Ciara Johnson (00:00):

I always believe that as a creator, you live first and then you create. I know that people go into it actually these days with the mindset of the end goal of content creation, and you haven’t done the living, you haven’t done the traveling, so where’s the story? So for me, it was first and foremost about living the story, and then from that, I knew that organic storytelling, organic tips would come from that.

Ross Borden (00:22):

This is Creator, the podcast from Matador Network. I’m your host Ross Borden, and I believe creators are the future of all global advertising. So join me as I sit down with top creators to hear about how they got started, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the tips you need to become a full-time creator. Alright, we’re back with another episode of Creator the podcast. Today I have Sierra Johnson. Sierra, welcome.

Ciara Johnson (00:50):

Thank you so much. Happy to be here.

Ross Borden (00:52):

So tell folks who don’t follow you a little bit about yourself. Where do you live and how did you get started as a creator?

Ciara Johnson (01:01):

Yeah, so my name’s Sierra. I am from Houston, Texas. I got started as a creator back in 2015, which was back in the blogging days. And I have been creating content full-time since around 2018. In 2017, I quit my job to pursue content creation and to travel, and I’ve been going ever since. And so over time my platform has grown very organically. I’ve been able to build a really amazing engaged audience of mostly women who are just looking to travel the world, live their best life, and I provide tips and resources that can help them do that to the best of their ability. So I’m all about empowering women to see the world and live their best life.

Ross Borden (01:53):

Love it. So what was that decision like? I mean, I think a lot of creators are grappling with that at all times. When they think they have, they’re trying to figure out if they have enough as a creator to make this a full-time career, to take the leap and to quit their job. And as some creators who’ve come on the show have said before, look, if it didn’t work out, I could just go back and get another job, but it’s still a big leap and it’s scary. So can you walk us through where you were in that decision-making process and what gave you the confidence to just quit your job and go?

Ciara Johnson (02:30):

Yeah, so I can still feel my stomach bubbling and how that felt back at that time in 2017. So I graduated in 2015 from business school and I went on to work full-time in human resources. And I quickly realized that that was not for me. And I already had in my idea the mind that I wanted to travel full time and take an adult gap year at some point in my life just because I started traveling in college. I studied abroad for the first time back in 2014, and I immediately fell in love with it. But around that time, just meeting other travelers and especially other European travelers and backpackers, they would always talk about a gap year. And I know that that isn’t as common here in the us. And so I was like, okay, that sounds pretty cool. And in my mind at that time, I’m like, if I’m lucky, I’ll get two weeks a year to travel.

(03:28):

And so I was like, yeah, I would love to take a year off at some point. And then once I started working and I realized that that job was not for me, I was like, okay, the gap year, it’s going to come faster than I ever expected. So I started saving up right away just because I was just like, yeah, there’s no better time to do it at the time. I’m like, what? 22, 23? I’m like, there’s no better time to do it. I’m young single, I have no responsibilities. And so like you said, if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll just come back and get a job. That was my whole mindset behind it is that more so than being a content creator, my goal at that time was to travel and there was the idea of like, oh, it would be really awesome if I could get paid for this at one point, but there was no guarantee. And honestly, like you said, some other creators, I was like, I’m totally fine with that. I just want to give it a try. I’m fine. To me, it was in the trying. I knew that I would regret not trying at some point if it didn’t work out, didn’t work out. I had my degree, I had some working experience, but I knew that I wanted to travel and I would’ve loved to have been able to share those experiences on my platform. And so I just wanted to take the risk. It was definitely nerve wracking, but

Ross Borden (04:53):

But it did work out. So tell us how that’s been 2017. So you’ve been a full-time creator for a while now. I know you’ve worked with a whole bunch of brands from Chevrolet to REI to truly discover South Carolina Marriott. How have you funded your work as a creator and made this your career?

Ciara Johnson (05:18):

Yeah, so back in 2017 when I had quit my job that first year, I saved up money over the course of my time working full time because I knew going into this I need at least a year one to travel, but also to really try to make this work, I’m going to give myself a year. And so that first year especially, because for me it was more about, I always believed that as a creator, you live first and then you create, I know that people go into it actually these days with the mindset of the end goal of content creation, and you haven’t done the living, you haven’t done the traveling in an organic context, so where’s the story? So for me, it was first and foremost about living the story. And then from that, I knew that organic storytelling, organic tips would come from that.

