I'm an ex-influencer - this is what happened when I stopped posting content for cash

Daily Mail​

03-07-2025

From the outside, the life of a social media influencer looks glamorous, filled with free products, VIP invites to lavish parties and all-inclusive trips to some of the most beautiful locations in the world.
But one former influencer has lifted the lid on what it's really like to work as one, branding the influencer marketing industry a 'shinier, cooler cousin of an MLM (multi-level marketing) scheme', and revealed why she chose to quit.
Hannah Rose Keys, a 38-year-old digital marketer and mother-of-two, shared insights into what her life looked like at the peak of her social media influencing career, and what it looks like three months after she decided to stop.
In a lengthy Instagram carousel post, she said she chose to go '#NOPROMO' on her social media accounts after feeling like her creativity was being stifled by brands expecting her to promote their products.
Hannah, who has over 40.3k followers on Instagram, recalled how her account 'exploded' in popularity around a year ago, six years after she began posting about her life on it.
'The visibility turned me into something valuable: I had reached 'influencer' status. Brands saw me as a vessel to peddle their wares through, and the emails and DMs started flooding in,' she wrote.
'I don't know if it's because I've worked in the media and influencer marketing before, or if it's because being a cog in the consumerism machine makes me uncomfy, but this 'dream' scenario didn't feel all that dreamy.'
Hannah described influencer marketing as 'an odd little ecosystem' in which brands and agencies are 'all coming after little ol' you'.
'Sure, you may have an audience the size of a traditional media outlet, but you're just one person, and the rules don't apply here,' she said.
'Whether you're macro, micro or mega, being an influencer means time and energy, giving so much of yourself; your life, even your family, to the dream of being paid to be online. The problem is, the power dynamic is all off. And let me tell you; I could feel it.'
Hannah, who runs her own digital marketing agency, admitted that she was 'making thousands each month working with local brands', but the more offers that arrived at her doorstep, the more she felt a 'creeping discomfort'.
Brands would send her products and say there were no expectations attached, but Hannah said she felt 'beholden' to them.
Other times, she would be 'constantly low-balled by big budget brands' or be offered just 'a couple of dollars worth of product with deliverables for days'. Some brands would also pay her late after promoting their product, Hannah claimed.
'They were taking over my space, my time, and honestly, I didn't like the person I was becoming in the process,' she admitted. 'Was this really the life I wanted for myself?'
At the end of March, Hannah said she decided to stop promoting brands, ending all but one existing partnership she was 'contractually obligated' to keep.
Since then, she said her life has improved in eight ways, despite not getting free products anymore.
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A post shared by Hannah Rose (@hannahrosekeys)
'At my influencer peak, I was getting packages multiple times a week… It was like a mini Christmas every other day, and it became too much for me so quickly,' she said.
'I don't shop online and keep my consumption to a minimum, so to suddenly have this relentless stream of new stuff in the house… it was overwhelming.'
She said she felt 'instant relief' once she started saying no to brands wanting to send her free products, because 'none of it was really ever free'.
'The second it arrived in my house - even when there was a 'no pressure' attached to the offer - the follow-up emails began,' Hannah continued. 'Maybe it's the people pleaser in me, but the weight of all those packages was suffocating.'
And while she now spends money rather than getting things for free, Hannah said 'life is so much more peaceful' because she buys what she wants, rather than having things be chosen for her by brands wanting a promotion.
'All the obligations have slipped away and now I get to choose and own the things I want and like, without just accepting whatever I get offered.
'My son once said to me, 'You're so lucky you get free stuff all the time, that's so cool'. I set him straight: 'Getting free stuff is kinda cool, but being able to buy the stuff you want is even cooler'.'
One of the drawbacks to stepping away from the influencer world was that Hannah found herself losing out on 'thousands of dollars a month' while spending more money.
However, she said the loss of income has been worthwhile because working as an influencer meant it was 'scattered, unsustainable and demanding' anyway.
'It never felt like 'free' money - it felt like managing multiple stakeholders, reshoots, approvals, and tripping over commercial lighting setups in my living room. Mo' money = mo' problems when it's influencer money - at least in my case,' she said.
Hannah added that she is now trying to find a way to make her platform work on her own terms, but that she needs 'a minute on that one'.
Quitting the influencer career track has given her her 'freedom' back, Hannah wrote, adding: 'Without brands and agencies watching my every move, I get to post what I want, when I want. No approvals. No structure. Just creative freedom to go wherever my heart takes me.'
She has also stopped worrying about how many followers she has. 'For a minute there, I was obsessive over my follower data - it was the key to getting the big deals; my only cold, hard negotiation tool. Now, I'm just happy if you guys enjoy what I do.'
Additionally, Hannah said her content now feels 'more meaningful' as she is 'posting for realsies now'.
'It's just honest and it's coming from a genuine place and I'm not shoehorning my life experience into a post to sell you something,' she wrote.
'Conversations are happening and you're sharing and commenting and it all just feels very social and cool and I like it here.
'It feels like the start of something different, but something really special.'
Hannah also said she feels like she is 'back in the driver's seat' of her platform, after 'being taken advantage of' by brands.
'The brand isn't paying for a page in your magazine, it owns a piece of content, your face, your home, your voice, your stuff, your story,' she said. 'They become part of your platform and you become part of theirs.'
But since giving up influencing, Hannah said she gets to 'call the shots' and 'build something that's meaningful and aligned with who I am'.
'I might not get paid for my time and effort at this very moment, but it feels like I'm working towards something that I won't have to give up my values (or sell my soul) for.'
Finally, Hannah said that quitting the influencing game has given her the chance to open herself up to 'bigger possibilities'.
'I still want to earn from what I create - but on my own terms. I don't want to hand my voice or your attention over to corporations. I want to pitch my ideas, not respond to theirs. I want something bigger than brand deals.'
She admitted that, while she never set out to be an influencer, it 'seems like the golden ticket'.
However, she has now realised that 'just because everyone else is doing it, and it looks shiny and exciting, it doesn't mean that is the right path for you'.
'Yes, being an influencer seems glamorous, but it made me feel small and ultimately, used,' Hannah continued.
'You're not a media company with a team behind you; you're just one person and you're painfully easy to exploit.
'Maybe I can actually build myself a platform and make a living from it without being a puppet for commercial use. Maybe it's time to take back some of my power. At least, that's the idea.'