How to become an influencer

Tips for becoming an influencer

1. Discover your niche and stick to it:

   This should be something that you are interested in and enjoy doing. For example, fashion, food or photography. Becoming an influencer can take quite a bit of time, so choose something that you find fun. You could combine a couple of interests, but make sure that it doesn’t become too broad.

    
2. Get to know your audience:

   It's important to get to know the people that are following you. You can do this with a bit of market research. Search for your target audience and find out more about them. Which social media channels are they using? What sorts of posts do they interact with? Find this out so you can tailor your posts to suit them.

    
3. Optimise your social media accounts:

   There are a few things you can do to optimise your social media. First, make sure you use a business account. This will allow you to keep track of the interactions on your page. You can use this data to see what kind of posts perform the best. Then, you can make more of this content.

   You should ensure that your bio has an engaging description that tells people who you are and what you do – in as few words as possible. Make sure you include your email address so that brands can contact you. Keep your stream consistent and filled with eye-catching photos or videos. 

How to gain followers

But wait, the best content in the world is no good if you have no one following you. So how do you increase your follower base?

First of all, don’t worry about having millions of followers. More and more brands are choosing to work with micro-influencers. These are people with around 10,000 followers. Some brands prefer micro-influencers because they are seen as more authentic and can influence their followers' decisions more.

Here's a few handy tips to get more followers:

• Follow other influencers - This is a good place to start. Follow other influencers within your niche and see what type of content your target audience engage with. Comment on their posts to increase your exposure. This is a good way to gain connections within the industry too.
• Engage with your audience - The more time you invest in engaging with your audience, the more likely they are to follow you. So make sure you're friendly and approachable, and reply to their comments. 
• Ask your followers what they would like to see more of - This will help to keep your target audience engaged and increase the likelihood that they will interact with and share your content. 
• Keep your skills up to date - Studying a degree in English Literature & Creative Writing, Business & Marketing and Journalism can build the skills you need to create engaging content for your audience. More benefits of a degree include learning how to communicate, expanding your network and building perseverance. It also provides job opportunities outside influencing.
• Post consistently and know the best time to post - Plan your content a week or two in advance. This helps you maintain quality and stay consistent. Use the analytics tools on your social media to know the most engaging times to post and schedule posts for then.
• Be authentic - Be real. Don’t just share product advertisements or your audience will become bored. Be aware that if you have been gifted the item or are being paid to post, you will have to include 'ad' in your post. Avoid misleading your followers and potential legal action by being transparent. 

Increasing your followers can take time, but it is important if you're going to be an influencer.

The skills and abilities you need to become an influencer include writing ability, communication and creativity. Studying at University is a great way to develop these skills. Take a look at some of our courses which can help you hone these skills and be the best influencer you can be.