(06:09):

And so that first year was just really me traveling. I actually, I would share, but there were weeks or months that I wasn’t sharing because I really wanted it to be like, okay, I’m living first. I’m in the moment, I’m having these experiences. So inevitably I ran out of money that first year I was close to running out of money, and then I was like, okay, how can I keep this going? And so I ended up finding a remote freelance writing job, travel writing job. And so I wrote for Elite Daily at the time, I believe it’s now called Bussle. So I wrote for them. I was able to continue traveling. It was great because I could also build those writing skills and also still kind of double dip with the travel that I was able to do with Elite Daily and still write about my travels and have it kind of funded that way. So that was kind of a bridge that held me over that after that first year. So it wasn’t until that was 2018, I did that for a year. And then 2019 I quit that and I was like, okay, that’s taking up a lot of my time. I’m writing three articles a day and that’s draining me of any content that I could be creating from my platform. But it’s held me over up until now, and once 2019 hit, things took off from there. So that was when I really hit those first big brand deals. I had some viral posts and that really blew me up. I attacked brands throughout those viral posts just very organically and

Ross Borden (07:42):

Attacked. You were doing prospecting, you were reaching out to brands?

Ciara Johnson (07:46):

Yes. So I had started reaching out to brands actually that first year. And I had worked with a few, but they were not on a paid basis, so they were on a trade basis, which was great in the beginning because of course I’m just starting. So it’s exciting either way. It’s like, oh,

Ross Borden (08:03):

Free trips, all that, that good stuff,

Ciara Johnson (08:07):

And still build those skills. And back then there wasn’t as much opportunity, I’m sure as you know, 2017 the influencer space has blown up, but back then there weren’t many opportunities. And so I was like, okay, cool. This company is sending me to Peru for free and I just have to take pictures. That’s amazing. But I didn’t really start getting paid. I got my first paid brand deal in 2019, and then it really took off from there and it’s grown every single year. It’s multiplied. And so that’s been really, really cool.

Ross Borden (08:39):

Who is, who’s been your biggest brand partner in terms of the brand deals? Or do you have any long-term ambassadorships where the brand keeps coming back to you or it’s a longer deal?

Ciara Johnson (08:51):

Yes, so it’s hard to say what the biggest can name a few really big ones that have been one really great to work with, but also it looks really great when you get that really big opportunity and it’s like, okay, I made it. That was a few of those included Marriott. So they are a brand that I’ve continued to work with throughout the years, I want to say since 2021. And so that’s a really great company. That was a dream to work with them. And then I’ve also had the opportunity to work with Toyota. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Chevrolet, American Express, Chaney

Ross Borden (09:29):

Are all these video video partnerships where you’re producing video for them?

Ciara Johnson (09:34):

So it’s a wide variety. So Marriott, I do content creation, so that’s one part of it is posting on my page. It can be photo, it can be video, but I’m also on, I guess you would call on site talent. And so I’m able to work with them and shoot at their different properties on set with them, and they feature that in their marketing materials. They’re essentially licensing. It’s been cool to do. I feel like I’ve done it all at this point.

Ross Borden (10:09):

Yeah, you kind of have, because you started with writing and then you started doing social media stuff, you’re also talent. So yeah, it seems like a lot of the most successful creators that I talked to, they kind of have that triple threat stuff where they’re getting revenue from different parts. Since you came from blogging and now with the rise of ai, I think a lot of writers are freaked out. What do you think is, do people who are focused just on writing, do they have a prospect for a viable career going forward given ai or how do you think that’s affected things?

