Last Updated on May 14, 2021
Kristen Tuff Scott describes her self as just one girl, telling it like it is. Kristen was featured on season 5 of CMT’s Redneck Island and is currently a social media influencer living on a ranch, sharing insights into her daily life. As an influencer, Kristen enjoys a reach of close to a million followers who appreciate her product reviews. Additionally, Kristen loves diesel trucks, playing guitar and singing, fishing and spending time with her dogs, horses and cows. You can follow Kristen on Instagram and Facebook to learn more.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background as well as how you got your start as an influencer?
I was kind of an idiot in high school and I know you guys might find that hard to believe but I was and then at graduation they started calling out all these awards for scholarships and I was like me. Because, you know, I’ve been on the road sodies quite heavy so I was like me and it was for music so I was like alright I’ll give college a go. And then I was like well I like science so I’ll be a science major and they’re like “oh no biology is not for you” I’m like “okay I’m a double major in biology chem”. So I graduated in 2014 out of ASU double major biochem, was set to go to med school, decided I didn’t want to go so I packed up and moved out slowly over a two week period. I started putting my stuff in a vehicle and I just left and moved off and I’ve been on the road ever since. And I was breaking horses and everything out in Missouri and then I had my page public because I wanted people to be able to get on there and see what I can do and what I was working on and everything else.
And then I got the flu for the very first time and I knew I had the flew because they tress that to you in college if you have this, this, this and I’m not a complete idiot although I let people think I am, you know. Anyways so I go with the flu and I’m basically getting calls and I’ve messaged everybody “hey I got the flu you’re not going to be charged this week of training because I’m not going to be riding your horse. I’m not going to lie to you just to get fed but it’s just going to sit there”, and then I made a video and it went viral because everybody kept calling me. And then I just made a page as a joke and then it just became this thing I don’t know.
What type of products are your followers interested in, and what is your approach to influencer marketing in terms of how you promote those products while still keeping the content fresh and engaging?
So products and stuff basically I kind of exposed myself and say “hey I’m a little bit more into the beauty side of things, you know, as far as my face goes than I let on” I posted a video the other night of my daily regimen and did admit that I went to the dermatologist every three months just to make sure. Had a bad go at pop lining in New Mexico last year took a couple facial peels to get be back right but I feel like we’re on the right track and so basically I’m just open and honest. They know I’m a straight shooter they know any opinion is a lot on my page whether it be the it’s the same as mine. I mean I’ll defend somebody who is in the opposite corner of me cause that’s what it’s all about. So I just give everybody free rand but like me they know I’ve tried it if I like it and I’m going to give it a good, you know, thing about it. I’d be like “hey, you know, maybe it’s not for me but if you have this, this, and this it could definitely be for you”, you know. So I try to, you know, like not just completely shut something down but say hey it’s didn’t work for me because but it could work for you if you had this, you know.
You emphasize that you are a straight shooter and you’re not afraid to try anything. What happens when you don’t like a product that a brand has sent you to try and you want to try and keep the brand satisfied while still maintaining an authenticity with your audience?
First thing I do is email whoever emailed me about the product. They communicate any concerns, any weird thing, anything I maintain contact with someone because they’re relying on me to give a good honest feedback about, you know, in a good feedback is what they’re hoping for so I contact them and let them know what’s going on, we talk about it, and then I’m not going to lie but like I said then again I say okay I have, you know, these allergies here but if you don’t have these allergies it’ll probably work for you well because before my allergies kick in, you know, this was working for me. But mainly keeping in touch with the person that you’re working for and not just like well this sucks so next don’t buy it, you know. I mean I think that’s – I’ve seen people do it and I mean I’m going to give an honest opinion like if it’s straight up acid I’m probably going to send the product back to the person and just send their money back because I rather do that than lie to my fans because I mean like the deal is like I said they come to hear the truth or my truth. I’m not going to sit here and tell people – because like my clientele is mainly hard-working like country style riding horses, you know, I’m not going to have them spend money on something that’s not going to work for them, you know, when they work for it.
