A decade ago, no one would have thought that they can earn money by just documenting their life?  And from the money, I mean six-figure income here, even more than that.

Welcome to 2019 and the world of Instagram, where you see hundreds and thousands of Instagram influencers rocking and earning lucrative money. It is predicted that brands are going to spend 8 billion dollars on influencers by 2020.  

Do you want to be one and earn handsome money? But have no idea what it takes to be an Instagram influencer, keep reading to find out.

1. Figure out why you want to be an influencer

Before becoming an Instagram influencer, ask yourself why you want to be one. Do other Instagram influencers just inspire you? What you have to offer to your followers?

After finding the answers to these questions, you have to select the niche. Many people here make a mistake that they go for niches, which are trending. Go for a niche that you are passionate about, or you have good knowledge about it.

Your niche must be something that represents your personality. If you are not loving what you are doing, you will exhaust eventually. Because you will have to post related content daily. If you are a foodie, then you can be the best food influencer. If you are a pro in makeup, then you can be a beauty influencer.

2. Don’t be a Copy Cat

Every business out there has a USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and every influencer on the internet must have a USP too. Being an individual, we all are unique. So this uniqueness must reflect in your bio and the content you are creating.

If you are intending to become an Instagram influencer by just copying and pasting the random stuff, then you are not going to be successful. Sorry for bursting your bubble, but this is the truth.

To stand among millions of Instagram users, you must have something unique to offer. Follow the trends but add your personality and uniqueness to it.

3. Harness the Power of Stories

More than 400 million people are using Instagram stories daily. Instagram wants businesses and individuals to join the bandwagon of stories. The proof is that you can see the stories on the top of your Instagram feed. So, why are you missing them to increase your follower base?

Instagram influencer and the power of stories.

Don’t forget to use trending hashtags in your stories as non-followers can find your stories through hashtags. After hitting 10,000 followers, you can add links in your stories with a swipe up option. You can even tag other accounts in your stories. If you seriously want to be an Instagram influencer, start taking Instagram stories seriously.

4. Bring the game of hashtags on

You will see every digital marketer talking about the importance of hashtags for Instagram. An Instagram post with hashtags gets 12.6 percent better engagement than a post without hashtags.

Instagram influencer and usage of hashtags.

Search trending hashtags related to your niche and audience, and you can modify them according to your brand or persona. For searching trending hashtags, you can use different tools. Hashtags with high search volume mean high competition.

Hashtags are essential but don’t go overboard. Use three or five hashtags in a post. You can use thirty hashtags in an Instagram post.

5. Work on Your Photography Skills

Everyone loves to see high-quality images and perfectly shot videos on the internet. Brands and businesses are no exception. They wanted to invest their money in the best influencers who can represent their products and services perfectly. If you are struggling with the quality of images due to poor photography, it is high time to bring some change.

Invest some bucks in a good quality camera and a tripod. If you can afford, consider hiring a local photographer to take your multiple shots. If both suggestions are not going to work, consider a collab with photographers on Instagram. You can invest in some photography courses too.

6. Engage with your audience

Many wannabe Instagram influencers make a mistake; they spend so much time creating perfect content and end up with no time to interact with their audience. Whatever the platform is for which you are creating content, always spend 80 percent of your time for spreading your content and engaging with your audience.

People want to interact with humans; they don’t want to talk to bots. So make them feel special by liking and replying to their comments. You can ask them for their feedback, suggestions, and to share your content.

7. Get a Business Account

Data and big data are buzzwords for a reason, so why are you missing out data analytics on Instagram? Get a business account on Instagram and access Instagram Analytics. This is another important way to assess your audience and their interests. Instagram Analytics not only tells about the demographics of your followers, but you can also see which posts are performing better in terms of engagement.

8. Be Consistent and Patient

Becoming an Instagram influencer is not a one-day game unless you are Jennifer Aniston. Creating relevant and unique content is not only enough to be an Instagram star, but consistency and patience are crucial as well. You have to create and publish content consistently. Keep in mind that it is not a part-time job, but it’s a 24/7 job.

9. Reach out to relevant Brands

Successful Instagram influencers go through the two most important phases in their careers. The first one is creating content and getting organic reach and engagements on your content. The second one is where the real money lies, reaching out to brands.

When you have got decent followership on Instagram, then start reaching out to relevant brands of your industry. The easiest way to get their attention is by tagging them in your posts. You can directly pitch them through DM or email.

Talk about what you have got for them. You won’t get responses and business from many brands you are reaching out, but you will get some positive responses at the end of the day. 

Author

Amanda Jerelyn is currently working as a Content Strategist at King Essay. She shares a deep passion for content marketing. She is a tech-savvy who follows the latest trends and happenings in the digital marketing space. In her free time, she bakes cakes and cookies and loves to do Zumba. I like to write and blog by passion. Other then this, researching about some new topics and investigating on their pros & cons is my Job and I love it.

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