How to Become an Influencer in 2018

Ever wonder how something like a social media app can make you big bucks? Do you wish you could increase your social following? Have you always wanted to be in influencer but don’t know where to start? Well, you’re in the right place.

We will break down what it means to be a brand influencer and how you too can hop on the influencer train (even without a huge following).

What does it mean to be an influencer?

Top influencers with 1.5 million followers or more, can make $5k per insta post. Say whattt? brands are willing to pay them big bucks because of the influencers reach and the amount of influence they hold over their followers. Think about this, Mary Jo has 100,000 followers and her focus is on makeup. People follow her for her trendy, less-is-more, summer-time makeup look and go crazy for her lipstick taste. Suppose a brand like Glossier reaches out to Mary Jo asking her to post about their new lipgloss in exchange for some free makeup and $1,000. If Mary Jo converts only 5% of her following to buy a lipgloss, that’s 5,000 new glossier customers. So obviously #worthit for Glossier.

And that my friends, is how brand influencers make money.

Getting Started (with a large following)

If you’re #blessed with a large following already, start to reach out to brands to see if they want to collaborate with you. Make sure that your profile is in business mode and there’s a way to contact you in your bio. It’s always a good thing to reach out to brands that you already like as well, it will make your content feel authentic to your followers. Perfect a short business email and shoot it out to any brands you want to work with. We will even give you an example:

Hey (brand)!

I’m Mary Jo (IG: maryyyyyjoxo) and i’m seriously in love with your stuff. I guess I’m what they consider to be an influencer and currently have about 1.5 million followers.

I would love to work with you!

If you’re interested give me a call and we can talk details. (000) 000-0000

Talk soon,

Mary Jo

BOOM, wait for a reply. If they don’t get back to you, don’t sweat it. There are tons of brands that would love to work with you.

Getting Started (with a smaller following)

If you have a smaller following, even as small as 2k, there are still opportunities for you to work with brands. Many small companies or places that offer services have smaller budgets to advertise their stuff. You will be in especially high demand if you have a niche following— meaning your followers love you because you are always posting in a theme. For example, if you love coffee and are always at the cutest new coffee shops, you’re followers love coffee shops as well and follow you to see the latest and greatest. If this is you, try reaching out to local coffee shops in the area and see if they want to collaborate with you in exchange for a month of free brew (or something).

Tips of the Biz

Keep in mind that if you agree to make a post in exchange for something, you have entered into a business contract. Not only is it illegal for you to not hold up your end, that’s seriously bad karma. Keep up with your agreements and your influencer rep will shine like the star you are.

Tips for Newbies

If you’re new the game and have less than 2k followers, find a niche that you are passionate about! Growing a following, like anything else, takes time and dedication. Start by using an app like Hootsuite to plan out your posts for the next two weeks.

This will allow you to see your theme and plan your photos and filters accordingly. Try not to have more than 3 posts of the same thing (i.e.. three up-close selfies). You can also mix it up with a quote you love or a shot of the sunset. If you post a bunch of unrelated content, try to tie it together with a color theme or themed caption thread.

Don’t be afraid to use a few relevant #hashtags to add to your posts, but don’t overdo it. Also, follow hashtags that you find interesting and show other IGers love too. With activity everyday, and good content, you will see the followers flow in.