Not a bad thought!

People are running to grab the opportunity of becoming professional bloggers or influencers through the medium of Instagram.

How much do Instagram influencers make?

Popular Instagram influencers are worth millions (even billions). They know how to use the platform to create businesses and expand their existing businesses.

But what actually is an “Instagram Influencer”?

Simply put, Instagram Influencers are those who have masses of engaged and loyal followers. Followers numbered in the hundreds of thousands, even millions.

They have done this through authentic posts that build trust with their followers.
And Influencers can “influence” their lives and decisions.

How do Top Instagram Influencers make money through Instagram?

Now there isn’t a definite way to actually earn money through Instagram.
But some leverages come with being one!

Companies collaborate with Instagram food Influencers to market and sell their products. And if they are big enough, Instagram Influencers can make some seriously big money!

But how many followers should you have to be considered an Instagram Influencer?

The market decides how big of an influencer you are. Simple as that.
But the minimum threshold you should aim for is 10,000 actively engaged followers. Once you cross this line, you can expect to attract the attention of brands.

But brands have their own thresholds. With some considering more than 100,000 followers as the minimum.

Once you hit critical mass, you can expect some severe money coming your way through sponsored posts or even just a tag.
The important thing is to get started and begin with one follower.

So how do you become a Top Instagram Influencer?

Here are many of the steps that you can take to get started on your journey to becoming a rock-star Instagram Influencer:

1 – Choose a Niche

As you can’t be known for everything under the sun, choose a niche that you are good at and have knowledge about.
Picking a niche is one thing, staying with it is another.

That’s where passion comes in, to keep you going when the going gets tough.
And the going will get tough.
Not just any niche.

Choose the niche you are passionate about, that you live and breathe.
That’s what Instagram Influencers stand out for.
They love what they do.

Take fashion. Fashion is a specialized area, but it is still too broad.

If you start posting on fashion in general, you will get drowned out by all the noise out there.
But say you love wearing suits and formal attire and have a ton of experience with it.

You may now think of posting about men’s suits and the latest fashion trends in men’s formal attire.
This can be specialized further into, say, wedding groom attire.

2 – Stand For a Cause

A cause will give your actions a purpose. Followers will know you to be genuine because of what you stand for.
This can be something you experienced and struggled with yourself and overcame.

People will know that what you are doing is not just for the money but because you believe in something positive!

3 – Be Authentic

The best Instagram Influencers care about their followers and do everything they do with that in mind.
What they say and do is genuine and authentic, and that’s why they build credibility.

Your passion needs to shine through, and you need to be able to stand out. If making money is your only goal, you will not succeed.

4 – Evolve

With Instagram and social media changing, it’s important to change with it. Stay updated on the latest changes taking place.
Read articles.

Follow other Instagram Influencers to see what they are up to.
But don’t straight up copy others. Inject your own personality and passion into whatever you do.

5 – Create Rich Content

Emotionally rich and technically rich.
You need to show genuine emotion in your expressions and words. People connect with others at an emotional level.

Invest in an excellent high-def camera, or learn to use your camera phone.
Naturally, a good-looking video and pictures are more likely to get a double tap and a comment.

6 – Think Quality, Not Quantity

Do you see how surprised the lady is in the gif on the idea of quantity over quality?
Yeap that is profoundly INSANE!

Pay attention to the quality of your posts.
Take time to think about how you can make it more relevant for people.
Quality catches people’s attention and makes them want to read more and follow you.
Remember, quality beats quantity.

And maybe with time and practice, you will be able to do both.

7 – Tell Your Story

Facts tell, stories sell.
Everyone has a story. So, explain it.
Open up about your struggles, your experiences, your comebacks over your life. Stories draw upon your emotions, and in-turn pulls in the feelings of people.

The more people know you, the more they will like you. And the more likely will they be to buy from you.
Emotionally connected people are more likely to double tap, comment, follow, and buy.

8 – Be Consistent Across Social Media Platforms

Do not change who you are across social media platforms.
Your audience should be able to recognize you through a consistent aesthetic across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media platform you may be using.

The same goes for your message and how it is communicated.

Keep it consistent.

The format will change, the message will not.
Doing this will increase your branding power, as people will absorb your content and will recognize your brand across platforms.

9 – Create a brand

People love brands!
The brand can be you, or it can be a reflection of who you are.
With Instagram, branding takes place around you or your business.
This is where your personality and business need to shine!
But do not forget to keep it authentic!
Other brands look for Instagram Influencers whose brand matches their own wavelength.
And more importantly, those who are genuine and authentic.

Learn: how to create a personal brand from this Instagram influencer course

10 – Use a Logo

A logo is a great way to visually present yourself and your business.
Make it memorable and easy to recognize!
Your logo should speak to your brand.
Use a clever combination of colors and design.
Keep it different, unique and recognizable!

11 – Craft A Social Media Strategy

Whatever you do on Instagram should fit into your overall business strategy.
There is no utility in trigger happy Instagram posts that do not serve you, your brand, and your business.
Design your daily posts with the bigger picture in mind.

