Influencing is one of the most lucrative markets in this modern landscape, and it’s no secret why. The financial opportunities associated with successful influencers are astounding.
With more prominent influencers reporting making upwards of $10,000 for one sponsored post, it’s only natural to want a piece of that pie. How hard can it really be to become an influencer?
Let’s find out! Here are the concrete steps you’ll need to take as you build a career as an online influencer.
Becoming an Influencer: Key Steps
1. Find your niche and audience
As you determine your niche, carefully consider your interests and passions. What topics and products do you enjoy?
This can range from fashion to beauty, parenting products, home goods, cooking, crafts, technology, and much more.
You should have some knowledge and expertise in your niche to establish your influencer status and build trust and credibility with your audience.
Once you’ve decided on a niche, research is critical to know where your target audience exists online, their demographics, and what kind of content they’re looking for. Once you know this information, you can create your brand and a content strategy that caters directly to this audience.
2. Create a brand
Your brand is the way you present yourself to your audience online. Personal branding includes your personality, what you value, and the topics you consider yourself an expert in. What is your goal as an influencer — to inspire others, make their lives easier, or promote a particular lifestyle? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself when carving out your brand.
Branding also includes the visual look and feel of your social profiles, website, and other assets. You can select fonts and a color scheme and create a logo and messaging that your audience will associate with your brand.
3. Choose your social channels
With current trends and information about your target audience, choose your social platforms wisely. Some new influencers try to cast a wide net and target too large an audience. The more you niche down, the more successful you will be.
Choose two or three social platforms to start with. You can always scale up if your audience shows interest in seeing different forms of content. For example, build a loyal following on Instagram and TikTok, and then you can scale up to creating
4. Post consistent content
Posting consistently is the most critical component of finding success as an influencer. When you post regularly, your followers will come to expect your content and continue to find value in what you’re sharing. Test various forms of content, from static images and Reels to Instagram stories and TikTok videos, to see what your audience prefers.
Many influencers stay organized with a content plan to provide structure as they work with brands and companies and sell or promote products.
5. Engage with your audience
Any influencer will tell you that audience engagement is the true
Influencers can interact with their followers in various ways. You can host Instagram Lives, respond to DMs and comments on your photos and videos, and facilitate conversations in other ways. Building a community starts with your audience feeling like you are someone they can interact with, not a celebrity who doesn’t know they exist.
6. Market yourself to brands
Once you’re ready to collaborate with brands, make it known to the world! Add a Contact button on your Instagram profile or include your email address in your social media bio sections.
You can also pitch yourself to brands by reaching out on social media, sending a media kit of what you offer, and interacting with their content. If you have a brand you love and want to work with, try featuring their products in your Stories or Reels and tag them for extra visibility.
If you get a collaboration out of it, this organic approach solidifies your genuine interest in their products. It will prove to your audience that you genuinely love the brand and aren’t just promoting their items for money.
How to Become an Influencer on Social Media Platforms
Now you know the general rules and tips to become an influencer, let’s discuss each platform that can be incredibly profitable for influencers.
Each platform is a little different, and each user base is unique, so there’s no
How to become an Instagram influencer
Instagram is the most popular and saturated social media platform for influencers.
If you’re wondering how to become an influencer for a brand, Instagram is probably the best platform to start with. There, you can build relationships with brands, showcase your personality, and create a loyal following to sell products.
It’s also highly visual, making it an ideal platform for fashion, art, home decor, ecommerce, and more influencers.
Tips for becoming an Instagram influencer:
- Showcase your personality in everything you post
- Ask yourself how your content is different and adding value to followers
- Engage with your audience using Stories, polls, DMs, and Instagram Live
- Strive to inspire your audience using visually stunning photos and graphics
How to become an Amazon influencer
Amazon influencers typically gain popularity on social media profiles like Instagram or TikTok. Once accepted, they join the Amazon influencer program to profit from sales their followers purchase using their unique Amazon storefront.
Once you know your niche on Amazon (women’s fashion, home decor, baby products, outdoor equipment, etc.), building your storefront is a breeze.
Tips for becoming an Amazon influencer:
- Create an easily shoppable storefront with products targeted at your audience
- Market your storefront on all social media platforms — in your bio, captions, videos, and more
- Create and share videos of your honest reviews of products. Make size recommendations and style the products so users can visualize them
How to become an influencer on TikTok
Unlike other social platforms, TikTok’s algorithm does not consider your follower count or the performance of your past videos. This means every day is the chance to go viral on TikTok and propel your influencer career into motion!
Tips for becoming a TikTok influencer:
- Post consistently so your followers come to know your name and content
- Follow trends found on the For You page (FYP)
- Be creative, silly, and fun!
- Find content ideas from Instagram & YouTube, but add your own spin
How to become an influencer on Facebook
Facebook boasts over 3 billion monthly users, making it the world’s most popular social media platform. Unsurprisingly, so many people are jumping at the chance to optimize their profiles and become Facebook influencers.
Facebook’s audience is generally a bit older than other audiences like Instagram and TikTok, so keep this in mind as you plan content for your niche.
Tips for becoming a Facebook influencer:
- Share visual content, like photos and videos, as they rank higher
- Stay loyal and focused on your niche to keep your audience interested
- Actively engage with your audience on all your content and in your messages
How to become an influencer on LinkedIn
Being an influencer on LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily mean selling products. You may be able to score some brand deals to promote services or companies, which can be just as profitable as social selling.
LinkedIn influencers build powerful networks, find speaking engagements, freelance work, and more. LinkedIn may be the right fit for your brand if you aren’t interested in the traditional influencing route but enjoy networking, meeting people, and the opportunities that come from that.
Tips for becoming a LinkedIn influencer:
- Post daily from your account and leave comments on other posts regularly
- Use your industry knowledge to spark interesting conversations among peers
- Branch outside of your network and niche
- Be authentic!
How to become an influencer on Youtube
Building a loyal following of subscribers on YouTube takes time, but it can be done! Anyone committed to their niche and passionate about sharing with their audience will find success on YouTube.
Whether you’re a beauty guru, fitness enthusiast, a new mom, or any other unique individual, there’s a user base looking for your content on YouTube.
Tips for becoming a YouTube influencer:
- Invest in reliable video equipment for
high-quality videos with premium sound - Provide fresh, consistent content weekly
- Optimize your channel and videos using relevant keywords so your videos will rank higher
Cross-promote your YouTube channel and videos on other social platforms
Final Thoughts on Influencing
Now that you know how to become an online influencer and what it takes, all that’s left to do is get started. Choose your niche, research your audience, and find the best platforms for your content. Remember to be authentic to yourself; that’s what your audience will engage with the most.
As you navigate social media influencing, invest in resources and tools to help streamline tasks and make you more efficient. Ecwid is here to help!
