How to be an Instagram Social Influencer

So, you want to be a social influencer. Or, at least you want to find some way of justifying to your parents that all that time you spend on social media is really a good thing. Either way, this is the article for you. For those of you reading this piece that haven’t a canary about all this lark, a social influencer is someone who has a large following on any social media channel. They get paid by companies to advertise products on their channels. Who am I to be dispelling advice? My name is Kat, I’m a B.A student and I work as a social influencer on my Instagram blog @PetrolRose. Don’t ask, I was 12 when I started using that username! So, let’s get you started.

Building your following:

1. Post often. At least once a day, but never more than 3 times. Spamming is a no no, it’s annoying and will result in losing followers.
2. Post on your story. Max 5 times- for the same reason, spamming kills followers.
3. Make every picture different. People will not subscribe to a profile full of selfies at exactly the same angle. Try setting your camera on a timer or annoy a friend.
4. Have personality! Make your captions concise, but fun. And be authentic whilst you’re at it, honesty is attractive.
5. Use hashtags. Lots of them. Remember to stick them in the first comment underneath so your caption won’t appear messy.
6. No filters. Okay, maybe a few, but keep the picture as clear as you possibly can because humans like authenticity! Your camera phone works perfectly
7. Set a location. Try to keep it general though-you’ll appear whenever anyone searches that country.
8. Like often. Remember every ‘like’ is a pathway back to you!
9. Collaborate! If another Instagrammer posts a picture with you or tags you, It’s an advertisement to their audience.

Get paid to post:

1. Tag what you’re wearing or holding. Let companies know that you like their products. Be honest in doing it though. For example: If you’re suddenly posting pictures of yourself in fitness clothes when your followers already know that you spend most nights curled up scrolling with a pizza, you don’t look great as a potential brand ambassador for fitness products.
2. Approach companies that use social influencers. Remember there’s a sea of faces out there, make yourself known.
3. Join an agency. Agencies are a great way to create bridges between yourself and a company.
4. Know your worth. if someone approaches you wanting you to post about them, they understand that there is value in your audience. If a company is willing to pay a channel to air their ad, they should be willing to pay for access to your audience too.

Social media influencing is a fantastic job to have in college. It allows you to get paid for posting selfies and never leaving the house. It means you can spend more time on the important work for Uni and less time working a fulltime job trying to pay for it. Have fun with it, be shameless and post away!

Katherine Beirne – Features Writer