Let's be honest: if you've ever found yourself saying, "I'll pitch brands when I have more followers," this episode is for you.

We've both been there ...scrolling TikTok, watching creators with 100K+ audiences do paid partnerships and wondering when (or if) we'd ever be "big enough." But here's the truth no one told us early on: follower count is not the metric that gets you paid. Brands don't care how many people COULD see your content, they care how many actually do.

That's where engagement rate comes in...and it's the single most important metric you're probably not tracking yet.

In this episode, we're breaking down exactly what engagement rate is, how to calculate it (don't worry, we've got tools for that), and why it matters more than your follower count ever will. Because spoiler alert: we landed our first paid brand deals with just 40K followers — and we could have done it way sooner.

We talk candidly about how we underestimated our own influence as EDUcreators, why micro creators actually hold more power in brand partnerships, and how engagement is the clearest indicator that your audience trusts you. And trust? That's what brands are paying for.

If you've ever wondered when you'll be "ready" to monetize — this is your wake-up call. You don't need a huge audience.
You need a hot one. And in this episode, we show you how to measure it, prove it, and start using it to get paid.

• What engagement rate actually means — and how to calculate it (without the math headache)
• Why brands care about actions, not audience size
• The tool Kate uses to automatically track & update her media kit (hint: it's not Linktree)
• How micro creators are outperforming mega creators in ROI
• What brands are really looking for in paid collabs (and how to position yourself)
• Why being a real, human creator boosts your engagement — and your bank account
• The one mindset shift you need to make to stop waiting and start monetizing

Real Talk Challenge for This Week:

• Go calculate your engagement rate (use a tool like Beacons or do it manually using total engagements ÷ views × 100)
• Write down 3 dream brands you'd love to work with — and ask yourself how you're already serving the same audience they are
• Start responding to every comment — build the community you want brands to see

You might have become accidentally influential…
But what you do with it now? That part is intentional.

• Beacons — real-time media kit + engagement tracker

Accidentally Influential is the no-fluff podcast for educators, experts, and content creators who never set out to become influencers — but did anyways.

Hosted by T and Kate, two edu-creators turned brand deal pros, we're pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to monetize your content, partner with brands you actually love, and build a business with the knowledge you already have.

With over 500,000 followers between us and $500K+ in paid brand partnerships, we're here to make sure you stop leaving money on the table.

Expect unfiltered convos about pitching, pricing, usage rights, UGC, and the mindset shift it takes to stop being "just helpful" — and start being paid.

Because you may have become accidentally influential… but what you do with it now? That part is intentional.

@notaninfluencerco on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube

We didn’t start out trying to become “influencers.” In fact, we hated the term. But one viral TikTok, a few unexpected DMs, and some very naive pricing decisions later… we realized we were leaving real money on the table.

In this juicy first episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on our edu-creator origin stories, the brand deals we fumbled (and the ones we nailed), and the mindset shift that turned our content into a business. If you’re creating educational content on social and not getting paid yet? You need to hear this. Hit play — and then go put that email in your bio.

Here’s what you can expect from this episode:

Let’s be real: no one teaches you how to be an influencer...especially when you never intended to become one in the first place.

In our very first episode of Accidentally Influential, we’re taking you behind the scenes of how two regular creators with a heart for teaching stumbled into brand partnerships, learned the hard way what “usage rights” are, and realized our educational content was worth way more than we were charging.

We talk about the disconnect so many EDU-creators feel between content and commerce — and why the word influencer still makes us cringe a little. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “just helping” people online and not sure if or how that could become a legit business? This episode is for you.

We also share the exact moment the light bulb went off — when brands started reaching out after we’d already been promoting them for free. And how that one shift in perspective (and a well-timed email in the bio) led to four-figure deals we didn’t even know to ask for.

And that’s just the beginning. Because this podcast? It was born out of the very gap we fell through — where creators like us had no roadmap, no agency support, and no community that got it. Not An Influencer Co. is here to change that.

Topics covered on brand deals for educational creators:

• How we accidentally became paid content creators

• What we didn’t know about brand partnerships early on

• The red flags we missed — and how you can avoid them

• The difference between “posting for fun” and building a business

• Our very first four-figure brand deals (and the biggest mistakes we made)

• Why you should stop undervaluing your influence yesterday

• The mission behind “Not An Influencer Co.” and what’s coming next

Liked this episode? Slide into our DMs @notaninfluencerco and tell us your biggest “aha” moment.

🎧 New episodes every week — hit follow, leave a review, and tag us when you share. We’re building this thing together!

Accidentally Influential is the no-fluff podcast for educators, experts, and content creators who never set out to become influencers — but did anyways.

Hosted by T and Kate, two edu-creators turned brand deal pros, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to monetize your content, partner with brands you actually love, and build a business with the knowledge you already have.

With over 500,000 followers between us and $500K+ in paid brand partnerships, we’re here to make sure you stop leaving money on the table.

Expect unfiltered convos about pitching, pricing, usage rights, UGC, and the mindset shift it takes to stop being “just helpful” — and start being paid.

Because you may have become accidentally influential… but what you do with it now? That part is intentional.

Accidentally Influential is the show for EDUcreators, experts, and business owners who never set out to be "influencers"… but built influence anyway.

Hosted by Kate Robb and Teanna Scot, we've grown a 479K+ audience and landed over half a million in brand deals; now we're pulling back the curtain on how YOU can turn your authority into income.

From sponsorship strategy to creator psychology, this is your no-fluff guide to building a creator business that stacks ontop of what you're already doing. You might've become accidentally influential… but what you do with it now? That part is intentional.