie just had to create a balance in finding what her fans like ( for loyalty and fan base) but had to work with brands that provide these preferences ( for endorsement deals and actual payoffs). A delicate balance, I must say.

But it works. I have seen so many try-on hauls from diverse brands going through Ellie's YouTube channels. She does it so well, so perfectly, that I have never been bothered that she is only trying to market attires for brands that pay her. She hacked it!

Mila Santos has a different approach

Mila Santos is a successful model, actress, influencer, and content creator. She has a huge fanbase north of 250k followers on her Instagram account. Mila is also beautiful and has curves that most fans admire. She is always waiting to see her share her latest looks and style. Sure enough, she has never shied away from showing off what she has got. People love to admire anything good-looking, which adds to the list of things Mila's fans find adorable in her.

Aside from the controversies, Mila has also leveraged exclusive content platforms; there are many ways to look at it. First, we must acknowledge how exclusive content platforms have grown in popularity, and many more female influencers and celebrities are embracing them. Mila has not been left behind in this trend; if anything, she has garnered popularity and a fan base by sharing exclusive content.

But why so? Even with so many controversies and hot debates around sharing exclusive content. The first reason is obvious: things only sell well if a significant customer base exists. The same can be said for the type of content shared. While there is a blurry line between what can be considered a risqué aesthetic and what is indecent to look at, fans would always ask for more and more. It should be kept in mind that risqué aesthetics and indecency are subjective; what is indecent to one person can be fairly appropriate for another. That way, you can trace where the controversies around this exclusive content come from.

Another factor to consider is that many of these social media platforms, like Instagram, have strict community guidelines, and for Mila, what can be regarded as merely risqué aesthetics has attracted criticism and reporting from the public with different views. In such instances, her accounts would be suspended or, worse, be brought down. So how would she balance sharing what is considerably acceptable to the general audience while meeting the demands of the fans who seek more?

You guessed it right: Mila can share content that is not bound by any guideline with an exclusive content platform. These types of content are only available to fans who subscribe and ask for exactly what they want, as long as they don't exceed the creator's limit. Thus, not only do the fans get what they want, but Mila also gets an opportunity for more revenue. It is a win-win situation for everyone.

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