Over a glass of rosé (because it’s finally feeling like spring), we met with Jess Estrada to find out what has changed in the Seattle blogging world since 2009 when she first began her blog Fresh Jess. We learned Jess’ social media pet peeve, what’s currently inspiring her and the surprising thing she wishes more brands did.

Here are a few key takeaways from our conversation!

·        As more people work to position themselves as social influencers, some are building a following through paid methods or bots. Jess prefers to grow her following organically. Her online community illustrates authentic content and engagement.

·        Jess is inspired by people (influencers or otherwise) and brands who are willing to talk about what matters to them in the midst of such a divisive climate, while still living life with joy and optimism.

·        Jess’ weekly local events roundup is one of the most popular features of her blog, allowing her to broaden her appeal to a larger audience of readers.

·        Often brands and PR agencies come to influencers with a specific and pre-planned ask, hoping to make the partnership simple and straightforward. Jess, while appreciating the intent, desires more opportunities to creatively collaborate with brands and to brainstorm together on partnership ideas.

This is the fifth and final blog post in our series on people who are on the front lines of the changing media landscape. If you missed the first four posts in the series, get caught up on insights from the Puget Sound Business Journal, The Evergrey, Seattle Gents co-founders and Obsessed by Portia.