Influence is more than popularity. It’s about moving your audience to action by consistently meeting their entertainment, education, or inspiration needs.
Building that kind of relationship demands purpose, social media savvy, a data-based strategy, and a deep understanding of why humans connect.
Here, you’ll learn about different types of influencers and how to become an influencer yourself.
What is an influencer?
An influencer is someone with an online following—an audience that looks to them for inspiration, advice, or entertainment. Successful influencers develop trust with their followers and can sway their audience’s opinions and attitudes. Influencers often leverage their audience relationship by partnering with businesses to promote products or services.
As content creators, influencers amass followings on their blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, and social media accounts. They typically create content appealing to niche interests, like fashion, fitness, gaming, beauty, or cooking. They might develop and share content like blog posts, videos, photos, or livestreams.
Types of influencers
Follower count determines an influencer’s type, or tier, which dictates the kind of brand deals they can secure. A mega-influencer, for example, can work with big, influential brands, while a micro-influencer might partner with newer, smaller companies.
Mega
Whether they start off as celebrities or build their followings from scratch, mega-influencers have millions of followers.
With that kind of reach, mega-influencers have significant potential to swing their followers’ opinions and purchasing decisions, endearing them to large brands. With more than 400 million followers on Instagram alone, socialite and trendsetter Kylie Jenner is a mega influencer with an outsized impact on American culture.
Macro
Macro-influencers have between 500,000 and a million followers. Well-established trendsetters, they can land brand partnerships and command lucrative sponsorship deals. One example of a macro Instagram influencer is Amy Jackson, a clothing label founder, creative officer, and editor with almost a million followers who value her fashion advice.
Mid-tier
Mid-tier influencers’ follower counts range from 50,000 to 500,000. With fewer followers, it’s easier for them to manage comments and engage with their audience than for mega and macro influencers. By cultivating authentic, personal connections, mid-tier influencers may have substantial sway over their followers by cultivating authentic, personal connections. Instagram influencer Nick Neves is an example of a mid-tier influencer, with around 56,000 followers who tune in for meal inspiration.
Micro
Micro-influencers have between 10,000 to 100,000 followers. Micro-influencers build tight-knit communities by engaging their followers and can acquire brand partnerships because of their strong community connections. One example of a micro-influencer is Khadijah Lacey-Taylor, whose loyal audience of around 20,000 follows her fashion and family posts.
Nano
Nano-influencers have 1,000 to 10,000 followers and are usually early in their influencer journey or posting on very niche topics. They will typically have close relationships with loyal followers and often know their most active ones by name. A nano influencer’s followers may trust them like they would a friend.
How to become an influencer
- Identify your niche
- Choose a platform
- Develop a brand
- Design a social media marketing strategy
- Create high-quality content
- Engage your followers
- Partner and network
- Monetize
To become a successful social media influencer, you must first develop your brand identity, design your influencer marketing campaign, and decide on your content strategy. This step-by-step guide will help you get started:
1. Identify your niche
An influencer should strive to become a leader and expert in a specific field. You want your followers to look to you for advice, entertainment, and guidance. Pick an industry or topic that interests you so your content is knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
2. Choose a platform
Choosing a platform with a strong community of people within your interest group will help you grow an audience. You can also choose a platform based on the type of content you want to create. For example, YouTube is an excellent option for videos, while Instagram is better for photography.
3. Develop a brand
Having a clear brand will help your followers identify you. Consider how you will speak and sound, how your logo or image will look, and what tone your content will have. Some influencers like to share their personal lives with their followers, while others only share posts related to their niche.
4. Design a social media marketing strategy
Your main goal as an influencer is to grow your community of followers as much as possible while maintaining a solid relationship with them.
Utilize influencer marketing strategies and tactics like creating social media posts across multiple platforms and partnering with other influencers. To improve the discoverability and ranking of your written content, employ search engine optimization (SEO) tactics on your website, and use trending hashtags to increase your follower count on social channels.
5. Create high-quality content
Relevant and memorable content will keep your followers coming back—and bring new followers, too. Make your content stand out among competitors and take feedback from your community. Track the analytics of your social media posts and videos to determine performance, adjusting as needed. If you’re hitting the follower and engagement metrics you want, then keep doing what you’re doing. If not, experiment with different types of content.
6. Engage your followers
Your followers will be likelier to stick around when they feel valued and part of a community. Befriend your followers and respond to their comments or questions whenever you can. When you get new followers, welcome them by sending a note or a link to introductory content. Take time to recognize your audience for their role in your success.
7. Partner and network
Seek opportunities to collaborate with other influencers in your industry or companies in your market. The more you grow your following, the better your chances are that companies will approach you with sponsorship offers. Leverage your connections and look to Facebook groups or business accounts to find patterns in your industry. Consider putting together an influencer media kit to showcase your most valuable content and help you win brand collaborations.
