We're so excited to announce our collaboration with an amazing content creator Melissa Male! She captures beautiful images and we're huge fans of her creations. Her photos are often taken at a coffee shop and images include coffee & yummy pastries. It was a perfect match with our coffee theme items. We collaborated on a Weekly Planner and Travel Checklist. As a celebration, we asked Melissa some questions we all wonder about. Thank you Melissa! We hope you love it as much as we do. * Check her gorgeous instagram feed if you haven't!
1. Tell me about yourself. What did/do you do before/while creating your content?
I graduated college with a degree in secondary education and am certified to teach English 7-12, but after a quick stint of substituting I realized it wasn't for me.
Then I spent 3 years working at a hospital as a patient advocate, which had nothing to do with my background, but was a great experience nonetheless.
2. How did you start making the contents?
Since I was working my full time job and had no week days free I would use my weekends to travel into the city and create content. Sometimes I would end up visiting 3-4 coffee shops in one day! Food and coffee have always been something I enjoyed, so it made sense to base a majority of my content around it.
3. What is your typical day like?
My typical day definitely starts with Instagram. I run two other accounts in addition to my own, so it's important for me to prioritize posting for those as well.
After I've finished with posting for myself and the two other accounts I usually go out and grab some coffee with my dog, Riley. Then it's time for the boring stuff -- replying to emails, sending invoices, and locking down collaborations.
If I have any pending partnerships I take some time to plan out how I want to photograph and present the product so that it's ready to promote on my Instagram. The fun part of my day is going out and creating content (usually with some fellow content creators). This includes lots of food, coffee and fun conversation while we all get some beautiful shots to share with our followers. I reserve the evening for time with my boyfriend -- it's so important to maintain a good balance.
4. How do you decide to work/collaborate with other company/people?
I usually receive up to 5 emails a day from brands reaching out regarding potential collaborations. If it's a brand that I know and love I may agree to collaborate right away. Otherwise I typically have the company send me the product to try out prior to deciding to promote it to my audience. It's important to me that I don't go too off brand when considering collaboration opportunities.
5. Most important advise to grow the audience.
Be authentic. Post quality content that is inspiring and unique. Be consistent. Keep posting even if you feel that you're in a rut. If you love a photo -- post it! Don't be offended if it doesn't perform well.