Influencer Sessions: Get To Know @quinciesimone_

We caught up with Christian lifestyle content creator @quinciesimone_ to talk transparency, tips for a better work-life balance, and turning to God. Read on to discover more about Quincie’s journey as a content creator and where she hopes to take it!

When did your love for Christian lifestyle content creation begin?

My passion for creating Christian lifestyle content started when I was a senior in college, at the beginning of 2023. I struggled with depression, figuring out who I was and what my place would be in this world. I slowly recognized that I wasn’t the same person I used to be but I wasn’t quite sure how to step into this person I was becoming. Call it intuition or the voice of God, but I just knew it was time to return to God. I didn’t exactly know how to go about pursuing my spiritual journey on my own so I used transparency and vulnerability with my community online. Soon, I realized there were many other born-again Christians who were on the same path as me and by sharing my journey I was helping others and others were helping me. I fell in love with the fact that I could provide a safe space for others and myself. 

@quinciesimone_

Lmk how you feel about this challenge! #christianchallenge #christianktiktok #christiantok #walkwithchrist #christianjournaling #spiritualgrowthtips #spiritualgrowth #christiantips

♬ original sound – quinciesimone_

How has the rise in popularity in health and wellness online impacted your content?

Seeing the popularity in health and wellness grow online has truly been pleasing to see as someone who has grown up prioritizing sports and a healthy lifestyle. As I was graduating from college and really entering adulthood, I had to adjust and find my own way to maintain the active/healthy lifestyle I was accustomed to as a student athlete. Health and wellness was beginning to look a little different from what I was used to and I wanted my content to reflect that as well. Health and wellness now means to me; paying attention to my mental health, moving my body daily, taking prebiotics and probiotics that aid in my health goals, and generally learning about my body as a woman. Sharing that with other women has been an exciting part in my content creation journey as well! 

What is your main goal for creating content?

My main goal when creating content is to use vulnerability and transparency from real life experiences to help others. Breaking the misconception that you have to show up on social media in an aesthetic, perfect, and “having life figured out” way. As a creator, I hold myself to the responsibility to not contribute to the negative impact that already comes with social media by making it seem as if I’m living a fairy tale life. Social media tends to make people feel like they are missing out or aren’t doing enough in life. So I strive to do the opposite, by talking about touchy subjects like: mental health struggles, healing from relationships, loneliness in singleness, transitioning from being in college to the real world, learning what self love truly is, my spiritual journey, etc). I truly believe by talking about the hard conversations that most people avoid, I’m helping someone by showing them that they aren’t alone. 

Human beings are social creatures who need companionship with others to flourish in life and the strength of our connections has a huge impact on our mental health. So I strive to use social media as a creator to reach people from all over the world that might lack companionship in their lives. I now look at content creation as my WHY/purpose. Those who support me and connect with me aren’t just followers, they are virtual friends/family to me! Also, as much as I might uplift/encourage my virtual friends/family they help me as well. I’m grateful to God that I am able to connect with so many wonderful people.

Which platforms do you predominantly use? Which do you prefer for posting, and for community building? 

I mainly post my content on TikTok and Instagram. With TikTok commonly being known as a platform where people can just show up as they are, I totally agree and that’s why I prefer posting on TikTok to build a community to engage with and converse with! When it comes to Instagram, I’ve found it a bit more difficult to post my content. It’s easy to fall back into the false narrative that you have to show up on social media polished, especially with Instagram. Instagram makes you obsessive over quality and aesthetics, making it highly curated, while TikTok has more of an authentic vibe. However, I will continue to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone and focusing on my purpose to encourage others rather than staying comfortable. Comfortability keeps you stagnant and staying stagnant doesn’t result in change. Change must start with myself. 

@quinciesimone_

Lately ive been taking my relationship with God seriously ans i want to try to stay consistent to this new prayer routine. I feel like its more effectice to really understand and get into the word given to me. Ive been in my waiting season lately and it has my faith so weary, but i will not allow doubt to overcome my faith. God has taken me out of some difficult situations and allowed me to experience testimonies that i still hold close to me. I didnt know how difficult this journey would be to follow God when i started a couple years ago. Its not linear, its beyond comprehension sometimes, it takes discipline, it takes patience, and theres no real exact timeline. It literally takes FAITH. #christiantiktok #christianwoman #childofgod #prayerroutine #prayerworks #prayertime #prayerworks #trustinggodsplan #godsplan

♬ Emotional Piano for the Soul (Inspirational Background Music) – Fearless Motivation Instrumentals

How does community engagement vary on your chosen platforms?

Based on community engagement and analytics that I receive on my TikTok videos, my TikTok family is more open to other kinds of content I post besides beliefs/religion and health & wellness. On Instagram it can be a bit more challenging to receive engagement for videos that aren’t Christian content related. With me being more comfortable sharing the personal aspects of my life on TikTok rather than Instagram, I assume that plays a part in why my community engagement differs the way it does. Although, I’ve realized that the age range of individuals that I mostly connect with (24-34) stays steady between the two platforms. 

What is your favourite type of content to create, and which works best for your audience? Is there a juxtaposition? 

My favorite kind of content to make would be vlogs. Even though they are time consuming and require tedious editing I love the concept of bringing my virtual family along with me during my day! My audience interacts well with my vlogs but they mostly engage with the videos where I’m sitting and talking to the camera about a specific topic. I believe the reasoning behind this is that when I’m sitting down, making eye contact with the camera, showing emotion, expressing opinions and experiences, people are more prone to connecting with me and have a glimpse of who I really am! It’s like a FaceTime call with your bestie. I believe it takes courage to sit down, to be your true, raw self and express your thoughts on a topic that resonates with you. Even though the type of content I prefer to make and what my audience prefers to see differs a bit, I still find a balance between the two. Finding a balance with my content makes it fun for me as a creator while also respecting the interests of those who kindly decided to follow me.

