Do You Want to Become an Instagram Influencer?
Wanting to become an Instagram influencer is a special thing to desire. Regardless of your reasoning or the brand you want to promote, you most likely want to influence people for the better. We have some great suggestions for you on how to most effectively and authentically do this.
1. Find Your Niche & Go All In
Figure out what your specific passion is, then reflect it onto your feed. This can be a travel feed, where you showcase photos you take during your travels along with a caption full of details. Maybe you’re an aspiring musician and you are trying to curate a musical artist brand and draw in a like-minded crowd. Or you enjoy health and wellness and you want to help inform people about these things. Whatever you love, are good at, or are creating a business around, go all in with this. If you need help figuring out what your one thing is, take an inventory of what sets your heart on fire and the activities you are great at. Once you’ve narrowed it down, you’ve found your niche and you're well on your way to becoming an Instagram influencer!
2. Choose Quality over Quantity
Consistent, well thought through posts are more impactful than a ton of posts all the time. We create more content than is necessary when we should be focusing on creating the best content possible and consistently posting it. Don’t burn out, instead, find creative ways to get your same message across using good quality photos and stories. The amount of times you post to keep your presence consistent may look different than someone else's. You'll find your groove over time, but make sure you are giving people an opportunity to respond and engage with your posts before pushing more and more. But don’t want to overwhelm your following. A good way to do this is by sharing your posts on your story which will add traffic and enhance engagement. This is a great way to become an Instagram influencer.
3. Choose Your Unique Aesthetic
Since Instagram is for sharing photos, the importance of having a flowing and high-quality photo feed is imperative. This is the avenue by which you will showcase your personal brand. A good rule of thumb for this is to choose the rules you will follow, and then use them for every post. Don’t make it complicated, but be specific. Did you choose black and white with abstract photos? Great! Now follow that. Bright and colorful with happy people or summer objects in them? Awesome! Keep it up and that is your aesthetic.
Become an Instagram influencer by choosing an aesthetic that is pleasing to the eye for your followers and shows you have the hang of this thing. Your dedication to posting good, cohesive content is a huge turn on when it comes to someone deciding to follow you or not. Make sure to be open to trying new things and switching your aesthetic up from time to time. This keeps it fresh. For great tips on how to choose and use a personal anesthetic, this is a great article by the app Later.
4. Share Your Stories
Nothing speaks louder than storytelling. Tell the stories behind the images, something you are learning, or give advice to become an Instagram influencer. These stories don't need to be anything super interesting or prettied up, they just need to be honest and thoughtful. Tell stories that reach the heart of your followers and move them to action. The best way to tell a good story is by being authentic. Others will sense this and it will cause them to engage. The more you practice honest storytelling, the more naturally it will come. Remember that the person behind the account is hidden until you reveal him/her. The best way to do this is by sharing your stories.
5. Don’t Make It All about You
I don’t know about you, but nothing turns me off to a person’s account more than a feed that is all about them. If your niche is beauty or fashion, that is great! But this does not mean you cannot put some diversity into your feed. Mix it up and have a photoshoot with some fashionable friends, do fun birthday shoutouts, or use your stories for showcasing the people in your life. Make sure your account is others focused as well. This draws people in and warms their hearts, making you seem more personable. It is a great way to be an Instagram influencer.
Some more ideas for how to do this:
- Share about your close friends on your feed.
- Support other Instagrammers on your feed.
- Celebrate the wins of others on your feed.
- Talk about your loved ones on your feed (if you feel comfortable sharing).
6. Remember That Hashtags Matter
Choose relevant ones, they will help people find you who have interest in the things you are posting about. If you are pouring yourself into your content and feed, it is only fair that people are able to find you. You can tastefully hashtag by tagging the topics that directly reference your post. Another way to do this tastefully is by finding creative words that reference the broad group you are trying to engage. Save these core tags in your notes to reuse on every post. Hashtags are a sure way to up your follower count and become an Instagram influencer.
7. Use Quotes, Lyrics, Poems & Verses
If there is anything people love, it is reading a quote, lyric, poem or verse that resonates with them in a deep way. This is a great way to draw people into your post and continue reading the caption. Using words outside of your own can sometimes get your point across in a way you couldn't by yourself. If you are at a loss as to how to write a caption, sometimes beginning with a quote from your current read or lyric from a song on repeat is a great way to begin. Expand your awareness of the words outside of your own, and it will help you to create amazing content to become an Instagram influencer.
8. Utilize Instagram Stories
Currently the biggest thing on Instagram is their stories. This is a very useful tool for your brand. Do research on a variety of creative ways to do this. Make sure to utilize all Instagram has to offer such as stories, lives, and filters to become an Instagram influencer. Another great thing about stories is the way they can make you seem more personable. If you do it right, your stories can give the behind the scenes dish on what a day in the life is like. It can give the full story that posts simply can't. They get people excited about upcoming things going on in your business. Take full advantage of Instagram stories to become an Instagram influencer!
