Give us some context into who you are, what you do, and how did you an Instagram Influencer? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My name is Laci Kay Somers,<\/a> I\u2019m an actress, model, and recording artist from San Francisco, California. I\u2019ve successfully built a brand on social media with over 11 million followers and subscribers, and continue to build my fan base with extensive social media knowledge. I\u2019ve invested heavily in real estate and cryptocurrency, and that has allowed me to travel the world and build several other income streams. Today, I spend most of my time in LA creating new music and networking with other successful entrepreneurs, and icons in music. I became an influencer by creating unique quality content when Instagram first started, and I viewed my Instagram as a \u201cbusiness\u201d and not just a photo and video sharing app. I\u2019m always changing up my content, strategies and making sure I\u2019m adapting to the changes of Instagram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What are your top 3 tips you used to grow your Instagram that could benefit others?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My top 3 tips for growing your Instagram following and influence include;<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have many brands trying to promote their products and services, could you provide insights on how brands can increase their chances of working with top influencers like yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The key for brands is to provide quality products for influencers to promote and ASK influencers what they charge for advertising. My biggest pet peeve is when brands contact me and tell me what they want to pay me for advertising and make it seem like I NEED them or want to post them on my page. I would advise brands to open up communication with influencers by asking them if they would be interested in promoting their brand and then asking that influencer what they charge for advertising. I\u2019ve put a lot of money into blowing up my brand and I have a lot of engagement, therefore, I\u2019d like the respect and acknowledgment of what I\u2019ve done and then how we can work together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever turned down a brand deal even though they paid a lot of money? If so, what was your reason for doing so?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n YES, I\u2019ve done this numerous times. There\u2019s a really popular brand on social media that a lot of influencers are currently promoting, and I chose not to work with them because I didn\u2019t want to align myself with a brand that included other individuals with bad reputations. I\u2019m a firm believer in doing business with brands that align with your values and I didn\u2019t want to be associated with questionable individuals. I also didn\u2019t agree with the amount they wanted to pay me given my social reach, and I didn\u2019t want to promote a product to my fan base for a check I didn\u2019t need. I love working with brands but it has to be a mutually beneficial relationship that is more than just money. I like full creative control when it comes to posting as I know my audience, page and most importantly know how to execute better than anyone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a musical artist, how have you been able to leverage Instagram to drive awareness to your music or other projects you are currently working on?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My Instagram generates millions of page views every week, and I\u2019ve used it to drive millions of listeners to my Spotify and iTunes accounts, as well as my YouTube channel. I\u2019m constantly figuring out ways to extend my reach and show people that I\u2019m more than just a model. I\u2019m a recording artist who has a passion for creative music and a unique sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With Instagram changing its platform and algorithm, it has never been more important to rethink your content strategy as an influencer, entrepreneur- especially if the platform is part of your overall brand strategy to get known and drive traffic to your product\/service. It’s time to understand the changes and how one can succeed with Instagram. 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It’s time to understand the changes and how one can succeed with Instagram.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21953"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soinfluential.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/soinfluential.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/laci-red-1.png?fit=800%2C475&ssl=1\")