Become an Influencer in 7 easy steps: The ultimate guide

Become an Influencer

The Influencer marketing sector is extremely lucrative in 2023 and is estimated to make more than $22 billion by 2025. If there’s a time to pursue a career as a content creator, it is now, and it can be difficult to know where to start and how as it takes more work than meets the eye. That’s why we’ve put together this step-by-step guide to help you begin this journey.

Step 1: Pick a niche

A niche is a highly specific market that you will be focusing on for your content creation journey. The way to pick your niche is to think about what your interests are, what your passions are. You want your account to be about the content you most enjoy consuming, and what you will enjoy creating.

It can be anything: technology, fashion, beauty, art, movies, cooking, etc. Once you decide on a broad topic, you can start to make it more specific. For example, “vegan and zero-waste cooking” is a niche.

@plantyou Episode 80: Rice Paper Dumplings 🥟  #recipe #vegan #dumplings #dumpling #ricepaperdumplings #healthy #healthyrecipe #healthyeating #eatmoreplants #plantbaseddiet #plantbasedrecipe #tofu #tofurecipe #veganrecipes #veganfood #quickrecipe #healthyfoodie #food ♬ Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album) – Dua Lipa

Dedication to these key categories will help in creating consistency throughout your profile and in optimizing it. Your niche can change as your interests or brand changes over time, so don’t worry about that.

Step 2: Pick a platform

Social media is constantly growing, and your profile can be successful on any or all of the platforms available. Between Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and others, you have your pick of social media applications.

According to several surveys, most marketers choose to collaborate with Influencers and content creators on Instagram since the application gets over 2 billion active users a month. However, Instagram may not be the right choice for your brand. And that’s okay.

If you’re interested in more long-form video content, YouTube would be the go-to social media platform to utilize. Additionally, if you’re looking to create content more geared towards Gen Z, you might want to consider using TikTok. Even Pinterest is a great app that boosts many Influencers every year.

Of course, you can also use multiple platforms at once to receive benefits of each individual app.

Step 3: Do research

Get to know your audience. Search up on trends and popular content within the niche you want to explore, and see what people respond to. Additionally, look at what social media platforms those Influencers work on. Fashion Influencers primarily post on Instagram or Pinterest. Once you know which platform your audience and fellow influencers frequent the most, you can select the right social media platform for your brand.

Do further research on the demographic details of the people who follow and engage with the content. This information will help you create content that is relatable and will be more aligned with their likes and dislikes.

Additionally, do research regarding rules and regulations of the country where you are becoming an Influencer. In the UAE, Influencers require a license and have to follow several guidelines. If not, consequences can vary from 5,000 AED fines to arrest.

Step 4: Create a content strategy

When creating a content strategy, you should focus on pointers such as how often you want to post, what kind of content you will share, and the quality of your content. Your strategy should be specific and measurable so that you can track your progress and make necessary adjustments.

How often should you post?

The truth is, you don’t have to post daily, especially on Instagram or TikTok. You should post stories almost regularly, but other posts don’t need to be everyday. As long as you engage with followers over stories and comments of old posts, your activity and engagement on the application will be high, and followers will identify with you more.

To make it easier for yourself, it’s always best to prepare content in bulk before hand. Leave some room for impromtu posts or videos that follow rising trends, especially if you decide to use TikTok to share your content.

When it comes to trying to understand what kind of content you should share, there are two important terms to remember: relatability and authenticity. These two qualities are the reasons why people trust influencers.

This means you can and should post more personal content. Balance personal content with informative content, such as promotions or other ideas pertinent to your niche.

The quality of your content

As for the quality of your content, it’s important to invest in certain products depending on the social media platform you’ve chosen. For instance, most creators making and posting content on YouTube require a good mic, or advanced video editing softwares. If you want to make vlogs and record everyday, a separate camera is always recommended.

As for creators on TikTok or Instagram, it’s unncessary to invest in such products. Instead, most smart phones offer great camera quality and regular wired or bluetooth headphones provide amazing audio feedback. If you’re an Influencer whose niche is in lifestyle, fashion or beauty, it is recommended you invest in ring lights or other sources of lighting.

Get high quality resources depending on the type of content you want to create, and it will keep your audience coming back for more.

Step 5: Get to posting!

This is self-explanatory. The best time to post content on social media hugely depends on which social media channel you choose. While Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook all get the most engagement between 12 and 9 p.m., Twitter gets the most engagement from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Although each social network sees its engagement increase at specific hours of the day, you’ll still have to tailor your approach to your audience. After posting for a while as an Influencer, you’ll start to recognize when you get the most engagement from a majority of your followers, and use that schedule to post instead. Instagram’s insight tools for professional accounts can come in very handy for this information.

Remember, you don’t have to post daily, but you should remain consistent.

Step 6: Engage with your audience

To develop a relationship with your audience is important as an Influencer. When your followers leave a question or comment on your posts, take the time to acknowledge and respond to them. Not only will that make them feel valued, but potentially could lead them to sharing your profile with others.

Building a certain trust with followers is necessary as an Influencer to further build on your brand. When trust is established, if you recommend a product or service, they are more likely to follow your advice. This will help for future brand deals.

Step 7: Network

Networking means building relationships with other Influencers and brands aligned with your niche. This will help grow your audience and your network. Potential collaborators can be found by engaging with your audience, and other Influencers. Don’t be afraid to reach out.

Once you have built a following, you can start collaborating with brands. This means working with brands to promote their products or services. This can open more doors for your future as an Influencer.

Tips

Take a photography class. Most social media platforms are visually-oriented, and it’s how you have to capture your audience. If you feel as though thats something you need to work on, you can take a photography class. You don’t need to take expensive ones – there are beginner classes online you can take instead. Additionally, practice, practice, practice!
Be patient. Building a following and succeeding as an Influencer takes time. Focus on being consistent and posting good-quality content that interests your audience, and the rest will fall into place.
Be yourself. When you are being yourself, your content will be more authentic and genuine. People can tell when you are being fake, and they will be less likely to connect with you. Additionally, write and post about ideas that interest you as well as your audience.

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