How to become an influencer
With the boom of social media (and Instagram in particular), the figure of the influencer came to the fore. The success of these characters has inspired many to follow in their footsteps trying to become web stars to make money with Instagram and other platforms. The question that many ask themselves, therefore, is: how to become an influencer?
In this article, we will explain how to become an influencer and make money thanks to sponsored posts and collaborations with brands. First, however, let’s try to understand what an influencer is and what they do.
Influencer: meaning and types
An influencer is a person who has acquired notoriety on the web, is followed by a large number – or by a certain niche – of people and is recognized as an expert figure in a certain sector, for example in the field of fashion, travel, technology and so on.
An influencer, therefore, is seen by his followers as a reference figure, and here lies his “value” for brands, that is, in the fact that he can influence the purchasing decisions of the people who follow him.
To give a practical example: if a fashion influencer with 1 million followers wears a garment of the brand X, it will make a great advertisement for the brand and the latter will gain both in advertising and in revenues from a possible increase in sales of the garment. in question.
Types of influencers
Influencers are usually ranked based on the number of their followers. According to the classification released by the American Association of National Advertisers, social influencers can be divided into:
- Micro-influencers: They have 50 to 25,000 followers. these are increasingly sought after by companies because their followers are usually very loyal and more involved.
- Mid-level influencers: They have between 25,001 to 100,000 followers.
- Macro-influencer: with more than 100,001 followers.
Becoming an influencer may seem easy, but it’s not exactly like that. In fact, it is not for everyone to be able to attract the attention of many followers and brands. Some strategies need to be put into practice and seasoned with a little creativity and originality.
Below we will explain how to become an influencer and we will show you some moves to become popular on Instagram and other platforms to attract the attention of brands.
How to become an influencer
Follow these fundamental steps to become an influencer:
- Choose your industry and your target audience
- Open your social profiles
- Plan your content and post regularly
- Attract new followers
- Start contacting brands
- Keep working to grow
Well, let’s get started!
1. Choose your industry and your target audience
What is your passion? Do you like fashion and style, make-up, travel or are you an expert in technology, video games, eco-sustainable living and so on? Although the fashion and beauty sector is certainly the most popular with aspiring influencers, there are many other fields in which you can create your own niche of loyal followers, which will help you attract the attention of brands operating in the sector.
The important thing is that you choose to promote yourself as an “expert” in a topic you really like, otherwise your followers will quickly understand that there is no real passion behind your profile.
Once you have chosen your industry, also think about who your target audience will be (gender, age, interests, lifestyle, etc.) and which topics they may be particularly interested in. This study is essential to understand how to create effective and relevant content that will attract the attention of your target audience.
2. Open your social profiles
Instagram is certainly the reference platform for most influencers, but in some cases, it might be more effective to start from a YouTube channel or a Facebook page. If you are a technology expert, for example, creating your own channel on YouTube will allow you to publish videos with in-depth tutorials, or with reviews of products and devices, you have tried. In a nutshell, you have to take into account the type of content you will produce: very short photos and videos are perfect for Instagram and Facebook while video tutorials, reviews and the like are more suitable for YouTube.
You can start by focusing your efforts on a single social platform and then open the other profiles at a later time, adapting your communication to the characteristics of each platform.
Do not forget, then, that creating a blog is another way to create a space of your own that can allow you to earn thanks to sponsored posts, affiliations and the sale of advertising space.
3. Plan your content and post it regularly
Once you have opened your social profiles, it is time to start proposing content on a regular basis to attract and keep the interest of followers.
Remember that your content must be created with care, thinking both about the visual/audio quality, and the added value that these should bring to those who follow you.
4. Attract new followers
You know, to become a real influencer you need to be able to attract the attention of a considerable number of followers. We warn you: you need to be patient, hundreds of new followers will not arrive a day and we advise against buying followers because companies tend to immediately understand if your audience is “fake” and not really interested in your content.
The rules for attracting “real” and really interested followers are essentially 3:
- Create quality and original content: create photos or videos that are characterized by a well-defined style. You will need it to become “visually recognizable”. Obviously, the content you propose must also contain something interesting.
- Use hashtags in a strategic way: on Instagram in particular, hashtags allow you to make your content appear in the related lists, making them easily visible even by those who do not follow you … yet. When posting a photo, choose hashtags carefully.
In general, we recommend that you use short hashtags, i.e. made up of single words such as #travel #love etc. In fact, it is difficult to attract the attention of a large audience by using long and complex hashtags such as # HowMuchILiketoTravel.
N.B .: Hashtags are also useful on YouTube. On this platform, the way to make your content more visible is to optimize the title, description, tags and hashtags based on a carefully chosen keyword (keyword). - Interact with other users: visit the profiles of users who deal with the same topic as you, like and comment on their photos or videos. This will encourage them to visit your profile and start following you.
Remember that interaction is very important to attract and keep the attention of followers high.
5. Start contacting brands
With a little patience and dedication, the number of your followers should start to increase and you should start automatically attracting the attention of the first brands. Warning: if you deal with fashion do not think you will be able to make agreements with Dior or Chanel immediately; unless you have millions of followers it will be difficult to win the attention of luxury brands, but don’t despair! It is not said that with commitment and dedication you do not reach your goal.
To start attracting the attention of brands looking for influencers, leave a few comments under their social profiles or tag them in your content. As the number of your followers increases, it will become easier for brands to contact you for a collaboration.
6. Keep working to grow
We have explained to you how to become an influencer in a few steps, but unfortunately not everything happens overnight. To attract followers and keep them growing, you need to work hard and have patience. With a good strategy and quality content, the results of your work will slowly come.
