Last Updated on May 14, 2021
Leslie Rossi is a thirty-something Vancouverite with a love for cocktails, lipstick, dessert & that perfect pair of shoes. Leslie loves to work with brands and products for lifestyle, beauty, food, cocktails, home and garden, travel and fashion. Leslie established her blog, A Life Well Consumed, in 2014 and it is described as a place for the modern woman that offers lifestyle inspiration for those who want to take a chance, be it with style, cooking at home and seeking to travel more often.
In 2014, you were working a job that offered no creativity or excitement. What were some of the initial steps you took to establish A Life Well Consumed?
I just took some time thinking of a great name I could grow with and it’s just not my name or something generic. So I did that then I set up a website, then – I was already on Instagram so I changed my name to “A Life Well Consumed” and then just kind of went from there.
What was the moment you realized influencer marketing was a viable revenue stream?
Besides not just having mother comment on my blog just when a brand reached out and offered to pay me for a blog post and I was like “oh I didn’t know you could make money doing this” and then it kind of went from there.
What have been a few of your favorite brand partnerships thus far?
I really like partnering with Garnier. I used their products for years so when they reached out I was really excited about that one. There’s been a few BC wineries, I’m from BC in Canada and we have like our version of Sonoma Valley, so I’ve been enjoying partnering with like local wineries and bringing their brand out to all my readers who may not have heard of them before. So i really enjoy those ones.
What is the weirdest request you’ve received from a brand?
Well there’s usually the ones that they don’t even bother looking at your name. I’ve gotten a lot about kids toy, kids development things and I’m like I don’t have children so they obviously didn’t look me up. There’s a few that are about geriatric products too, again not for me.
There’s always one every week that’s just really odd but I think it’s just a mass email that goes out.
You focus a lot on fashion and outfits. How would you describe your personal style and how do you come up with ideas for outfits?
Well I just kind of go with what I would generally wear out. So I’m more of a really comfort over style person so i also relate to those accounts as well. If It’s something I feel that I could go and buy or wear myself then I will like those posts. And I kind of feel like that my readers also really like that I’m not just wearing outfits that would look ridiculous in the type of weather we’re having or that maybe it’s not for every body type as well. I kind of try to take that into account.
In a recent AMA, you recommend posting to social media each day. How do you come up with enough content to satisfy this, and how do you organize your posting schedule?
I try to shoot in batches. So based on weather but I try to go out and shoot a few outfits in the day and around different places around the city as well or my neighborhood and then I just fill those in. I use the app Planoly and I like to see my feed and how cohesive it looks with all the images and then I’m not spending every – I’m not taking time out every day to come up with a post and quickly write a caption and then hashtags and then post it so I actually try to do it two, three weeks out. And then add a few spontaneous ones in.
In addition to your home/lifestyle blog, you have started your won social media and digital marketing agency called Taurus Media, so you have a unique perspective. Where do you see influencer marketing headed in the next five years or so, and what are some of your own business goals?
I kind of feel like it’s going to grow. I feel like brands are spending more money on Influencers. It’s a just more cost effective approach than per say tradition media which could be tens of thousands of dollars, hundred thousands of dollars and why not spend that onto influencers whose readers really look up to them who will maybe possibly buy anything they tell them and stuff. So i just really feel like it’s going to keep growing, oh sorry about that thought i muted it, they’re going to keep spending money in our realm and I’m really excited to see where it goes.
I think also YouTube is also going to keep growing far more people are watching YouTube than traditional cable so I also feel like that’s a space people should consider going into. It can only grow I feel.
What did we neglect to ask (but should have)?
Hmm I don’t know, that’s a good one. I’m not sure I know I should really share with my readers my background, my athletic background. I competed in figure skating nationally for like twenty years and I also competed [in] go-carts. So I used to race across North America for a few years doing that. I never really talk about that but I kind of feel like those are a couple passions. And I think that everyone also kind of hides like truly what they really enjoy from Instagram per se because I thinks it’s more a really creative feed now. No one really talks about their real life so.
Note: Influence Spotlight interviews 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.
