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March 28, 2022

Founder Katie Sturino Reveals Which Creators Inspire Her on Instagram

BY: Instagram Business Team

San Francisco, CA

@katiesturino has done it all: she's a business owner, author, podcast host and body acceptance advocate who uses Instagram to connect with women all over the world in a way that’s relatable, authentic and fun. She founded Megababe Beauty (@megababe) and authored Body Talk, an illustrated guide-meets-workbook about how to embrace your body and live your best life. An early adopter of Instagram, she built a community and personal brand she’s proud of over the years.

“I've always been conscious of my personal brand, even before the internet,” Katie wrote last year in an interview with Instagram for Business. “What started as a career in PR to help small businesses shifted into something even bigger. At my core, I've always wanted to be a champion for women and their businesses.”

Katie Sturino cover image

One of her biggest pieces of advice for businesses looking to grow on Instagram was networking—building relationships with brands and using the platform to educate people about your brand. So who does she look to for inspiration on how to do exactly that?

“As an entrepreneur and content creator, I use Instagram to stay motivated creatively by seeking inspiration from other badass female creators,” says Katie. “The women listed below have kept me on my toes, kept me motivated, and kept me hopeful during dark times of doubt. Their content always uses the newest features, and while that intimidates me, it ultimately inspires me to get out of my creative comfort zone.”

Follow them — “and whoever they follow,” Katie adds— for your own inspiration.

@mrsdowjones: “Haley's helping women approach finance in a way that's much less intimidating and much more accessible. Her constant memes seamlessly incorporate finance with pop culture and a sense of humor — I know how hard that must be!”

@laney: “Laney's the founder of @saiebeauty, a clean beauty brand I really admire. I find her reels very helpful and relatable, even though they always have fancy transitions! I love cheering her and Saie on. It's been really amazing to see how fast Saie has grown and how committed they remain to sustainability.”

@deepica: “@deepica and @livetinted are bringing women of color to the forefront with unique products and point of view. I enjoy watching the balance in her cadence for how much she posts about Live Tinted and how much she posts about her day-to-day life — something I struggle with myself!”

@jacylnrjohnson: “My everything! From having her company acquired twice to expanding her business by thinking of different opportunities and amplifying different voices, Jackyln's just so savvy! I love how she weaves her internet life with her real life, capturing cool event after cool event. She's truly the OG of taking online offline... and offline online?”

Are you overwhelmed by DMs? Here's how to manage them!Play Icon

Want to learn more from Katie? See how she manages her DMs as a business owner in the video above.

For more inspiration, read our interview with creative director @karenxcheng about how businesses can team up with creators to level up their content.

BY: Instagram Business Team

San Francisco, CA