10-Year Anniversary: Why You Don’t Want to Be Katerina Perez!

One phrase that I have heard regularly over the years is “I wish I was you”. Yes, my well-wishers and Instagram community ask how they can follow in my high jewellery footsteps. And while I am always flattered that people want to emulate my success, I often say “proceed with caution”. The life of a key opinion leader isn’t first-class flights and champagne… It’s extremely hard work that not everyone can handle, and this is why we see some jewellery bloggers come and go. I do not want to spoil the notion that bloggers live a fairytale life, but I think you should know why you might NOT want to step into my professional shoes.

We all know the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. This is normally ascribed to people, but it also applies to professions. I love what I do – travelling to meet emerging designers, discovering exceptional coloured stones, writing about trends, red carpets and exhibitions, and visiting high jewellery houses worldwide – but this is only the glamorous surface. An enormous, time-consuming and energy-intensive part of my job happens away from the cameras, involving a team of people and lots of long days.

You must be proficient in many things at once…

As an entrepreneur, I must ‘wear many hats’ and constantly multitask. For example, I manage a team of 10 people, and I am the face of the company as well as a writer, editor, photographer, re-toucher, content creator, strategist and more. I must constantly generate original ideas for articles and my social channels to keep you engaged, understand finances to keep my company thriving, plan and execute my activities in the office and outside of it. I should also add that one must be proficient with content creation equipment, including Photoshop, editing apps, planning tools and much more. I have always had a thirst for knowledge, not just about jewellery but all sorts of subjects, and this has been so beneficial in my quest to become a trusted global influencer.

There is no cutting corners…

Providing quality content on a regular basis requires an investment of time and effort. What I present on my website and social media might look easy and seamless to create, but the reality is different. For example, you might be surprised to discover how many people it takes to produce an Instagram Reel that’s only a few seconds long. I develop an idea, secure a photographer to film the raw footage, get my make-up, hair and outfit ready, ensure the lighting is ideal for diamonds and precious stones, make the composition interesting, do a number of takes, and then after the shoot select the best ones and then send the footage to a video editor. They will then create the video, which I review and eventually approve, and only then will I or my content writers come up with the perfect caption. My social manager will post the video, and my community manager will assist me in responding to comments and feedback. Next, we will need to track performance to provide feedback to advertisers, which is a different person and requires conversations with the client’s representatives, either in-house or third-party agencies. And this is just a single Reel! Take one action out of this sequence, and the quality of your work drops.

You need to be constantly creative…

This is something a lot of people forget. Imagine you have writer’s block right before a 5,000-word essay is due… You don’t have a choice; you must finish the copy! Put this in the context of the imagery and video content you find on KaterinaPerez.com and my Instagram profile. When I am standing in the middle of an exhibition hall, far from home, holding a piece of high jewellery in my hands, I need to be ready with insights and ideas. To never run out, I plan some scenarios in advance as well as save some interesting examples of reels whenever I spot something I like.

After ten years, my team and I have written so many pieces of content on the website; how do we continue to find new angles of exploration? It is important to find what sparks your creativity and nurture that, whether it’s exercise, spending time with friends, reading books, travelling, or visiting museums. Maintaining high standards means having a constant well of inspiration to draw from, and that’s no easy task.

You are responsible to your audience… 

Finally, and most importantly, there’s a subtle pressure bubbling under the surface. I have built a loyal following over the last decade, and I am grateful to every person who follows KaterinaPerez.com. Now, though, I feel a deep responsibility to my audience, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone by letting my standards slip, even by an inch. When people say they want to follow my path into professional blogging, I always ask them if they are willing to commit to this level of dedication. If they are 110% committed to this approach – always going the extra mile – then I know they are more likely to be successful, whether they’re writing about jewellery or something else entirely.

I hope this highlights some of the complexities of running a multi-faceted digital business. After ten whirlwind years full of ups and downs, I am thrilled to still be here, providing a destination for high jewellery lovers worldwide to witness new, inspiring, and uplifting finery. Ultimately, this makes all the challenges worth it ten times over.