# data[].attributes.body
Where can you find it?
- Social media: FB, IG, LinkedIn
- Any other places?

# data[].attributes.body
Where to study the qualifications?

# data[].attributes.body
How to gain more skills?

# data[].attributes.body
d. Be an influencer by:
- Size: As many follower as possible
- Content: Create great content
- Position: Using your social position, ie. actor, singer, politician,

# data[].attributes.body
eg. Marketing, Journalism, Digital Media/ Marketing, Coaching, Creative Writing, Advertising and Branding

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Before you start on your path to becoming an influencer, you need to first select your niche. You need to choose a niche that you are interested in and can consistently create content about. You should also have some level of expertise in the field to be able to establish yourself as an influencer.

As an influencer, you will have to research and post content in your chosen interest area. So, it is important to choose something you're passionate about and will enjoy spending your time on.

Whether you love cooking and trying new recipes or are interested in DIY crafts, you need to find your calling. You could also select a combination of 2-3 interests, but don't make it too broad.

Once you have chosen your niche, the next step is to select your preferred social media platforms and create/optimize your profiles. Most influencers are popular on only one or two social media platforms. So, it is best to focus your efforts on only 1-2 channels.

Once you have selected your channels, you need to either create new profiles or optimize your existing ones.

Here are some of the things you can do to optimize your profiles:

If you intend to become an influencer, you need to switch to a business account, as that opens up a lot more options. Most platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have the option to create a business account in the profile settings.

Your bio is the first thing someone sees when they visit your profile and is therefore an important part of making a great first impression. Your bio should be able to tell your story in an engaging manner. It should also provide all pertinent information about you like your full name, location, contact details, and areas of expertise.

You also need to add a profile pic and a cover photo for your profile, as they are also important components of your personal brand identity. People often recognize a social media profile by the profile picture, so you need to carefully select a picture. Also, make sure that your face is clearly visible, and the picture quality is good.

Before you start creating content and posting on social media, you need to understand your target audience. Influencers have sway over their audiences and strong connections with them. That's due to the fact that they don't cater to everyone, but only those with similar interests in the same niche.

To become an influencer, it is important that you know who you're targeting and then do it well to build a loyal follower base. To understand your audience, you can first start by analyzing your current follower base to get insights into their demographics and interests.

Most social media platforms have a built-in analytics tool that provides such insights about your current audience. Twitter Analytics, for example, provides insights into your current followers' interests, genders, locations, etc.

Once you know what your audience likes, you'll be ready to deliver it to them.

The next step in becoming an influencer is to post useful and relevant content for your followers. The more you are able to engage with your audience, the more people will be influenced by your opinions and recommendations.

That's the most important requirement for being an influencer, the fact that your followers actually listen to you.

You need to formulate a content strategy and use a mix of content types, preferably the ones that your audience will most like.

Some influencers keep their feeds all about their chosen field of interest like food, travel, fashion, beauty, etc. Such influencers don't mix posts about their personal lives in with their niche posts, and keep their content focused only on their niche.

Which means that a food influencer might post recipes, photos of restaurant visits, reviews, and even brand promotions.

Some influencers prefer to mix in a bit of content from their personal lives, to connect with their audiences better. Adding posts about their day-to-day lives helps influencers seem more authentic and relatable. This strengthens their connections with their audiences.

No matter what content strategy you choose, make sure that you make it broad enough to accommodate future brand collaborations. Your sponsored posts should be able to fit naturally along with the rest of the content you post. You can add reviews as a regular feature in your feed, to make way for paid review opportunities that you may get later.

Overall, keep your content strategy focused on your niche, but not too narrow. Think from a long-term perspective and start preparing to be an influencer right from the start.

After you have decided what types of content you will post, you need to finalize a posting frequency and schedule. Most social media platforms' algorithms give preference to accounts that post regularly. This is especially true for Instagram, which requires a regular posting frequency for increased visibility.

You can choose to post daily, weekly, or at any frequency that you're comfortable with. You should also consider the platform before deciding on that. Some platforms, like Twitter, are more dynamic in nature and require a higher posting frequency if you want to become an influencer on that platform.

On other social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, you can get away with posting once or twice a week. However, select the days and times that you will post and be consistent.

