How to Become an Instagram Influencer
Opinion leaders in Instagram get a lot of noise, but they also get a lot of money and opportunities in the real world as they cope well with their work. You need a lot of followers to reach the level of excellence, but that’s not all. Do you want branded offers? Want a nice blue check mark? You need to keep your followers happy as their ranks grow. Here’s how.
Try not to be fake
Yes, you can edit your photos or post contrived sketches, but you still have to sound sincere. It’s a great trait to walk around, but it’s what your followers want.
“I’m looking for authenticity in an influential person. I like to follow people who are irreconcilable on their own, people who are easy to communicate with and who are still practical, even though they have many followers, ”said T’yanna Angelina, 23-year-old acting student from Brooklyn that keeps up with online trendsetters.
Wajih Mahmood, akaWaji West , a 26-year-old New Yorker with 139,000 subscribers on the platform, agreed: “When you start publishing content that is authentic to you, you start to understand what your subscribers are doing and what it is. this is what they like the most. For the most part, these are just experiments. “
Mahmoud posts about his life experiences and interests – “fashion, school tips, brown mums and how crazy they are” – then tracks engagement to see what his followers like best.
Even if your interests and publications are niche, there is a market for them, so don’t force yourself to fake an investment in something more compelling. This will only turn off potential subscribers who might feel like you’re shilling for something you don’t give a damn. Angelina, for example, was tired of influencers advertising things like flat tummy tea. She knows that they probably don’t drink or care about anything other than the money they get paid, and therefore she is not “interested” in them.
“I want to feel like they’re connected to me,” said Adrienne Charlotte, a 31-year-old Brooklyn resident who doesn’t follow your typical fashion influencers but loves those who write about home improvement. “I prefer to feel some connection with them, but since I live in a studio in New York, there is some desire to have my own home that I could improve.”
Adopt trial and error
In his advice for Instagram success, Mahmoud stuck to two main points: Post what you love and experiment. Lot.
Look at your commitments. Examine your metrics. Some of your posts will suck and some of them will get very few views and likes. Instead of getting upset, compare them to those who are doing well. Figure out the difference, then post more content that grabs attention. Even if you are the hippest and trendiest person on the planet, it will take some serious work. Here’s what detractors who ridicule influencers lack: Successful influencers work hard . The biggest brands you know are hiring entire companies to run their social media platforms. This is a science and a separate industry.
Since you already know you need to be sincere and true to yourself, why not pull back the curtain and post on how much work actually goes into your photos, stories, videos, videos and lives? Angelina said she would like to see more of this from the influencers she is signed to.
“I think the transparency of influencers’ lives will give them peace of mind and give subscribers an insight into all the work they put into their social media presence,” she said.
Post regularly and make sure you have the time to do so. If you want to make money, you need to treat it like a job. You will spend a lot of time staging and shooting photos, editing them, interacting with subscribers, tracking interactions, as well as communicating with co-authors and responding to them. Plan to spend time doing this.
Be polite to your audience
We’ve heard from two followers and one influencer about the importance of being genuine and responsive, but of course there are accounts with a lot of followers that post more inspirational than achievable content.
While it is fun to look at toilets tours from wealthy kids or drop by a private jet from time to time, it is not fun to condescend to. Your followers are the ones who drive your interest. In a sense, once you start monetizing your content, you will be working for them . Show some respect for your boss.
“I think influencers should treat their followers as if they wanted to be treated by someone they admire,” said Angelina, who herself spoke positively with several influencers. “I’m not saying you need to interact with everyone, but definitely make it clear that support is appreciated and give small giveaways or live Q&A. These are just little things to acknowledge subscribers, and to remind them that although they are influencers, in the end, we are all human. “
Charlotte added: “I think influencers should interact with their followers, but I don’t often feel the need to reach out to them in person. I’m a bit of an introvert, so I don’t want to be forced to interact with my followers all the time [if I were an influencer]. All I need is to look into their lives. “
You don’t have to reply to every comment, but you can throw likes here and there and just be kind.
Politeness isn’t limited to your followers. If and when you do a brand deal, follow through. TikTok is full of horror stories of small businesses that send free products to influencers on the condition that they post about them, only for the poster to become a ghost after receiving the product. Do not do this. Treat everyone you meet, from other influencers to followers and brand representatives, with respect.
Communicate, collaborate and experiment
There is a lot to learn from the influential royal family, the Kardashian clan. For example, the sisters always publish commercials for each other’s brands or collaborate on two launches. Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian have scents with sister Kim’s perfume line, and all three of them and sister Kendall Jenner, for example, have collaborated on Kylie Jenner’s makeup line. All of them, of course, write about their joint efforts.
Whatever you say about the Kardashian-Jenners – even if “what do you say” might be a little tired at this point – but they know how to get attention and make a profit. No one is an island and no influential person is a solo artist. Remember this.
Mahmoud became addicted to social media in middle and high school, but his presence wasn’t particularly noticeable until he hooked up with a new group of friends in Los Angeles. “They were really popular on YouTube and are still killing him today,” he said. They taught him the rope, and from there he ran with it.
Beyond the value of networks, there is another lesson to be learned from this story: cross-platform integration and marketing have their advantages. If you’re making TikTok sketches or YouTube makeup tutorials that are gaining traction, remind your followers to check out your Instagram.
Instagram also has a variety of tools to help you create your in-app followings. Mahmood noted that every Instagram user has access to Grid Posts, Story Posts, Reels, Lives, and IGTV Posts. Not only that, ”he said,“ the app wants you to use them, so you’ll like the algorithm if you use all the features consistently. The algorithm is, of course, cryptic, but it determines if people who don’t follow you see your content on the Browse page, so do what Mahmoud says here.
Now go ahead, be brave, don’t be afraid to publicly embarrass yourself over the perfect shot, don’t forget to thank your subscribers from time to time and prepare for the inevitability of your first PR box or brand deal.