Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Laurén Weatherly.
Hi Tyler, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was in high schools, like most teenage girls with an affinity for aesthetics, I came across Tumblr. After posting and reblogging pretty images and sharing any and everything I liked online, I gained a small following as a relatively faceless user. Once I started sharing photos of myself, my outfits, my hair, my friends, etc.—it just kind of grew like a wildfire.
With this all happening in the late 2010s, influencer relations were still in their infancy. With brands reaching out to me and my friends for paid partnerships, paid posts, collaboration opportunities, and more, I became intrigued. While I thought it was a fun hobby on the side as a student, I thought it would be much more fun on the opposite end of things. This sparked my interest in public relations and ultimately helped me to pick my area of study in college.
After 4 years at Hofstra University, I graduated with honors in PR and pursued my publicist dreams. With a plant of little victories and a fair share of closed doors, I gradually found myself right back where I started—with a love for social media. But this time, from a completely different perspective. Although I do still dabble in the social scene as an “influencer” here and there, I am a social strategist with a pretty colorful background in various areas of marketing and PR.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Although it hasn’t been an easy road to get to where I’m at currently in my career, it does seem like some things were just meant to happen the way that they did. When I first embarked on my job search fresh out of university, the job that I have currently didn’t really exist yet. So, as I climbed and stumbled through the early stages of my career, the path was still being paved for where I ultimately wanted to be.
If I didn’t have trouble dealing with the seemingly endless stream of noes at my first PR job, I would have never left to try my hand as a social media marketing manager at another agency. There, I was able to learn so much about the inner workings of each platform, the best practices for each, and how to understand and report on KPIs. I was truly able to work in an environment that allowed me to learn and grow on my own, to the point where I needed more. And Boop, here I am!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a social strategist. With a vast majority of consumers using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok—it is expected that businesses build a social presence in order to interact with their fans and foster a closer relationship with them. That’s where I come in! From developing, implementing, and managing social media strategy plans to track industry standards for content optimization and beyond.
I believe what sets me apart from other social media marketers is that I have a very unique perspective. Not only do I understand social media’s value from a business standpoint, but I am also an influencer myself. With over 11 years of working in social media myself, I have a deep understanding of the evolution of various platforms over time, the follower-influencer relationship dynamic, as well as the nuances that set each platform apart.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think one thing that is completely surprising about me is that I am actually an introvert.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tylerlaurenw/
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@tylerlaurenw
