Influencer branded 'distasteful' for asking for free PR birthday gifts

The influencer even had some ideas for gifts companies could send her. Photo / Supplied

An influencer who requested free gifts for her 30th birthday party has been labelled "distasteful".

Miann Scanlan sent out an 11-page marketing proposal to PR agencies touting "an opportunity for brands to gain access to her stories free of charge through birthday gift story unboxings", The Daily Telegraph reported.

Scanlan, a Brisbane-based influencer who has more than 48,000 followers, has explained the birthday request in a lengthy post on Instagram, saying she resigned from her full-time job to move to Brisbane to be closer to family earlier in the year which was "bad timing as the pandemic hit".

As a result, she has been "generating income" through her social media platform, stating her offer to post for free in exchange for "gifts" was to help businesses who have had to "pivot in this tough new economy".

Scanlan – who describes herself in the proposal as having "a unique city-meets-sea style" – had suggested for a range of gift ideas such as gold jewellery, candles, beauty products and clothing.

The first Instagram story is free until August 7, however, any additional posts will cost $50 per story, the proposal states.

Scanlan also revealed she had discounted her fees for sponsored posts, now charging $450 instead of $850 for exclusive brand tag images.

One publicist described the proposal as "really distasteful" given businesses are struggling due to coronavirus The Daily Telegraph reported.

News.com.au has contacted Miann Scanlan for further comment.

View this post on Instagram

As expected I woke up to find myself in the media today after ignoring a journalists attempts to reach me for commentary yesterday. ⁣Some of the publications are renowned for dramatising and tearing women down and today’s piece about me is no different. My own commentary is below and I won’t be commenting further. ⁣ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁣ I stepped away from Instagram for years after it my was my main source of income in my early 20s. Those of you that have been here for a while now know my up and down relationship with the platform but it’s also been a wonderful place for me to connect with like minded women, share my experiences and of course brands I love. Earlier this year I resigned from my full time job to move to Brisbane to be closer to family, bad timing as the pandemic hit just after. Still having a platform (albeit a rather dormant one) on Instagram I began shooting content regularly and made an effort to be active on the app to get my stats back up with hopes to secure paid campaigns (paying work) with brands I love. What the articles failed to highlight about my PR outreach was the goal: to reconnect with both old agencies I had working relationships with over the years and establish new relationships with those I hadn’t yet to cement long-standing relationships with brands that would resonate with my audience. Having worked on both sides of influencer marketing - receiving influencer media kits and pitch decks is a daily occurrence, they are marketing tools every creator uses to generate business. And gifting is the most common way brands can test out their influencer talent pool before dedicating hard budget. Businesses and marketing teams all over the world have had to pivot in this tough new economy. I have a platform with the ability to boost enquires and sales for businesses and brands with the potential to also generate income for myself, so why should I be any different.

A post shared by MIANN SCANLAN (@miannscanlan) on Jul 29, 2020 at 5:11pm PDT

Scanlan isn't the only influencer to be called out over a freebie request, with Gold Coast couple Chloe Szep and Mitch Orvall criticised after their manager sent out a similar request earlier this year.

In a notice posted in Social Diary – a widely circulated email newsletter for events and social media influencer news – Orval and Szep's manager shared that the couple were "excited to announce they are expecting a baby in August".

"Please reach out if you represent any baby-related brands or products and are interested in gifting them to Chloe and Mitch," the post read.

After being called out over the post, Orval hit back, taking to his Instagram story to call it "online bullying".

"To publicly humiliate someone when your (sic) in the industry you are in is a disgrace, it's online bullying and so unprofessional! I hope you sleep better at night," he wrote.

Meanwhile another influencer Jadé Tuncdoruk, or Jadé Tunchy as she is known on Instagram, called out brands who asked her to discount her rates because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've collaborated/worked with a few brands over time (a long time) who as of late have asked me to work for much, much less, or for free due to budget cuts – which I understand," she wrote on her Instagram story in May.

"However when I've said no – which is in my opinion completely warranted – have completely written off the relationship."

In response, Tunchy said the companies had then "severed ties" with her.

"These are brands I've travelled with and promoted for years who just throw the relationship away because I've refused to work for free," she wrote.