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Becoming an influencer is a great way to share your knowledge and expertise with the world and engage with people from all over.
But social media is a great way to make money too, so an influencer could be your next smart career move.
When you develop a strong following and connect with more people, it can lead to lucrative opportunities for sponsorships and partnerships.
So let’s talk about what it takes to make money as an influence and how you can become a wealthy social media star!
What Is An Influencer?
An influencer is a person with authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience who can influence others’ purchasing decisions.
A social media influencer has a large following on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter and uses their platforms to promote products or brands on their business account.
Many social media influencers have worked hard to build up their brand and have managed to gain the trust of their followers. As a result, they can significantly influence their followers’ purchase decisions with influencer marketing campaigns.
Why Become An Influencer?
There are several reasons why you might want to become an influencer on most social media platforms.
For starters, it can be a very lucrative career. The average income for an influencer is $2,000 per post on Instagram. And that number is only going to continue to grow as their influence grows.
Brands work with social media influencers to promote their products or services in recent years. This is because brands know that social media influencers have audience engagement.
But aside from the money, becoming an influencer on most social media platforms can also be a great way to build your personal brand, meet new and exciting people, and have a lot of fun!
How To Become An Influencer
There is a lot of earning potential as an influencer, full-time, or as a side hustle– and we have 9 steps to get you started.
Let’s look at how to become an influencer:
1. Pick Your Passion
Niche markets are the way to make money, and influencers are no exception. It’s the first step to success with your online business.
Whether you’re into fashion, beauty, travel, food, or any other subject, there’s a niche for you to make your bread and butter.
The key is to find something you’re genuinely passionate about, like a money-making hobby, and then build a following of like-minded people who are interested in what you have to say.
Picking a passion makes it easier to plan and create content- you may want to pick the best money-maker, like cooking or sewing tutorials, but unless you have those skills or want to avidly learn, you may want to pick closer to what you already like and can do.
2. Research Other Influencers in Your Niche
Research is the key to making yourself stand out in influencer marketing. You need to know other influencers who produce content in your niche and what’s drawing in their followers.
Sticking with our example, if you want to do cooking videos, you need to find the top followed influencers with cooking videos.
You’ll want to check out how many followers and on their Facebook page, if they have any Facebook groups for fans, and do this across every platform- because knowing where they’re popular tells you where you need to join!
There are several ways you can do your research, including:
Follow other influencers in your particular niche- take note of the high-quality content that has more views, more likes, etc.
Check what trending hashtags they post- you don’t want to copy them exactly, but they could be how new followers find an influencer’s content
Determine their audience demographics- because those people may be the intended users of your social media channels too
Once you understand what other influencers are producing content in your niche when you become an influencer, you can start creating your own original content that will help you stand out from the crowd and create personal connections with your audience.
3. Make Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand identity on your channels should represent who you are as an influencer and what you stand for. It’s essential to be authentic and genuine to yourself when creating your brand.
If you try to be someone you’re not, it will be challenging to maintain in the long run and could potentially damage your personal brand.
One thing I noticed in researching influencers is that they have themes or something they’re known for- whether it’s colors and images, a song for YoutTube intros, phrases they use to sign on or off their videos, or whatever it may be.
Use the same profile picture, color scheme, and overall aesthetics across each of your social media profiles on the different platforms. It makes you look more professional and more put together.
Once you have an idea of your overall look and aesthetics, you can start thinking of “catchphrases” or something you want to be known for.
Some beauty gurus have the flourish of a hand or a bright welcome to their “sisters.” You don’t need to copy this exactly but think of your go-to greetings or conversation starters.
Like I said, you want to be authentic to who you are, so think about what you like and what you say a lot and it may come naturally to you that way.
4. Establish Your Media Presence
Most influencers don’t mix personal lives with their loyal follower base, so you need to figure out where you’re going to start your “business” social media channels.
Creating a social media account on the right platform(s) is critical for success in influencer marketing.
Not every platform is right for you, so it’s essential to research and find the platforms that best fit you and your target audience.
Some of the most popular platforms for influencers include:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Influencer marketing will also affect this- you’ll want to know the main platforms businesses pay through so you can get sponsorships and deals.
Our research shows that Instagram and YouTube are the possible starters for you, whereas Twitter may bring in less moolah.
5. Create Quality Content
You need high-quality, entertaining content that hits your target audience, draws in more followers, and helps you build a strong reputation as a social media influencer.
So, how do you consistently create content that is both entertaining and engaging?
Here are a few tips to help you with your strategy:
Think about what you’re passionate about- start with what you know people would like to see
Be creative and think outside the box- try something in a way no one has before! Some YouTubers are famous for making weird food combinations, trying on outfits in different eras, comparing cheap to expensive makeup, and the list goes on
Produce relevant content that is original and interesting to your target audience- ask your followers what they want to see!
