Are you thinking of becoming an influencer with your great content? That’s a good idea. But let’s be honest. It can be tough if you don’t know how to become an influencer the right way.
The influencer marketing industry is growing and will reach $21.1 billion this year. And even a small influencer can earn up to $195 per post on Instagram.
It’s a chance, but it’s also a challenge. If you decide to get in, you’ll be competing with many creators who have the same dream, and the competition can get intense.
Don’t get it wrong. We’re not discouraging you. Instead, we want to highlight that learning how to be a social media influencer correctly from the start is vital. That will help you to stand out.
You’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll cover all you need to know about becoming a social media influencer without losing yourself. So, stick with us, and let’s explore it together!
How to Become an Influencer
These are the step-by-step guide to help you understand how to become an influencer:
1. Choose Your Niche
How do you become an influencer? The first thing to think about is choosing the right niche to focus on. Gaming? Cosplay? Voice over? Feel free to pick a topic that you’re passionate about.
Bear in mind that the niche you choose decides which brands want to work with you. You can also choose a more focused niche. For instance, in the world of gaming, you can specialize in certain types, like action games or adventure games.
“How to become an influencer in the gaming niche?” Simply create content related to all things. games. When you focus on one topic, you become an expert, allowing you to create unique and helpful content for your followers.
Also, when you pick your niche, think about your competition. Use tools like Google Trends to see if the things you like are popular and the competition is intense.
2. Get to Know Your Audience
The last thing you want is to promote products your audiences don’t really need. So, get to know your audience. This is important on the path to becoming an influencer. And this step is the one that many aspiring content creators often overlook.
Also, keep an eye on your audience’s changing interests. This can be challenging. But if you want to know how to become a social media influencer the right way, you must grasp this concept.
Your audience shapes what you make, how you share it, and your expectations when involved in influencer projects.
Let’s say you’re about to promote a product targeting Gen Z. You need to know that Gen Z is all about video content. So, no matter how great your caption for posting on X, previously Twitter, it won’t perform as well as video content.
3. Pick Your Platforms
Each social media platform has its own audience and content style. If you’re serious about how to become an influencer with a huge following, choosing the right platform is key.
Thinking about Instagram? That’s good. It’s the top choice for influencer marketing, used by 76.7% of brands. Using it can increase your opportunities to collaborate with brands compared to other platforms.
Are you great at making short videos? Then consider TikTok and YouTube as your platform, especially if your followers are young.
Some brands, like Duolingo, use TikTok for their social media because they want to reach young people and seem fun. If you’re not using TikTok, you might miss the chance to get offers from brands who do TikTok marketing.
Don’t try to be on every platform at once. Pick two or three where you can regularly post great content. Plus, keep an eye for new platforms. That’s how to become a successful influencer.
4. Build Your Personal Brand as a Creator
Building personal branding is an important step for becoming an influencer, especially if you are a new content creator.
What should you do? Pick your personal brand’s style and stick with it. It can be funny, inspiring, or educational. Use the same tone whenever you post on social media, share stories, or talk to your audience.
Keep in mind, never pretend to be something you’re not. Authenticity is important when building a strong brand, especially if your goal is to become a social influencer. 88% of customers emphasize honesty when picking brands. This goes for social media influencers, too.
Adding to that, make sure your brand looks the same on all platforms. This means using the same profile images or logos on your social media accounts.
5. Proactively Approach Relevant Brands
Wondering how to become an influencer without waiting for a brand to email you? You should try reaching out to brands. When you actively connect with brands that fit your niche and platform, it can be a good way to get an influencer job.
Are you into fashion? You can send an email to brands like ElonNovacare, a watch manufacturer. They’re always looking for new influencers to showcase their newest items.
The key is to be proactive. Find two or three brands that fit your content and audience well. Then, make a focused pitch. This makes you different from influencers who just wait for chances.
What do you need to prepare for the pitch?
- An Email —Start with a catchy subject line. Keep it professional and concise.
- A Media Kit — Include contact info, a brief brand description, and some work samples.
