Here we are, in 2024–and influencers are still going strong.
But is it worth it for you to start now? Or are you already too far behind?
That’s the first of many questions we’re going to answer today. So, if you’re thinking of becoming an influencer–keep reading!
(If you work for a brand, feel free to read this too–sometimes, learning about the other side of influencer marketing can help you know what to look for in an influencer.)
What is an influencer?
Okay, so if you’re looking to become an influencer, you probably already know what one is. But we want to make sure we’re on the same page. Plus–you might learn some new things, so keep reading!
Influencers build a social media following by creating content around topics they’re passionate about. Their goal is to build an online community of loyal followers who are also passionate about the same things.
That sounds fun, right? It is! But the great part is that after they build that following, they can monetize it by working with brands in their niche(s). After all, if you find a brand that you LOVE that your audience would love too, you should get paid to share it.
Is it still worth becoming an influencer in 2024?
YES, 100%. But there is a catch.
If you’re hoping to become an influencer to promote products and make a quick buck, you’re in it for the wrong reasons. And that will make you less successful.
Yes, becoming an influencer can be lucrative. And there’s nothing wrong with thinking about it as a business you must develop the skills to run. But there’s a massive difference between being strategic about it as a career and being in it for the freebies and money.
Can you spot the difference?
There are two kinds of influencers:
- Those who put in the work and understand the time and work it takes to make a name and a brand that can bring in money. They’re in it for the long haul and are building something that will last for years.
- On the other side, there are those who skip the work by joining follow-per-follow loops, Facebook groups, buying followers, or engaging in any behavior that inflates their accounts. Then, they ask for more money to promote brands and try to shortcut their way to success. (This, by the way, doesn’t work in the long run.)
Don’t be the second kind of influencer.
You might see some quick wins with these “hacks,” but that’s not how to become an influencer on TikTok or any other platform with staying power. Followers and brands can easily see through these tactics, so you’ll only get occasional free products, money, and followers. There are no shortcuts if you want to see real success as an influencer.
So, the short answer to “Is it worth it to become an influencer in 2024?” is yes–if you look at it from a long-term perspective. Influencers are here to stay–they won’t get replaced by AI, and the industry is strong enough that there will be many opportunities for growth for years to come.
How to become an influencer
Okay, so you want to know how to become an influencer and make money–at least at some point, right? If you haven’t picked up on this already, this isn’t going to be a guide on how to become an influencer overnight. That mindset will set you up to lose in the long run.
We will share some proven steps to help you become an influencer and run gifted, paid, and affiliate campaigns with brands.
1. Pick a niche to focus on
Where do you want to focus as an influencer?
If that seems too broad, ask yourself: What makes you light up when you think or talk about it? What are you interested in? That should give you an excellent place to start.
For example, when you want to relax, do you instinctively reach for your knitting needles? Do you find yourself researching new stitches, dreaming of your next project, and looking up yarns and patterns? If so, you might’ve just found your niche.
Don’t overthink it. Your niche doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be super popular–it just needs to be something you’re genuinely interested in and would enjoy making content about.
2. Educate yourself
Depending on your style, you might want to do this before picking your niche. Either way, once you learn about influencer marketing and how it works, you’ll never want to stop. You can always do more to improve your craft, land better brand deals, and improve your engagement rate.
In addition to learning about your niche and marketing trends, you’ll also want to make sure you have a solid grasp on how to talk in front of a camera, how to grow an account on TikTok or Instagram, which metrics (like reach, impressions, and engagement rate) matter, and so much more.
You don’t need to be perfect at all of these things to get started–and if you wait until you’re 100% comfortable with what you know, you may never get started. But it’s a good idea to have an overview of how these things work so that you can make smart choices.
And don’t worry–it doesn’t matter what you start learning first; it's just that you continue learning and improving.
3. Create social media profiles and start posting
Now that you know your niche, researched, and picked the platforms you’ll focus on initially, it’s time to start creating your profile!
