7 things to keep in mind if you’re trying to become an ~influencer~
It’s been an entire year since I decided to let down my walls and tell people on the internet EVERYTHING about me.
I wouldn’t change a thing and thank GOD for filters lol
If one positive could come out of last year it would definitely be my side hustle. I am so proud of what it’s become and everything it’s BECOMING. In honor of 1 year, I thought I’d give you 7 things to keep in mind if you’re trying to become an ~influencer~ :
** I’m sure a lot of you have seen these topics before but trust me, I’m giving you the REAL answers **
1. FIND YOUR NICHE
Are you a mom blogger? Fitness coach? Cooking savant? Interior design wizard? It doesn’t matter what you decide, there’s a market for you. People sit on the internet for hours reading memes, so you making an Instagram account for a puppy obsession is NOT crazy.
Without a topic/niche your audience won’t know what to focus on. People need direction and clear signs of what to do. People follow influencers because they want to see things they didn’t know they needed (& too lazy to find themselves). Running a life, relationship, family, etc is hard enough -- you really expect us to look up the best kitchen gadgets ourselves?! No. That’s why we have influencers. :)
Best way to find your niche? The easy answer: what do you love to do!? What are your hobbies?! … but, if you’re anything like me, you don’t actually have any hobbies 🙃 Can you count drinking with your friends on the weekend as a hobby?😂Probably not.
INSTEAD, go to Instagram/TikTok and start looking at what videos/pictures you’re liking and saving. The reason there’s an algorithm is to provide more relevant content to YOU. You don’t have to be the best cook to start a cooking Instagram. Instead, you could make an entire account based on your favorite meals, recipes, cooking shows. Whatever it may be!
2. DON’T FOCUS ON MONEY OR GROWTH
Once you find your niche, don’t focus on money or growth. Easier said than done, I know. When I started doing Amazon influencing I was bored and unemployed. I just wanted to share my favorite finds with my friends. I started out with less than 1k followers and it stayed like that for a while! I connected with each follower and made sure they knew I cared about what they wanted and what I could do for them. People like to feel engaged and thought of. Once that happens you’ll undoubtedly grow because they WILL share your page. Think about how often you say, “I follow this one girl on Instagram and….” next thing you know you’re pulling out your phone to show your friend, and bam, another follower is gained.
Don’t buy followers. Just don’t do it. You’ll be tempted, I was. Engagement means more than the follower count (a lot of the time). If you pay for followers you’re going to spend 2x the time trying to get your engagement back up. We all know it -- that girl who posts pics with 14k followers and gets 100 likes --- WE SEE YOU. Also, we don’t knock the person for trying to play the game because.. well, it’s a hard game.
Put in the work to learn the influencer industry. This is where people fall off the wagon because it’s not an easy industry to understand! If you want to make money influencing you’re most likely going to start with three options: Amazon Influencer Program, LiketoKnowIt or Blogging (We will use me as an example):
For the Amazon Influencer Program, I had to figure out what it meant to be an Amazon Influencer. I had to apply for a storefront, list my products, figure out affiliate links, organize my products into categories, follow the guidelines and so much more. If you’re interested in learning more about the Influencer Program you can read my “amazon influencer basics” blog here.
Outside of Amazon, there are really two other options. LiketoKnowIt (LTK) and/or traditional blogs. Oftentimes people have both OR all three (lol hi that’s me). NOW DON’T GET ME WRONG, there are other ways to influence, like starting a podcast, YouTube, etc., but if we're talking about the beginning stages, these are the two most people start with.
To give you a very high-level overview, LTK broke the internet. It allows anyone with a passion or drive to become an influencer! It’s a place where you can easily get affiliate links, share those links with anyone you’d like, and in exchange, you make a commission off that item! There is an admissions process, but from what I hear, it’s much easier to get accepted nowadays.
Blogs/Email newsletters get you noticed online. They organically grow your following/reach, improve SEO, allow affiliate links, ads, and they are more of a well-rounded “portfolio” if you will. Blogs are a great way to put everything into one place and make it look… CUTE. That being said, blogs can come later in your influencing career. My recommendation is to focus on LTK or the Amazon Influencing Program first. See if Influencing is for you and THEN start the blog.
