Denise Ratke

Why this persona fits the audience

She oversees creator outreach for a 12-person skincare company in the US. Incoming pitches land through Instagram DMs, a website form, and email, and she triages them with one coordinator by checking audience fit, follower quality, and stated rates in spreadsheets before forwarding anything to the brand founder.

• Age: 33
• Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
• Occupation: Influencer Marketing Manager
• Income: $92k USD base
• Education: Bachelor's degree in marketing
• Company size: 12
• Years in role: 4

“"The best partnerships are built on transparency and a shared understanding of what success looks like, both for the brand and the creator."”

Denise Ratke, 33, is a seasoned In-house Influencer Marketing Manager at a burgeoning DTC skincare company based in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her Bachelor's in Marketing and has spent the last four years honing her skills in creator outreach and campaign management within the dynamic, fast-paced world of direct-to-consumer brands. Her role involves meticulously vetting a high volume of incoming pitches, a process she shares with her coordinator, Maya. They collaborate using spreadsheets to assess audience fit, follower quality, and creator rates, a critical step before anything reaches the brand founder for final approval. This systematic approach reflects her core values of brand trust, clear processes, and efficient collaboration, all while maintaining strict budget discipline. She’s deeply interested in the latest skincare trends and nurturing authentic creator partnerships, often seeking out information on new platforms and emerging talent. Her personal life is grounded in a pragmatic, organized approach; she lives in a charming Brooklyn apartment, enjoys urban gardening, and finds joy in discovering unique pieces in vintage boutiques. Denise is a naturally conscientious individual, always striving for order and effectiveness in both her personal and professional life. She's recently been focused on refining their pitch triaging system, recognizing that the sheer volume is becoming unmanageable and is seeking ways to introduce more data-driven insights earlier in the funnel. She also champions the use of Notion for internal documentation, believing that well-structured templates can significantly boost team efficiency. Her financial habits are disciplined; she tracks expenses diligently and prioritizes long-term value in her purchases, a mindset that extends to her professional evaluations of creator ROI.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Denise's typical weekday begins around 7:00 AM with her morning routine in her Brooklyn apartment. By 8:30 AM, she's logged into her laptop, first scanning industry news and her team's Slack channels. The bulk of her morning is dedicated to triaging creator pitches with Maya, meticulously checking follower authenticity, audience demographics, and past campaign performance against their brand guidelines and budget parameters, all meticulously documented in their shared spreadsheets. After a quick lunch, often a prepped salad, she spends the afternoon on outreach, contract negotiation, or reviewing campaign reports. She aims to log off by 6:00 PM, but sometimes stays later if a critical campaign or founder request arises. Evenings are for unwinding, cooking, or catching up with Liam.

Lifestyle

Denise lives in a rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn, filled with plants and curated thrift store finds. She prioritizes health, starting her day with a green smoothie and a short yoga session before logging on. Weekends are for exploring local farmers' markets, trying new vegan cafes with friends, and occasionally visiting vintage clothing stores. She’s mindful of her spending, preferring experiences and quality over quantity, and meticulously tracks her budget using a shared spreadsheet with her partner. She values her quiet evenings reading or planning her week.

Work life

Denise's days are a whirlwind of managing creator relationships and ensuring pitches align with the brand's aesthetic and ethical standards. Her primary responsibility is the initial vetting of influencer collaborations, a process she's refined over four years. She works closely with her coordinator, Maya, to sift through dozens of daily pitches via Instagram DMs, email, and the website's submission form. They meticulously check audience demographics, engagement rates, and the creator's past content for brand safety, documenting everything in shared Google Sheets. The pressure is on to find authentic voices that resonate with their target audience without overspending, as the founder has final approval and is very hands-on with budget.

Relationships

Denise is in a committed relationship with a software engineer, Liam, who shares her practical approach to life. They influence each other’s purchasing decisions, often discussing value and longevity. She maintains a close-knit circle of friends from college, mostly women in marketing or creative fields, with whom she shares industry insights and personal updates. Her relationship with her coordinator, Maya, is professional yet friendly, built on mutual respect and a shared goal of efficiency.

How they decide

Denise is a methodical and research-oriented decision-maker. She prefers to gather all relevant data, analyze options against clear criteria, and consult with her coordinator or occasionally her partner before committing. She values processes that reduce ambiguity and minimize risk, leaning towards solutions that offer demonstrable efficiency and tangible results, especially when budget is a factor.

How they sound

Her cadence is measured and clear, with a tendency to articulate her points logically. She avoids overly casual slang but uses professional industry jargon comfortably. She's articulate and can be quite persuasive when advocating for a process improvement or a creator partnership, always backing her points with data or clear reasoning. She tends to speak with a tone of considered confidence, not prone to hyperbole or emotional appeals.