In your own words and experience, how would you define “influencer marketing”?

To me, influencer marketing is a mutually-beneficial partnership between companies/brands and influencers/creators. Brands receive brand exposure from the partnership and creators receive endorsements for promoting the product.

Why do you think influencer marketing is so powerful in today’s society?

Influencer marketing has become so powerful in today’s society simply because the internet itself has grown tremendously. This brought about digital marketing for businesses because people were starting to seek out information and entertainment via online rather than traditional forms of offline marketing. Social media marketing became a solid aspect of digital marketing to increase brand exposure and traffic to websites. By collaborating with influencers/creators who have a strong social presence and impact, it maximizes social efforts. 

Do you have experience working with brands? How do you decide which brands you would like to work with?

Being an influencer for two years has brought opportunities to collaborate with amazing brands like Lancôme, SHEIN, Hempz, Actively Black, Kiehls, and more! In the beginning of my influencer journey I was so eager to work with brands that I was working with almost any and everyone to get exposure! As time went on and I built an honest community, found my purpose, and narrowed down my niches, I knew certain brands just weren’t a fit. I view my platforms and myself as a brand and each brand has a mission statement/purpose, so I had one for myself as well. Once doing a bit more research on a company and their ultimate mission, I would judge whether their mission and mines aligned or collided. From experience, collaborating with brands who have a purpose/mission that you don’t agree with affects the video production process. I noticed it was hard for me to find the correct words to say, how to show the product as a part of my daily routine, how to promote it in a suitable way, etc. Users can often sense a phony collaboration and once that trust is broken it’s difficult to come back from. 

@quinciesimone_

Did you see those results?! Yes ma’ammm. No more spending money every time i want a facial because i can do it right here at home🤪 if youre interested in getting you one go to @Auria Beauty and use my code: Quince10 #athomefacial #athomeskincare #facialtreatment #nightroutineskincare #skincaretips #SelfCareRoutine #skincarebrightening #darkspotstreatment #auriabeauty #auriapartner

♬ original sound – quinciesimone_

How do you foresee the influencer marketing space changing within your niche in the next 12 months?

Within the next 12 months I see the influencer marketing space evolving for religious creators. I imagine there will be more collaborations between Bible study apps and creators, religion-based clothing brands and creators, and more. Just as any niche there are brands that are looking to influencers to help with exposure. Some may think it’s difficult to land collaborations as a Christian creator because of beliefs/opinions that can be controversial, which is true because some brands may not want religion associated with their brand. However, as I mentioned before the most successful collaborations are when the purpose of the creator and brand align. As long as creators stick to what they believe in and are authentically themselves I see no reason why influencer marketing won’t grow for religious creators. 

Based on your experience, what is one thing you would advocate to change about the perception of Christian content creators?

I would advocate to change the perception that Christian’s should be perfect human beings and there’s no room for error. Christianity does not mean perfectionism and it needs to be understood that perfectionism is unattainable. Just as anyone else we make mistakes consciously and unconsciously, we are no exception. Each day we endeavor to be better human beings with a new chance that we get each day we wake up to. Perfectionism is a ponderous weight we should not have to carry, no one should have to carry. To overcome perfectionism we must allow one another to embrace our imperfections, accept that failure is a natural part of life, and to look at personal growth as a journey. The idea of perfection is more harmful than hurtful. 

@quinciesimone_

Struggling is an understatement. These 5 things are definitely whopping my ass right now. #struggle #pain #relatable #healingtiktok #alone #foryouu #greenscreenvideo #fypシ゚viral

♬ original sound – ab ❦

How do you balance your online and offline lives?

As an outsider it might seem like I have a perfect blend of work and play as a content creator, but in reality it is far more complex. Drawing a line between work and play is difficult because the two often intermingle. For vlogs, day-in-the-life’s, GRWM’s, etc it requires me to show my personal life. Even though I am going through the motions of my everyday life, I am still also working if I choose to record. Even during designated times that I set apart just for myself as relaxing time, I find myself still recording out of habit because it is something I’m passionate about. I always say to those in my personal life “ even when I’m not working, I’m working!” Also, between a consistent schedule of content creation, brand collaborations, and audience engagement it can be time consuming to juggle it all. Although, recently I’ve set in place a strict schedule to not work on weekends nor anytime after 5 on weekdays to not overwork myself and experience burnout. I encourage all creators to set in place non-working hours/days for yourself to not feel overwhelmed, just as a regular job would require you to be present and productive during certain hours/days. Of course this rule isn’t applicable to all situations like deadlines for brand deals, content that has to be posted at a certain time, last minute editing, etc. Work-life balance is beyond time management, it’s an integration of mental health and physical well being so that professional success is not at the expense of personal contentment.  Every day I have to constantly remind myself that I am a person first and a creator second. 

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

In the next five years I see myself as a content creator coach, offering eBooks and 1-on-1 sessions full of knowledge, tips, strategies, email templates, etc to help aspiring creators. I want my clients to walk away feeling confident in their niche, knowing how to sell themselves in an email pitch, understanding basic SEO (search engine optimization), and landing paid collaborations. I also see myself helping brands create captivating advertisements for social media. I want to make my mark in the social media industry and help others do so too. 

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