Say Hello to Intersectional Influencers

While the thought of “influencers” might conjure up perfectly manicured images of beauty brands or skin care products, there is a growing trend to bring a dose of reality to social channels. 

We’ve engaged with influencers who were coffee-obsessed; Latinx and BIPOC influencers in favor of vaccines; and a group of diverse cyclists visiting McMinnville, including Marley Blonsky. 

Take a minute to meet Marley: After recently making the move from Seattle to Bentonville, Arkansas, Marley worked with our team at Weinstein PR on client Visit McMinnville to highlight the up-and-coming Oregon city as a top destination for cycling, food, wine and lodging. Marley’s path to influence was an authentic one: “For the first few years (before Instagram Stories were a thing), I used my Instagram to document my day-to-day and to share fun snippets of my life,” Marley says. “I didn’t really specialize in anything, but I rode my bike basically all the time, so my content naturally became very bike focused. It was around 2017 that I realized I could use my Instagram to share advice, advocate for causes I believed in and promote different products.”

As the years went on, Marley continued to expand her audience. She credits this growth to her unfiltered posts on Instagram that read more like a diary than a commercial. Not only does Marley share her love of cycling, she is also a body-positive, self-proclaimed “Fat Cyclist.” “A lot of people feel like they need permission just to be themselves. By being 100% genuine on my social feeds-the good, the bad, the ugly, the silly-I think I give permission to folks to live authentically,” Marley says. “When they see a photo of me, a 250-pound woman in a bikini with thousands of likes, that sends a signal that, ‘Hey, Marley is doing that and is happy. Maybe I can give it a try, too.'”

Marley’s biggest advice for brands that are new to working with paid influencers? Find a partner that is authentically aligned with your brand and that you trust to tell your story. We are incredibly grateful to have collaborated with Marley, and all of our influencer partners, at Weinstein PR.

Interested in learning more from a member of our Paid Influencer strategy team? Please reach out.

A few of our other favorite intersectional influencers:

• @pattiegonia (Outdoor Enthusiast x Environmentalist x Drag Queen)
• @thenutritiontea (Weight Inclusive Dietitian x Social Justice Advocate)
• @wheelchairbarbie (Writer x Fashion Model x Disability Rights Activist)
• @chefeduardogarcia (Outdoor Enthusiast x Athlete x “Bionic Chef” because he has a prosthetic arm)