With the growth of the internet and the spread of the popularity of social media we know so well, such as TikTok and Instagram, for example, more and more digital jobs are emerging, including many new professions that no one would have dreamed of until nowadays. One such newly emerging profession rapidly engulfing the job market has become the influencer - also known as the internet celebrity. If you're wondering how to become an influencer and what it's like to work as one, this article might appeal to you.
Who do you call an influencer?
So, starting with the very basics of the topic, what is an influencer actually?
An influencer is a person who, by virtue of his or her position, prominence, knowledge or personality via social media, influences the decisions of his or her audience, which is usually numerous. Influencers gain their position by creating quality content that appeals to a particular audience, such as children, teenagers or young adults. Their work should entertain, inspire, attract attention and, above all, provide a sense of intimacy with their audience. The influencer's personality and contact with their fans therefore usually has a direct impact on brand promotion and the opinion of the brand with which the online celebrity is working, and thus influences the purchasing decisions of his or her fans. Hence the name influencer - it is a person who influences decisions of the groups of people.
What does an influencer’s job look like?
The work of an influencer is based on online activity. This includes publishing short films or vlogs on YouTube, and now also TikTok, writing a blog and, above all, posting on Instagram. Most people performing this profession are Instagram influencers! This is where most paid collaborations involving the promotion of products and services take place. Each influencer usually has a set theme for his or her work - fashion, beauty, sport or sometimes just lifestyle. Social media influencers incorporate the aforementioned partnerships into their work, which more or less consist of them getting money from companies for promoting specific products, plus various bonuses such as the product itself or big discounts. Internet celebrities do not forget their fans either. Many of them also offer discounts with special codes in cooperation with companies, for example discount vouchers for purchases in clothing shops, drugstores or sports shops.
How to become an influencer?
To become an influencer, first consider how open and brave you are to show up on social media. It's also worth considering whether you're sure you can maintain continuity in your work, as this is the real key to success. Don't immediately focus on earnings and unknown reach. Yes, following trends is important, but it's also worth focusing on what works best for you. What are your hobbies? Perhaps it will provide you with a straightforward path to success.
Here are some theoretical tips you may find helpful for becoming an influencer:
1. Determine what you are good at.
There are many industries that are already very popular. These include the previously mentioned lifestyle, fashion, beauty, sports, food, gaming, and many others. Think about whether you happen to have knowledge and experience in other industries, less popularized, with fewer people already trending in it. The less competition, the simpler the path to success may seem.
2. Create an action strategy.
Just as in a normal business, in an online business you also need to plan your strategy to help it run smoothly and without unnecessary complications. So, create a plan that includes information on:
- What will you create? (content)
- How will you be promoting yourself?
- A plan for social media promotion.
- A budget for promoting yourself.
- An action plan.
- How will you monitor your progress?
3. Select channels to publish your content.
Depending on what topics you focus on with your career, you should choose the right social media for this. For example, if you want to publish short, straightforward videos, choose the TikTok portal. If, on the other hand, you are focused on making long videos on lifestyle, sports, history or other topics for which a minute or five is not enough, focus instead on publishing on YouTube. If you care about your core influencer activities, don't forget your Instagram and Pinterest accounts.
4. Constantly publish and spend some time on analytics.
The key to success as an influencer is certainly to be persistent and systematic in what you do. Each site or social media has its own algorithm which, depending on the manner, quality and content you publish, positions your profile. So, counterintuitively, it is not just your audience, but the portal itself, for example TikTok or Instagram, that can help you expand your reach.
Each social network also has activity tracking options where you can keep an eye on your statistics, for example on views, audience groups and so on. It really is an essential tool in tracking your progress, and can help you improve your quality on the way to becoming an influencer.
5. Provide value and quality to the content you publish.
To gather the largest possible audience, your content should be creative and stand out with something. This is probably a fairly obvious point, but duplicating or copying what other creatives are publishing is not only boring, but can also be problematic.
Ensure that your content, even in the most popular topic groups, has something that makes it stand out. This could be a way of vlogging that is original to you, a different recording style, or small elements that are characteristic of you, for example, in your style of expression.
It is also important that the videos or posts you publish have not only good content, but visual quality. Not only do people not want to see unsightly and chaotic content, but the portals themselves will limit your reach by undercutting the quality of the posts they display.
These are just some tips on how to become an influencer. They should help you gather an initial community that will help you spread your content further.
Remember, however, that the path to success does not look the same for everyone. It can be very protracted and you may not see the results of your work too soon, but success can also come quickly and unexpectedly. Above all, however, remember not to give up.
Is influencer the profession of the future?
Well, looking at the fact that this is currently the dream profession of most children and teenagers, one would certainly be tempted to say so. Already in many schools around the world, one can see the emergence of gamer classes, vlogger classes and even courses at universities aimed specifically at media activities. So, if we add to this the estimated earnings of an influencer, we can indeed call influencer the profession of the future.
The biggest Instagram Influencers of 2022
As in any other profession, there are a few people at the very top who can certainly be called the best at what they do. Here's a list of 6 of the world's most popular influencers, whose earnings per sponsored post on Instagram exceed up to $1 million.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano). His net worth as for 2022 is $690 million. Ronaldo gets up to even $1,6 million for a sponsored post, with over 470 mln followers on Instagram.
- Dwayne Johnson (@therock). The Rock’s estimated net worth for 2022 is $800 million. He’s said to be getting even $1,5 million per sponsored post. Amount of his followers on Instagram is currently over 330 mln.
- Ariana Grande (@arianagrande). World’s famous singer and former Nickelodeon actress’s net worth is currently estimated to be $220 million. With 220 mln of Instagram followers, Ariana is getting around $1,5 million for sponsored posts.
- Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner). The youngest of The Kardashians family, known for her great success at such a young age, has a net worth of over $900 million. With a total of 365 mln Instagram followers, Kylie is said to be earning around $1,5 million for a sponsored post.
- Selena Gomez (@selenagomez). An actress and a singer, with a net worth of around $100 million and over 340 mln Instagram followers, earns over $1,4 million per a sponsored post.
- Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian). Another member of The Kardashians family. Although she’s not the number one influencer on the list, Kim’s estimated net worth for 2022 is $1,8 billion! With over 327 mln followers on Instagram, she gets over $1,4 million for a sponsored post.
