Top Hispanic Micro-Influencers To Follow This Hispanic Heritage Month

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September 15 through October 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month, so to celebrate we’re showcasing our favorite up-and-coming Hispanic content creators!

We had the pleasure of speaking with Javi of @qc_javi and Pia of @merlotandchat about their experiences as content creators. These two inspire their audiences by sharing real, raw content and spreading joy and positivity to their local communities.

Read more on how Javi and Pia are celebrating Hispanic culture this month, how they got started as content creators, and how brands can continue to be more inclusive and authentically amplify Hispanic voices year-round!

Javi created his page to unite the Latin community to the city of Charlotte and show them how to experience life to the fullest. From attending sporting events to going to the newest and trendiest restaurants the city has to offer, he aims to bridge the gap between cultures while showing the best Latin America has to offer through food and personable content!

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you, and how do you celebrate it?

As a Mexican from México, I never really celebrated Hispanic Heritage month until recently. I aim to represent all Latin American cultures in my city and with that, I purposely try to showcase the holiday and represent each culture to the best of my ability for our community.

For the last few years, I have proactively planned and focused on Hispanic Heritage Month more so than any other holiday throughout the year because I value what it does for the people and local businesses in Charlotte.

Hispanic Heritage Month is super important to me because it’s a time of year I have set aside to shout out the local Hispanic businesses in Charlotte. Year-round, I work hard to showcase many different cultures other than my own. The business owners definitely love the push, and my community enjoys knowing how they can take part in the national celebration themselves by supporting these businesses.

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned working for yourself and creating your own personal brand?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to be authentic. It is 10 times easier to be you than to be someone else you’re not. People will respect your authenticity, and that will make you unique. That will create the biggest connection between you and your community.

Who is your biggest inspiration in the industry and why?

My biggest inspiration in the industry has to be The Legend, Anthony Bourdain -- the most famous foodie in the world. He was always down for an adventure and was always himself. He knew the best relationships were created in someone’s kitchen or dinner table. I hope that one day I get to create international content and share my experiences with the world by being myself.

How has the industry changed in the past year?

The industry has changed tremendously in the last year, especially with the shift in platforms and the growth of TikTok. The focus on video has shifted the way content is created which has made people focus on even more fast-paced, attention-grabbing content in order to gain viewers. Youtube has always been the main video platform, but TikTok has opened the doors for all platforms to play with video content.

Where do you see yourself, as well as the industry, within the next few years?

In the future I see myself creating a lot more video content, with my face on camera and truly showing my personality more and more. My goal is to learn from different cultures and being able to share that with my own community -- exploring more cities, eating more food, and sharing experiences with more people I don’t really know.

The industry itself will shift to focus more I think on micro-influencers to reach real people and target actual customers instead of just impressions for a product. This will make it so that people just starting can start building their communities at any time.

What do you wish people knew about influencers?

I wish people knew that Influencers work hard to reach a level where they can even label themselves as such. Just like any professional, it takes years to perfect your craft and be able to live off of it. Sometimes the resources are not all available when you start, but if you stay focused you can build awesome relationships that can grow into amazing opportunities.

It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it!

Any tips for anyone trying to get started as a content creator?

The best tips I have for anyone getting started is to focus on what your purpose for being a content creator is and set goals.

Be yourself and create personable content people can relate to.

Lastly, don’t get discouraged comparing yourself to others and trust the process. People you would never think to notice you are definitely seeing your work, and you never know when an opportunity will show up from them.

Pia created her page with the purpose of connecting with people who share common interests with her by creating and sharing content that includes anything and everything, from places, food, and style, to her daily activities.

She’s always looking to keep authentic to herself and showcase how life is not always fun and colorful.

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you, and how do you celebrate it?

I love to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the hard work of my parents, the richness in creativity that I have inherited from my culture, and by keeping my culture alive.

I love eating and drinking my favorite typical meals. I also love to teach my daughter about my culture by dancing, singing together, and making crafts that represent and have the essence of our traditions and culture.

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned working for yourself and creating your own personal brand?

Working for myself has been just AMAZING!

I have my own hours, I have learned to do it all (literally!). I have to keep up with bookings, emails, accounting, styling, photography, editing, and so on.

I think from a standpoint of balancing work and life, content creation has been great because I can take care of my daughter and I can work on my page when she is taking a nap or at school.

I also try to include her when we are doing some family activities that I know other parents would love to do with their little ones. However, I make sure that my daughter’s face is not shown as I want to keep her out of the public eye.

In terms of creating my personal brand, I had to learn what made me the happiest.

I learned that editing my content and playing around with colors makes me happy. That’s why my Instagram feed and website look the way they do. However, I like to keep my stories raw and real, so it compensates if my feed/website doesn’t share visually my personal essence.

I made sure to tell my audience, so they know that creating content for me is like creating a piece of art -- that it brings happiness to my heart and soul. I’m lucky to have the best audience because they get me and I’m happy that we created that strong connection.

I also learned that not everything needs to be public. I created a “close friends” group on my stories that included all my close friends (& a few followers) where I share personal milestones or issues that I’m going through.

It’s been amazing to keep them up to date without being open to all my audience about these personal issues. Because believe me, even though we have a public page, we like to keep some privacy to ourselves and our closest friends.

Who is your biggest inspiration in the industry and why?

I’d say Sazan Hendrix because she keeps it real, authentic, and shares content with my same values and interests.

How has the industry changed in the past year?

I actually think the influencer industry has been growing since last year. Last year, people were shopping more online because we were all at home all the time.

I believe social media played an even more important role in advertising and promoting products in a more authentic way. As you know, many people lost their jobs or got sick. Therefore, there had to be a balance in finding the right messaging with our audiences and being sensitive to what was going on in the world.

I also think many new people got started as content creators because social media was the only way to stay close and connected with family and friends!

What are your thoughts on where the influencer marketing industry is heading in terms of diversity and inclusion?

I think the influencer marketing industry is heading to a more inclusive and diverse community. However, like any other industry, I believe it is still learning, sharing, and implementing these changes that we all can benefit from. I hope companies can connect more with diverse background influencers so we can all see our true and beautiful colors.

Where do you see yourself, as well as the industry, within the next few years?

I see myself creating content that grows with me. If I truly want to stay real and authentic then my content has to grow/change/diversify as I do.

I can also see myself creating content not only about myself but about my community and any issues that myself and my audience care about but maybe don’t all have the courage or platform to speak about it themselves.

What do you wish people knew about influencers?

I wish they knew that it’s a full-time job.

I’ve seen people say that “influencers should get a true/real job.” It actually is.

I think influencers are like freelancers. We have our own hours, but we also have deadlines to meet and projects to complete.

I know influencers can get a bad rep from other influencers who are inauthentic or just post ad after ad and it doesn’t look organic or real. That’s when people can unfollow and find a new influencer that matches your ideals better. I personally do that and I’m happy to keep searching for that influencer that brings positivity to my life.

Any tips for anyone trying to get started as a content creator?

Don’t stress out with followers counts and likes. Just keep posting new content with fresh and unique ideas.

Be true to yourself and enjoy the little things. Enjoy family time and create friendships.

Oh, and never share where you’re at a certain location. I always record the story and publish it until I’m safe at home or in my car.