Influencer Sessions: Get To Know @luxemesse

We caught up with one of social media’s hottest travel creators, @luxemesse, to talk all things personality, platforms, and pushing boundaries. Read on to discover how this flight attendant-turned-creator is making waves on social and taking us all along with her.

Where does your love for creating travel and lifestyle content come from?

My love for creating travel and lifestyle comes from a very young age of wanting to be a fashion designer. I know it might not have any correlation, but that’s where my creative desires were cultivated. I feel like wanting to always express my creativity through clothes transformed into everything I am today, through the camera lens. Creating travel content began when I first became a flight attendant back in 2018, I realized how much of a world is out there and I just wanted to share with everyone what’s out there and inspire everyone to one day go see for themselves while including my personality and lifestyle.

How has the rise in popularity of social media travel content creators impacted the content you make?

I believe the rise in popularity has definitely given more creators and consumers their wings. It’s confirmation that it is actually an impactful environment. Travel content is a form of livelihood inspiration, there is so much fulfillment to be gained from traveling. As our everyday lives consist of routines and responsibilities it makes it very hard for most people to maintain a sense of fulfillment and that’s where traveler content creators like me come into play. The rise of travel content has given me a platform to inspire and educate people with things and places they probably never knew existed.

What is your main goal for creating content?

My main goal for content creation is to first be able to express my creativity but also eventually make it my full time income because I’d love to make a living from traveling the world and educating as many people as I can. To be the eyes and ears for those who have an interest in exploring the world and show them that they too can visit.

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

I predominantly use Instagram and YouTube. I prefer Instagram for photos but for community building I prefer TikTok & YouTube because these platforms push personality-based creators, which allows you to discover your audience easier, as you’re sharing more of who you are, as opposed to Instagram where it’s just still images. 

How does community engagement vary on your chosen platforms?

I’ve learned that different platforms definitely bring out a different side of you, which is why the engagement varies on each of them. For instance your audience on Instagram has a different liking for you maybe because they enjoy the way you capture moments, whereas your TikTok or YouTube audience appreciate the way you think or express your thoughts, you know, your overall personality.

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

My favorite type of content to create would definitely be anything related to traveling, may it be an Airbnb or hotel review/tour, do’s and don’t in certain cities or places to visit when abroad. I myself truly enjoy discovering new things and being a content creator makes it more rewarding, as, based on my experience, I can help someone make decisions on visiting places that would fulfill who they are. Based on feedback, my audience truly enjoys when I share cultural moments of wherever I am at. They enjoy knowing about the life of the everyday person in that specific country or city.

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

Influencer marketing methods are the new TV commercials. As we progress as a society less and less of us are watching TV and watching more real life people living real lives. People enjoy watching what seems to be original because it gives them a sense of relativity and that’s where  influencer marketing comes into play. When your audience can relate to you they easily trust your recommendations. It’s a very personable form of marketing and very effective because the consumers trust your judgment, as you embody some form of who they are, as opposed to the traditional marketing strategies that require a hefty amount of convincing the audience to purchase a product from a “stranger”.

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

Influencer marketing is very powerful because it’s personable, like I stated in the last question. The audience you obtain from being an influencer is almost like a family, they are willing to do the best they can to help you elevate and they trust your judgment and recommendations. That is a very powerful thing because what you offer to them as a creator is why they trust your influence. Think of it like this, you are more likely to buy a product recommended by a friend than a random TV commercial. You may have even seen it advertised before but you won’t really express interest unless someone you trust tells you to try it out and that is why influencer marketing is powerful.

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

Yes I do have experience working with brands. It definitely has its ups and downs so the way I decide which brands to work with is solely based on the kind of content I want to push out. As a hair influencer as well, I accept many wig/hair collabs over gummies and supplements companies because they don’t align with the content I’m pushing out. I believe it’s more enjoyable when it all falls within your niche. Yes it is nice getting random gifts every now and then but the challenge begins when it’s time to create content for something that doesn’t actually excite you and that’s when it starts feeling like a hard task. Always try to accept brand deals with companies who compliment your desired niche.

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

It will change in tremendous positive ways. Traveling is becoming more & more popular and common among younger people so I believe in the next 12 months more and more travel content creators will surface and introduce new ways to transfer information to the audience. The more people who pick up a camera while traveling, the more opinions and information will be available to those in search and most importantly presented and explained differently because of our various personalities. The way I explain something might not be as effective for some and they could find that understanding from another fellow creator just simply because they can relate to them more. 

Based on your experience, what would you advocate to change about the travel content community?

Based on my experience I would say what needs to change about the travel content community is the need to always have an aesthetically-pleasing video instead of an informative video. Many creators center their content around luxury and soft life without really showing the real behind the scenes of traveling, hence creating a false illusion to those consuming the content. I would love to see more real moments, real personalities and real realities of traveling, not just a fancy hotel and fancy dinner table on a fancy island. Tell us about the price of all these things and how one can afford it or give alternatives to what you’re experiencing. 

@luxemesse

That’s it #CapCut #traveltiktok #travellife #traveltok

♬ juliaraer.all I wanna do is travel – Julia Rae

How do you balance your online and offline lives?

I have to be honest, I am still trying to find the balance between the two. I still kind of do it based on my inspirations as opposed to a set schedule, because it’s not everyday that I travel so when I travel I make sure to record enough content to last me until the next time I travel again to maintain consistency. All of my content is recorded live and they are gradually released throughout  the following days/weeks. Now when it comes to balancing between being consistent on social media while living a life I have daily goals for myself to post at least once on any of the 3 platforms I use. Whether it’s just a picture on Instagram, a short video of me tasting foreign meals on TikTok or a weekly vlog on YouTube, I believe consistency is key to being a successful content creator so I make it my obligation to make sure I’m delivering content to my audience daily. 

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

In 5 years I see myself partnering up with airlines and major hotel companies and brand trips in general, expanding my horizons in the travel content niche. I will be one of the most recognized world travelers hosting group trips with major companies. The creator you think of whenever you’re looking for your next destination.

What is a piece of advice you would give to your younger self when starting out as a content creator?

The most important advice I have for my younger self is to not let the numbers determine the quality of my content. I feel like many of us struggle with that and that’s why most people don’t make it past the beginning stage because you spend so much time putting together your ideas and which you believe was done very well but once you post it the numbers don’t reflect what you had hoped for. I myself struggled a lot with that because I kept asking myself if my content was good enough, but it is! It was good enough for me to get an opportunity to answer questions about what it’s like to be a content travel creator. If younger me had let those low performing videos get to me I would not be here on this platform telling my story. Someone is ALWAYS watching, it might not be the whole world watching but trust that the eyes you actually need are watching and that’s where opportunities like this one here present themselves. Many people have yet to discover me but moments like this remind me that I should just continue to do what I do and everything will fall into place 🙂

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