What is an Influencer?
Today, more than ever, influencers are EVERYWHERE. An influencer is somebody who has the platform to influence people through the content they post on social media. Influencers come in all different sizes as well. Nano-influencers are generally content creators with 1,000 – 10,000 followers. On the flip side, creators with more than 500,000 followers are classified as macro-influencers. In addition to size, influencers are also categorized by the niche they fit into.
How do I become an influencer?
It has never been easier to become an influencer than it is today. Social media allows anybody and everybody to reach large audiences with their content. There is not one formula that works for everybody, but the general path that people follow is this…
- Decide what niche, or category, your content is going to fit into. Whether you are interested in fashion, food, travel, fitness, or something else, pick a niche that you are passionate about. Without passion, you will lose motivation to keep creating content.
- Choose your platform. As technology and creativity advance, more options become available everyday within the world of social media. When you start out as an influencer, choose 2 main platforms that you are going to focus your efforts on. Most creators use Instagram, and one other platform, such as TikTok, Youtube, Twitter, etc. If you try to focus on too many platforms, your quantity and quality of content on each will decrease. It’s best to start with a small focus, and expand it as you get a hang of producing content.
- Focus on your audience. With each different niche, there is a different target audience. Understanding who your content is aimed towards can be very useful in defining the type of content you choose to put out. For example, a fitness influencer is most likely producing content for an audience of motivated, fit individuals. On the contrary, a culinary influencer’s audience is completely different.
- Consistent and strategic content. Once you start producing content, the main thing is to be consistent. There are very, very few influencers who gained a large following by posting once a month, or twice a month. Successful influencers generally post multiple times each week, and they stay active and engaged with their audience every day. Plan a day every couple weeks that is strictly reserved for producing content. After that day, post your new content over the next couple of weeks. If you don’t stick to a consistent posting schedule, your social media will quickly become buried beneath those that are producing content daily.
- Collaborate with brands and influencers. As your social media presence begins growing, start reaching out to brands and other influencers about collaboration opportunities. Reach out to pages that already have established their following. This will allow your content to be seen by all of the people who already follow the person or brand you are working with. When you reach out to somebody, be sure to explain to them how they are going to benefit from working with you. It is crucial that you become your biggest hype-person and your biggest salesperson. You need to convince them that they are going to be missing out if they pass up this golden opportunity to work with you.
- Be easy to contact and work with. Another important thing that is often overlooked by influencers is making sure that you are easy to get in touch with. A super simple way to do this is by creating an email account just for collaborations. For example, collaborations@influencerdiaries.com. When brands land on your page and see an easy way to contact you, they are more likely to reach out to you instead of somebody who is impossible to get in touch with. Once you are in contact with somebody, be super easy to work with. Nothing will turn a brand or influencer away faster than being tough to contact/work with. Be extremely straight forward and communicate your goals for the collaboration. If you have any questions, ask them early and often.
- Keep growing. Keep expanding your network. The more people you can get your content in front of, the faster you will be able to grow your following. Set goals for yourself, and write them down. If you want to reach 1,000 followers by the end of the month, write that down, along with the steps you are going to take to get there. If you don’t reach your goal, write it down again with a new deadline. If you are truly serious about eventually turning your social media into something more than a hobby, your habits need to reflect that.
Don’t Get Discouraged
Most people who set out to become influencers don’t get there overnight – there’s nothing wrong with that. Stay consistent with your content, find motivation, and don’t stop until you get where you want to be. Oh… and subscribe to Influencer Diaries to find out exactly other people got to where you want to be.