- A Social Profile — Showcase your online presence and content.
- A Proposal — Explain how you want to work together.
6. Understand Your Value
Steps that are often overlooked when learning how to become a paid influencer include understanding your own value. This can make it hard to decide what to charge for brand partnerships.
It’s not only about your follower count. Other factors, such as the engagement on your posts, the quality of your content, and its relevance to a specific topic, matter.
If you’re all about travel, influencers in this area can earn around $19 per hour. Airbnb and Expedia are known to pay well for excellent content.
Not sure where to begin? You can get inspiration from Daniella Derin. She is among the great travel influencers who often share her experiences.
7. Plan Your Content
Planning content is an important step on how to become an influencer. If you don’t post when most of your followers can see it, you’ll miss the opportunity to attract them to the product you’re promoting.
You need to make a schedule when you’ll post and suggest your brands agree to your recommended posting times if they haven’t specified them.
Bear in mind that posting every day isn’t how to become a social media influencer or a specific project. Quality is just as important as quantity. Your content should be useful, enjoyable, or motivating.
So, how to be an influencer with a great content strategy? Start by learning what your audience likes. Use a social management tool to find out about their age, interests, and favorite types of content.
61% of people are more likely to buy from a brand that makes content they’re interested in. This is true even if you’re an individual content creator promoting products.
Why is a content strategy important?
- Attract more people — When people like your content, they’re more likely to comment, share, and follow you.
- Get better brand deals — Brands are more likely to notice you and pay you for collaboration when you create relevant content.
- Build trust— People who see that your content interests them are more likely to trust you and believe what you say.
Read more:
8. Get Found on Search
We don’t want to get too technical. But, if you want to learn how to become an influencer who makes an impact, you should begin learning about SEO.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. While it is commonly associated with Google, it is also the technique you should use when posting content on social media.
Do you know about these things when using Instagram, TikTok or YouTube? Hashtags, keywords in captions, and descriptions on YouTube? If you do that, you’re doing what we call SEO.
Becoming an influencer without knowing which keywords to use is possible, but it makes it harder for more people to find you.
For example, Tati Westbrook, a beauty influencer, uses words like “best drugstore makeup” in her YouTube video titles. This helps her get more views and attracts beauty brands to work with her. In the United States, almost four thousand people search for “drugstore makeup” on Google.
On Instagram and Twitter, hashtags are important. Use a mix of popular and specific ones to reach more people. For example, travel influencers can use general hashtags like #travel or more specific ones like #doyoutravel and #BaliAdventure.
9. Engage with Your Audience
If you think that becoming a social media influencer is just about posting content, think again. Influencer marketing is like a puzzle. You need to work on each piece to deliver results.
Beyond sharing great content, you need to talk with your audience. They are your most valuable asset, so keep them involved. Now, can you be an influencer without listening to your audience? You can’t.
This is especially true for small influencers, who can get engagement rates of up to 5%, compared to only 1% for major influencers. If you don’t take advantage of it, you’ll miss out on a great opportunity.
Guess what? Just replying to comments and asking for feedback can boost your influence a lot. When you see famous Instagram people using polls, quizzes, or Q&A sessions to engage, they know how important engagement is for becoming a successful social influencer.
10. Measure Your Impact
How to become a brand influencer in the long term? Give awesome results and do more than expected in your contract. This makes the brand want to work with you again and gets other brands interested in your success. But how can you be sure?
You can use social media management tools to see how you’re doing and how interested your audience is. These numbers include how often people like your posts, how many see your content, and how many take action.
If you’re a blogger, you can use tools like Google Analytics. Most social media platforms, including Instagram and YouTube, have their own basic analytics tools. These tools give you important info about your audience, like when they’re most active and what they prefer.
What if you want to avoid poor results? You can do A/B testing. Make two versions of a post with small changes and see which one your audience likes more. For example, you can post the same thing at different times of the day to find out which is more impactful.