Ciara Johnson (10:47):

Yeah, I think that there’s definitely an impact, but I feel like if you are able to maintain the integrity of your own story and your voice, I do feel like that’s how you set yourself apart in terms of blogging. There is, and there has been just the emphasis on listicles, for example, articles of like, oh, here are top 10 things to do in a city. And I do feel like that’s going to be a bit more difficult to maintain going forward because

(11:18):

Like you said, with ai, someone can type that question and to AI and get a pretty thorough list. And so I feel like you’re really going to have to hone in on your voice, your tone, your story, your perspective. And I think that social makes it easier to do that than blogging, in my opinion. You can get pretty raw with that. You can really inject your story and have that higher engagement. And I feel like that community that people feel a little bit more tied to you where it’s like, okay, I’m getting this information from her. I could find the information on Google, but I like her and I’ve been following her and I like the way she tells this story. And so I feel like it’s really about shaping your voice, and I feel like that’s how creators are going to stand apart in the midst of ai.

Ross Borden (12:08):

If you had a niche, would you say it’s female solo travel? Tell me how did you land on that? I know a lot of your stuff focuses on solo travel. It sounds like that’s a lot of what you’re doing in the very beginning, but is that sort of just the way you went because that was the audience that found you, or how did that happen?

Ciara Johnson (12:26):

Yeah, so it came very natural, especially since at the time, the reason why I started traveling solo wasn’t necessarily out of a desire, a natural desire. It was because I had friends and family where travel wasn’t a priority for them or I just simply wasn’t feasible for whatever reason, whether it had been a conflict in work schedules, whether it have been financials. And so for me, I knew that if I wanted to travel, it was just going to have to simply do it alone. And I’ve never been a person who has straight away from doing things out of fear of being alone or a fear of not having that confidence. And so for me, it was just like, yeah, I’m just going to go. And I know that there are women who that does not come easy for them, and not just women, but people in general.

(13:16):

I know that it can feel awkward and uncomfortable and scary. So I was like, when I would talk to friends or even family, they weren’t that supportive of me going alone naturally because of safety. But for me, I was like, no, I’ve had these amazing experiences and I wanted to show up for women who, once again, maybe the people around them were not seeking out those experiences or maybe didn’t necessarily support it, but they were really looking to do it and they didn’t want to miss out. And so I’m like, okay, I can share resources and tips for those women who really want to pursue this, but they’re afraid for a variety of reasons. And so it really just came natural because that was what I was experiencing.

Ross Borden (13:59):

Yeah, yeah, it’s awesome. Really authentic to how you got started, and I think that shines through and people can say she’s an expert because she’s been doing this and she’s going to make me feel more confident when I go solo traveling. So it makes a lot of sense. What about some of these other brands that you work with that are not even travel? So you talked about Marriott, but what about Lumix and truly and some of the autos? Can you tell us how did you find those opportunities? Did they find you? How did those happen?

Ciara Johnson (14:30):

Yeah, so in the first few years I was pitching, this was before, so I’ve gone through a period of where I was pitching myself. I’ve gone through a period where I didn’t have management, now I have management, but that first few years I was going hard pitching, and it was actually really fun. And I think maybe as a business major, I really enjoyed the negotiations and the communications with the brands. And so at first it was just like, okay, well here are all the things that I’m naturally doing and using. I’m just going to reach out to these brands. And so I reached out to them and at different times I might have heard back from them immediately or a month. But it’s interesting because quite a few of those brands I did not hear back from for years, whether it be me sliding into their dms or sending them an email. Sometimes I’ll go back and I’m like, oh, I DMed Clorox as a brand that I worked with, which it’s like, okay, how does that tie into travel? But they reached out to me actually to be an ambassador to promote their travel size products. So

Ross Borden (15:37):

Oh, from a DM that you sent a year ago?

Ciara Johnson (15:39):

Yes.

Ross Borden (15:40):

Wow,

Ciara Johnson (15:41):

That’s interesting. And I didn’t realize that I sent it. And so whenever they reached out to me to collaborate through my management team in the posts that I made, I tacked them of course in their Instagram stories. And I went back and I scrolled up, I’m like, oh, I pitched them years ago. So that’s crazy that I made that touch point and it’s kind of full circle, which has happened a lot. So they were wanting to promote travel sized products and how that ties into traveling and just hygiene whenever you’re traveling, whether it be on the flight or at your hotel and wiping things down or spraying things with disinfectant spray. So that was really cool. With Toyota and Chevrolet, they reached out to me. And so with Toyota early on, that was one of the first really big partnerships that I had. I would often work with Uprocks, which is the publication, but they have a lot of partnerships where they would do kind of on-air talent hosting.

