Today we’d like to introduce you to Shauna Hollinger.
Hi Shauna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I created my first online course after I started getting a lot of questions about how I grew my audience on Instagram. Building that course opened the door to creating digital products, building the systems behind them, and eventually helping coaches and course creators launch and automate their offers through my done-for-you service, Effortless Launch.
Around the same time, I was working with brands as a creator. I learned a lot through trial and error, and after helping a friend negotiate her highest-paying brand partnership, I started managing creators and eventually launched my own talent management agency representing vegan and plant-based influencers.
After spending 13 years at Social Security, I decided to leave government and pursue influencer marketing full time. Today, I lead Creator Education at Mavely, where I develop educational content, video lessons, webinars, and workshops that help creators grow their affiliate income. I also continue helping business owners launch digital products and build the systems behind them through Effortless Launch.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Like most entrepreneurs, I had to figure a lot out as I went. There wasn’t a roadmap for building the business I wanted, so much of it came through trial and error.
Balancing family life while growing a business and showing up consistently for my clients wasn’t always easy. With my talent management agency especially, I reached a point where I realized I wanted to spend more of my time helping creators than running the business itself.
That’s what led me to the next chapter. I still wanted to work with creators every day, just in a different capacity. Today, I get to do that through my role at Mavely, where I can focus on education and help thousands of creators learn how to grow their income.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I lead Creator Education at Mavely, where I create the educational content that teaches creators how affiliate marketing works and how to earn more from the content they’re already creating.
I develop the curriculum for Mavely University, host webinars, and lead in-person workshops. The goal is to help creators understand what actually drives affiliate sales so they can start seeing results sooner.
The work I’m most proud of is helping creators create opportunities for themselves. I’ve watched creators earn their first commission, land partnerships with brands they’ve wanted to work with for years, and build income that gives them more flexibility in their business. Being a small part of that journey never gets old.
What sets me apart is that I’ve worked on nearly every side of the creator industry. I’ve been a creator, built digital products, managed influencers, negotiated brand partnerships, and now lead creator education.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Creators who know how to drive sales are going to have the biggest advantage.
Brands have always cared about reach and engagement, but today they’re paying much closer attention to what happens after someone sees a post. Creators who can answer those questions with data will have the upper hand.
Affiliate marketing gives creators another stream of income, but it also gives them something to bring into conversations with brands. When you can show that your content leads to sales, it changes the conversation. It can lead to more partnerships, stronger negotiations, and opportunities that aren’t available to creators who only have engagement metrics.
The other thing I see happening is that creators are going to stop looking at affiliate marketing as just another income stream. The skills you learn creating content that drives affiliate sales are the same skills you’ll use if you ever want to sell your own digital product or service, coaching program, or physical product. Learning how to create content that gets people to take action is valuable no matter what you’re selling.
Over the next five to ten years, we’ll see more creators treating affiliate marketing as a core part of their business instead of something they do on the side. Knowing how to create content that drives sales is going to become one of the most valuable skills a creator can have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://effortlesslaunch.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/shaunarenee.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunarenee/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/effortlesslaunch