Use search engine optimization (SEO) to help your social media posts get noticed
Monitor your analytics to see what content is performing well and focus on producing more of that type of content
The beginning is the best time to experiment with different types of content and formats to see what works best for you and your target audience
6. Keep Consistent
Develop a content strategy that works for you and stick with it. Your brand is like a business and needs strategies and plans to earn a following!
Followers like to see content that is consistent in both quality and quantity- being inconsistent may make your audience lose interest.
For example, don’t say you’ll post every day of the week if you can’t keep up with it.
Schedule a day to record a bunch of videos, time to edit and format it all, get your wording just right for your posts, and then decide your posting schedule.
A content calendar helps you stay on track to make sure you create content and post regularly, whereas a posting schedule lets your followers know when they can expect new content from you.
Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer make it easy to schedule your posts in advance and keep track of what you’ve posted in the past.
7. Engage Often
Engaging with your followers builds relationships and strengthens your connection with them. It also helps keep them updated on what you’re up to and allows them to connect with you.
Some of the best ways to engage with your followers when you become an influencer include:
Responding to comments and questions
Sharing your follower’s content or doing shoutouts on posts
Hosting contests and giveaways
Starting a discussion thread for them to respond to
Offering exclusive content to your followers
Make your social media profiles interactive, like asking questions to discuss in a future video
There are many different ways to engage with your followers, so find the best ones for you and your brand.
8. Be Authentic! Stay Entertaining & Kind
When you become an influencer, be authentic and genuine. Followers can see through a facade, and they will lose trust in you if you’re not authentic.
Most influencers are opinionated. However, they’re usually kind and amusing, and that’s what people are looking for: entertainment!
If your topic is edgy and that’s your specialty – then, by all means, go for it! You’ll never be everyone’s cup of tea; that is just how the world works.
Being fake or inauthentic will only hinder your success as an influencer. Use your real humor, tell real stories, use your own images and videos, and be personable.
Do all of these things and you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful influencer.
9. Pay Attention To Trends & Media Shifts
If you want to be a successful influencer, you need relevant content to what’s going on at any given moment- with you and the world.
This means staying up-to-date on the latest platforms, trends, and technologies. It also means being willing to adapt your content and style to fit the needs of your audience.
Try to be aware of these changes and adapt your content strategy. Keep an eye on what is happening globally and how it impacts your target audience.
For example, as Instagram has become more popular, many influencers have shifted their focus to creating visually-stunning photos and videos, even with the harsh stuff happening in the world today.
Meanwhile, Tiktok has become a go-to platform for short, entertaining videos that teens use to make money and people use to connect with others quickly.
Your platform will face changes constantly, and your style as an influencer has to roll with it!
How Influencers Make Money
Many people may wonder how influencers make money, so let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
We said that influencers can make thousands from their videos, photos, and other relevant content, but how exactly does that happen?
Here are a few ways that influencers are typically paid:
Sponsorships
Once an influencer marketer has built up a large enough following, they can monetize their audience by getting brand collaborations.
And while the potential earnings can vary widely, top influencers can easily command six-figure sums for a single post.
Often, a company will contact an influencer and offer them money for sponsored posts about their product or service on their influencer platforms.
These sponsorships can take many forms from paid posts and product placements to influencer events, ambassador programs, and brand partnerships in their specific niche.
Many online services help brands find influencers to work with. Influencers can sign up for platforms like Tribe, which allows them to connect with sponsors directly.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are a great way for influencers to make money. By including affiliate links in their posts, they can earn a commission on any generated sales.
The more followers an influencer has, the more likely it will generate sales. And the more sales they generate, the more money they can make.
For example, our affiliate links as a finance and family blog are for companies to save you money, like Capital One Shopping or Honey.
For an influencer, you may be able to sign up for affiliate programs just like we can, rather than waiting for sponsorships.
Even Amazon has a social media influencer program so you can create a list of recommended products, get links for them, and earn money from your followers buying them too.
Donations
Some influencers simply ask for donations to help keep the content flowing, which is especially helpful when you first start out on social media.
Other influencers will offer rewards for different levels of donation to get the money flowing.
For example, a small donation might get you a shout-out on their accounts, while a more significant donation could get you a personal video message.
Influencers might even provide special behind-the-scenes material or merchandise to their followers with subscription services.
This is most common with YouTubers and podcasters. They typically include a link in their description box where people can donate money if they enjoy the content and want to see more.
Merchandise
One way that influencers make money is by selling branded merchandise on their own websites using BlueHost or online stores like Shopify. This can be anything from t-shirts and hats to stickers and phone cases to mastermind courses to ebooks.