(16:45):

And so that was one of those projects where that was really new to me where it was a video that they shot for an advertisement, and it was this project where I was encouraging one of their corporate employees to get out and explore more. And so we did this whole shoot and I was on air. It was my first time doing something like that, like a commercial that was really cool and very much on brand of that empowerment aspect. And then with Chevrolet, they reached out to me a few years ago and it was very similar to where I hosted a six episode series that they posted on their YouTube and that they also used for advertisements where I was interviewing black and brown nonprofits who are encouraging black and brown people to get outdoors. That was one of my favorite projects that I’ve ever done. And so this was a one-on-one interview in six different cities with six different nonprofits and they sponsored it and it was just really awesome. And so I’ve gotten to do like that, and there’s been a mix, like I said in the beginning, the first few years it was all for me pitching. And then in the more recent years they’ve come to me, so I’m really blessed to have made those, I guess you would say, connections in the industry and have the reputation of creating great content and having that engaged audience.

Ross Borden (18:09):

Yeah, that’s awesome. I think it’s really important. A lot of the creators that I talk to that are honestly the most successful brand deals, I think a lot of it is due to going out and pitching prospecting. And some people have said LinkedIn, some people have said sending emails. Some people have said, just go straighten the dms on Instagram. And I think it seems like all of those things work really well

Ciara Johnson (18:33):

For sure.

Ross Borden (18:33):

So you mentioned earlier Sierra having management. When did you get a manager or an agent, and at what point as in your creator journey, were you like, I need a manager, or talk us through a little bit. How important is that and when would you advise other up and coming creators to get management?

Ciara Johnson (18:55):

Yeah, so I think it’s definitely on a case by case basis. For me, it was a matter of not being able to manage my inbox and being extremely burnt out from traveling at the same time of having to go back and forth with these brands. And that’s like a ping pong, and that can last for weeks or months of going back and forth. Reading over contracts. At one point I knew that I was leaving money on the table, especially because there is that at some point there was this transition period of where a lot of terms and concepts over the past few years, like white labeling and whitelisting and all of these different things that brands have started doing that they weren’t doing in the beginning or licensing. And at that time when a lot of my peers were starting back in 2017, up until 2020, honestly, back then it was literally a brand would reach out to you and it’s like, Hey, we want to do a collaboration. Okay, let’s talk about the deliverables. Okay, cool. They wouldn’t ask to see the deliverables beforehand. There were no drafts, there were no, it was really just a post.

(20:09):

And since I would say about 2020, there has been, as the industry has grown, there really has been a more streamlined structured process, but with that has been a lot of terminology that you just don’t know you’re leaving a lot of money on the table because it really is the wild west. And so if a brand reaches out to you, the first time a brand reached out to me in 20 18, 20 19 and asked what I charged as a rate back then we had no idea. So it was just kind of like, I’m just going to throw a number out there. I don’t know what the value of this is, and let’s just see what they say. And that was doable back then. But especially as I had grown and I was traveling constantly, and at any given time, I could be doing five to nine collaborations a month while traveling.

Ross Borden (21:06):

That’s a lot to juggle.

Ciara Johnson (21:08):

It was so much to juggle. There were the contracts, there was me knowing that I was leaving money on the table because I didn’t know what to charge. Also, just personally, I just struggle with communications. And I knew also that that would potentially jeopardize opportunities, especially when I was traveling where it’s like, oh, I’m somewhere and I don’t have service and I can’t even get back to this brand because I don’t have service and I won’t have service for days. Let’s say I’m at a national park or something like that.

(21:37):

And so I was just like, I can’t manage this any longer. It’s overwhelming. It’s also was something I didn’t have the desire to manage any longer. And so the timing was perfect. This management team happened to reach out to me back in, I believe, 2020.

