Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Maria Zeniou @maria.z.petrovic

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

My name is Maria, I am 21 years old and I come from Cyprus. I am half Serbian and half Greek-Cypriot. Ever since I was a child, what was special about me was that I learned languages very fast. One of the reasons apart the fact that I am bilingual (my mother tongues are Greek and Serbian) is that I was traveling a lot with my parents and I loved interacting with people who come from different cultural backgrounds. Growing up my interest in traveling and language learning got bigger and bigger and by the age of 15 I could already speak 5 languages. I decided to study something that has to do with languages, history and culture so I entered the university of Cyprus and right now I’m about to finish my first degree in European studies and modern languages. Last year I spent my whole 3rd year studying in Belgium as part of the Erasmus+ student exchange program and that’s when I noticed that people where actually very interested in my Instagram and experiences from my travels. During that time my interest in modeling and fashion grew as well and people sent me messages complimenting my style and asking information on holidays at a specific place I visited or asking me where I got my clothes from. I would love to keep my influence growing and work with people who have more experience on this field.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I mostly post photos of me during a trip or visiting a beautiful place in my country. I’m interested in topics about traveling, fashion abd photography.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My Instagram name is maria.z.petrovic . The "z" is for my surname Zeniou and "petrovic" is my mother’s surname just to show that I am both Cypriot and Serbian.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

Actually I love using Instagram itself to edit my photos. I don’t really use filters, I just make sure that the colors are strong and that the quality of the photo is as good as possible since I only take my pictures using my iPhone. If I need to retouch a photo I usually use YouCam Perfect just to make sure everything looks ok.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

I really like @living_theflylife (Elizabethe Lynch) who’s a cabin crew at Emirates airlines and everyday shares exciting and motivational stories and I also really like @xenia (Xenia Tchoumi) who’s a fashion entrepreneur and speaker with whom I have in common the multilingualism (she speaks 6 languages), the love to travel, meet different people and learn languages and of course the interest in fashion.
I would say that the instagrammer who inspires me the most though is @carlibel (Carli Bybel) who’s a very successful makeup artist and whose influence started by posting makeup tutorials on YouTube and by being such a positive and down-to-earth person. She now has over 4 million Instagram followers and her own business and brand, and she’s an example of someone who never quits until they achieve their goals.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

I would say the Instagram stories. They are a fun way to keep your Instagram active and interact more with your followers by sharing personal moments with them, your hobbies or campaigns and competitions.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

My favorite part of being an influencer is the ability to positively influence people and inspire them to do whatever they dream to do in their lives. I want people to get out of their comfort zones and experience life in a different way. I love it when I receive positive feedback and messages from people thanking my for motivating them to do something different and creative!

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

I don’t own a brand and I haven’t done a collaboration but I would love to! The only advice I can give is just be yourself and be natural. People want to feel close to you and get inspired to reach their goals.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

Quality and original content are very important in order to stand out in the crowd. My advice would be again to be natural and yourself. Don’t try to mimic what other influencers do unless you want to be average.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

I have never partnered with a brand even though I have been approached by a few asking me to become one of the promoters. I have not accepted their suggestions though because the jobs where not what I was looking for. When you are just starting out, it is important stay focused and not do everything you’re asked to because you will lose your uniqueness in the way.
I have however been approached by two photographers on Instagram and meeting and working with them was the best thing that’s ever happened to me! I loved meeting them, sharing our experiences and creating wonderful friendships with them!

Topics:

• Fashion
• Nature & Outdoors
• Photography
• Travel

Country:

Cyprus