Instagram as a freelance work platform for models

The health catastrophe forced to change work strategies drastically.New unemployed and young professionals took the lead and created their own employment options.A clear example is given by the models that no longer live only on the catwalks or traditional advertising, now Instagram appears as a privileged space for entrepreneurs in the fashion world.

«Hoy en día puedo vivir trabajando diariamente como modelo, creadora de contenido y productora gracias a Instagram. Mi perfil de esta red social es mi currículum, ahí las marcas y productores pueden ver mis trabajos y experiencia en este ámbito laboral, pueden observar el estilo de fotos que hago y el de las marcas con las que trabajo», relata Celine Von Leers, una suerte de microemprendedora con relación de dependencia, perfil que va ganando adeptos especialmente entre jóvenes profesionales.

«My first job thanks to Instagram was in 2017 for a women's clothing brand, We Are Velvet.Until then I had taken some professional photos with photographer friends for "fun", it was always something that I liked and caught the attention.This brand to see my content and like it contacted me by direct message from Instagram and we fixed date and place.Like any job one has to win the well -known “Floor Law’ ’and my remuneration was an exchange: they gave me clothes of their brand in exchange for my work hours,” recalls Celine.The world of brands or showrooms was characterized until a few years ago by using models with experience and some public exhibition, there were few freelance models.Thanks to this first incursion, Celine was contacted by other companies and I can make her productions at least once a month and agree her cachet per hour or a minimum amount of exchange garments.During 2018 and 2019 the productions increased but the income was still lean and continued to accept the exchanges.

A new scenario

In 2020, photography productions stopped being carried out, new ventures emerged and online sale grew a lot."Argentina became the country that registered the highest growth at the global level, with an annual increase of 79% in its online sales," said Gonzalo Latugaye, cloud store director in an interview conducted by the IProup portal.“Even during the first semester of 2020, 9 out of 10 Argentines made at least one online purchase and, in addition, 1 in 10 people did it for the first time during the pandemic.In this sense, the segment that captured the most sales was clothing with 46%, which demonstrates the importance of this industry in e-commerce », continues the same note from the portal.“Other of the figures that the study throws are that of social networks to trade, which showed being great allies to sell online: of the total sales made, 34% were completed by social networks, while the rest byOther sales channels.Of the total sales, Instagram took 87% while Facebook completes the total with 13%, ”he concluded.

With this growth the brands, despite being in quarantine, continued selling online and needed photos to show their products."This is how they contacted me and with many more models that we started making content from our homes, from there the generator of content or better known as content creators," Celine's story takes up.

Work scheme

«In this way there was no contact with anyone who could cause the spread of Covid and I could continue working in Pandemia and from my home, I started working with many brands and making content daily because there were not many girls who worked independently, so it wasas I had great growth making me known and more visible in the environment as a model and content generator.In this continuous format working to this day, ”Celine gets excited.

In mid -2020 the restrictions began to soften and the productions returned.Thanks to the visibility Celine had during the quarantine, in several profiles of different brands, photographers and producers began to contact her.«This is how I could start living what I like and work daily thanks to Instagram, I usually have between 1 to 3 productions per day, both from my home and outdoors.Being freelance, my agenda, my salary, my schedules organize them, "he emphasizes.

Income uploads

Celine's current conditions vary although the time predominates per hour.«Each one puts a price according to what she believes that her time is worth and I, for example, I also charge the per diem and makeup if there is no makeup artist.Obviously there are always lower and larger salaries but I believe that most do not charge less than $ 1000 per hour and up to $ 4000.There are girls who accept exchange, like me at the beginning of my work career, and others who charge much more since they are known.I stopped charging my job for exchange since it was not profitable to live, I just accept exchange in exchange for some publication on my networks or unless it is something that I like and wants, ”he says.

But not only of productions lives the model and entrepreneur and describes other activities: «Thanks to my work I could relate and become a friend with a lot of people, from owners of brands, photographers, producers, makeup artists and models, which were also good contactsWhen it comes to increasing work with new brands ».

I have gone through a great diversity of brands, mostly women's clothes, it can be with a more youthful or more adult imprint, I also worked with gastronomic brands, footwear, notebooks, wallets and even pillow.I have also come to work with brands from other Latin American countries such as Peru and Chile.

Since I started working in this area, I was always interested in the role of producers.Producers are those who are responsible for organizing and carrying out photography production.They hire the models, to the photographer, the makeup artist, choose the place where it will be done, choose the imprint, what you want to communicate, are responsible for buying, getting and carrying all the necessary extra elements, they areThose who coordinate with everyone and those who once in production, direct it.

From last year I had the space to work as a producer for two brands and a photography agency.The first brand is Filum, a wholesale brand that is located in the Barrio de Flores.In that brand my work was the creation of content, with me and with other models, agreement, the place, day, style, looks and work to be done.The second brand is called Mischaka, it is a retail brand and developer.As in Filum, the content of the brand is in charge.Both two pay me monthly and I go once a week.The productions made with the photography agency were isolated, that is, a hiring once for special production.

Differences between influencers, models and content generators

The influencer is a person who has many followers on social networks, there may be influencers of different items: fashion, sports, art, kitchen, etc..In general they work through social networks through their profile.The brands send their products and pay them in exchange for uploading a publication or a story in their account.The idea is to get to your followers to see the product..

On the other hand is the model that can work independently or be part of an agency, you can hire a brand to make a photographic production or a fashion parade.The work of the model would be to pose or parade.

And finally the content generator, which creates the content, the brands hire them, send them their clothes and they take care of styling, photography, place and poses.It can be influencer, it can be a model, but not necessarily.

@ceinevonleers