This by Sprout Social revealed that there are certain days and times of the week when you can get maximum engagement on your posts. For most platforms, the highest engagement rates can be seen during the late morning and afternoon hours midweek. Wednesday is the best day to post for most platforms. You should check out the best times to post for your chosen platform and build your posting schedule accordingly.

Here are the best times to post on Instagram in 2022, for example.

Once you start posting content on social media, you will often get likes and comments on your posts. For an influencer, it is important to connect with their followers, therefore, you cannot ignore these comments.

It is a good practice to reply to comments and answer any questions that your followers ask you. You can also just "like" their comments to show your appreciation.

Another way to engage with your audience is to ask them a question and start a conversation about a topic of mutual interest. Interactions like these help build personal connections with your audience and solidify your position as an influencer.

The final step towards your quest to becoming an influencer is to announce it to the world. You need to come out and declare yourself as an influencer who is interested in brand collaborations.

You can do this by writing in your bio that you're an influencer and are interested in collaborations. You can also provide contact details for potential clients, giving them an easy way to connect with you.

Another way to do this is by doing your own outreach and messaging relevant brands with a pitch on what you can offer. It is best to design an outreach template that you can use to reach out to different brands, as that can save you a lot of time.

There are several influencer platforms where brands and influencers can find each other. You can also use those to find brands in your niche who are looking for collaborations.

These are some of the more direct ways to look for brand collaborations. An indirect way is to tag brands and mention them when you talk about their products in your posts.

It's important to build a name for yourself and network with brands in your niche. This might not yield immediate results, but will help you form long-term brand associations that might lead to future collaborations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Become an Influencer: 7 Easy Steps to Becoming a Social Media Influencer Today

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Before you start on your path to becoming an influencer, you need to first select your niche. You need to choose a niche that you are interested in and can consistently create content about. You should also have some level of expertise in the field to be able to establish yourself as an influencer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The term influencer is being tossed around a lot these days.

I would even classify it as one of the top 10 buzzwords of 2016.

Influencer marketing is quickly becoming one of the hottest and most effective strategies in existence.

In fact, " 59 percent of marketers use influencer engagement campaigns for product launches and content creation."

This technique gets results because businesses make $6.50 for every dollar invested in influencer marketing, according to a poll of marketing professionals conducted by Tomoson.

But what about when YOU'RE the influencer? You're the one calling the shots.

Becoming an influencer in your industry can have immense benefits.

You can use your experience and credibility to sway the opinion of others, build trust, develop your brand, and so on.

But how exactly does one become an influencer?

While there's no magic recipe and a lot of variables involved, I've found there is a distinct process you can follow.

It definitely takes time to achieve this status, but following the right steps should eventually elevate you to influencer status.

What is an Influencer?

First things first. What do I mean when I say influencer?

Influencer Analysis is dead on with their definition:

"An influencer is an individual who has above-average impact on a specific niche process. Influencers are normal people, who are often connected to key roles of media outlets, consumers groups, industry associations or community tribes."

In other words, people recognize that you're an expert (or at least highly knowledgeable) in your industry and that you've got a sizable following.

This might include a loyal legion of blog subscribers, social media followers, etc.

Keep in mind you don't need to do it on the macro scale to be an influencer. You don't have to be Taylor Swift or Jay Z.

In fact, there are countless micro-influencers who may not be recognized on the large scale but hold a lot of sway nonetheless.

Some people who come to mind include Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income and Tim Ferriss.

At the core of it all, influencers have authority, and their word is as good as gold.

People recognize the value they bring to the table and are genuinely interested in what they have to say.

I've found that the process of becoming an influencer has five key steps.

Step 1 - Focus on a niche

The first and most important step to becoming an influencer is to focus on what you're passionate about.

You can't be everything to everyone. To gain traction and be recognized as an authority figure, people need to link your name to a particular niche.

Take Darren Rowse of ProBlogger, for example.

He's a blogger, podcaster, speaker, and author who specializes in one specific area: blogging.

His name is synonymous with blogging, and his website is one of the top resources for learning about blogging and how to become a better blogger.

Notice that he doesn't talk about fashion, ice skating, or cooking. His core focus is on blogging. That's it.

While you don't have to completely pigeonhole yourself, it's important that you pick a particular niche and focus wholeheartedly on it.