With a strategy in mind, you will find creating posts is more accessible and filled with purpose.

12 – Go global!

 

With social media, you can reach a global audience. No holds barred.
You can set a posting schedule for a month and use Instagram’s data analytics tools to see which time zone offers max audience engagement.
Once you know the time zone, you can use a scheduling app to hit it again and again.

13 – Hashtags

Instagram lets you use up to 30 hashtags.
And they are the best way for people to find you for areas you are an expert at.
Without hashtags, people will probably never be able to search your profile.
Spend a little time on which hashtags have the most traffic.
Then see how best you can include them in your posts.
Also, look for the hashtags being used by other influencers and brands that share your market space.
This will help you gain exposure where people are searching for your competition.

14 – Engage!

The key is having engaged followers.
You can engage them only if you engage with them!
Reply to and like your followers’ comments.
They need to know that you are willing to interact with them regularly.
A great tool to attract new followers.
Post stories!

Reach out to potential followers and comment on their posts.
Start a conversation.
Share ideas about topics of mutual interest.
Engaged followers are loyal followers as they know you have the time and energy to pay them attention.
It helps to build an emotional connection.

15 – Use Your Audience

Perhaps the best way to engage with your audience is to include them in a unique feature.
It builds loyalty and helps build close relationships with your followers.
This shows potential business partners how close you are with your fans.
This is also a content generating tool as it pits two minds to creatively come up with content.
It makes the whole experience more memorable and leads to a ripple effect on the trust of your fans.

16 – Collaborate

Once you are big enough to be taken seriously by your peers, you can collaborate with your fellow Instagram Influencers.
This works best where both know they have more to gain by synergizing and working together to serve their followers.

17 – Write entertaining captions

Nobody wants to follow dull and boring posts.
People do not want to be just educated.
They also want to be entertained.
Figure out how to make your posts witty and entertaining, and the fan following will follow.

18 – Post daily quality content

Provided you maintain the quality and standard of your posts, make a daily post on your profile.
This is a great frequency to have if you want to keep your followers engaged regularly.
It is important to stay engaged with your audience and provide them with fresh, new content to consume.
Again, consistency is key here.

It is never a good idea to post several times a day and then disappear for a week.
Consistent, a quality volume is vital.
You can use scheduling tools to plan out and drop your posts at a set frequency. Leave it on auto-pilot and let it do its work.

Top Influencers on Instagram

It is not a simple process to determine who top influencers on Instagram are, and it would be impossible to categorically state who were the top Instagram Influencers.
Despite the struggle of choosing the best ones, the top influencers on Instagram are;

• Huda Kattan – @hudabeauty
• Cameron Dallas – @camerondallas
• Zach King – @zachking
• Michelle Lewin – @michelle_lewin
• Nash Grier – @nashgrier
• Chiara Ferragni – @chiaraferragni
• Nikkie De Jager – @nikkietutorials
• Jake Paul – @jakepaul
• Kayla Itsines – @kayla_itsines
• Camila Coelho – @camilacoelho
• Mariano Di Vaio – @marianodivaio
• Jay Alvarez – @jayalvarrez
• Joanna Gaines – @joannagaines
• Murad Osmann – @muradosmann
• Julie Sarinana – @sincerelyjules
• Marcus Butler – @marcusbutler
• Chris Burkard – @chrisburkard
• Dr. Mike Varshavski – @doctor.mike
• James Charles – @jamescharles
• Joe Wicks – @thebodycoach
• Ingrid Nilsen –  @ingridnilsen

Instagram Business Accounts

An Instagram business account is free, so there is going to be no up-front cost to you.
What it offers though, is invaluable.

Instagram Insights lets you monitor your traffic, activity levels and times, follower demographics and fluctuations over time.

And a whole lot more. You can even view this data for specific posts.
This will help you figure out which posts are working and which are not.
You can then do more of what works and avoid that which is not.
You do not have this data with a personal account.

So you will not be able to make the same quality decisions with.
Given the upside of a business account, and especially if you are a business owner yourself, getting a business account is a no brainer.

Instagram Bios

With only 150 words to play with, your bio is basically the elevator pitch for your entire account. So, effectiveness is key!

Make it short and sweet, and use keywords, so the readers immediately know what you are about. People need to know at once that they are following the right profile.
Add a web link to your website, as the bio is the only place on your profile where you can add a clickable link.

In a Nut Shell

So now that you know how to become an influencer on Instagram go ahead and take your first steps.
The more you do, the more you will learn: about yourself, your audience, your followers, and about Instagram!
And with time, you will be able to fine-tune your Instagram machine!
It’s true that you cannot become an Instagram influencer overnight.

You will need to be patient and make sure to follow the above steps.
It might take a few months, but trust me, you will definitely start seeing results.
I’ve seen and helped quite a few individuals land brand partnerships within a few months of following these.
And there’s no reason why you can’t do so as well.

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