Page 69 of Stepping Up to the Plate

I follow her into what I assume is an old bedroom. It has vibrant, abstract wallpaper on the top half of the wall and deep blue paint under the chair rail. She sits on a blue velvet chair and points to the couch beside it for me to join her.

“As I mentioned, I have already seen your blog and loved it. I think you have a unique voice and perspective that brands are aching for. Many influencers these days are cookie cutter and saturating the same audience. They lack an emotional depth that your account has in spades.”

Wow. That is some high praise. I have tried hard to be as authentic as I can. I am glad it is coming across. There is no way it would work otherwise. The world didn’t need another highlight reel. It needed raw takes on the realities of going through a divorce after marrying young and what the process of starting over truly looks like.

Molly continues, “Miller probably told you that I work with athletes, which is true. My counterpart Eliza handles our music industry clients, but we are planning to bring on a third partner to focus on influencers. Until then, I will be managing the vertical.

“We have a lot of businesses approach us to work with our high profile clients that aren’t a good fit. We found that their campaign goals and budgets align much more strongly with influencers in niche markets. As social media has grown, the public has shifted to trusting influencers more than celebrities. Because they give people the sense that they know them.

“What we want to do here is build up a network of influencers who we can match with those brand campaigns when they pop up. We will also offer packages to help our influencers get into major publications, but they don’t need the same style of representation that artists and athletes do.

“You don’t need us to manage your social media or online community. You do an incredible job of that on your own. What we have found influencers need is help on the brand deals side. Companies tend to lowball micro-influencers and try to take advantage of them even though their conversions can be much higher than the bigger names. Does that sound accurate to you?

“Yes,” I answer. “That lines up with what I’ve experienced. I’ve been approached by several brands of varying sizes and the bigger the company is, the more they want for less. They also don’t seem to care how authentic it might be for my brand. I’ve had an infant product company hounding me lately to feature them. I can understand that my audience is full of moms, but I don’t have any kids and neither do any of my close friends. What do they expect me to do? Try out the stroller myself? I’m small, but not that small.”

This earns me a laugh from Molly. I pat myself on the back for saying anything this posh woman thinks is clever.

“Exactly,” she agrees. “That is what we want to help avoid. Brands can go through us and free up your DMs for your community.”

“How would this work?” I ask. “I know typically PR agencies are paid a monthly retainer or hourly fee. To be honest, I am not in a position to do that right now.”

“I get that,” she states. “That is why we are going to do things differently than we do with our other clients. For now, we are offering more of a commission-style arrangement. For brand deals over a certain amount, we will take 15 percent of what they pay. For brands below that amount, we will take a flat fee to ensure we are being paid fairly for the work we put in. But anything below a certain threshold isn’t worth either of our time. Any deals you get on your own will be untouched by us.

“You would be getting in on the ground floor. As we grow this service, there will be some growing pains, but you’ll also have the opportunity to help us create a process that works for influencers in varying niches.”

I’m intrigued by what Molly has laid out. As much as I dislike the term ‘influencer’ I have to admit that is what I am, even if I see myself as more of a writer. The things I say do influence other people to try new things, products included. The larger I have gotten, the more brands reach out to me. It would be great to have them go through someone else rather than badgering me and filling up my inbox. Plus, it sounds like the agency has a pool of brands reaching out to them already. I could get some cool opportunities through the partnership.

As I think through the implications, Molly offers a way to test out the program. “If you’re interested in a trial run, we have a local home goods company working with some of our smaller artists. I think they would be a good fit with your brand. We have a dating app, too, but based on how that man was mooning at you, I don’t suppose you’re in-market for that.”

“No,” I reply. “But I have friends who do online dating and give me feedback on it. Dating post-divorce is a topic my audience is champing at the bit for content on. Seeing as I fell into my relationship unconventionally, I’ve been nervous to share too much about it, especially with Brady in the public eye.”

“As his PR rep, let me say the man could use more publicity. People think he’s a recluse. Share away!” We talk for a few more minutes about my blog and experiences before we hear voices outside.

Standing, she directs me to follow her out the door. “I guess it’s time I return you to Miller. He’s been pacing the lobby for the last few minutes. I’ll have my intern, Leah, reach out to you with all the details. Email either one of us if you have any questions. I am excited to see what you come up with for these brands.”

“Thank you,” I say again.

As we leave her office, Brady is waiting for me in the lobby. We walk hand-in-hand to his truck and head off to our next destination. On the drive, I can’t help but be thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given and grateful to Brady for putting his support behind me. He went out of his way to make this happen and even if nothing comes from it, that act in itself means the world.

He hasn’t said the words yet, but his actions make me feel loved and taken care of in a way I never have. I’ve been falling for him since the day I gave him a chance and I’m starting to think I’ve fallen all the way. I just hope he's there to catch me.

ChapterThirty-Four

• BRADY •

Iwas initially hesitant about introducing Lola to Molly and the rest of the PR team. Not because I didn’t think they would love her, but because I didn’t know if that would be overstepping. She has built her entire blog and social community by herself. I didn’t want her to think I was trying to push her to make it grow or shift it in one direction or another.

Truthfully, I am proud of everything she has created. I’ve seen the hard work she puts into crafting her posts and all the things she is trying in the name of growth and self-discovery. I don’t want her to believe I think it needs to be more successful or lucrative. She could work for free and I wouldn’t care – aside from the fact that she deserves to be compensated for her hard work. I make enough that she never needs to worry about money ever again, not that she’d let me support her financially.

I should have known she wouldn’t be offended by me offering help. She never is. This girl is perfect. She selflessly accepts my overbearing tendencies. In fact, sometimes I don’t even think she notices them. She’s never once complained about me ordering for her or when I herd her to the non-road side of the sidewalk when we’re walking. Even now she didn’t make a fuss about shlepping her around town with no idea where we're going. She trusted I had it handled and has been along for the ride.

She is going to love the next stop. Tossing our smoothies in the garbage, we make our way inside the admittedly shady looking building, for our appointment. Her gaze shoots around the room as we enter the workshop.

“Welcome!” We’re greeted by a middle-aged man in work clothes. “I’m Tim. You must be the Millers. We’re delighted you are here, I’m a lifelong Songbirds fan.”

“Thank you for having us and for your support of the team,” I reply without correcting his assumption that we’re married. I don’t hate that we give off that vibe.

“Phoebe is in the design center getting everything ready. Let me show you back.”

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