486: Why Businesses Hate Long Island Influencers

Why are some Long Island business owners getting frustrated with influencers — and does paying someone $1,500 for an Instagram video actually bring customers through the door? Tom Kelly and Steve Burgerer take the podcast on the road from Sunrise Highway to Southampton for a loose Long Island conversation about influencers, sponsored content, getting paid for creative work, and Tom's philosophy on when he will — and won't — promote a business. Tom talks about the criticism that influencers will promote anything for money, whether influencer marketing actually works for local businesses, and the difference between making an advertisement and making something people actually want to watch. Then things wander—as they should—into Tom's price for "selling out," the time a charity organizer promised him an extra $1,000 and didn't pay, losing a TV job right after buying his mother an iPhone, why he doesn't announce new gigs until they're secure, and whether Tom's parents are basically the nice version of Ray Barone's parents. Why are some Long Island business owners getting frustrated with influencers — and does paying someone $1,500 for an Instagram video actually bring customers through the door? Tom Kelly and Steve Burgerer take the podcast on the road from Sunrise Highway to Southampton for a loose Long Island conversation about influencers, sponsored content, getting paid for creative work, and Tom's philosophy on when he will — and won't — promote a business. Tom talks about the criticism that influencers will promote anything for money, whether influencer marketing actually works for local businesses, and the difference between making an advertisement and making something people actually want to watch. Then things wander—as they should—into Tom's price for "selling out," the time a charity organizer promised him an extra $1,000 and didn't pay, losing a TV job right after buying his mother an iPhone, why he doesn't announce new gigs until they're secure, and whether Tom's parents are basically the nice version of Ray Barone's parents. Timestamps 00:00 Why Do People Hate Long Island Influencers? 00:24 Podcasting From Sunrise Highway 00:38 The Most Long Island Thing Ever 01:23 Why Podcasting Isn't As Easy As It Looks 02:05 Explaining The Tom Kelly Show to a Stranger 02:37 What the Hell Is Quogue? 02:58 Where Has Steve Burgerer Been? 04:03 Long Island Businesses Are Rebelling Against Influencers 04:28 Are Influencers Worth $1,500? 04:44 Can You Trust a Paid Influencer? 04:51 Has Tom Kelly Ever "Sold Out"? 05:45 What's Tom's Sellout Price? 05:59 Burger City vs. Shake Shack 07:05 How Much Money Makes a Bad Gig Worth It? 07:44 Why Tom Used to Turn Down $2,250 Gigs 08:31 The Charity Gig That Owed Tom $1,000 09:43 Why You Can't Win a Feud With St. Jude 10:40 Why Tom Won't Announce His New TV Gig Yet 11:04 Another Comedian Took Tom's TV Job 12:03 Steve Finally Meets Tom's Parents 12:25 Are Tom's Parents Like Everybody Loves Raymond? 13:25 Tom Buys His Mom Her First iPhone 14:09 Tom Loses a TV Job Right After Buying the iPhone 14:38 Joey Kola's Rule About Counting on a Gig 15:10 Do Influencer Videos Actually Work for Sponsors? 15:41 Why Did This Sponsored Video Underperform? 16:32 Magic Mirror & Listener Shout-Outs 18:39 Why Tom Is Making More Social Media Clips 18:54 Heading to Southampton