Earlier quoted context omitted.
People want escapism. Something out of their ordinary lives. Like movies. As someone who is heavily involved in Instagram marketing, I don't see the value for anyone other than dreamers. Which is why my focus is niche, local, and accessible to everyone. In return I send a TON of real customers to places that I choose to promote.
Why do people trust your recommendations? I’m not saying you are untrustworthy. I don’t know you. But that is my point. Why do people trust “influencers”? I would feel like a tremendous fool even following a stranger’s account, much less going somewhere on their say-so.
I don't promote any food or drinks that I don't love myself. Even when working with restaurants, I make this clear. You can give me all the food you want, but if I don't think it's awesome, I'm not going to talk about it. So that removes any negative criticism, and it makes it greatly in their interest to serve good food. It's ONLY about the product. I'm completely anonymous, very few outside of the industry even know who I am, so I'm not wasting their time with dumb lifestyle pictures of myself. I don't need the money, I'm doing it for the networking, and growing the food scene. My followers recognize this, and is the reason I am the largest in the entire region.