Think about it: a genie pops out with a shocking proposition. You quit your job tomorrow and become a filthy-rich (or at least reasonably wealthy) influencer in the next few months. As an internet celebrity, you could make bank in a year tops. All you have to do is “jump.” Would you?
If the answer is yes, you’re right by the side of 63% of respondents from the recent survey. Are you curious about what they said? Around 63% claimed they would ditch their jobs tomorrow if guaranteed they would succeed as influencers in the next 6 to 12 months.
That sentiment isn’t surprising. Social media influencing seems like a cushy job, after all. You get to work flexible hours from home (or anywhere you want) and roll in cash for posting some sponsored content. The freedom to be your own boss and express yourself creatively is also a big allure.
Influencers still hold a solid grip on their audiences, even if people don’t trust them fully and point out unethical behaviors. Check out the report from Pew Research Center: 40% of people on social media in the US alone follow influencers or other content creators. Of those, 53% made a purchase because of an influencer. Impressive numbers, aren’t they?
You need a solid plan and quite a bit of nerve to become an influencer. You need even more luck, too. Are you cut out of the influencer cloth? Take the quiz to test your “it” factor.
You don’t need to chase after Ivy league education to become the next Patrick Bateman-esque, green juice-sipping, Beige Aesthetic influencer. Still, there is valuable knowledge out there for aspiring digital creators. You should know how to use particular social media platforms, how to work search engine optimization in your favor, and how brand marketing operates.
There are more specialized skills, like design or video editing, that are worth honing, depending on the venue you pick and your audience. A blogger, for example, needs to be able to write engaging content and know a thing or two about keywords, plagiarism, and AI detection. If TikTok is your base of operation, you should know how to create videos, use hashtags and challenges, and make trends and (ever-capricious) algorithm work in your favor. And so on.
With a large enough reach, you can generate income by posting sponsored content on your socials. How much you can make hinges on your audience’s size, your specific niche, and your engagement rate. Don’t lose hope if you don’t have millions of followers – plenty of brands seek to work with micro-influencers.
Why get paid for just one post when you can create a whole series of sponsored videos? It’s an excellent way to reach a wider audience and earn a buck – for the brand and you, of course. The numbers depend on your engagement and where you decide to post your videos. YouTube, TikTok, or Snapchat? Test different venues and see which one brings in the best profit.
Building a relationship with a brand might lead you to big bucks. Being a brand ambassador means you agree to promote the company’s product or service for compensation. What kind and how much? Well, that depends. You might receive a percentage of sales or have a set rate per post, or even get a salary for that affiliation. A starting point is generally a one cent per follower rule (or 100 dollars per 10k followers).
Selling your merch is a great idea to make money, provided you’ve built a loyal following willing to buy your goods. What can you sell? Practically anything – beauty items, clothes, gadgets, downloadable templates, or something unique to your niche.
If building a product line from scratch sounds intimidating, you can consider collaboration with a brand. It takes a load off of you: the company can take care of the logistics, while your job will be mostly promoting the product.
You can promote the companies you like by referring people to their products and earning a commission. Either you apply to a brand’s program or simply join an affiliate network. Each network represents several brands, acting like a middleman between them and you – the influencer.
Do you have an interested audience? Why not give them exclusive access to your content? Your followers can subscribe to your Patreon account for posts they won’t see anywhere else, work/life updates, freebies, discounts, and whatever else you might want to share with them. They pay a monthly fee, and the amount depends on the tier they choose. It’s a steady source of income that could get you up to 1k per month. Other platforms like Twitch and Instagram rolled out similar features.
How to crack the riddle of social media influencing? Is this truly the path for you? See if you have it in you to become a famous influencer. Take the quiz and check your engagement!
