Laura Ehlers is head of a unique class of instructor-influencers. Not only does she review products and share her routines, the blogger behind Laura’s Natural Life educates the clean beauty curious on greenwashing and being a conscious consumer. Ehlers is also schooling her followers on the ins and outs of surviving as a social media personality. In a recent flurry on Instagram Stories, she asked pointedly, “Where’s the money?” Beauty Independent caught up with the new mom to discuss why influencer compensation is an important topic, the plummeting value of free products, the impact of YouTube changes and her impeccably messy hair.
When and why did you start to build your online presence?
In 2011, I became chronically ill due to toxic chemical exposure from my everyday life. I embarked on a path of holistic health and a non-toxic lifestyle to heal my body. Back then, there were very few non-toxic resources online and even fewer products that I could find in stores. Around 2013, I discovered that YouTube was shockingly more than just cat videos. I started looking up beauty product reviews and got hooked. YouTube became an outlet of positivity and fun when I was struggling with my health. It looked so fun that I decided I would also start a channel once I was in a place in my life and health where I could do so. I started Laura’s Natural Life on YouTube in 2014. I learned how to edit by watching YouTube videos on editing and filmed on my iPhone 4. At that time, there were very few green beauty vloggers, so I wanted to share the world of green beauty. I was also studying for my master’s in health and nutrition education, so I thought that my channel could also be a great place to share my knowledge of holistic health. I basically just wanted to meet likeminded girls and bring awareness to topics that I felt passionate about.
Did you have any idea your vlog would lead to you becoming an influencer?
Honestly, the term influencer is still so crazy to me. I was always very intentional about YouTube. I uploaded consistently and thought it would be amazing if I could turn my passion for making non-toxic lifestyle videos into a career. I just happened to be extremely naive about how that would happen. In those days, you had to reach a certain number of views and subscribers before you could monetize your video content. I literally thought that YouTube ads were the only way people made a living. I didn’t even know about affiliate links or sponsored content for another year. I definitely did not have plans to have a website, a Facebook group, a podcast, or online health consulting and courses.
You’ve openly shared opinions on compensation for influencers. Can you elaborate on them?
Each of us are influencers in our own circles. Word of mouth is the best marketing tool there is. When someone you trust tells you about an awesome product, chances are you’ll buy it. But, to make a business out of being an influencer, there needs to be a monetary exchange. Whether that be through sponsored posts, affiliate income, or by creating ones’ own products and services. Without income, it just becomes an overly time consuming hobby.
Unfortunately, the level of commitment invested in a personal brand and helping guide our audiences does become overwhelming and unsustainable without income. The value that spending money on influencer marketing can bring to a brand is immense if the partnership is a good match. Many a lifelong customer has been made by an influencer simply and genuinely sharing products that they truly love and, more often than not, smaller influencers are not compensated despite sending thousands of dollars of sales to a brand. I’d say the majority of influencers struggle for years before breaking even.
How should brands with a small to nonexistent budgets present themselves to influencers?
Keep in mind that many of us influencers are also small businesses with nonexistent budgets. Free product does not pay our bills and, frankly, we have plenty of it. I really appreciate when a brand acknowledges how much work goes into their request, even more so if they ask to see a media kit or ask for my rates. It’s just a little insulting to assume that free product will cover the amount work being requested. That being said, I definitely don’t expect for every exchange to include direct payment. If I love your product and your brand, I will likely still be very excited to work with you if it’s somehow mutually beneficial.
What else, aside from payment, do you wish brands knew about working with influencers?
It takes a huge amount of time to produce a video, a podcast or a blog post. Most of us are a one-man show. We create our own images, do our own editing, our own marketing, keep our own books, respond to dozens of emails in addition to testing each and every product that we accept. We know what our audience likes and what our audiences doesn’t resonate with, so, if we offer a different suggestion for the project, it’s for a good reason. It should go without saying, but sadly this happens a lot, that it should be clear the brand knows my name and has clearly visited one or more of my platforms. If you are small brand and are looking at spending money on Facebook ads or on influencer marketing, a trustworthy and authentic influencer will give you a much higher return on your investment.
What is your favorite way to personally discover new brands?
[From] influencers that I already trust and know that I resonate with their recommendations.
How do you identify brands to partner with?
I need to have an instant connection and excitement when I read the pitch. I have to be genuinely thrilled to be anticipating the partnership. The brand has to be transparent about their ingredients, [and] the ingredients have to be up to my standards, which are fairly high. The product has to actually perform well. I also like to have creative control on the project. I will not read a script that a company sends me. Hire an actress for that. I am, however, more than happy to share my genuine thoughts and experiences with my audience. Oftentimes, what I do is purchase a product that I am interested in and, if I love it and want to share it with my audience, I will reach out to the company and see if they’d like to partner.
What are some ways you work with brands?
Every partnership is different. Some involve the whole gamut of platforms: YouTube, Instagram, blog and Pinterest. I also offer video services for a brand’s exclusive use on their own platforms, and I offer makeup modeling. These are lesser-known services, but they are my favorites. My preference is to create custom content for a brand’s personal use rather than make sponsored content on my own platforms.
Why don’t you prefer to do sponsored posts?
It’s really just that, my preference. I love creating products and services for my audience myself, and put a great deal of creative energy into them. I tailor each offering specifically for their needs. I have offered holistic wellness consulting in the past that is unique to each individual. My online course, Clean Beauty Academy, teaches students how to read a beauty ingredient label to determine if a product is up to her own ingredient standards. I teach tools, not rules. I believe that each woman can decide what is safe for her and worth her dollars. I don’t create videos to sell products. I create them to help my audience achieve their non-toxic lifestyle goals. I would be doing my audience a disservice if I didn’t mention products that could assist them in those goals, but it’s not the reason I create content.
What do you feel has been your most successful partnerships with brands?
I’d say anything that involves ongoing video over a period of time rather than just a one-off review. I have a partnership with The Choosy Chick, which I love to pieces, in which I create videos on my channel in addition to creating quick, but detailed reviews of products on their platforms as well. I also have an amazing relationship with Integrity Botanicals as an affiliate. I really enjoy working with these two boutiques as they value my work, have similar missions to mine, and have a variety of products that I feel 100% confident recommending to my audience.
Which of your posts get the most attention?
Green beauty videos, definitely. Personal favorites, beauty routines, product roundups, skin care routines and anything personal. It seems that my messy bob hairstyling video is a real hit.
What changes do you see as a result of the rise of indie beauty?
I hope that non-toxic beauty will become the norm. That it shouldn’t even be a consideration for a company to ask a woman to sacrifice her health for the sake of a beauty product. I’d love to see more and more of those products available in stores throughout the country. Not just online.
Being that you have such a large presence on YouTube, how do you see video content landscape changing?
Humans crave connection and will connect with someone who is being themselves, has integrity and sticks to their values. There have been a few recent issues regarding YouTube specifically as of late. I honestly don’t know how that will change the landscape for creators or for viewers. I think we’ll see more influencers adding additional private content for a low monthly cost.
What are goals for your Laura’s Natural Life content?
My goal is to empower chemically-conscious women to feel confident the they are making healthy choices for themselves without falling prey to greenwashing claims. The project that has my full attention currently is my new course on creating a non-toxic household called Well-ing Your Dwelling that is coming out this spring. I’ve been working on it for a year and couldn’t be more excited.
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