By skyforbes 
Have you ever wondered how you can start receiving free products or compensation in exchange for posting content? How do you become an Instagram Influencer and start working with your favorite brands on social media?
Instead of paying for other forms of advertisement, brands invest in Influencers to get their products in front of more people.
You don’t need a huge following to become an Influencer. If anything, micro-influencers are becoming popular for brand promotion since their audience is more engaged.
If this is something you’re interested in doing, you can follow these 5 steps to become an Instagram Influencer and build an engaged following.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
How to Become an Instagram Influencer
Define Your Niche
A niche is the main topic that your platforms focus on. Narrowing down your niche will help you determine who your target audience is and what type of content to create.
There are a variety of niches such as:
- Beauty
- Wellness
- Travel
- Motherhood
- Mental Health
- Blogging Tips
Think about what you’re interested in talking about consistently and whether or not people are looking for solutions to their problems within the niche you choose.
As you continue on your journey, you may expand your niche and discuss multiple topics. There’s nothing wrong with that! Slowly add new topics and watch how your audience responds to them.
Create Quality Content
The quality of your content can attract brands that want to work with you and inspire comments from your audience.
You don’t have to invest in a professional camera! Although it’s an upgrade, you can start with what you already have and still put out amazing work.
I had an iPhone 6S Plus when I started and my quality wasn’t the best, however, I was able to improve my skills over time to improve my content.
After one year, I bought my first camera and continued to invest in equipment that would make creating content easier.
A ring light is a great purchase to make if you want to improve your quality. The first one I bought was budget-friendly and got the job done.
It provided plenty of light, had different brightness settings and came with everything I needed to take pictures and record videos easier.
Eventually, I was able to upgrade my lighting and bought the Neewer Ring Light Kit which has been a game-changer!
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Grow Your Following + Engagement
Although your follower count isn’t the most important, you need enough to get noticed by most brands.
Using hashtags, following similar accounts within your niche, and engaging with others will attract your target audience to your page.
Having an audience that regularly engages and resonates with your content will increase your chances of being noticed by brands. Engagement can be in the form of likes, comments, shares, and saves.
Here are some tips to improve your engagement:
- Write captions that educate + entertain
- Always respond to your comments
- Focus on building genuine connections
- Respond to your DM’s
You want to get to know your audience and build lasting connections. This will lead people to continuously show up for you and trust your recommendations.
Having the trust of your audience will come in handy when brands want you to promote their products.
Related Post: 7 Ways to Create an Engaged Audience on Instagram
Post Your Favorite Products
In the beginning, you can’t expect to get paid immediately. You have to get your foot in the door and give brands a reason to partner with you. It’s great to focus on establishing brand affinity.
Brand affinity means that you’re a regular supporter of a company. You’re a fan of their products and purchase them using your own money.
If you want to get on their radar, start posting about your favorite products and tag the brand(s) in your content.
Brands love to see when an Influencer talks about their products organically. My first paid campaign was with a brand I already supported and loved!
Although you’ll be creating this content for free, you have to start somewhere. When you’re ready to work with brands, you’ll be able to refer back to this organic content and show them how well it performed.
Pitch Yourself to Brands
After you have worked on building your following and engagement, you’re in the position to start pitching to brands.
You can’t always wait for brands to reach out to you for a partnership. It’s important to stand out from the crowd by putting yourself and your content in front of them.
Before you pitch to a brand, you want to have an idea of what you can offer. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What value can you offer that would make the partnership successful?
- Do you have the target audience they’re looking for?
- Are you viewed as an expert in your niche?
- Does your audience trust your recommendations?
I recommend pitching to small and medium-sized brands as a beginner. This will help you to grow and gain more experience before working with bigger brands in the future.
Related Post: How to Confidently Pitch Yourself to Brands
I used to believe that you had to be popular on social media to become an Instagram Influencer, however, that’s not true.
Everyone has something unique to offer through their content, and sharing your voice with the world will help you stand out.
If you’re passionate about creating, follow these steps to start your journey and build your brand!
You can’t expect massive growth overnight. Continue to stay consistent with putting out good-quality, valuable content, and forming genuine connections.
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