You need to eat, sleep, and breathe your niche. This allows you to establish authority in a particular area.

Ideally, in time, people will recognize your expertise and take notice.

They'll want to follow you on whatever outlets you use (e.g., a blog, Twitter, and/or industry publications) and be interested in what you have to say.

Step 2 - Share your knowledge

To make a name for yourself and establish a presence, you need to create plenty of industry-centric content.

This is vital because it's a surefire way to prove that you know your stuff and demonstrate the value you bring.

Fortunately, this has never been easier to do than today.

With a ton of media outlets available, there's no shortage of mediums to choose from.

A good old-fashioned blog is one of the best places to get started, and it provides you with a platform to develop your unique voice.

In fact, " 86 percent of influencers also operate at least one blog." And I feel that launching my own personal blog has been a contributing factor to getting to where I'm at today.

You'll definitely want to be active on social media as well.

Ideally, you'll create and maintain profiles on at least three different networks because this increases your reach and gives you the opportunity to establish a strong brand identity.

It's also great because you can connect with other like-minded people in your industry.

Notice that Darren Rowse has a solid presence on multiple social networks:

However, a blog and social media are just the tip of the iceberg.

There are countless other mediums you can use to demonstrate your knowledge and boost your "street cred."

Some options include:

I'm also a huge proponent of writing a book.

Podcasting

Creating webinars

Creating videos

Slideshows

Whitepapers

Infographics

There's something about authorship that can really skyrocket your credibility and make people take notice.

An e-book is nice, but a legitimate printed book is even better.

Just think about it.

If someone lands on your website and sees that you've published a book, they'll probably take you a lot more seriously than they would have otherwise.

Your perceived value can quickly go through the roof this way.

Legitness!

Finally, there's guest-blogging.

While this strategy got some heat for awhile because of its association with potential Google penalties, it's still incredibly effective, especially for establishing yourself as an influencer.

I attribute a lot of my success to the fact that I made it a point to be featured on publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc.

Guest-blogging is awesome because it kills two birds with one stone. Or six birds. Or more.

First, you can reach a huge audience basically overnight.

Say the blog or publication you post on has 100,000 readers. You can get your content in front of a large-scale audience and tangibly demonstrate the industry knowledge and expertise you bring to the table.

Second, you can increase your perceived value dramatically. Being associated with other leaders and influencers in your industry elevates your brand equity significantly.

This way, you can piggyback on their success and use it to establish yourself as a viable influencer.

If you're looking for some guidance on the guest-blogging process, I recommend checking out this post from Kissmetrics. It has some super helpful tips.

The bottom line here is that you'll need to put forth plenty of effort, creating a lot of quality content and distributing it across a variety of mediums.

This is key for getting your name out there and getting the ball rolling.

Step 3 - Have an opinion

What's one thing that all influencers have in common?

They have their own take on things. They have a voice. They have an opinion.

This is what makes them distinguishable from the masses and what gives them their swagger.

What they aren't is vanilla or lukewarm on topics.

With 1,400 blog posts, 2,460,000 pieces of Facebook content, and 277,000 tweets posted each minute, there's an immense amount of noise on the Internet.

In order to rise above it, you need to be an independent thinker.

Quite frankly, I think it's better to be occasionally offensive or to go against the grain than to be 100% agreeable all the time.

Not that you should go out of your way to stir the pot, but it's okay for your thoughts to deviate from the norm.

People are attracted to those who can think for themselves and have their own views on things.

Whatever industry you're in, hold true to your values, and be sure to have your own opinion.

This is essential for eventually becoming an influencer.

Step 4 - Network, network, network

Once you've established yourself to some extent, you need to make an effort to connect with others.

I've found that one of the best ways to create leverage is to network with other influencers.

Or as Marketing Land puts it,

"To establish yourself as an influencer, you need to interact with influencers."

But when you're an up-and-comer and still working to establish yourself, you're usually the one who will need to put in the legwork.

Seldom will the heavy hitters reach out to you (at least at first). That's why you'll need to be the one to reach out.

There are two main ways to do this.

One is to connect digitally, and the other is to connect in person.

The first option is usually done via interacting with prominent people on social media and commenting on their blog posts and other content they post.

