Are you addicted to social media, particularly Instagram? Do you obsess over a curated aesthetic? Do you meticulously edit photos for a flawless finish? Do you slay with your angles when it comes to taking a selfie? Best yet, have you ever dreamt of getting free products to post and review and wished that you could get paid for sharing your thoughts with your followers? Well, you’re in the right place! We’re going to share in 7 simple steps how you can start your journey of becoming an Instagram Influencer.
Why Instagram?
Apart from obvious reasons of brands opting to join Instagram over other social media platforms, it’s also one of the top performance channels for brands, features a variety of built-in apps, and tends to drive more sales than any other channel! So really, it’s a no brainer. The market and conversion rate has already been tried, tested and is trusted.
Start for free
If you love Instagram, then pouring your passion into building your brand will be no sweat. Everyone has to start somewhere and if you’re a newbie, then set your first goal to accumulating over 1.5K followers. Ensure that you’re engaging with your fellow Instagrammers and creating an interactive space where they can see your personality and feel like they’re connecting with you.
Remember that brands will start to take you seriously when you are reaching over 100 likes per photo.
Balance
It’s important to post consistently on your page. Don’t spam your followers with several updates daily, test the waters on what works best for you and then run with it. Sometimes a single, unique and interesting post per day will gain a higher engagement compared to a flood of 3 photos that have been posted morning, noon and night.
Aesthetic
When a brand visits your page, they are looking for a strong message and a point of difference. That’s why it’s extremely important to have a curated aesthetic so they can identify who you are in such a dense marketplace. They’ll be looking for a theme, a mix between video and photos and unique imagery that has been created by you.
Set your price
Once you have established your platform and are proud of it, the next step is to set your price and run with it. Research what the on-going rates are for your number of followers and stay true to yourself. Be realistic and don’t be disheartened if it takes a little time to get this off the ground. Remember, if you continue to do what you love, your followers and brands will see that, and opportunities will arise. Stay passionate and consistent!
Approach brands
If you want to quickly get the ball rolling, you can start to approach brands or even join affiliate programs where they connect you directly with potential advertisers.
Perks
Many people think that being an Instagram Influencer is free clothes, countless beauty products, bucket loads of cash and heaps of free time. The truth is, it’s a lot of hard work. Some influencers can spend up to an entire day trying to create that one perfect photo. There is also a lot of planning, communication, correspondence and research involved to producing the final result. But once you do find your feet, the perks are incredible. I mean who wouldn’t want to get paid for their passion?