By selling merchandise, influencers can make money while also promoting their brand. In many cases, influencers partner with a merchandising company to create and sell their products.
They can focus on creating content and building their audience, while the merchandising company takes care of the production and shipping of the products.
Making Money On Different Platforms
Before you become an influencer, your income will depend on several factors, including how many social media followers you have and what type of content you produce.
But most importantly, where you post your content can strongly affect how much you make as an influencer.
Let’s take a look at each of the social media platforms and their earning potential, then pick your platform(s) and get started making money online!
There are Instagram influencers who can make anywhere from $100,000+ a year.
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today. Although it originally started as a way to share photos and videos with friends, it has since evolved into much more.
Businesses now use Instagram to connect with customers and promote their products, while an Instagram influencer uses it to build their personal brand and share their life with the world.
TikTok
Top Tiktok influencers can make anywhere from $100,000 – $500,000 per post.
TikTok is a social media platform where people can share short videos of themselves up to 10 minutes long. The videos are usually set to music and often feature creative or funny elements.
It has become extremely popular in recent years. The platform offers a unique way for people to express themselves and connect with others.
In addition, TikTok is a great way to discover new music and trends. For all these reasons, TikTok is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms.
YouTube
YouTube influencers can make anywhere from $80 – $55,000 per month.
YouTube is a video-sharing website where users can upload, share, and view videos. It is used by people worldwide to share everything from personal vlogs to professional video content.
In addition, YouTube is a great way to stay entertained and informed, with new videos being uploaded every minute.
Not sure how to master YouTube? Check out Mastering YouTube to learn how to use your videos to make thousands of dollars every month!
Twitch
The top 10 Twitch influencers can make around $32,000 per month.
Twitch is a live streaming platform owned by Amazon that allows gamers to connect and share their gaming experiences. It’s also a great way to watch your favorite gaming influencers and learn new tips and tricks.
It is a wonderful community for gamers of all experience levels, from casual players to professional e-sports athletes. And with new features being added all the time, it’s only getting better.
Facebook influencers can make $100,000+ a year!
Facebook has become an essential part of many people’s lives. It’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, share news and experiences, and stay up-to-date on what’s going on.
You can make money on Facebook in so many ways, both as an influencer and as a personal brand. It can be used to promote products and services, build brand awareness, and connect with customers, in addition to posting social media posts.
Pros & Cons Of Being An Influencer
Pros
Flexible work hours
You can use your high-income skills and work from anywhere
You get to be your own boss
You have the potential to make a lot of money with your phone
You can help promote products/services that you believe in
Cons
It can be a lot of work
You may not have a regular income
You may not have benefits (insurance, 401(k), etc.) or job security
You have to be comfortable with public speaking and receiving negative and positive attention
You need to be well-versed in social media and digital marketing
Influencers: FAQs
Do influencers really get paid?
Yes, influencers do get paid for visual content, like Instagram posts, as well as other posts.
It isn’t a steady stream of income when you first start out, but many people have quit their day job to solely post authentic content about themselves.
Influencers can get paid monthly for their efforts, but some influencers are paid a flat fee per post or receive a percentage of sales generated from their promotions.
How do I monetize my social media?
There are a few different ways to monetize your accounts when you become an influencer.
One of the most popular methods is affiliate marketing. You promote products or services for a company with links, and when someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.
Another way to monetize your account is by sponsorships. Relevant brands are always looking for people with large followings to promote their products or services.
If you have a sizable following, you can reach out to companies and offer to promote their products or services in exchange for compensation.
Finally, you can also monetize by creating and selling your own products and various merch.
How do I gain followers, and how many do I need to “hit it big”?
You can gain followers by sharing valuable content with your followers and promoting your content. You don’t need a certain number of followers to be an influencer.
However, the more followers you have, the more potential you can make money through sponsorships and affiliate links.
There are several types of influencers:
Nano-influencers – Less than 1,000 followers
Micro-influencers – 1,000-10,000 followers
Macro-influencers – 10,000-1 million followers
Mega-influencers – Over 1 million followers
According to Vox, a nano-influencer made somewhere between $30,000 – $60,000 a year and some micro-influencers can make $40,000 – $100,000.
Our Thoughts
We hope our blog post on how to become an influencer has given you some ideas on ways you can become an influencer marketer!
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become an influencer, but you can make a lot of money with your passions and have a job you enjoy.
If you’re serious about becoming successful, do your research, focus on your niche, and produce quality content. Products like Jasper make it easier, so there’s no reason not to start today.
Be consistent with your branding and social media presence and engage with your followers often. And most importantly, have fun!
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