Yep, that’s right. We don’t recommend you go out and create a profile on every single platform right away. Pick one (probably TikTok or Instagram; those are the easiest to start with as an influencer) and customize it. Make sure that you also:
- Make them professional accounts
- Write a nice bio about yourself, including what you like to do and any other details relevant to your niche
- Add your email address or other contact information
Once you’ve created and customized your profile, it’s time to start posting! Don’t expect anything crazy right at first–if you’ve never created content before, expect your first 50-100 posts to kind of suck. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t be proud of them, but you’ll be learning a LOT and improving quickly. There’s nothing you can do to shortcut this process–it’s just something you have to learn, so you might as well know it now.
Just keep going. Even if it’s hard or you don’t like what you see. Keep learning. Keep going. Keep making small changes–and the content you post will get better until you can land your first gifted deals.
In addition to creating and posting content, you’ll also need to think about how to grow your profile: How will you get more followers? We’ve already written an article about how to get more followers on TikTok, but if you’re wondering how to become an Instagram influencer and get paid, the same advice we gave in that article applies to Instagram, too.
4. Keep posting and growing your account
Growing your account will take time–expect to be at it for a few months, at least, before you see any momentum. So prepare yourself mentally for that, and keep posting consistently.
That’s why we said at the beginning that it’s important to pick something you’re interested in and enjoy talking about–because at the beginning, at least, it can be a little lonely. It’s easy to lose steam if you’re not committed to your topic and growing your account. But being passionate about what you’re doing? That’ll keep you going, even when it’s tough.
A great example of this is @psartzetakis on Instagram. As we write this article, he’s a relatively new creator with just over 2K followers. Still, he’s been posting recipes consistently for a couple of months–and he’s starting to attract attention! This is how to become an influencer on Instagram.
Is he fully monetized yet? No–that takes time. It didn’t happen overnight for him and likely won’t happen overnight for you, either.
But the key is to keep posting and improving your content. Eventually, it will pay off.
What traps should aspiring influencers avoid?
We’ve already mentioned the first trap: Don’t try to “cheat the system.” If you do, you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.
It’s worth repeating: stay away from anything that might artificially make you look more popular than you are. Follow-per-follow loops, Facebook groups for getting followers, and buying followers are all bad for your long-term career as an influencer.
We know, we know… It’s tempting to feel like everyone else is engaging in these “Grow your account overnight” schemes. But there are a couple of good reasons to avoid them:
- First of all, social media platforms crack down on this sort of behavior, and you risk getting banned.
- But even more importantly, it’s super easy to spot so-called influencers who engage in this behavior, and brands don’t work with them.
See what we mean? You might *think* you’re making yourself look better, but in reality, you’re showing that you haven’t done the work to create a community.
The second thing to avoid is less of a trap and more related to your expectations:
Focus on the journey of becoming an influencer rather than the result.
We’ve mentioned multiple times in this article how long it takes to get a following on social media and that there will be many moments when you want to quit. Understanding that it’s a journey will serve you well when you want to give up.
If becoming an influencer was easy, everyone would do it. It’s not. You must be consistent, keep posting, and work toward your goal, even when it’s tough.
We know how hard it can be to keep going–especially when you have other commitments begging for your attention and focus. But keep working toward it–that’s the only way to see success.
How fast can influencers monetize and earn money?
Unfortunately, we can’t give you a number. It will depend on the amount of work you put in–and the mysterious and unknowable algorithm. But we can give you a good idea of when to expect to be able to monetize your account based on things you CAN measure.
If you’re going to start charging brands money for collaborations, make sure you:
- Have at least 5K-10K followers.
- Create high-quality content on your profiles. (If you’d like to see some examples of what we mean, check out our content showcase)
How fast can you meet those two criteria? It’s up to you! 🎉
Where can influencers find brands to work with?
If you want to start running influencer campaigns with brands, Social Cat is the place to be! We facilitate gifted, affiliate, and paid collaborations with brands across the US, the UK, and Australia, so whether you’re just getting started or are experienced and want to earn more, we've got you covered. 😉
We have a LOT of brands looking for gifted collaborations, so if you’re new to influencing and want to get some experience, this is an especially great place for you! Make sure to check out our acceptance requirements before you apply!
The best part? Using Social Cat is 100% free for influencers, and the payments you receive are yours. We don’t take any commissions.
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