Can you tell us a few of your favorite memories from your time on Redneck Island?
Well they encouraged a lot of adult beverages on that show so memories are here. Probably when I let Jordan put makeup on me it was not for my skin it was not, you know, I mean I had kind of and not – the colors were all wrong.
I mean I’m no makeup guru but the colors were all wrong. I don’t need a dark shade of lipstick but she put one on me anyway but it’s okay. I saw I enjoyed that, I enjoyed stone cold trying to drink more whiskey than me because you can’t and probably him trying to remember any of his lines like he’s been hit in the head too many times. He’d be like “alright guys today is the name – alright today guys today’s name a challenge is what I name this sh*t oh yeah” you know, I mean like he can’t remember his line like it’s terrible. I mean obviously the camaraderie of it all I mean you’re living in a house of 24 people and like when hot pockets – oh I’m sorry when rednecks are involved and hot pockets and balogna get low it gets moody in there. So there was that and then, you know, me there’s a big 360 camera in the living space I would yell quite frequently “hey we’re out of sodie, hey w don’t have any balogna, hey” cause you can’t go to production or he night that I got so drunk that I fell asleep on the couch – I was trying to go to sleep and they wouldn’t unmike me and the rules are it’s a fine if you go to bed with your mic on so I was laying on the couch with my necklace, like this, I was like “if you don’t come unmike me I’m going to do it myself I don’t care about the fifty dollars I need to go to bed now” it took them an hour and I got a fine.
What is the weirdest request you have ever received from a brand?
Okay, so I received a request early in from a website that wanted pictures of my feet. And it was a legit offer because I contacted a few of my other friends who do kind of the same thing I do or like whatever and I was like “are they like [legit]” and it was a lot of money and I was like “no I got to have dignity and self respect here I’m not going to, you know, have my feet floating around the Internet and my socks for sale”. And they wanted me to wear them for like three days like “don’t change your socks for three days and send them to us” and I’m like “no I’m going to hard pass, hard pass” There was someone that wanted me to -oh it was a vodka, a new vodka thing coming out and they wanted me to represent their vodka company. I’m like “first of all I know you’re making this in your basement. Second of all this is sketchy. Third of all everybody knows I drink whiskey straight” that way I know how much I’ve had because I have to know how much I’ve had, you know. And I can’t drink vodka it’s, you know, every liquor – everybody knows that liquor does weird things to people but I will kiss anybody on vodka, like I’m not going to lie.
Where do you see yourself in five years or so as it pertains to influencer marketing?
Probably just telling people the truth about stuff. I mean as long – I’ll give it a go, okay. Like right now I’m about to do one for gutters. Why am I doing that because I want to help my grandma out. Her gutters need clean so I’m like hey it’s a two for one. I clean my grandma’s gutters and I get paid to do a video. So the thing is like in five years I maybe – I cannot like be cleaning gutters and just like sampling. I really wish they had like a – cause I can’t wear women’s clothing like this is a men’s small and you see my shoulder fits where it’s supposed to so I really wish like a nice clothing. It doesn’t have to be unisex just a nice men’s clothing, like even just shirts like I would do my hair. I mean I’m growing the mullet out it was funny at the time it’s not so funny now. And my hair grows really fast plus I’m on prenatal vitamins so I’m probably going to be doing the same kind of thing, you know, just whatever life throws at me. I feel like you only get one journey so if I don’t try everything at least once well some stuff I’m not going to. Obviously I have no interest in finding out what it’s like to be a prostitute. I would like to travel like influence travel. I think it would be cool because I’ve heard of people getting paid to go on trips I think that would be a deal and the thing is I can make anything fun, anything. So if like a travel company wanted me to do a thing for them I would definitely do it even if it wasn’t inclusive like just get me there and I will figure it out.
Note: Influencer Spotlights are edited for time and clarity.
Andrew is the Head of Client Services for Intellifluence and has a background in communications. He is committed to helping brands get the most out of their campaigns and is the co-host of the Influencer Spotlight series.
