Mila Stolk, a former talent manager who writes The Fashion Emblem, argues that the fast, trend-driven influencer era is ending. I agree, and I see the consequences from both sides: as a strategist planning creators’ channels, and as the person brands call when they want creators people actually trust.
Resonance over volume
Stolk’s line is that the algorithm no longer rewards volume. It rewards resonance: saves, shares, rewatches, real conversation. A smaller audience that engages deeply can outperform a large, passive one.
Brands have noticed. When I cast for a campaign, a creator’s point of view and the quality of the comments matter more to me than the follower count. A creator who posts less but means it is easier to place, because the audience is listening.
Trust comes from a point of view
You do not have to share everything. You do have to let people in on how you think and see. Stolk calls it bringing people into your world, and it is the difference between a feed of outfits and a feed with taste.
Curation is part of that. Not every item needs a tag and a link. Selective sharing keeps curiosity and desire alive, and it makes the recommendations you do make worth more.
A simple test before posting
Stolk suggests one question: will this post make people feel more like themselves, or less? Content that makes followers feel behind may get a reaction, but it does not build trust. Content that helps them grow into their own style does.
Showing the process works for the same reason. Behind the scenes, drafts, the edit, the shoot day: they prove a person made this. When I directed shoots for TingTing Lai, the shoot vlog was one of the formats her audience responded to most.
A rhythm you can keep
There is no universal posting schedule. If you are chaotic, structure helps. If you are rigid, rest helps. What matters is a rhythm you can hold in the weeks when brand work and your own content compete for the same days.
That is what a content plan is for. For TingTing I built one around her audience and platforms: formats, rhythm, and fixed slots kept free for brand collaborations, so a new deal fits into the week instead of pushing her own content aside. More than twenty shoots later, her brand work and her own posts share one visual line.
Energy is part of the strategy
Stolk is right that energy matters as much as tactics. Creators who are exhausted show it, and brands notice. A plan protects that too: batched shoot days, clear briefs, fewer last-minute requests.
If you are a creator or a founder who wants a channel that feels like you and still grows, that is the work I do in content strategy.
Source: Mila Stolk, “How to build an online presence that actually feels like you”, The Fashion Emblem, April 2026.
