How to become an Instagram influencer
Blogging and social media influencers are on the rise and if you're looking at it thinking I can do that or wondering how to get into the world of influencing then I've put together a quick how-to guide. It's super important to realise that while becoming an influencer requires a lot of hard work there's also an element of luck to becoming super-viral so don't get disheartened if results aren't instant.
My own journey within blogging and social media has been ongoing for a number of years and while I'm not a huge influencer I get enough collaborations and opportunities for this to be a successful side hustle. Here's how I got started:
Decide on a Niche
One of the biggest ways to distinguish between a personal Instagram profile and a professional influencer profile is whether their feed is cohesive and has a niche. Before you get started you need to work out what your niche will be, what is it you want to write about. Do you have particular expertise which could help you influence others? My niche is Sheffield Lifestyle so my Instagram feed is all about traveling, eating, and exploring Sheffield. I knew it would be a good choice as I've worked on my Local SEO for a while. Before you start have a think of a niche and brainstorm at least 9 pictures/photos you could use to get started
What Medium?
Within Instagram itself, you can specialise in different areas. There are static grid images, stories, and reels. You can even create shops within Instagram if you have a physical product element to your business. The drive within social media currently is for reels and video content (something I personally need to embrace more). Brands are looking for influencers who can create exciting content about their product or drive downloads of their apps which really lends itself to video content.
My advice is to try and have a mix of content, but put an emphasis on the reels and video content as Instagram tends to value that more and push it higher in people's feeds.
Schedule and a Cohesive feed
A schedule is as important for yourself as it is for your followers. It helps guide you into what content you should be creating and means your feed doesn't remain static and is always evolving. To create a cohesive feed I'd recommend looking into presets, Instagram have inbuilt photo filters or you can create or buy your own Lightroom presets. This makes sure that while your pictures are different they have a cohesive look.
In terms of the schedule don't pressure yourself too much, but aim to have something new on your profile every day or every other day - whether thats a story post or a grid post aim to keep the same pattern. An example could be:
Story posts: Every day (give your followers a look at your life and normality)
Reels: Twice weekly (same days ideally, Reels are a great way to feature a product and demonstrate how it works or how you would use it)
Grid posts: Twice weekly (same days ideally, Grid posts give a static image on your grid and are great for getting creative and creating beautiful imagery
Check out how a successful influencer is keeping up her profile for tips and tricks
Engagement
Instagram doesn't work if you post and leave! You need to be engaging with other profiles, commenting, and making connections. When you post content make sure you're utilising hashtags to describe your content and then take a look through those hashtags and engage with like-minded people. This will hopefully encourage them to check out your content too
Most importantly don't have all of your eggs in one basket. To become an influencer it's important you own your content, I'd recommend making profiles on all the key social channels and exploring which channel works best for you. At the minimum, it secures your username for future work if you decide to branch out
What's your top Instagram tip?
