I hope you read my previous article talking about New Guidelines for Indian Social Media Influencers, Bloggers and YouTubers. The article clearly states to be "Real to our Audience." But the question arises how can be real and what all measures one can take. So, this article is totally based on my personal learning, experience and way I am true to my audience. So, read on further to know How to Be True to our Audiences?

1. Understand your Skills/Knowledge and Focus on That! 

It is essential for an influencer, a blogger and a youtuber to create a page or channel related to their own skills or knowledge. If you love making recipes and know about ingredients well then focus on food as your niche, avoid going for beauty, makeup or travel pages or channel. (Yes, you can post about them if you like anything but it should be occasionally and not regularlly).

Why? When you are public over social media then it is your duty to provide right information to the audience that follows you. If you have knowledge about a topic or niche then you would be able to explain, answer queries and talk about it easily. If you are not well aware of the topic then it would be little difficult for you to clear queries. The consumers are smart enough now (thanks to Google as it has ample of information which is just a click away), so if you state any wrong or misleading fact then the consumers would know that you are not real!

Tip : For Lifestyle Niche, yes I know that it contains numerous topics under this category. Try to focus on 1-2 niche that is the pillar or strength of your skills and knowledge (It should cover 60-70% of your whole content). Rest you can talk about your lifestyle.

2. Be True to your Username

This is quite essential and is ignored or overlooked sometimes. If you are having a username as 'BudgetBeautyForAll' then you have to post about beauty products that are budget-friendly. But does this mean that you cannot post about expensive beauty products? No! You can surely post about them but it should be 20-30% of your monthly content. For example: If you are doing 25 posts in a month then 5-6 posts can be of high-end beauty products and the rest 19-20 posts should be of budget-friendly beauty products.

Why? If you stick to your usernames then it helps the audience to stick to your page. For the above stated example, you would have majority of followers/subscribers who want to know about budget friendly beauty products. So, if you stop posting about it and start talking about only high-end products then the content would be irrelevant to your folowers/subscribers. They would either say that you are not real or unfollow you or they might post negative comments/feedbacks.

Tip : Try to have a universal username like mine is AmritKaur_Amy, so this represents that I would be talking about me (which includes everything) but when you see my page (top 9-10 posts) then you would easily make out that I post more about beauty, so it forms an image in the mind of the audience that this a beauty page, so I can follow to gather information about Beauty.

3. Know the Difference (Very Important Point)

Few (or may I say many) of us don't exactly know the nature of our content! This could be misleading as well, how?

a. Influencer : On social media, we see many people who just post over Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, so they are known as INFLUENCERS. Why? Because they are influencing their audiences through their content.

b. Bloggers : If you have your own website or blog, where you write detailed content over there (be it anything - stories, reviews, etc.) then you are known as BLOGGER. Additionally, a blogger can have a social media page or channel, but if their main platform of content is a blog or website then they are a blogger! Please don't call your social media page or channel as a Blog! It isn't a blog, its a social media influencing page. There is nothing like Instagram Blog or Facebook Blog, etc.

c. YouTubers : If you have a YouTube channel then you are known as a YOUTUBER. Having a youtube channel and being active on it (posting every month) is necessary. You can surely have social media pages to promote your YouTube videos and reach out to more audience. But you will be a YouTuber because your main platform for content is YouTube.

d. Digital Creator and Content Creator : I am sure you would have seen this term over Instagram! Who is a Digital Creator? A person who creates content over digital platforms only is known as a Digital Creator. But this definition is often mistake and large percentage of people use it over social media. If you post only collaborations over your social media pages then you cannot be a digital creator because you are not posting own content. You are just posting collaborations, so you are influencing people not creating own content. Same applies with Content Creator! If you are posting 70-90% of own content (that you create yourself) then you are a Content Creator!

4. Disclosing Collaboration

After my previous blog, many wanted to know how can we declare collaborations. Always declare the nature of the content (if collaboration or ad) in the starting 2 lines. Here I am sharing few ways that I follow and are recommended to follow:

Barter Collaborations : When you receives goods or services from a brand in return of a post then it is a barter collaboration. So, how to disclose it:

a. Hey everyone, few weeks back ABC Brand sent their products to try and review. I am using them since then and here is my experience with them.

b. Thank you, ABC Brand for gifting these products.

c. #gifted #bartercollaboration #collaboration

d. You all suggested me to try this restaurant, so I got approached by their PR and visited it over the weekend.

e. I am excited to try ABC Services, they gifted me coupons recently.

