Although being an influencer is often still seen as a completely new career and perhaps a ‘thing’ that people do to get a few freebies, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Becoming an influencer is a serious job with some amazing returns as well as tricky times too. But if you work hard and build a strong and engaged following, you can have great success with it. Yes not all influencers may be your ‘cup of tea’ but the same goes for anything in life really too. Here we run through some of our top tips for becoming an influencer.
1. Be authentic
It’s so important to find something to write about that you love. Whether it is writing about decorating your dining room or recommending the best places to travel, or indeed anything in between, you need to make sure that your passion comes across in your writing. If you write about the things you know and understand, your authenticity will shine through.
2. Find your niche
You will need to think about an area you are genuinely interested in when you get started. This needs to be your primary focus and then as time progresses you will have the platform to write about other interests. Try brainstorming to identify this. Write down everything you can think of that captures your imagination, include all the specific areas in your life now; are you a parent, what age are your children, what sort of holidays and hobbies are you involved in?
3. Plan ahead
You need to have some structure to your work. Plan how often you will post and the type of post you’re going to share. Looking at the year ahead you’ll find there will be key times to be more present on your social media platforms. You will also need to factor in some down time, time when you may need to tell your followers that you’re having a break for a week or two. There is value in resting and allowing yourself to be creative. Plan in time to reflect on how the week, month and year have gone, so that you understand which direction you are moving in and how best to move forward.
4. Find your favourite social media platform
It’s hard to maintain a presence on all social media platforms so to start with I would suggest picking just one. Instagram for example is a really good platform to focus on. Building your community and audience on here will work really well, and then, in time, you can publish from Instagram to other platforms too.
5. Integrity
You will need to set some boundaries and know what sits well with you and the brand you’re building and what doesn’t. You have to be confident to say ‘no’ to some opportunities despite the money they might bring in, if they don’t align with your core values and beliefs. Your audience will appreciate your integrity. There will be times when you’ll also need to say ‘no’ because you do not have the capacity to take on any more work or paid collaborations. There has to be a balance and over-committing will add so much pressure that you may struggle to give everything your best.