If you are committed and continue to post and engage with your audience, not only will your following grow, but so will your income.
In a nutshell, influencers are content creators who build online communities by growing their following on social media. If you are passionate about and devoted to becoming an Instagram influencer, we are here to help! Outlined below are some of the steps you can take to successfully become an Instagram influencer:
Educate Yourself
In many cases, influencers start out with no knowledge of how to grow a loyal following or manage advertisements on Instagram. One way to become educated and conscious of how the influencer community works is by enrolling in courses teaching you how to become an influencer. One course that full-time blogger and influencer, Elaine Rau, offers on her website LadyBossBlogger.com is a FREE 3-day course called How to Become an Instagram Influencer. Resources like Elaine’s will teach you how to build your foundation as an influencer, how to pitch yourself to brands, and know how much your Instagram is worth. Even better, her website has tons of resources such as business tools for bloggers and influencers!
Be Different
Lately, it seems like a lot of the style and beauty influencers on Instagram are the same. Sure, that indicates trends within the industry, but it does not allow accounts to stand out from the crowd to be noticed by brands. That is why finding your niche is so important. Not only this, but then being the leading voice in your unique market gives you credibility and authority on a topic you are passionate about. Because you are unique as an influencer, in regard to your own personality and topic, then you will have a lot more fun doing your work!
Be Prepared
If you are looking for a company to work with and promote, it is essential that you are prepared with a media kit. Not sure what a media kit is? It usually contains a page of statistics like follower numbers, engagement rates, or number of views. Media kits can also include examples of Instagram related content like your latest posts. Your media kit should be like your resume. It needs to show the company who you are as an influencer. Like Elaine Rau said, “with every post, you are branding yourself and in essence, showing brands what you can do to advertise their product or service.”
Be Patient
Becoming an Instagram influencer takes time. It is not as simple as it may seem. When you first become an influencer, many times, you may have to start promoting products for free. If you truly love and promote those products, however, it should be simple! If you are committed and continue to post and engage with your audience, not only will your following grow, but so will your income.
The first step in becoming an influencer is knowing you want to do it, and becoming educated on the topic, so congrats! You are already one step ahead of the competition. Remember, there are plenty or articles and resources to help you understand your market and grow your brand. Good luck!
Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Claire M. Erickson