With above mentioned statements, your audience would clearly know that its a collaboration.

Paid Collaborations : When you receive paid collaborations then there are different forms of it. Let's talk about all those forms one by one:

Paid Collaboration for honest experience/review

a. #paidcollaboration #realreview #realexperience #honestreview #honestexperience #sponsoredpost

b. ABC Brand gifted their products last month and I am using them since 5 weeks. Here's my personal experience with them.......

.......Thank you, ABC Brand for sponsoring this post and giving me enough time to try the product and share honest review.

c. I enjoyed working and creating art with ABC Art Supplies! Thank you, ABC for sponsoring this post.

Paid Collaboration without honest review (Majorily, when brand asks to post with 2-7 days after receiving the products or services)

a. #paidcollaboration #AD #recommendations

b. ABC Brand sent their products/services few days back and here, I am recommending the ones which I liked using......

..... This is sponsored by ABC Brand

c. I came across ABC Brand and while talking about their spices, they offered me a collaboration to try them, so here I am recommending their best sellers......

..... #AD

For this category, it will always be treated as advertisement or recommendations or showcasing new launches, it cannot be an honest review within 2-7 days of usage (except for few goods like food items and services, which might have instant results)

Advertisements/Campaigns/Repost (This is when the brand gives you a theme, content or information to post on their behalf on your social media pages)

a. #AD #Campaign #NewLaunches #Gifted

b. Here's the latest campaign of ABC Brand. They have sponsored this post to inform you all about the new launches. I am excited to try them, are you?

c. #FeaturingABCBrand #AD

Try avoiding identical campaigns because it might not give your content or page an identity. For example, if a brand gives their own graphic or video to repost, it would give recognition to the brand and not your page. So, if you wish to take such campaigns then take them mindfully.

5. Reminder in Between

While posting content or trying products or services for couple of weeks or times, we forget posting about them in between. The audience don't know whether we are using the products/services or not, so it is essential to show them from time to time as a reminder. If forms a bond with your audience and they see that you are trying the products/services. It would be better if you could have before and after image.

For example: If you are starting with creating a recipe in a different way then show how it is created or looks normally (BEFORE) and then show the way you add a twist to it and show final content (AFTER). This will show a clear difference to your audience and they would be inspired or influenced by this.

6. Use Relevant Hashtags

These days social agencies can easily track posts through hashtags, so it is essential to use hashtags smartly. Here are some tips:

a. Use hashtags that are relevant to your content or post.

b. Use not more than 8-15 hashtags because not all hashtags would give you reach, so try to be specific as possible.

c. Avoid using hashtags that have negative or controversial words.

d. Keep 1-2 hashtags that act as your identity over social media platforms like mine is #amritkaur_amy and #amritkauramy

e. Use hashtags in ascending order (lower number of posts to higher). Want to know why? Comment below, I would plan a dedicated article on hashtags.

f. Avoid banned hashtags, hashtags that have discrimination on any grounds or might be hurtful to others.

g. Ask your audience to follow your hashtags and stay updated about your posts.

7. Avoid Bashing Others/Brands

Few months back, this was a trend to bash brands for their mistakes or formulas or packaging or incomplete ingredients list. Avoid doing such posts or videos if you don't have any proofs for it. If you are posting the content then first try to speak to the brand for the answers on it and then post your views in front of the public with proofs. Posting without complete knowledge and proof might bring you in bad light or it is possible that audience would unfollow you. Same applies to the content creators or influencers. Don't bash or degrade them just because others are doing! Try to convey your message or feedback first and then take it ahead if you feel that the person is doing wrong.

8. Few Content Recommendations/Changes

Over last few months, I have been posting less because I am reframing my social media platforms, hence here are few recommendations that I have thought of (which you can also take as an inspiration and use for your own content):

a. Show your real side of personal life to some extent that would relate to your audience.

b. In place of one product reviews, try focusing on skincare routines or informing your audience how to use 2-3 products together or focus on one ingredient content or one theme content.

c. Post content that is trending in your own way.

d. Show some behind the scenes.

e. Post some motivation or personal experience that changed you or inspired you.

d. Post some random stuff that you like (Trust me, it get more views and interaction).

e. Talk about your struggles, it might motivate someone else.

f. After every 4-5 posts, add some content that is different from your regular content. This refreshes the audience that follows you and helps to gather new followers related to this topic.

g. Try to be honest with your audience, keep sharing what you do through stories, short videos, pictures, etc. Trust me real and connecting content get more impressions and reach.

