It is commonly said that a picture is worth 1,000 words, from kylie Jenner to Selena Gomez, these top Instagram influencers have made millions helping businesses grow on Instagram. Read on to find out how to become an Instagram influencer.
Why do you need to become an Instagram influencer
Do you know that an average Instagram influencer with a substantial number of followers earns about $2,000 to $3,000 per sponsored post? Sounds astonishing, right?. Research shows that brands spent over $6 billion on influencer marketing in 2018, and this amount is expected to reach $10 billion by 2020. You are probably thinking to yourself, that’s so much money and how do I make a cut out of it?
You need to understand that to become an Instagram Influencer requires a lot of time and consistency, and it falls back on having an immense influence on your audience. If you are seriously looking at becoming an Instagram influencer and you are reading this article, it’s a good thing You are in the right place. In this post, I’ve prepared a detailed list of things you should know on how to become an Instagram influencer, to aid you grab some of that money we just talked about. Here is step by step guide to becoming an Instagram influencer.
The first step towards becoming an Instagram influencer is to pick up a niche. It is essential you choose something you are passionate about. Hence passion should define your niche. Choose something you have significant knowledge of and where your interest lies. Lifestyle, food, travel, books, fashion, entertainment, sport etc. You can choose from a variety of niche and carve out a name for yourself. Never forget, “originality is very key.” Don’t try to be like someone else; just because someone else is doing it and it’s working for them does not necessarily mean it will work for you!. Remember! You are not them. Everyone has a unique feature, so do you. Standout!.
Also, Rather than posting randomly, you can figure out a combo and craft out an original content. For instance, if you are into travel a lot, and you love food, you can showcase the beauty of diverse cultures by engaging your audience in the food delicacies of different places.
After you must have picked up a niche, the next important thing to do is to “write a catchy bio.” Note that, once a brand or follower visits your page, the first thing they see is your bio. It is noteworthy that you make use of the important keywords that identify with your brand. Instagram bio consists of 150 characters; you should learn how to outline the core values of your brand without exceeding it. If you happen to own a blog or website, you can place the link on your bio.
If you are serious about becoming an Instagram influencer, then you must get a business account. As an Instagram influencer, you must understand your followers, which of your posts they engage in the most, what time of the day they tend to engage, how much they engage, their locations, etc. Using insights will give you precise summary of how your audience is reacting to your posts. A business account will provide you with access to the Instagram analytics tool to measure the reactions of your followers towards your posts.
Follower demographics go a long way in aiding pitching to brands for partnership.As an influencer, you don’t post random content without a proper and effective strategy. Demographics give you an idea on how to fix your content calendar for better audience engagement.
Also, if you want more engagements, using a business account, you can run ads to get more followers. Note that it costs money to run ads, but it’s worth it considering the result it yields.
4. Post contents frequently
Posting consistently is a crucial part of being an Instagram influencer. According to a study, engagements increase with frequent posting. Hence, to become an influencer, you should know that posting always is essential to stay relevant. Top Instagram influencers post once or twice per day because they understand they have to keep their followers engaged. If you post once or twice per week, you are likely to lose followers. You don’t want that do you?
If you don’t post frequently enough, your weekly engagements will drop, which could relegate your posts on the Instagram algorithm meaning, that fewer users get to see your posts on their newsfeed.
You might be thinking, what if I don’t have time to post every day? You can schedule your posts using tools like Preview, Ripyl, Buffer, Later. With these tools, you can create your content in advance and schedule the time and date you want them posted. Once you schedule, your posts get posted at the stipulated period.
5. Choose the right hashtags
Using hashstags is important, but using the right hashtags is even more important. Studies have shown that posts with hashtags have 12.6% more engagements.
Between 5 to 30 hashtags is an ideal range for a post. Conversely, a post with 11 hashtags gives a better output, according to experts. Instagram doesn’t allow beyond 30 hashtags, so you might want to limit your hashtags to a reasonable amount.
Hashtags create more visibility for your profile. You could get more followers through hashtags. Hashtags could be product-specific, location-specific, brand-specific, subject-specific, campaign-specific, event-specific, lifestyle specific, etc.
Bear in mind that a hashtag with high search volume doesn’t translate to high engagement. In fact, it could be deterrence to your post. Instead, choose hashtags with modest search volumes to get the most out of your chances of emerging in the top posts.
If you are really keen on becoming an Instagram influencer then you must learn to interact with your followers. As an Instagram influencer looking to gain ground, you need to find people who share same interests as you.
Let’s say your niche is photography, you can carry out a search using #photography to find potential followers. “First impression they say last long.”
So, you must create a good one by visiting the feeds of potential followers and leaving pleasant comments on their posts. Never downplay the importance of engaging with your followers, if you don’t want to lose them.
You must endeavor to reply a fair number of your follower’s comments on your post. You should also return the favor by liking and commenting on their posts.
Your relationship with your followers imperatively translates to the response you get from them when you promote content or brand. You don’t want to dissuade brands from collaborating with you. Keep in mind! Your followers are your potential customers, thus your followers are your money.
Tips you can use to increase your engagement.
Follow hashtags so that you get to see relevant posts on your feed. You can also use “Explore” option to search for content of interest you can engage with.
There are 800 million Instagram users and over 200 million use Instagram stories. Instagram stories make you visible to users who are not following you. Consequently, you could get more followers from people seeing your stories.
Becoming an Instagram influencer involves two stages. First, building followers organically and engage with them often. Secondly, and most importantly is to start making money as an Instagram influencer. As soon as you hit 1000 followers above with considerable engagement, you can begin pitching your proposal to relevant brands in your niche.
You can get your profile noticed by engaging in campaigns or using brand-related hashtags in your posts. Brand sometimes, put your content on their Instagram account, thereby increasing your visibility.
You can as well send direct messages to these relevant brands to sell your idea to them in a persuasive tone, telling them how collaboration with you will be of great advantage to them. It might not come easy at first, but if you pitch in the right form you are likely to get positive response.
Also, You can join platforms such as TapInfluence, InsidePool, Grin, HYPR, Socialpeeks, InfluencerBay to find and get in touch with brands in your niche. Although, you might need a particular number of followers to get the chance to participate in campaigns. Collaborate with brands whose product you have used and sure about its quality.
Your followers trust you to sell products of top-notch quality to them. Recommend products to them with honesty. Don’t try to deceive them, else you may experience a massive unfollow rave.
No one said it’s going to be easy. However, you need to start somewhere then work your way up. If you find this article helpful, click here to find out more ways to grow your presence on the Instagram platform.
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