How to become an influencer
How to Become (and Stay) a Good Influencer?
You may have read our post about what an influencer is and thought, “Hey, I want to become an influencer!” or perhaps you've already started but feel you need a bit more information on how things work? Then this guide is for you. Whether you are going to become an ambassador for clothes, shoes, or other items, these steps will help you!
Step 1: Find Your Platform
The first thing you need to do is decide which platform you want to focus on. Many large influencers today have a TikTok, Instagram, YouTube account, and more, but when you're just starting out, it's wise to concentrate on one or two platforms rather than trying to do everything at once. Remember, it's better to do one thing well than to do many things halfway!
Here’s a guide to some of the most popular platforms for influencers today and who they might suit:
TikTok: Short video clips with built-in editing. If you prefer to do everything on your phone, this is for you. Suitable for those who want to create dance videos, funny sketches, and share opinions, tips, and knowledge that can be communicated quickly and easily.
Instagram: Image content. If you enjoy photography, this is the platform for you. Instagram allows you to create a combination of both image and video content, as well as write short texts.
YouTube: Longer videos. If you like videography and have time to create longer videos that require more editing, this is a good platform for you. It’s suitable for content such as vlogging, longer videos where you talk about various themes, how-to’s, etc.
Blog/Own Website: Longer text content and a mix of media. If you want to write articles, reviews, and similar content, this is a great platform. It also allows you to gather images, videos, and text on one page that you have full control over.
Which platform you choose may also depend on what type of products you want to promote. Clothing, for instance, is very popular to be an ambassador for on Instagram, where even "small" profiles can receive sponsored products in many cases.
Step 2: Find a Niche
Figure out what kind of content you enjoy creating and try to stick to that theme. It's easier to build an engaged follower base if your followers know what they can expect when they follow you. Is it fashion? Fitness? Food? Politics? Art history? Dog pictures? It’s easier to become skilled at creating high-quality content and attracting new followers with similar interests if you stick to a limited niche.
Step 3: Invest in Equipment You Will Use
It’s by no means necessary to go out and buy all kinds of camera equipment and editing programs when you first start as an influencer. Start small, and as you see the need to upgrade your equipment, invest in high-quality gear that you know you will use. It can help make your content better, make it easier to produce content, or make it more fun to create content! The point is: invest wisely and think before you buy.
Step 4: Don't Give Up!
Don't give up! Once you've started, it can be demotivating if you don’t get hundreds of followers right away, but remember that most influencers have spent a long time improving their content and building their follower base. Here are some tips for things you can do to keep yourself motivated and build a larger platform.
Learn New Skills
There are plenty of resources online that can teach you how to edit photos and videos, take better pictures, and write better articles. Check out our guide to reels and photography if you haven't done so yet! Spend time learning from others and practice improving the quality of your content. Better content increases the likelihood that you can get collaborations with companies and will generally attract more followers.
Engage with Your Followers
A big part of the challenge of being an influencer is building and maintaining a relationship with your followers. Talking with your followers in stories, asking them questions, responding to comments and messages are all good ways to get to know those who follow you, and perhaps even make new friends.
Get to Know Other Influencers
Don't be afraid to reach out to other influencers in your niche. It can be very helpful to have other influencers to ask questions when first getting started, and it makes it much more fun to keep it going in the long run!
Post Often (Enough)
One thing that's very important if you want to gain more followers online is to make sure to publish regularly. How often you should post depends on the platform you're using. For example, a YouTube video will require more work than an Instagram post, and therefore you might want to post more often on Instagram than on YouTube. However, make sure that all the content you post is of high quality and adds value (either in the form of entertainment, information, or similar) to your followers. There’s little point in posting every day if you end up posting content you aren’t happy with and that your followers don’t appreciate.
Authenticity and Responsibility
It’s no secret that as an influencer, you also have a responsibility to be trustworthy, transparent, and honest. It’s easy to damage the trust of your followers if you recommend a product you don't actually like and wouldn't use yourself. If you bought the camera your favorite photographer recommended and it turned out to take poor pictures and broke right away, it would be hard to trust the influencer the next time they posted about a product. At the same time, it's important to ensure that you're not spreading messages that could negatively influence your followers, whether it's related to promoting attitudes that could impact impressionable followers negatively or recommending products that could affect them negatively or even be harmful. Remember, you have the right to say no if someone asks you to promote something, and it’s never too late to change your mind!