Léa Martinez on Why Streamers and Influencers Shouldn’t Forget the Business Side of Things

Léa Martinez didn’t set out to have “influencer” or “content creator” as her career description. To her, just like many people of her generation, social media is a place where a lot of her life happens, including social life, entertainment, and pursuing hobbies and other interests. However, she wasn’t for a second naïve about the opportunities on social media.

“I knew from the start that it’s possible to make money off social media,” she says. While the original plan for her future involved going to college and studying something to do with animals and their welfare, a sudden success on TikTok threw that plan out of the window. Almost overnight, Léa would become a content creator who cosplays and streams live. She’d become an influencer.

Influencer marketing isn’t just business. The State of Influencer Marketing 2022 Benchmark report reveals that it’s big business with a capital B. Most brands and companies are into it, with over 75% of brand marketers stating plans for an influencer budget in 2022. The industry itself is expected to reach $16.4 in size this year. “Influencer” is an increasingly popular profession.

Even though Léa Martinez knew how social media and influencers work, her success still surprised her. “Now, I have my parents to turn to for advice and all these resources,” she explains. “But at first, when I started to make money, I didn’t even think I needed to be smart about taxes and putting away money for important things. I was just happy to buy a new PC.”

Today, Léa Martinez has an LLC and a passion for discussing the business side of the industry. Being raised in a family where talking about money was rude, it took her a while to come to her parents for financial advice. It didn’t help that their vision for her future didn’t include live streaming or cosplaying for a living.

Still, being honest and transparent about her wishes and prospects only brought her good. Léa Martinez believes it could do the same for other people and talking about the business side of things is a great way to stay mindful of it – especially since the industry is so closed.

“I think it’s important to talk about finances, which nobody talks about. If you Google how much can I make as a YouTuber in one year, starting, you will not find a generic answer because it’s so different for everybody,” she explains. “And again, I didn’t even know that being financially aware or organized was so important until I was already headfirst in the game.”

Approaching content creation or “influencing” from the business side can help young creators avoid being exploited and underpaid for their work and the value they bring to the brands. It can also save them from making bad decisions regarding money management. Finally, it can also help them learn to leverage their following to do something that leaves a positive societal impact.

Léa Martinez offers plenty of advice to help. “First off, creators should create media kits, with their analytics, rates, services offered, charges, package deals, a portfolio, some personal information,” she starts. “That way, when a company comes to them with an offer to send a product to be featured in one of their videos, they can include a media kit in their response and let them know they’re open to discussing a deal, but they’re not interacting with the product or the brand for free.”

For negotiation strategies, Léa Martinez advises shooting high if the company or brand is big. That way, they can negotiate a lower price that’s still above what the creator usually asks. Different types of businesses warrant different kinds of approaches, though.

“You charge the big companies because you know they have the money,” Léa Martinez explains. “But I also tell people to be fair, and if it’s a small business whose product you love, and you feel that you don’t want to charge them, then don’t. It’s good to do what feels right.”

Speaking of doing what feels right, Léa Martinez has seen that her platform and the community she’s created on social media have given her another way to leverage her popularity. Thinking about the business side doesn’t always involve making money – at least not for herself.

“I’ve always been very involved with a charity and small businesses, and I decided to fundraise with my audience every time we hit a milestone,” she explains. “We did it when I hit 50k and then again when I hit 100k followers. I like to match donations, so I match it when someone donates a large amount, like $500. I have the most generous and kind-hearted community.”

Written in partnership with Luke Lintz