9. Don't Always Put Your Best Face Forward
People are looking for honesty, not perfection. Learn how to be honest. This does not mean you don't get to have a private life, or that you must share every detail of your personal existence. But by being honest instead of perfect, you draw people in to care about what you care about and get involved. Regardless of your chosen niche, everyone loves honestly. Becoming an Instagram influencer means you can relate to people in a special way, you can get on their level. Focus more on putting your realist face forward. Find the balance between your privacy and your honesty and you're well on your way to becoming an Instagram influencer.
10. Use Your Bio to Showcase Who You Are
Tell people who you are in a compelling way. Your feed and bio will be the deciding factors on a follow. A bio tells a story. One of who you are, what you care about, and why people should follow you. Make sure to take full advantage of those 144 characters. Write out all the things you love and what your feed is about, and then simplify it. Everyone has a different process for this, so make it your own. This is your chance to use your creativity and passion to curate a great “about me”. Don't let this task overwhelm you, but get excited about it. You get to share what this is all about for you and pull others in too! A great bio is one of the key factors that will lead you to become an Instagram influencer.
11. Talk about Your Passions & Causes You Support
Care about something that matters. Are you passionate about a specific cause or social justice issue? Speak it! This brings life to who you are as a person and it is something people can engage with. You may want to stay away from arguing politics or posting strong opinions that will create a lot of friction, but there is a way to voice your passions in a way that will get others on board and help them understand the cause in a deeper way. This is a great way to help educate people. Just make sure you are open to learning the other side from your followers too!
12. Product Review, Product Review, Product Review
Being an ambassador for companies makes you an instant influencer. It can also make you money. Make sure you represent brands and products that align with your niche and your passions. You can help people change the products they use by doing this with your influence. It can also be a good source of income for you. Do your research and then product review away!
13. Be Open to Change
Are you multi-passionate? Interested in changing it up? Do you want to do an all black and white feed for a while? Want to add movie review posts to your travel blog feed? Don’t be afraid of changing it up a bit. You will be surprised how many followers excitedly say “me too!” when you express a new interest. This also promotes engagement. Nothing stays the same, so you are allowed to grow and evolve in your craft or brand as well. Don't be afraid of trying something now. Who knows where it may lead you? Trying new things may just be the exact thing that helps you become an Instagram influencer.
14. Personally Engage: Focus on Creating a Community, Not Just Gaining Followers
When followers think you care, they talk about you to their sphere of influence. People like an authentic, real human behind the screen. Remember that the people behind the screens matter and they can become your real friends. Don't be afraid to host meetups, do lives where you answer questions, or answer questions on your story. Carve some time out to respond to comments and messages. This is great for networking, curating authentic relationships, and using Instagram to engage with others. If you truly want to become an Instagram influencer, you will place the people who follow you in top priority. Don't treat them like followers, but like friends.
15. Plan, Batch Work, and Take Breaks to Avoid Burnout
Learn how to batch your work so that it will be prepared in chunks and not sporadically. This will save you a lot of time and energy. Also, plan rest times and breaks from social media altogether. The worst thing you can do when you become an Instagram influencer is get burned out. It is better to set aside some time to rest and recoup than but out altogether. A good way to do this is by using the app “Later”. This app will help you plan and schedule your posts in order to help you organize and get ahead. So even though you may be taking a break, posts can still get posted and your feed can continue to move along. Take the pressure off yourself and get some help. Learning these things early on is always best for your future as an Instagram influencer.
16. Recognize Your Sphere of Influence
Realize that you have a sphere of influence, no matter the size. Learn to steward it well. If you learn how to use your influence now, no matter the size, that authenticity and care will follow you to larger crowds and new heights. All of us have a level of influence, especially when it comes to our social media accounts. Don't get discouraged if you aren't an Instagram influencer right now, just begin taking steps toward it. Make moves in small, intentional ways as you will be amazed at how the world opens up for you. Once you know your purpose in aiming to become an Instagram influencer, you will be able to put that passion into play. You can change your corner of the world with your influence no matter how big or small your following is.
17. Switch to a Business Account
Switching over to a business account can really help your brand and grow your following. When you switch over to an Instagram Business Account, you will get analytics, aka insights. This keeps you in the loop about what kind of activity is going on with your account. You will be able to see what you should continue to post by checking in on your post engagements. You can even see when the best times are to post, down to the specific day and hour.
Another great perk switching over gives you with the business account is the opportunity to run ads featuring your business or brand! This can help you get more engagement on your posts by promoting you for a small fee. As if you needed any more perks, now a contact button will be added to your business profile which means you can become available to anyone who accesses your account by email or phone. You can even enter an address if you have a physical store location you want to publicize. There is an option to connect to your business page on Facebook which means the information on that account can be pulled and applied to your business Instagram account.
Switching over to an Instagram business account is really a must if you are looking to become an Instagram influencer. The options available through this switch open you up a whole new world of possibilities. You will be able to see what to keep posting and what to switch up. You will be able to get the word out about who you are and what you are all about. And this will make you look more professional and legit, which is an important part of being an Instagram influencer. There is really nothing to lose by switching.
Influence Others for the Best
To become an Instagram influencer, there are many steps you can take. But don't get overwhelmed, just slowly begin to move in the right direction. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to using your influence to do amazing things.
Related Article: 14 Best Travel Instagram Accounts to Follow
