Interview with an Influencer: Kath Ebbs (@kathebbss)
Kath Ebbs (@kathebbss) shares her story with over 75k followers by redesigning the concepts of health and wellness through food, fitness and fashion. Find out how she grows and nurtures her fans and followers, plus get tips on how brands should collaborate with lifestyle influencers.
Kath Ebbs (@kathebbss) shares her story with over 75k followers by redesigning the concepts of health and wellness through food, fitness and fashion.
Her Instagram following and successful Youtube channel have amassed a loyal and engaged following over the past two years which has provided the platform to launch her own series of events, bringing her message to fans in the flesh.
We caught up with Kath to talk about how she got started as an influencer, and in the process were invited to her latest workshop "Discover the True Meaning of Health". Don't miss it!
How long have you been an influencer for?
Roughly 2 and a bit years!
What topics are you influential in?
You might have to ask my audience that one. I would like to think I inspire my community to be authentically themselves, whatever way that looks like to them! I hope I show this through my cooking, creating, styling and writing.
My main focus on my channel is staying related to my audience whist educating them on health and wellness through my own personal journey. I love sharing my daily fashion too, as it is another way in which I express myself everyday.
How did you initially start to grow your following?
I guess it came from the work I was doing at the time. I was modelling for an agency called Culture Machine and a part of a web series called ‘Free Rad T.V”.
I think these two things combined started my career in the industry as well as launching me into the Instagram world that I never knew existed.
How has your channel/style changed as you’ve grown and matured?
Massively! I started this as a fresh 18 year old, just getting started in the “real world”. Yes I know I am some-what a baby still but I have spent the last few years learning a lot, growing and acknowledging what it is exactly I want to do in this life.
My audience have seen me go from little Kath just having a good-old time, to this young adult wanting to out into the world with her best foot forward. My community has also changed throughout this journey, some of them growing along side me, some dropping off and lots of new people coming into my space.
All exciting as I get to share my journey of growth with others, sharing my story to hopefully inspire other young people.
How many hours a week do you spend working as an Influencer and all that goes with it?
This depends! Sometimes I will have more content to put out than others and sometimes Its a little more quite or even consciously quite when I just want some me time away from the mobile.
I do take my Instagram and blogging work as seriously as a 9 to 5 job. Therefore I would say that the 5 working days of the week are filled with writing, researching, emailing or shooting!
I am also very passionate about what I do, so am always looking for new ideas and new ways to shake it up. Because of this I find I am constantly keeping an eye out for things that inspire my creation.
Do you have a manager to take care of the business side of things?
Yep! I am with CHIC bloggers. But all my event, workshop and cooking stuff is my own business in which I look after myself :)
What are your favourite and least favourite parts about being an influencer?
Favourite thing would have to be the creative freedom, voice and mobility my job gives me. I get to showcase things that inspire me, voice my opinions on topics I feel matter and am also able to move around as my work can be taken anywhere. This really gives me the freedom to openly explore the things I want to in life and have a platform to say the things in which I want and feel others should hear.
The downside of this industry can most definitely be the pressure it feeds into. You can sometimes lose track of what’s important in life and instead fixate on a number or the amount of people interested in what your doing, rather than focusing on the people that are already interested.
The simple fact is that it doesn’t actually matter what people think, just as long as you are staying true to yourself and your message, thats what’s important! But unfortunately this can get lost in the world of social media as you can compare yourself to others, or too much on trying to please an audience, rather than staying true to who you are, which is in fact what got you there in the first place.
Do you know the demographics of your following and do you use any tools to help manage your account?
Yeah I use the Instagram analytics counter to see the types of people that follow me and if that matches the content I am putting out there.
How has your experience been working with brands?
Pretty awesome! I personally only work with brands that I feel as though I align with, because of this my experience has been nothing but positive for the most part.
What are some of your favourite collaborations and why?
Working with my Nike team is always a dream, not only because I love the brand but the people they have behind them are just the most positive and amazing individuals I’ve ever worked with.
Also my current collaboration with my local Yoga studio ‘Egg of the Universe’ is something I’m so excited about. I am running a half day workshop and featuring one of my own smoothie bowls on their menu. This collaboration just seriously has my name written all over it. I get to talk about the things I’m passionate for, connect with some of you guys from my Instagram community as well as have something featured on a menu.. kicking goals!!
What are some dream brands you would like to work with?
I am pretty stoked with all the brands I have collaborated with and continue too throughout my career. I think my main focus at the moment is staying aligned with people I am feel match up to what I am hoping to achieve in my workspace and nourishing those connections as much as possible.
What advice would you give to brands looking to work with influencers?
I would say finding influencers that are passionate about your product and can communicate that in an authentic way. Once you find someone you think fits that box then leave the creativity up to them, if you try and shove your own branding down their throat the message you were wanting out there may not be clearly communicated to their audience as it doesn’t stand as truth to that person.
If you are going to work with an individual because you like what they bring to the table, then let them bring that! Also finding influencers that are going to respect and nourish that relationship with the brand.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to become an influencer?
HAVE A PURPOSE! If you are just wanting to be an influencer for fame and free stuff then I would knock that idea out of your head for now. Being a part of this industry for the wrong reasons will only bring insecurity and heart break in my opinion.
Have a message or purpose you want to share and then start sharing it!! Whether that be fashion, food, wellness, mental awareness, beauty, food... you get that picture! Just know what it is you want to say and then find the way in which you want to communicate it!