3. pay attention to your analytics
How many people are you reaching with your posts? How many people are connecting with your posts (there’s a difference between reaching a person and leaving an impression with them)? What hashtags are working the best? What time are your followers online? What kind of followers do you have (state, age, gender)?
ALL OF THESE ARE IMPORTANT. I used SquareLovin’ for my social media analytics, Flick Hashtags for hashtag analytics, and Amazon Associates Dashboard for my Amazon analytics. TikTok is still up in the air lol.
While analytics are important, just check them once a week. Don’t get sucked into the numbers. Why? Because it takes the FUN out of it. The GOAL is to make this enjoyable. Use the analytics as a baseline and something to go off of. Analytics provide a constant variable (even though the actual numbers are changing) that you can revert back to when you need to take a step back and evaluate who you’re trying to target, what is connecting most with people and when you should reach out to them. Don’t overcomplicate it.
4. be consistent
Ugh, I know this is my least favorite but it’s probably one of the most important.
Consistency makes people happy. They like knowing that every morning they can go on Instagram and find you doing your make-up routine. Whatever it is, people like knowing they can go to your page and expect something. That could simply be a morning hello every day, a breakfast tutorial, or a new blog post topic!
Not everyone can quit their job and start influencing full-time. If you can, I’m jealous lol. Most people (myself included) have a full-time job PLUS influencing. This means that on top of actually living and staying happy, you have very little time to do it all.
Plan out your month and what topics you want to cover. I recommend a content calendar. If you’re like me, this is the worst thing ever. Planning and being held accountable is SO HARD. Being consistent with your content is SO HARD because it means you have to show up and do the work when you said you would. A content calendar makes it easier.
5. be vulnerable
This isn’t a make or break but it sure as hell helps. Sharing your personal life on the internet is not an easy thing to do. There are successful influencers who share absolutely nothing about their personal life BUT there are successful influencers that do.
I’m not saying to share everything about your life but opening up and being vulnerable makes you relatable. It also makes you brave. A majority of people do not share their personal life online. MOST people are private. But they may still be going through the same stuff as you.
Being vocal about the hardships you’ve face or are facing, past experiences, mental health, etc — that allows other people to not feel so alone. I can’t tell you how many people DM me saying how much they appreciated my candidness and transparency. 9/10 they’re telling me it’s just nice to have someone talk about it!
6. Remember you don’t have control
I am STILL learning how to deal with this. I am a CONTROL FREAK. I cannot let things go, I want to know exactly what’s going on and how I can prepare to make sure I have all outcomes accounted for. Yes, I’ve been diagnosed with OCD lol.
Let me explain… Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, LiketoKnowIt, etc -- THEY have the control. Until you make a blog/website, you are at the mercy of the apps. As soon as you learn an algorithm and what works, BAM they change it. It’s unfair but hey… that’s life, right?
My advice is to work with the apps. Use their features. Adapt to the changes. Don’t get discouraged during times of change (or at least try not to). A perfect example would be Instagram Reels. I WISH I hopped on the Instagram Reels wagon when it was first released. People that adapted and used the feature first DID WELL. I was too reluctant and figured, “I’m good with where I’m at”. Guess what happened next? Instagram changed its algorithm to be more centered around reels.
Using the new features and adapting will set you up for success.
7. AND FINALLY. ~~~Be YoUrSelF~~~
Unless you’re a contestant on the Netflix show, “The Circle”, you will NEVER benefit by being someone you’re not.
The Circle is a temporary show -- influencing is not.
Real really does recognize real. Trying to be someone you’re not is exhausting and will make everything 10x harder. Do NOT start this journey with a niche that does not reflect who you are. It won’t be successful. I promise you that.
Block the haters. Literally and mentally lol. Internet trolls are out there so you HAVE to have thick skin. Friends you thought were your friends, will make fun of you. Guess what? They’re not your real friends.
Sometimes you have to completely let go of your fears in order to see how strong you are. So if influencing is something you want to do, don’t hold back. Let go of those fears and be OPEN about them! Tell people you’re scared! People are kinder than you think <3