Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Sarah j Gaines @sarahjgaines

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

I moved from sunny south Florida to Boston, MA to attend Northeastern University in 2012. My sophomore year, I started a blog called “Fit University” with the goal to show college students that it’s not so hard to stay fit in college. Little did I know what that blog would turn into…

Now, Fit University(TM) is a college student’s go-to source for all things health & fitness. We help college students get fit & stay fit by providing relevant content online, building free fitness communities on college campuses, and connecting students with health & fitness brands that aim to enhance their healthy lifestyle. I’m also a Cycologist at Cyc Fitness and host fitness events around Boston. I love showing others how to add fun to their fitness 😉

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

Health, fitness, body image, healthy food, workouts

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

It’s my name – keep it plain & simple!

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

I actually don’t use an app other than Instagram for editing photos. I was using VSCO Cam but found that once Instagram installed their editing updates, I could create photos just as beautiful there. For each photo, I up the brightness, contrast, decrease shadows, increase highlights and up the saturation. I aim to keep my feed bright, bold and colorful, to reflect my personality. I also use Boomerang and Flipagram to create videos.

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

I follow a number of health & fitness Instagrammers that portray beautiful & inspiring photos. Among them are @getfitbrooklyn, @nicolewinhoffer, @rachelmansfield and @sarahekoenig. Who inspires me most is @kaylaistines. I don’t follow her workout programs but I admire how she has built her brand and such a strong community of women all through Instagram – it’s pretty incredible.

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

This awesome workout or latest healthy food trend.

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

Interacting with my community and inspiring others to live a fit & healthy lifestyle.

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

Allow the influencer to utilize the product in a way that is most authentic to him/her. For instance, I’m not a big juice drinker despite people believing juices to be “healthy.” For me, the only time I would drink a juice is post-workout because of the high sugar content. If a brand expected me to post about their juice as my morning breakfast or an afternoon snack, I wouldn’t…simply because that’s just not what I would do in reality. Rather, I’d post about the juice, explaining the benefits of drinking it post-workout. I most likely would even explain that I wouldn’t drink it any other time besides post-workout. If a brand won’t allow me to have that transparency with my followers, I won’t work with the brand.

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

Instagrammers should develop a particular style within their Instagram feed in an effort to create an association for their followers. As an influencer, your content should be created with the intention of a follower knowing a particular post is yours, due to its specific style: your specific style. For instance, I often take an overhead shot holding a bowl or bar, letting my Om tattoo show. That particular shot, with my tattoo showing, is something that my followers have come to know is mine.

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

Showing my audience what brands can enhance their healthy lifestyle.

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