The goal here is to start a conversation and gradually build rapport. This takes time and can't be done overnight, so you need to be persistent about it.

For example, you might get in the habit of providing insightful comments at the end of an influencer's blog posts that further the conversation.

After three or four times, it's likely they'll take notice of you, and this can open doors for the future.

But how do you know with whom to interact?

If you need some help deciding whom to target, I recommend using Buzzsumo.

The site has a section devoted to tracking down top influencers.

Just click on "Influencers," and type in the topic you're interested in.

I'll use "content marketing" as an example.

After entering this as a search term, I got a list of content that received a ridiculously high number of shares. Also listed are the people who wrote these pieces.

This can be an effective way to find the people you should try to connect with.

The second option is to network in person.

Some ways to do this include:

Public speaking in particular can be a potent way to make connections because all eyes are on you, and you never know who could be in attendance-it could be a huge influencer who holds a lot of sway.

Step 5 - Engage your audience

Last but not least, you need to keep the conversation going.

Seldom do people want to follow someone who tries to be all high and mighty and acts as if they're too good to interact with their followers.

They want to follow someone who's real, accessible, and approachable.

attending industry tradeshows,

going to conferences/industry events, and

landing public speaking engagements.

That's why you need to put in the effort to religiously respond to blog comments, reply to messages on social media, thank people for reading your content, etc.

Here's an example of me responding to a comment on my blog:

I would also recommend occasionally sharing outstanding content that members of your audience post on social media or commenting on their blogs as well.

That, right there, can be huge for boosting your brand equity and for forming super tight relationships.

The trick is to capitalize on the momentum you generate and to keep the ball rolling.

Conclusion

I'll be honest. Becoming an influencer isn't something that's going to happen overnight.

It takes a lot of hard work, consistent effort, and persistence. Even after you become an influencer, you need to keep your foot on the gas pedal to maintain your status.

Although it's not easy, it's definitely worthwhile.

The great thing about it is that building influence has a snowball effect. While you may only have a minimal amount of influence when first starting out, this grows and grows over time.

After awhile, your influence can become immense without you having to put a lot of extra effort into it.

In other words, the first stages are the most difficult and time-consuming.

But after you establish yourself, you simply need to maintain your status, and the world becomes your proverbial oyster.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Process to Become an Influencer in Your Industry

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term influencer is being tossed around a lot these days. I would even classify it as one of the top 10 buzzwords of 2016. Influencer marketing is quickly becoming one of the hottest and most effective strategies in existence. In fact, " 59 percent of marketers use influencer engagement campaigns for product launches and content creation."

# data[].attributes.body
Opportunity to Work With Awesome Brands

Turn Your Passion into a Profession

Use Your Success to Inspire People and Make a Difference

Get Free Products and Event Invites

# data[].attributes.body
a. Any step-by-step plan of how to become an influencer?

# data[].attributes.body
a. Have you conducted any research about being an influencer?

# data[].attributes.body
a. What area are you interested in?

# data[].attributes.body
Motivation

# data[].attributes.body
Decision Making

# data[].attributes.body
1. What does "being an influencer" mean to you?

# data[].attributes.body
Transition Learning
What more do you need to become an influencer & How?

# data[].attributes.body
Opportunity Awareness

# data[].attributes.body
d. What qualifications could link well to this career pathway?

# data[].attributes.body
Career Uncertainty

You Cannot Take Time Off

Internet Bullies and Faceless Haters

# data[].attributes.body
Do you know anyone that could mentor you?

# data[].attributes.body
Have you look at the journey of your role model?

# data[].attributes.body
b. Where can you find jobs in this field?

# data[].attributes.body
How to improve your presence?

# data[].attributes.body
b. What is holding you back?

# data[].attributes.body
Parents - Not seen as a 'proper career'

# data[].attributes.body
c. Do you want to become an influencer as a Hobby or a Career?

# data[].attributes.body
b. What social media platforms are you currently using?

# data[].attributes.body
b. Role models?

# data[].attributes.body
Self-awareness

# data[].attributes.body
a. Why are you interested to become an influencer?

# data[].attributes.body
3. What skills do you have that will make you an influencer? What more do you need?

# data[].attributes.body
2. What type of influencer do you want to become?

# data[].attributes.body
I want to be an influencer.