Researchers team up with mental health influencers to reach young people online
Kate Speer knows the world of influencers well. For five years she was the CEO of the social media company the Dogist, growing the audience to 5 million followers. She managed "a whole slew of influencer marketing campaigns," she says. "You know, for dogs or dog food ... everything was for the sake of a bottom line."
At the same time, Speer was building her own following around something very different – frank conversations around her experience with severe mental illness.
The talent managers she was working with at her day job noticed Speer's appeal and said they could market her — if she was willing to make some tweaks. "I've been asked many times, could you just for a few months, build your pages out without having these hard-truth, nuanced conversations ... talking about psych wards?" Speer says.
Speer says she wasn't interested in projecting the image talent managers were looking for. But while she may have passed up an opportunity for lifestyle brand sponsorships and book deals, her posts
