Interior design and lifestyle content creator Anne Sage shares her 10+ years of experience in the interior design and influencer marketing industry with us in this interview. 

Her passion for interior design stems from her experiences with her mom and grandparents. 

She says, “My grandparents owned one of the only home decor stores in Reno, Nevada, which is where most of my family is from. My grandma was constantly being asked by people who came into the store to come and design their homes, so my mom grew up around that, and she was always making our home more beautiful. She loved DIY projects. I have memories of helping her wallpaper back in the eighties.”

Anne’s career in content creation started as a creative outlet. After graduating from college in 2008, Anne worked as a consumer strategist at an ad agency in New York City. 

While she learned a lot, her job didn’t provide the creative outlet she wanted, so her mentor suggested she start a blog. Later, Anne expanded into Instagram and other platforms before launching multiple business ventures and becoming an author. 

Interiors & Style Content Creator Anne Sage: Creating Authentic Content And Advice For Aspiring Creators 

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Finding a Balance

While Anne shares that she wouldn’t claim to have found a complete balance, she enjoys working for herself in social media, as it allows her to pursue a career wherever her interests take her. 

She can also take a step back when things become overwhelming and take away from her balance. 

For example, she previously took on too many interior design clients while maintaining an active social media presence. This combination quickly became draining, sucking away her enjoyment of her work, so she decided to take on fewer clients, allowing her to regain her work-life balance. 

Another way that she added balance to her life is by working with Socialyte, a digital influencer and celebrity talent agency. 

Working with Talent Agency Socialyte

Anne explains, “I’ll start by saying I am so grateful for Socialyte and, in particular, my manager, Brian. The leveling up that I’ve experienced since joining the agency is tangible on all fronts, both in terms of the caliber of projects that I’m taking on and, simply put, in terms of the income that I’m able to bring home. Perhaps, most importantly, the sense of having a team of advocates I can count on when things are going great and when things are going not so great.”

Initially, Anne was contacted by the Socialyte team via email. She had been less than thrilled with her previous management team for a while and decided to hop on a call with Socialyte to learn more about their offerings and structure. 

The decision ended up being just what she needed to help her achieve better balance. 

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Memorable Brand Partnerships

Anne has worked with many brands over the years but shares that working with AllModern, a home decor brand, was particularly memorable. 

Over six months, Anne created a series of three posts – each which featured different rooms of her home and different AllModern products.

She says, “It’s always really nice when a brand contracts me for multiple posts over a long series of time because it gives me the opportunity to tell a bigger story rather than just offering my audience a one-off… Creative trust is a really big thing for me, and my experience has been that they really trust me both in terms of the content I’m creating and the products that I’m choosing to feature.”

Anne’s Creative Process

Anne has never been one to use a strict strategy or editorial calendar. Instead, she creates a list of ideas in a notebook or spreadsheet and categorizes them. A week before posting, she’ll look at what ideas stand out to her and excite her. 

She says, “If I’m not excited about what I’m creating, that will translate for the audience, and it’ll fall flat. I think the reason that has always worked for me, in spite of my attempts to be more structured and rigid, is that it allows for me to be flexible when inspiration does come up.”

Another benefit of this approach is Anne can quickly pivot to create content with trending sounds or topics, helping her content reach more people. 

Staying Relevant and Authentic

Anne has been creating content for many years, and staying relevant but authentic is one of her biggest focuses. 

She keeps her content relevant by consuming a lot of content to keep on top of trends, but she limits herself after a while to avoid getting too much in her head and comparing herself to others. While she enjoys creating some trendy content, staying true to herself is a top priority.

Anne states that staying authentic is everything to her. Even before social media, she explains that she has always been the type of person where what you see is what you get. 

“I’ve never been willing to present myself as something other than what I am in order to be liked.”

Creating Content for Pinterest

Anne has a thriving Pinterest presence with nearly 100,000 followers.  

So, what is her secret to creating successful content for Pinterest? 

Anne has grown her platform organically by using Pinterest for real-life projects, such as interior design work for clients. She draws inspiration from Pinterest and creates mood boards, which intrigued like-minded designers and interior design enthusiasts. 

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The Biggest Myth Around Content Creation

Anne shares that the biggest myth about content creation is that creators are living glamorous, fun lives 24/7. 

While you may see your favorite creator in stunning pictures, remember that they are probably changing their outfit behind a garbage can in an alley to complete multiple photo shoots in one day. 

Anne adds, “Another one I want to debunk is the idea that all influencers are raking in the cash. I’m grateful to say that I make a healthy, sustainable living, but it’s taken me 15 years to reach this point.”

Future Plans & Advice for Aspiring Creators

In the next five to ten years, Anne sees herself transitioning from creating design content to pursuing other passions. She is writing a women’s contemporary fiction novel and would love to make writing a focus again in her career. 
For aspiring creators, Anne recommends finding your people online because that will get you through all the ups and downs. Look for mentors who have gone before you in your niche and respectfully ask for their input on your work. She also recommends building a support team, whether that is with other creators, friends, or a management team.