11. Keep Learning and Improving
You might wonder, ‘How to become an influencer if I’m completely new to this?’ Don’t worry. In the influencer industry, learning and improving is key.
The online world changes quickly. What worked last month might not work now. So, even experienced influencers have to keep up with trends, improve their content, and adapt to social media changes.
You can learn not only from others but also from your own mistakes. Don’t hesitate to try new things with your content. Experiment with different styles or participate in trending challenges to discover what your audience enjoys.
Fashion influencer Aimee Song often tries various content formats, like reels or IGTV videos, to keep her audience engaged.
Feedback helps you get better. Ask your audience for their opinions with polls or Q&A sessions. Influencer Jamie Oliver often asks his audience for feedback and polls to engage his followers.
12. Take Care of Your Mental Health
We include taking care of your mental health in the steps on how to become an influencer. Why? Being an influencer can be stressful. You make content, deal with criticism if the audience doesn’t like something, and spend a lot of time online to keep people engaged.
To make it easier, take breaks and set limits. Don’t work too much and have clear rules for work and relaxation.
You can ignore mean comments if they make you feel bad or have nothing to do with your content. Pay attention to nice comments, and don’t let mean ones upset you.
You can do things like exercise, meditation, or spend time with people you love. This helps your mind stay healthy, making you more creative and productive.
Final Thoughts on How to Be An Influencer
Becoming an influencer offers great potential as this trend continues to grow. But to succeed, you need the right approach and to follow the necessary steps.
We have outlined a clear and straightforward path on how to become an influencer. It starts with careful planning and staying committed. And you have already read it all the way through, right?
Bear in mind that simply understanding how to be a social media influencer isn’t enough for success. You have to keep trying and believe in yourself, especially if you want to be a famous influencer.
We’ve also made it clear how important it is to have different ways to make money as a paid influencer. Depending only on ads won’t work. So you need to think about other choices, like getting donations or selling merchs.
Luckily, with Gank, you can do that with ease. Gank is a dedicated membership platform for aspiring content creators and social media influencers. What’s even better is that you can do all of this without having to pay any platform fees.
So, why wait? Turn your dream of becoming an influencer into a reality today.
FAQ about How to Become a Social Media Influencer
How do I start being an influencer?
You can start by choosing your niche. It must be something you’re passionate about and know a lot about. Then, make a content strategy. You can decide what kind of content you’ll create, how often you’ll post, and where you’ll post it. Finally, go into the creative process and share them.
How many followers do you need to be an influencer?
You don’t have to have a certain number of followers to be an influencer. But, usually, brands prefer working with influencers who have many followers and receive many likes and comments. This helps them reach more people and get attention.
A helpful guideline is to have at least 1,000 followers and engage with at least 2% of your audience. But this is a technical detail that should be discussed when making a contract with a brand.
Is it hard to become an influencer?
Yes, becoming an influencer can be hard. You need time, effort, and being consistent to grow big and engaged followers. You also have to be creative and make top-notch content that people really like. But all this effort will be worth it when you become a trusted social influencer.
How do I become an influencer overnight?
You can’t become an influencer right away. It needs time and work, as discussed above. But don’t fret. There are some things you can do to make the process faster:
– Work with brands that fit your niche.
– Have contests and giveaways to get new followers.
– Share your content on other social media and your website
What is the hardest part of being an influencer?
What can be tough when becoming an influencer is keeping things consistent with your content quality and promotion. It’s hard to keep up with making great content all the time, especially if you’re also working a full-time job. It’s also not easy to handle partnerships with brands and keep your audience interested in every single post.
Can anyone be an influencer?
Yes, anyone can be an influencer if they’re willing to put in the time and effort. However, not everyone will be successful at it. To be successful, you need to have a unique voice, a clear strategy, and the ability to connect authentically with an audience.
How to be an influencer without money?
You can become an influencer without money by doing a few things. First, make awesome content that people want to share for free. Second, work with brands that will give you products in exchange for getting noticed. Third, use social media like TikTok and Instagram, where you don’t have to pay for promoting products on the platform.
