Before we look at how to become a micro-influencer, we should probably explain what an influencer is. There are different variants of influencers:

  • Nano influencers have between 1,000 and 5,000 followers.
  • Micro influencers tend to have around 5,000 followers up to 50,000.
  • Influencers (in general), who’re usually famous film stars or people in the national and international press can have hundreds of thousands, even millions of followers.

Influencers are described as such due to their ability to encourage others to try something out. It could be a new product or service that they promote on their social channels and/or blog – something which the influencer is usually paid for. They can also influence others to think about a topic in a different way. Basically, they have a captive audience, people who will trust them and “follow” them.

And, you can become one!

Getting started

Here’s the first steps to take to become an influencer:

1. Pick a theme for your content – Make yourself unique and create a reason for people to follow and engage with you. 

2. Choose your channel – You may wish to create a blog and share the content on various social media platforms, or you may want to get started by using Instagram and YouTube. It’s worth noting that 78% of all social influencers used Instagram as their primary social media platform for brand collaborations in 2018.

3. Create some content – To build up a following you must be committed to creating content on a regular basis, as your followers will expect frequent updates from you. Create at least one video or blog post a week and at least one Instagram post a day.

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4. Reply to comments – By engaging with your followers, you’ll encourage others to comment, which will extend your reach and increase your following.

Initially you’ll work to become a nano-influencer, but the goal should be to become a micro-influencer, and to stick to this level as you’ll build up a genuine following and a regular, steady income. Why? Engagement usually drops the more followers you have, which is why it’s important to stay in the “micro-influencer” sweet spot. Those with less than 1,000 followers usually have engagement rates of around 15%, however, this falls to 2.4% percent once you reach 100,000 followers. 

Making money

As your following grows, be sure to stay true to yourself. Give your honest opinions about what’s going on in the world, about products you use and services you’ve had experience with. This will build trust with your followers. It’ll encourage them to like and engage with your posts. And, it is this companies will be attracted to.

Usually companies will approach you once you reach a certain following with increasing engagement. Initially they may simply ask you to review their products in return for some freebies. But, only work with companies who share the same values as you, along with products you really like. Charlotte from Memoirs and Musings recently wrote a blog and did a review for USBMakers, showing off their great customer service and attention to detail. Other influencers may also ask for more products from a company in order to run a competition, which is a great way of increasing engagement and will help attract other businesses.

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But, how do you make money? 

Create packages you can offer to companies who approach you, and consider how much you want to charge for the following:

  • Simple mention
  • Dedicated Instagram post
  • Instagram story
  • YouTube review
  • Dedicated YouTube video
  • Blog post

What’s more, if you make videos and share them on YouTube, you can start to make money from Google Ad Sense, too!

Take a look at this video from Yolz Channel, who explains how to make money as an influencer incredibly well >

How much money can you expect to make?

Micro influencers can expect to make on average £50-£70 per Instagram post, but more on YouTube.

Over the course of the year, those with smaller followings can make between £20-45k per year. But, it takes hard work and dedication. If you have the opportunity to make a deal with a brand, this will provide you with a regular income, so it’s worth considering. 

You don’t need a million followers to have influence or to make money talking about what you love. So, what’s stopping you?