Ross Borden (21:53):

What’s the company called? Is it someone who manages a bunch of different creators,

Ciara Johnson (21:59):

Estate five? Yes. So it’s a

Ross Borden (22:01):

Management. Cool,

Ciara Johnson (22:02):

Okay. Yeah, a management agency. And they manage all types of influencers. So lifestyle, beauty, they don’t have many travel influencers on their roster, but

Ross Borden (22:14):

That’s probably good for you. You’re like one of the travel people that they have. So when they have a travel brand come in, you’re probably going to get the opportunity

Ciara Johnson (22:21):

For sure. And it’s actually really cool, which I didn’t expect is that I’m put forward for opportunities that I also otherwise wouldn’t have been considered for

(22:31):

Because I do have those contacts from lifestyle brands that I could be travel adjacent, but I might not otherwise have been matched with. So that’s been really cool. But for me it was just personal where it’s like, I don’t want to manage these communications anymore, but I have peers that are my size that have as many partnerships and that are even bigger, and they still manage their brand deals. They want to keep that money. And for me, I’m like, I’m happy to give up the 15% to not have to deal with this. So it just depends. I think it’s more so whenever your partnerships exceed your capacity, you don’t necessarily need management to land brand deals, actually not their job. A lot of your partnerships will still be inbound directly to you, and they simply manage the negotiations and the communication. And also a lot of management agencies won’t even accept you until you earn a certain amount because obviously the time that it takes them to manage that. So definitely once you get to a certain point where it’s a bit overwhelming, I feel like it might be worth it.

Ross Borden (23:42):

What’s been your biggest month if you’re willing to share in terms of a single month of brand deals or any other revenue you have coming in as a creator?

Ciara Johnson (23:56):

I would say definitely it ranges just a ballpark, because for month to month, probably 50,000. Yeah,

Ross Borden (24:08):

That’s very solid month. That’s awesome.

Ciara Johnson (24:11):

But then again, that could be because I, it might be because of one or two partnerships, or it might be five across the month or more, and then the next month it might be two. So it really just depends. It really depends.

Ross Borden (24:25):

So what next for you now? Are you traveling more than ever and just continuing to do more deals and more content, or what’s your plan for 2025 and beyond?

Ciara Johnson (24:37):

Yeah, so things really escalate the past few years to the point where in the last year, 2024, I was like, okay, I’m going to continue to travel, but I would really love to reduce actually the volume of partnerships that I have, and of course, increase the pay just to minimize the amount of work that I’m doing because I had reached a point of overwhelm. And so now going forward, I am really trying to slow down while also doing the same and also managing other parts of my business. So that could look like producing products, whether it be physical or digital products. Also potentially doing some group tours, but definitely focusing on other areas of growth that I haven’t been able to focus on because of the partnerships that I’ve had over the years. And so I’m wanting a little bit more balance. And so I actually have a home base now for the first time in years just to kind of, once again have the ability to nurture some different areas of my business, but also my life, but I’ll continue traveling. As always,

Ross Borden (25:49):

Congrats on the home base and fewer, bigger, better I think is always good for the partnerships. And that’s cool. I’ve actually talked to quite a few creators who are doing really well with leading trips, so I think that’s a new revenue stream. A lot of travel creators especially should consider. Sierra. I also noticed that one of the things that you’ve done a lot of is speaking engagements. Can you talk about that? Has that been a revenue stream for you as a creator? And do you think it’s worth it for creators to seek out different speaking engagements either for revenue or for visibility or networking?

Ciara Johnson (26:25):

For sure. I think any opportunity that you have to grow as a creator I think is definitely something worth seeking out and anything that will expand your audience. And so with speaking engagements, I do feel like it’s a great opportunity to share your story, share tips, whether it be with other creators, other aspiring creators in the industry, or other aspiring travelers. I think it’s a great opportunity to do that. It’s also a great way to make connections. So for example, at Travel, I spoke at Travel a few years ago, which is I believe perhaps the biggest travel conference. And it’s really great to network within the industry. There are brands at the conference, there are also other creators. So it’s a great opportunity, especially as a speaker because you’re on that big stage. And so you have other creators that are looking to you for information.

(27:17):

You have brands that are sitting in the crowd as well, that are listening to you speak. And it’s a great way to establish yourself as a subject matter expert. And then you have on the flip side, where you’re speaking at conferences to other travelers that aren’t necessarily creators. And I find that that’s also a really great way to engage community and once again, really also build those connections. So for example, I spoke at Afro Tech on behalf of Expedia, and there were a lot of different people in the room from actually different industries. And so that was a company or a brand sponsored event. And once again, a great way to reach people that maybe aren’t necessarily in the travel space and then speak to those who are aspiring to either travel or get into the travel space. And so I feel like it’s a great networking opportunity.