I hope that above mentioned points are helpful to you all. If you still have any queries or questions then can ask me in the comments below. I would be happy to answer them. Also, share this article further so that more creators from our field get to know about this and can benefit from this.

If you have any topic recommendations related to social media platforms then can email me at amritkaur.am@yahoo or DM on Instagram. I would try to cover them in coming articles.

Thank you!

Amrit Kaur (Amy)

Lifestyle Blogger, Delhi

"The information shared is my understanding after reading various articles over Internet. I have mentioned the source of information in the article above."

Copyright Notice: ©️ Amrit Kaur (Amy). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's owner is strictly prohibited. All the images represented here are the copyright of the site's owner, Amrit Kaur or by different social media accounts, reference mentioned on the images itself. They are further edited in Adobe Photoshop or/and Canva.

Influencer Marketing has been a successful way to promote products and reach out to wider audience. During the lockdown period (due to coronavirus), many people joined social media platform to entertain themselves, start a new career or find a way to keep boredom away. Since then Influencer Marketing has evolved and gained a lot of popularity, hence, why would brands stay behind. Most of the brands started focusing and investing in Digital Marketing through Influencers, Bloggers and YouTubers. As consumers were shopping digitally, so social media platforms were their first preference to search information about the products, places or services. This increase in Influencer Marketing made The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to come up with New Guidelines for Indian Social Media Influencers, Bloggers and YouTubers. Want to know what are they? Read on!

Why are Guidelines Necessary?

The Guidelines set by ASCI will help the consumers to clearly see the what is promotional content and what is a real content. It will make everything more transparent in front of the consumer. ASCI says, "Consumers may view promotional content without knowing what is the commercial intent behind it. This is a kind of misleading the consumers and in violation of clause 1.4 (misleading by omission) and 1.5 (abuse trust of consumers or exploit their lack of experience or knowledge)."

*The above statement source is Economic Times

What are the Guidelines?

In simple terms, 'DON'T HIDE ANYTHING! DISCLOSE CLEARLY!'

It is essential for Influencers, Bloggers and YouTubers to clearly disclose the nature of the content that they are posting over various social media platforms.

1. The influencers need to disclose whether the content is an advertisement or a paid collaboration or gifted by brand or honest review of product they bought or promo of newly launched brand or product (in case of repost from brand's page) or just a piece of real content. The words used to make the disclosure should be normal words that can be understood by all in any language.

2. The influencer has to declare #AD or #paidpartnership or #sponsoredpost in the first two lines of the caption (preferably in the beginning) so that the consumer who watches the content would know the nature of it. This will make clear understanding for the consumers to know if its only an advertisement or it is real experience shared by the influencer. 

3. If there is no caption or written information then the influencer need to declare #AD or #Sponsored or #Gifted, etc. in the picture or the video itself. It should be clearly visible to the consumers, hence the font or logo should be of decent size (not too small, not too big).

4. For video contents the disclose of collaboration should be done for 1/3 of the video length, if the video is under 2 minutes. It should be stated from the beginning itself. For videos above 2 minutes, the disclosure has to be there throughout the video.

5. No filters should be used on pictures or videos while declaring facts, situations, places, shades, results, etc. For example, if you are reviewing a lipstick then the shade should be same in the picture as it appears in real. And if you are posting a video of a place, then there should be real facts and situations shown in it. There should be no editing that changes the real appearance of the content being shared.

6. For audio or music promotions, it should be announced in the beginning of the audio or video and at the end as well. The label or artist or promotional information should also be mentioned in the starting of the caption.

7. For YouTubers you need to make the disclosure in the title or the first line of the description. For creating Vlogs, overlay the disclosure on the video itself.

8. For Bloggers, you need to make the disclosure clear in the title or the first line of the article being posted. If the content of the article is your own and you are linking a dofollow/nofollow link (that's paid or an AD) then you need to mention it along with the link.

If you don't follow any of these guidelines then you would be asked to take down the content within 24-36 hours. Not only this, if there is a serious issue or complaint then your account can be reported or taken down as well. So, better be careful from now on and disclose everything clearly!

