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Everyone holds influence. Anyone can call themself an “influencer” if you share your life and the things you love and you do so with the goal of impacting or inspiring others, then in my world, you’re already an influencer. YOU hold influence, whether it’s in your community, your family, your friend circle, your workplace, or anywhere you show up and the sooner you accept that fact, the more likely you are to use your influence for good.
But maybe you’re not ready to claim that title as your own or maybe you’ve added a few caveats or requirements to what you consider an influencer.
If that’s you and you’ve been considering dipping your toes into the influencer space or wondering if being an “influencer” is your next pivot or goal, then this episode is for you! So today I am sharing 14 simple ways to give the influencer space a go, and to inspire action for those in your circle. All 14 of the tips are in the full episode (so press play) but here are 3 to get you started. Buckle up because this is a fun one!
Start with sharing what you are loving, buying, and using
I don’t care how many people are currently following you, the first step in getting to where you want to go is starting with where you’re at. Let people into your life so they can see the things you are using and the stuff you are recommending to your sister or best friend. It takes time to get comfortable with this and so wouldn’t you rather practice when there are less eyes on you? Something that helps me with this (because it DOES feel awkward) is I pretend I’m talking to my friend Sarah. I literally think, I am just sending this to her, what would I say?
The most relatable ones who have lasting, diehard communities are the ones who actually care and treat and talk to their followers like friends! They invite dialogue, ask for feedback, respond to their questions, they share things that they *actually* use and love, they offer advice and life hacks as a source of support.
So just start showing up, today, no matter if your life is messy and not “Instagram” perfect, because by the way, people respect and relate to that SO much more anyway. Share things you genuinely love and that make your days better, easier, or more joyful in some way. Speak in your stories and captions like you’re texting or on a call with your lifelong best friend. That alone will start building trust and connection between you and your followers!
Optimize your profile
Optimize your profile so people can know what to expect and if you’re open to collaborations or partnerships. This means doing an audit of your bio! Your bio offers a first impression and a quick preview of what people can expect if they follow you. Your bio should do a few things: it should explain who you are, who you want to connect with, what kind of content you cover (aka, the topics you talk about most), and provide a place for people to reach you, whether that’s a website or email address or email list to sign up for.
After your bio audit, look at your 9 most recent posts on Instagram to make sure they match what you’re saying – meaning, are the posts you’re posting aligned with people’s expectations they get from your bio! Do your recent posts include the topics you say you cover on your page? Do they speak to the audience you say you speak to in your bio? Do they reflect the person you are or becoming and want others to see and connect with? If they don’t, no worries – don’t feel like you need to go on a big delete spree.
Instead, use this mini audit as a challenge for you to start posting content more aligned with the way you want to connect and influence online. It’s not about changing your persona but more so dialing in your focus and making sure the content you’re sharing is aligned with what someone would expect from your newly crafted bio! Honing your messaging and content and focusing will also help brands know exactly who you are and what to expect if they want to collaborate with you in some way in the future.
Be regular and consistent
I know, it sounds so simple but this is probably the most challenging part about being an influencer or having a name in the social media space. Life is full and busy for most of us, which often leads to us scrolling on social media in our spare downtime moments rather than creating compelling content there. It’s the trap of social media – it just so happens to be an easier space to passively hang out than actively create and share new content.
If you are really curious about being an influence or you want to expand your reach, then you likely want to systemize or strategize the work – because yes, being an influencer requires work! If you struggle with consistency, I highly recommend creating a content creation schedule or calendar that you can realistically stick to.
It doesn’t mean you need to be posting on your feed every single day, in fact I would argue that quality trumps quantity when it comes to sharing posts that live in your grid, but if anything, challenge yourself to show up on stories, even if it’s just 60 second a day. Stories are an easy and valuable place to spend your energy, even if it’s just a minute a day, and then aim for at least 1-2 in-feed posts per week. Make sure you can stay consistent when you aren’t being paid so that it makes sense for brands to partner with you at a later point.
More from this Episode
That was just 3 out of the 14 ways you can start to dip your toes into the influencer space. Press play for the full episode.
But don’t forget: you are already an influencer. You influence your family, your coworkers, your friends, your circle of followers online. You add light and infuse joy into someone else’s day, even though you probably aren’t sharing affiliate codes or responding to hundreds of comments on the reg JUST yet. But you ARE an influencer.
You lead in your own way, and now to grow that leadership to a broader realm, it just takes the consistency to show up, share with confidence, and aim to do everything with a service heart. You have the power to help and support so many people, on and offline, so keep being true to your purpose and true to you. I’m rooting for you, and can’t wait to see what kind of growth you have in the coming months and years!
