Remember the days when it was a surprise to hear how much an ‘Influencer’ (likely not yet called that) made on social media? The headlines screamed shock and confusion. Fast forward not that many years and it’s now SO accepted that people are making money by advertising products online that laws are being incorporated. Enter #ad and #spon.
The Economist found that last year, influencers on Instagram made anything from $5,000 (£3,872) to $150,000 (£116,000), while YouTube stars earned almost double that. It’s all a bit ludicrous, but it’s not just for the big dogs to play, while we may be quiiiite some way from making anything near that amount, we can all kinda get a piece of the pie, such is the beauty of the internet. We asked influencers how they’ve turned their likes into cash monies and this is what they had to say…
1. Find Your Own Style
There are approximately 700 Instagram accounts out there and over 4.2 billion posts a day. In all that, as cheesy as it sounds, your best bet of standing out is by being yourself because there’s no one else in the world like you.
‘Find a unique selling point that suits you best,’ explains London-based blogger Anisa Sojka. ‘Followers don't want to see a copy of another outfit / scenic shot that another blogger is posting.’ Whether it’s Caroline Vreeland’s spaghetti infused photos or Instagram’s Eva Chen back-of-the-taxi-selfies, it’s good to carve out an identity for yourself online.
2. It’s Not All About Numbers
Yes okay so sometimes it kind of feels like we’re all in a big numbers game, striving for follows and likes, but increasingly quality over quantity is being prioritised. Having reached peak ‘Instagram-Influencer’, ‘Micro-influencers’ are reporting that some brands are happy to work with people whose follower count may be lower, but are more actively engaged.
‘To begin with, concentrate on building your social media platforms into a solid brand with a dedicated following, rather than using cheap tricks and quick fixes to increase numbers,’ explains London-based blogger Hannah Louise F. ‘Engaged followers are worth so much more to companies who might want to pay you to post, so you have to put in that groundwork in order to monetise most successfully.’
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Reach Out
Gone are the days where you have to wait for a brand to reach out to you. Instagram and co. provide visibility to everyone and anyone with an account. ‘Always tag brands you’re wearing, do post outfits of the day; things that are quick and throwaway,’ says TV presenter, DJ and fitness blogger AJ Odudu. ‘That’s often how brands find you and reach out for sponsored posts.’
‘I have been in contact with or been re-posted by brands I love simply through tagging them in my photos,’ added professional make-up artist Olivia Newman-Young. ‘Not only can this lead to future collaborations with them, but if they retweet your photo it can lead to other brands noticing you, as well as open you up to new followers.’
4. Use Hashtags & Be Savvy
Hashtags are great for increasing your visibility, too. ‘I always make sure my hashtags are relevant to my image and also try to include any that may be trending,’ explains London-based blogger Abbie Tanner.
Plus, paying attention to what works well and what doesn’t can go some way, too. By switching your Instagram profile over to a business account, you can get access to your analytics and see what times people are most engaged. ‘Kinda goes without saying perhaps, but by posting at the times where your followers are most likely to be online, more of them are likely to see your post. I try and keep my posting regular and at times that work best for engagement; that tends to be around 9 pm for me’, adds Abbie.
5. Incorporate Movement
Video content is reportedly where it’s at these days and the same goes for Instagram. Blogger Anisa Sojka tells us how integrating video into your content is often a lot more relatable than just posting another stiff photo. ‘Your followers will get more of a sense of who you are,’ she explains. ‘Also, [being able to see the] movement of a piece of clothing sells it better.’
6. Join An Affiliate Scheme
These days, there are tons of affiliate schemes that reward you with cold hard cash whenever someone buys something you’ve directed them to. LikeToKnow.It, as part of RewardStyle, which was founded by blogger Amber Venz is one of the first and biggest affiliate schemes out there, and makes it particularly easy to monetise your Instagram. ‘Users receive links to your outfits direct to their inbox simply by liking your photo [on Instagram] or by taking a screenshot your image and uploading it to their app,’ explains Anisa.
7. Put The Work In
There’s no hard and fast rule to anything in life, let alone how best to make diamond-infused lemonade out of our Instagram feeds, but there’s certainly something to be said for having a well-curated profile. Dutch blogger Nathalie Kemna suggests using planning apps like UNUM or Planoply to see an overview of your Instagram feed and to map out which photos suit best. She also advocates spending time engaging with your followers and with other accounts as well as responding to comments.
8. Don’t Limit Yourself Just To Fashion
Granted, fashion is big business - on and off social media. But, there are lots of other markets you can incorporate and monetise, too. ‘Many homeware and lifestyle brands use affiliate sites to reward with commissions,’ explains Lauren Mahon, founder of the Girl Stole London’ blog and the #GirlVSCancer movement.
9. Be Authentic
‘Nobody likes to feel like they're being sold to and as you are essentially a brand your followers buy into your style. If [your Instagram feed] starts to feel a bit too 'spon' you run the risk of your community disengaging,’ explains Lauren.
‘Don’t be a sellout,’ added Anisa. ‘Just because a brand is paying doesn't mean you have to work with them. Stay true to your taste, your standards and what is relevant for your following.’
Liked this? You might also be interested in:
We Spoke To One Of The Rich Kids Of Instagram To Find Out If Having It All Is Really All That
Follow Alya on Instagram @moorizZLA
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.