💀RIP to the Traditional Influencer

and honestly, I'm not crying....

Love her or loathe her, Chiara Ferragni (a past client of mine) has had to reinvent herself time and time again to stay on top. From basic outfit photos in 2012 to running a multi-million dollar clothing line, she has written her own rules. What can we learn from her?

Let’s play pretend.

Let’s hop in a time machine real quick back to 2014.

Ah yes, the era where having a pretty feed and a decent follower count was basically your ticket to a brand deal. Brands were tossing money at influencers like Charlie Sheen at a Vegas pool party. It was chaotic. It was (dare I say)….beautiful.

Grids were aesthetic, engagement pods were poppin’, and viral dances could launch you into a whole new tax bracket overnight.

And yeah, I helped over 15+ creators make more money than anyone in their lives ever expected… we’re talking easy seven-figures… over a decade ago.

Egos? Inflated. Bank accounts? Thriving. Shall I drop the tea?

But let’s fast-forward to now.

2025 has officially killed the “influencer.” I predicted it early this year but now that we’re almost half way through the year, my prediction has turned into a blinding reality.

You know exactly the type I’m talking about. The ones who are all aesthetic, and absolutely no substance. The ones whose content sounds like:
“OMG do you like my new [insert brand name]? Teehee 💅💅💅”

RIP to the “strategy” where creators were all about aesthetic and no substance. RIP to ones who create content like “OMG do you like my new Savette bag? Teehee 💅💅💅” RIP to the influencers who don’t write captions and expect a dumb emoji to suffice. Yeah, I’m being a bit rough, but listen, if I don’t say it… who will?

Because guess what? If you want to work as a creator, you have to be smarter, because brands are smarter now.

So let’s break down exactly why this is happening, what’s replacing it, and how you can survive the new era of digital influence…