Ross Borden (28:11):

Yeah, for sure. I agree. And are you an Expedia ambassador or tell us about the Expedia partnership? How did that come about?

Ciara Johnson (28:19):

Yeah, so I am not an ambassador with Expedia. That would be amazing, I hope.

Ross Borden (28:25):

Shout out to Expedia, sign her up.

Ciara Johnson (28:27):

Yes, yes, I would love that. But I have worked with them multiple times and they reached out to me. And then the same goes for Travel Con. They also reached out to me as well. And so I always say, you may not be able to make these connections in person. We all live on the internet, but I do feel that it’s imperative to make those connections online. So that means engaging in the comments, following other creators and really trying to build an online community because that’s how a lot of these opportunities have come about, is really fostering those connections where it’s like, okay, I’ve spoken to these creators for years, and once again, establishing yourself as a subject matter expert and really honing in on your story online first, and that’s how you have people that are reaching out to you and really trying to connect with you before they even meet you in person.

Ross Borden (29:23):

Sierra, I noticed with a lot of your content, the video’s really good. You’ve gotten really good at editing, or do you have someone who shoots you when you go when you travel and they do the editing? Or how is the editing post-production part of your platform work?

Ciara Johnson (29:42):

Yes. So for myself, it’s a mixture of if I’m traveling solo, of course I’m shooting myself over the years. If I am, let’s say shooting content for a tourism board or for a branded project, and that’s all on me, then I actually will hire a local photographer or even a local videographer who I’m telling them, Hey, we need these shots here and this is where I’m shooting. And then that way, of course, there’s a little bit more on the line there. If it’s a paid project where it’s like, I do need someone to help me out there. In the beginning I did it all on my own, but now it’s like with having a variety of partnerships, it’s just easier to do that. But in terms of editing, I do edit my content simply in InShot. I use my phone, edit it all in InShot, and I think that just comes with practice. I do have my periods of burnout, but yeah,

Ross Borden (30:38):

It’s good. It looks like really high production, like a lot of your content.

Ciara Johnson (30:41):

Thank You.

Ross Borden (30:42):

Yeah, I don’t say that lightly. So well done. And that’s smart. I think a lot of people will ask for a plus one for a branded program, but if they won’t do that, hiring a local photographer or filmmaker to accompany you on the important shoot days. I think that’s brilliant.

(30:59):

Awesome. Cool. Ciara, I have one question I ask everyone, and I know you’re very well traveled, so this should be interesting. If your passport only worked in three countries and you had to spend the rest of your life only in those three countries, what would the three countries be?

Ciara Johnson (31:18):

That’s a really good question.

Ross Borden (31:20):

And it includes your home base. So no, the US it’s not in addition to the us, including the us just got harder

Ciara Johnson (31:30):

That yeah, that makes it harder. I would say probably South Africa, specifically for Cape Town.

Ross Borden (31:38):

Love Cape Town,

Ciara Johnson (31:38):

And I would have to go so beautiful. So beautiful. And then I would also have to go with Mexico, I would say. So

Ross Borden (31:47):

That’s one. One. So Mexico, US, Mexico, South Africa.

Ciara Johnson (31:52):

Yes.

Ross Borden (31:52):

That’s a solid lineup. Awesome. Well, Sierra, thanks so much for coming on the pod. Appreciate it and congrats to all the success since 2017. And good luck in the rest of 2025. As a creator, we’ll be watching. Can you tell folks if they don’t follow you, where to find you, your handles across the different platforms?

Ciara Johnson (32:15):

Yes. You can find me at Hey, Sierra. So that is Hey, HEY Sierra, C-I-A-R-A,

Ross Borden (32:24):

Creator. The podcast is produced by Matador Network. We are a leading global travel publisher focused on travel and adventure. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe. Every week I interview a new top creator. New episodes are released every Tuesday on YouTube, apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are found. Thanks for listening. See.