Many influencers have become what they are by launching one day on the Instagram social network. Some have been there for years and count their subscribers (and their income!) in the millions, others may be more discreet but earn their living by working as an influencer on the social network. You ask yourself the question why not you and want to get started? Influence4You gives you some food for thought to become an influencer on Instagram.
Why do you want to become an influencer on Instagram?
This is the very first question you will have to ask yourself if you want to get started on Instagram. Before you even buy a high-performance camera or a ring light for beautiful lighting. Do you dream of being an influencer to claim a millionaire lifestyle like the very famous Chiara Ferragni? Or to receive free gifts? There is no harm.
Are you also motivated by knowledge sharing, advice, exchange with a community? or do you secretly dream of fame? It can also be a mix of all of these.
The important thing in any case is to know it to set your goal and understand your desires because there are a multitude of contenders for the title of influencer on Instagram… and unless you come from a reality show successful like many, you’re going to need to strategize and think carefully about where you want to go and who you want to be on social media to be successful.
What is your objective ?
Will you be satisfied with reaching a few thousand subscribers and gaining recognition in your field? Do you plan to make a living from this activity? Will you be frustrated with having only a few thousand Instagram followers without having millions like the biggest social media stars? It is important to set your goal .
Take the example of beauty.opinion on Instagram. This influencer has just over 6,000 subscribers , her community is very engaged. She talks about skincare, her favorites, formulations…. With each of his posts, the #skincareaddict community is moved on Instagram, giving likes and comments. Does she live from her activity? Probably not. On the other hand, she vibrates with her passion and receives many products to review and seems to be very satisfied with them .
Many influencers have a small community, they are called nano-influencers, or micro-influencers and contrary to popular belief, they are increasingly sought after by brands, who find it difficult to reach more famous influencers and aim real small communities. Indeed , nano or micro-influencers often have a much higher engagement rate . They have the time to exchange with their subscribers, to discuss, and this proximity makes a big difference. Their income is not counted in millions, but the brands offer them many products and for some paid publications.
Know that it is quite possible to be a real influencer on Instagram, without having millions of subscribers.
What is your specialty and your target?
Are you an expert in a field? Or passionate about a sector? For example, you can be a professional in the skincare sector and want to create content to share tips and advice with a community that you are going to create. Regardless of the area chosen, it is best to select a specific niche . So the content you are going to produce will bring real added value to your target audience. One of the keys to being a successful influencer is perseverance .
If you don’t like what you post, you probably won’t be posting content consistently for months or even years before you find success. No need to get into an account on cars if you don’t know much about it…. It’s regular, quality content that will get subscribers to engage and like you.
Who are your future competitors and what are they doing?
Once you have an idea of the niche you want to address, feel free to do even a quick analysis of what influencers in the industry are doing. What are the most successful posts? Do they have a high engagement rate? What hashtags are they using? Who are they subscribed to? This will give you a broader picture of what works. Don’t hesitate to contact them, maybe you won’t get an answer but who doesn’t try anything wins, right?
Are you ready for criticism?
The more you will be exposed on Instagram, the more criticism you will unfortunately receive . It’s part of the life of influencers, who very often speak out against it. Do you want to show all of your life or on the contrary preserve certain parts to avoid any judgment? You can decide to be yourself on Instagram or create a character for yourself . In this case, it will allow you to have a protective barrier of some sort. “It is not me who is being criticized, but my character”, could thus be a real leitmotif and avoid hurting you in the event of sometimes very virulent criticism.
Putting in practice
You managed to answer, even briefly, all the previous questions? Great, let’s take action and craft the plan to find success and become a recognized influencer . Influence4You introduces you to industry best practices.
Train yourself!
Nobody is born an influencer and it is still impossible to do major studies to be an Influencer, so don’t hesitate to learn! You will find many very enriching tutorials on the secrets of Instagram on YouTube for example. Influence4You also shares many articles in the field that can help you.
No need to spend a fortune to train, there is quality content available for free on the net. We can cite as an example the young entrepreneur Tony Neves , who dispenses many very enriching videos on YouTube to know all the content strategy and social networks. Proof of a real craze, the young man has accumulated more than 4 million views !
Take care of your content
To attract Internet users to your account and invite them to follow you, you will need to have a neat and aesthetic feed . How to do ? No need to invest in a state-of-the-art phone, a phone with a good camera will do. Take care of your photos and the light all the same . You may or may not invest in a ring light, for a few tens of euros. If you often take selfies and do tutorials for example, this can be very useful. But you can do it in a second time, it is in no way one of the keys to success.
Doing photography and content that you produce yourself is essential. Don’t use stock photos that people may have already seen. Your content must provide real added value. You also need to be authentic in your posts, which is what attracts more and more Instagram users. Don’t praise a product if you don’t honestly think it’s worth it, and don’t share opinions if you’re not convinced they’re worth it. If your audience thinks you’re lying, you’ll lose all their trust.
You can use apps like Canva to make professional looking posts without too much trouble. You won’t need to hire a graphic designer to create pretty infographics, for example.
How often to post on Instagram?
To defeat the algorithm on Instagram and have more visibility, therefore more subscribers, you must post an average of at least 2 publications per week. This is without counting the stories, which Internet users on Instagram are very fond of. Most experts say two stories a day is a minimum. It may seem like a lot, but being present in stories very regularly AND in publications will allow you to reach a much larger number of people.
Plan your content
No need to anticipate over several months what you want to do. But you can for example make a list of topics you want to cover and plan them for example every week. This allows you to have a global view of your content . You can then adapt it if you have feedback from Internet users, and choose to include other topics. We advise you to plan the publication in advance using applications or programs. For Instagram, the Preview app is convenient and easy to use.
There are many tools to make life easier for influencers, Influence4You recently presented 10 tools for influencers to discover here.
Instagram, a social network above all
Be present on Instagram
If you want to break through, you will have to spend time on Instagram , and even a lot of time at the beginning! Find out about the latest trends, look at what other influencers who act on the same niche as you are doing. Be responsive if a trend emerges . Why not get in touch with other influencers and try collaborations. You can share the story of another influencer that you like in your story for example, the other will be informed, and you can exchange. Maybe he will want to do the same and share your story, which will give you visibility with his subscribers. Don’t hesitate to like the content of other influencers in your field!
Interact with your audience!
Respond to comments , even if they are critical. Also reply to your messages if you receive any. Involve Internet users in your posts by asking open-ended questions or asking for their opinion, for example.
It’s essential ! Users tend to forget that Instagram is a social network . The algorithm emphasizes exchange and interaction before anything else.
Be patient and persistent!
Building a healthy community on Instagram takes time. Don’t get discouraged and keep going . If your content is regular, aesthetic, authentic and you have a real voice, you will find your way. There’s a lot of work ahead of you to become an influencer, but perseverance is key.
Do it with passion, conviction and creativity. Get involved, rejoice, and communicate! Your efforts may pay off!
If so, and you need to be put in touch with brands for partnerships and campaigns , do not hesitate to register on the Influence4You platform!