Lesli Olson reviews an Instagram reel in her Anchorage home on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ava White/AKPM)
Lesli Olson stood in the middle of her South Anchorage multipurpose room, digging through an overflowing box of unopened packages. She ripped open a large gray envelope.
“I’m really excited about this dress, I just haven’t tried it on yet. I think it’d be so cute with some Adidas Spezials,” she said.
Olson is a fashion influencer. She posts an outfit of the day, or OOTD on her Instagram, sharing everything from brands to sizes she’s wearing. She links to products through an app, called Like to Know It, which lets influencers earn revenue when shoppers buy through their link.
This isn’t Olson’s only job. She still works full time as a choir teacher at a middle school in Anchorage. Her page, Far North Fashion, started almost seven years ago when she began taking photos of people’s outfits that she thought were unique. She said she was drawn to what was trending with her students and Alaska Native clothing like kuspuks.
“It was me going up to these elders and introducing myself and asking if I could take a picture of their outfit, because I thought it was beautiful,” she said. “There were these girls that would come in with flannels and vests and Xtratuf’s rolled down.”
Social media influencers are part of a growing industry. One data firm estimates that influencers’ market size worldwide has more than doubled since 2020. By all accounts, the influencer scene in Alaska is small. Maybe even tiny. But Olson has found a niche.
Lesli Olson edits a reel she recorded on her phone on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ava White/AKPM)
She created the account with the goal to make money, but it hasn’t always been easy. It wasn’t until this summer she began earning serious cash from influencing.
In the last month, she’s gained more than 60 thousand followers. She attributed that growth to a viral OOTD video she posted in early August, where she identified herself as a size 12 mom who wants to share her outfits with followers.
Olson said Alaska’s isolation makes it harder for content creators to make a living off social media. But the state’s unique fashion and landscapes can help too. She can offer outside fans recommendations for cold-weather outfits and travel tips for visiting Anchorage. She said life is just different in Alaska and that can be a selling point or a disconnect.
“I’m a teacher, and teachers who follow me in the lower 48 most of them can’t wear jeans Monday through Friday. They’re lucky if they can wear jeans on a Friday. And I’m showing my outfit of the day, wearing jeans every day. So I think that kind of puts me at a disadvantage,” said Olson.
When she started, Olson was earning about $500 each month through her outfit links, but now she makes more than double that amount.
Companies also pay Olson to create content around a specific product or experience. A single static post on Olson’s page starts at $500, while she charges $1500 for a minute-long reel. She’s worked with local brands like the Alaska Railroad and Double Shovel Cider Co., and larger brands like Duluth Trading Company and Xtratuf. She posts almost every day.
“I feel like a day that I don’t post is a day of losing money,” she said.
She’s not the only Alaskan influencer charging for content.
Danika Baldwin quit her job almost two years ago to create posts full-time. She charges the same rates as Olson for an Instagram post or a reel, but also offers a combo package– a reel, story, and post for $2300 to reach her nearly 70 thousand followers.
She takes every opportunity she can to create content, like when she came to Alaska Public Media for an interview.
“Look where we’re at! My hands are shaking,” Baldwin said, recording herself walking into the building.
Her page, Girl in Alaska, reviews tours, lodges, and travel experiences. She describes her brand as “all things Alaska.” She was recognized as Alaska’s Best Influencer by Alaska Business Magazine this year.
A recent post shows Baldwin relaxing at West Wind Cabins in Homer, another enjoying a meal with her family at Bombay Deluxe, an Indian restaurant in Anchorage.
Baldwin said partnering with an influencer is a new form of marketing. Many people use social media when researching travel destinations or things to do, and she thinks it’s because they want to see visuals.
“You can watch a video on my page in 90 seconds and get, basically, a recap of what the entire tour looks like. It’s kind of like a little mini, like [a] TV commercial,” she said.
When she first started creating content, she traded services or products in place of payment, and she said that’s common when you’re starting out. Her influencer income can be inconsistent, so Baldwin manages social media for a local public relations company and started travel advising for extra cash.
She said living in Alaska makes it harder to physically meet up with large companies that want to collaborate. But she said Alaska is also a selling point, and the landscape sets her apart.
“We have a really unique aspect to our lives here in Alaska,” she said. “The type of content that we’re able to create and show like I can literally drive 10 minutes and be in front of a beautiful landscape. We’re not in a city with sky rises and things like that.”
To be an influencer, she said you have to be comfortable sharing your personality. She records all of her content on her cellphone, and it helps make her content relatable.
Baldwin has dreams of working with large outdoor brands like Sitka Gear and Sims, and hopes her work with travel companies will allow her to explore the state further.
Olson also creates content on her cellphone, and describes her brand as relatable, trendy and bold. She said she considers her followers as friends, and many frequently reach out sharing words of encouragement.
“It’s validating for me that maybe I’m not over-sharing, and people do enjoy me with yesterday’s makeup on my face, talking with my double chin in bed,” she said “You know they enjoy it, but they can relate to it.”
Olson said if her account keeps growing, she’d switch to teaching part time to spend more time creating content.
Ava White reports on economics and hosts the statewide morning news at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at awhite@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8445. Read more about Ava here.