Note: I would update the exact guidelines once ASCI announces them in the month of April!

What does the Guidelines mean? How to Apply Them?

I am sure, many of you would be happy knowing about the guidelines, but there are few hidden facts as well. Let's go deeper into the guidelines and understand with examples what they actually mean and how you need to make the disclosure. I would be using the name 'AMY' while talking about infleuncer or blogger or youtuber.

1. ABC Brand approached Amy for a paid collaboration of their lipsticks. Amy accepts the collaboration, but the brand asked her to post it the same day (or within 1 day) when she receive the products, so how will the content be?

Amy will receive the products and she would post it on the same day, but she would disclose it as an #AD in the pictures or the first line of the caption. Why? Because she is informing the consumer about the product of ABC Brand. She has yet not experienced the product, so it cannot be an experience.

How will the consumer take this? The consumer will clearly see that it is an advertisement by their favourite influencer, so they would take it as an announcement or information about the product. They would clearly know that the influencer is being paid to talk about the product.

2. ABC Brand launches a face cream and approaches Amy for a paid collaboration. The ABC Brand claims that the face cream brightens skin, gives a smooth skin texture and youthful glow. Amy clearly states that she would use it for few weeks and then review or talk (honest experience) about it after she sees the results. ABC Brand agrees to this.

Amy will receive the products and share stories about it mentioning #AD (Because she will be talking about the product and what the brand claims). Within few weeks, she would be showing her experience and usage from time to time (to show the consumers that she is using it) so that consumers know that she is actually using it. After 2-4 weeks when Amy sees visible results then she will be posting (no filter) picture or video with review, her experience and before and after pictures. She can mention that it is a #sponsoredpost #reviewafteruse #realexperience.

How will the consumer take this? The consumer will take it as an advertisement when Amy posted for the first time. Later, when the consumer watches that she is herself using it and the results would be visible in before and after (no filter) images then they would believe that it is a piece of content because Amy used it and experienced the results claimed by the brand. This would be absorbed as content by the consumers, so they would go ahead and buy it if they face similar skin issues.

3. ABC Brand and XYZ Brand both launches a new product, say a Face Serum. Both of them approach Amy for collaboration (paid or barter, anything). She accepts the collaboration and receives the products. ABC Brand says that she has to post within 7 days of receiving the product and XYZ Brand says she can post it within few weeks as per her experience. What will she do?

Amy will post the review or information of face serum by ABC Brand within 7 days of receiving the product. This would be treated as an #AD because face serum takes time to show results and it cannot show visible results in short span of time. Even if this is barter collaboration, it will be treated as an #AD #Gifted. After 3-4 weeks when she shares the review of XYZ Brand's face serum then she will be sharing about her real experience and talking about the claims, so this will be treated as content because Amy tried, tested, saw results and then she is sharing it with others. For this, if it is a barter collaboration then mention #Gifted and if it is a paid collaboration then mention #sponsoredpost #realexperience #reviewafteruse

4. ABC Brand sends Hair pack to Amy and XYZ Brand also sends their hair pack to Amy. Both the brands asks her to post it soon as its a launching campaign, so what will she do?

Amy will post about ABC Brand's hair mask on Monday claiming it to be an #AD or experience after 1-2 usage. And on Wednesday (same week), she posts about XYZ Brand's hair mask. But is it possible to use 2 products of same nature at one time and see results? No! So, both these posts will be treated as an advertisement (if its barter or paid).

How will the consumer watch it? The consumer can take both of these as advertisements as they would feel that she is just promoting the products because brand sent it to her. The consumers can take the first post as her real experience because she mentioned that she used it twice. But they would take the second post as an advertisement because she couldn't use it before posting the review.

5. ABC Brand approaches Amy to review their new outlet. The brand says that they would share the images and she has to post it on her profile. How this will be treated?

This would purely be treated as an #AD or #Promo of the outlet because Amy didn't visit the place to experience the services. If the brand would have given her a chance to visit it like a consumer with few of her friends or family members (who are not influencers, bloggers or youtubers) then it could be treated as #RealExperience because it could be possible that the outlet makes very good arrangements for the influencers to have good brand impression over social media but in reality they would not take same care of their Real consumers. So, always think before you take up a collaboration!

I hope that the above examples would have made it clear on how the content will be consumed by your audience. Now, let me tell you a way to post your own content (not an #ad).

