Self-proclaimed ‘micro-influencer’ with only 5k followers tries to finagle free stay at small bed and breakfast, gets a reality check by the owner: ‘Oh, that’s okay. I have 215,000 followers…'

"It felt so good!! I've never had the desire to flex numbers before, but this was the perfect occasion for it."

Whenever someone tells me they are an "influencer," I see them as Ken in the Barbie movie when he explains his job. It's not saving lives as a lifeguard or doing necessary beach jobs, no. It's just beach… Like, what does that even mean? Your job is to what? Look cool on the beach? That sounds like what an influencer does. I'm not saying all influencers are bad. There are some influencers out there with huge followings and for a good reason, because they are helping out the community. I'm not a big influencer follower, but there is that one guy who goes around the world to small mom & pop restaurants and has a lovely meal, PAYS FOR SAID MEAL, and then posts about it, gaining the struggling shop tons of new customers. He never demands a free meal; he always pays and encourages his followers to tip well when they come. He even ends up becoming friends with many of these restaurant owners. 

However, I would say that most influencers aren't trying to help humanity. They just want free stuff… And in this economy, who can blame them? But like, come on, guys, don't be entitled and most definitely don't try to get free stuff from small businesses! 

A self-proclaimed "micro influencer" recently tried to get a free stay at a small bed and breakfast in a touristy beach town. What is a micro influencer? I have no idea, but I guess just… Someone with a normal amount of followers who is still posting like they have a huge following? I'm not 100% sure, but it sounds very cringe. 

Since this was a beach town, there were tons of places that this person could have stayed at, but she wanted this quaint bed and breakfast. It is usually totally booked out for the summer due to its limited space, so it was a miracle that it was even free for that weekend. The couple who own and run it were excited for the break. But then they got the call from the influencer…

She asked for a free night's stay in exchange for a short vlog she would do for them on her socials. Little did she know that the owners actually run a pretty successful YouTube page on the side as a fun little hobby. They don't make money off of it, they just like to have some fun. They have about 250,000 followers. This "micro influencer" only had 5k followers… 

Sufficed to say, they did not give her a free stay, but they did give her a free reality check.