📱 Inside a Philly influencer’s playbook | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to your (one-hour-shorter) Sunday, Philly.

The morning may see some rain, but the sun should come out again and we’ll reach a high in the low 50s.

Influencers are prominent players in the creator economy. Most don’t make money from posting on the internet, but in today’s main read, you’ll meet one Philly influencer who cracked the code and now wants to show others the ropes through a virtual academy.

— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com) and Julie Zeglen (@juliezeglen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Janesha Moore started out creating content nine years ago, but it wasn’t until 2023 that she got her big break.

In just over a year, her Instagram jumped from 30,000 to over 170,000 followers. She credits affiliate marketing for the boost.

Through affiliate marketing, Moore receives a commission for directing followers to buy products using a specific link. This practice has been revived by influencers like Moore, who post outfit ideas and style recommendations, and encourage viewers to leave a comment if they want to get a link to everything in the post.

Now, Moore is teaching others that method through a virtual course called The Strategic Influencer Academy. Enrollment begins at $997 and caps at 30 students who get personalized coaching from Moore, along with a variety of other training lessons and info sessions.

An alternative way to make money: Influencer marketing has a reputation for socioeconomic inequality. Relying on advertising partnerships can be difficult on its own, but the practice also has a history of pay discrimination. The issues get worse when you factor in race.

Pay disparities: White content creators stand to make 29% more than non-white ones for advertising on behalf of brands, per a 2021 study.

Notable quote: “The biggest misconception new creators have is that brands will just come to you and want to work with you if you’re producing good content,” said Moore, 27, who is Black. “Brands don’t, and if they do, pay is a mixed bag.”

Keep reading for more on the popular online content creation course with a 5,200-person waitlist.

This story is a timely one, amid the region’s rain-soaked weekend.

Stormwater Authority of Chester officials say surging fees have been necessary to improve the flood-prone city’s infrastructure, with upgrades including retention basins and new pipes.

But residents, one in four of whom live in poverty, call it an unfair “rain tax.”

The fee itself — $16.50 a month for the typical Chester homeowner — is a relatively new concept in the United States, though neighboring Philadelphia has long had one in place.

What are stormwater authorities, and why are residents and nearby universities alike saying they shouldn’t have to pay them? Weather expert Anthony Wood has the story.

After the Phillies announced the end of Dollar Dog Nights, which food chain announced its own downtown Philadelphia dollar-dog event this week?

A) Five Guys

B) Shake Shack

C) Dairy Queen

D) Sonic

Think you know? Check your answer.

Hint: Catch him play a hometown show at Asbury Park this summer, his first there in over 20 years.

REPRESENTING CUBS

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Sharyn Redding, who correctly solved Friday’s anagram: American Repertory Ballet, the Princeton-based ballet company where three of the six dancing, YouTubing Quiner sisters work.

🎶 For today’s Sunday track, Julie is listening to Philly band Mannequin Pussy’s excellent new album, I Got Heaven. Check out Inquirer critic Dan DeLuca’s review if you want to know what to expect from the punk outfit.

👋🏽 Have a great rest of your weekend!