If Amy posts pictures or videos of her Morning Skincare routine then that would be considered as content (only if the products shared are not of single brand). She would share how she uses various products of different brands every day. Although, you can mention along with each product information if it is bought by you or gifted by the brand to be more clear with your audience.

Will this Effect Influencer Marketing?

Yes, to some extent it will surely effect! Now brands would be more careful while selecting the influencers, bloggers and youtubers for their collaborations. They would opt for genuine content creators who actually use the products or services and have knowledge about the niche. They would now keep a check on the content that is being posted by the influencer, so that no misleading information is being said out.

But there's loop hole in every field, so still few brands would opt for influencers with big numbers only who just clicked cool pictures and promote the products with just 1-2 liners. So, they need to be careful because it would be clearly visible to the consumer and they need to disclose the #AD. If few brands ask you not to disclose #AD or #PaidPartnership or #SponsoredPost then I would suggest to not collaorate with them because if someone reports about it then you and your account will be in trouble.

What Changes can Influencers, Bloggers and YouTubers Bring?

1. Keep 60:40 ratio! It is essential for content creators to keep a ratio between their original content and collaborations. Post 60% of own content and take up only 40% or lesser collaborations in a month. This makes you more genuine and the consumers feel that you are not bombarding them with only collaborations.

2. Be Clear! It is your duty to be clear and honest with your audience. Always think that you are also a consumer, how would you feel if a brand or a person fools you with claims about a product that doesn't work? So, think from consumer's point of view and share what's honest.

3. Barter Collaborations! Avoid taking up lot of barter collaborations. Many brands still want to do barter collaborations and give their products (because they don't want to put additional cost), but you should start saying No to them. If the brand is okay for you to try and post if you like it or see results then its fine, do it as per your own wish. But if a brand says that you need to post as per theme or as we say within 1-2 days then avoid taking up such campaigns because they would share the same with all and it would be clearly visible that its a promotional campaign. This also helps you to avoid hoarding stuff that you might not use.

4. Avoid similar, bombaring campaigns! We all have seen few brands giving a time, a day to every influencer and asks them to post the content at the same time. This way you see just that brand or products everywhere. Such gimmicks are used to create an impression of the products or campaign on your mind, but now consumers are becoming smart. They understand that it is being done for the sake of marketing and if done too often they get irritated and it forms a bad impression on their mind. Avoild taking up such campaigns regularly or often every month.

5. Avoid Editing! It is essential to show the true results or facts or places while talking or claiming something. So, avoid editing your pictures or videos. You can edit them lightly only if you are posting a normal content which doesn't claim or state any relatable facts. Like, if you say your teeth are visibly whiter after using a toothpaste then you should show no filter image and not whiten teeth in photo editing apps. This would be against the rules. Edit only for the purpose of entertainment and not factual information or claims.

6. Disclose the Devices! If possible then disclose what devices you used for the content. Why? Because a picture or video shot with a phone camera would be different and the same shot with professional camera would be different. Many phones have inbuilt beautifying features which change the colours or beauty of the content, so avoid such features and declare what device you have used.

7. Convince Brands! Yes, you can turn a barter collaboration into a paid collaboration by convincing a brand. If does take efforts, but if you are confident with your content then you can convince the brand to pay you for the work. But please don't put down your content, value it and let others value it as well. You would face rejections in the starting but after a point you would see that brands do pay. So, AFFIRM - I WILL SAY NO TO BARTER COLLABORATIONS. I WILL RECEIVE PAID COLLABORATIONS!

I hope that this article was useful and informative to you all. If you have any questions or queries then do comment below, I would answer them as soon as I receive in the notification. Also remember sharing is caring, so share this article with other influencers, bloggers and youtubers you know. They should also be aware of the changes. I hope the industry changes and becomes better with the New Guidelines for Indian Social Media Influencers, Bloggers and YouTubers.

Thank you!

Amrit Kaur (Amy)

Lifestyle Blogger, Delhi

"The information shared is my understanding after reading various articles over Internet. I have mentioned the source of information in the article above."
Copyright Notice: ©️ Amrit Kaur (Amy). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's owner is strictly prohibited. All the images represented here are the copyright of the site's owner, Amrit Kaur. The images have clicked by me through Canon camera or Samsung Mobile. They are further edited in Adobe Photoshop or/and Canva.

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