8. Monetize
Once you have a strong following, look for ways to monetize your content so you can earn income from your work. You can start a subscription model to share content with specific followers, sell merchandise in an online store, run ads on your content, or promote products as a brand partner.
Growing your following and engaging your audience
Audience growth is more than a numbers game—it’s about building real, lasting relationships. You might aim for attention in the short term, but in the long term, you cultivate trust.
Whether you’re on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, focus on connecting deeply with your community by offering them valuable, meaningful content that speaks to their needs and aspirations.
Identify your target audience
First, you need to know who you’re speaking to.
- Define your niche: Focus on a specific area where your expertise or passion shines.
- Create audience personas: Prepare detailed profiles of your ideal followers, including their challenges and goals.
- Engage directly with your audience: Use polls, Q&A sessions, or live chats to learn what they want from you.
But don’t stop there.
Understand your audience’s struggles, desires, and motivations. Then, you can create content that resonates, turning casual viewers into dedicated followers.
Content strategies that attract followers
To attract followers, your content needs to offer value.
“If you have a clear niche, a clear kind of theme that you create content on, you’re more likely to be found by [the right] people,” says Ryan Prior, head of marketing for Modash.
Focus on delivering high-quality, visually appealing posts or videos. Balance your format with a mix of short-form content like Instagram Stories for quick engagement and long-form YouTube videos for deeper connections.
Engaging captions, thoughtful storytelling, and strong calls to action (CTAs) can also help drive interaction.
For example, if you’re a travel influencer, sharing an honest review—ups and downs—of a typical bucket list destination can spark genuine interest. In the end, ask your followers to share similar experiences.
That way, a post goes from a reel of pretty photos to a discussion hotspot, enticing even more people to participate.
Keep your messaging authentic and relatable; people follow when they feel seen or inspired.
Best practices for audience interaction
Interacting with your audience is about cultivating genuine connections. Here are a few guidelines to remember:
- Respond thoughtfully to comments: Rather than leaving generic replies like “wow” or “interesting,” take the time to address your followers’ specific questions or comments. This builds rapport and shows you value your audience’s input.
- Incorporate user-generated content: Reshare your followers’ photos or testimonials. This boosts engagement and helps your followers feel appreciated.
- Host live sessions and Q&As: Use livestreams or interactive stories to connect in real-time and encourage spontaneous interactions.
- Seek feedback regularly: Polls, surveys, or questions in your posts can help you understand your audience’s preferences and better engage them.
- Maintain integrity in collaborations: Only partner with brands or campaigns that align with your values and your audience’s expectations.
The role of consistency in audience growth
Consistency is critical to building and sustaining audience growth.
“The most important thing if you’re trying to build an audience is for the audience to trust you and have a consistent expectation of you. Maintain your integrity—if you betray that, you lose your audience,” says Francis Zierer, lead editor at Creator Spotlight.
Set a posting schedule that suits your audience’s habits, whether that’s daily Instagram posts, weekly YouTube videos, or something else. Quality matters, but frequency keeps your content top of mind.
Timing is important, but the tone and value of your content also build brand consistency. Your audience should know what to expect from you regarding format and messaging.
How do influencers make money?
- Branded partnerships
- Merchandise
- Events and appearances
- Subscription plans
- Digital products and services
- Donations
- Affiliate marketing
- Ad revenue
Influencers can leverage their online personality to make money from content creation in many ways.
Branded partnerships
Influencers can become long-term partners or ambassadors for relevant brands that want to tap into their audience. In this relationship, the influencer is paid to promote a company’s products in sponsored posts. Typically, this means making advertorial content similar to the creator’s non-sponsored posts. For example, a podcast influencer who analyzes indie artists’ work might agree to promote a musician’s new music for a fee.
Merchandise
Many influencers open online stores to sell merchandise—such as clothing, stickers, art, and memorabilia—that appeals to their following. For example, a fitness influencer might sell t-shirts with motivational messages.
Events and appearances
Influencers can agree to appear at events in exchange for payment. For example, a sports convention might invite an influential athlete to share their experience as a professional. Influencers can also host gatherings, like fan meet-and-greets, where they charge entrance fees and sell merch.
Subscription plans
Influencers who post regularly can create a subscription plan that pays them for their output. Securing paid subscribers usually requires offering perks. For example, an influencer who reviews new video games might ask followers to subscribe for early access to their content.
Digital products and services
An influencer can offer digital products like ebooks or white papers to followers willing to pay for them. They can also teach online classes or provide one-on-one consultations. For example, a famous musician might sell sheet music or offer lessons via video call.
Donations
Audiences who admire a content creator might support them with tips or donations. Soliciting donations from viewers is a common revenue stream for livestreamers.
Influencers can place a donation button on their website or encourage followers to donate through a link. For example, a popular artist might highlight their techniques in a live-painting livestream while also encouraging viewers to donate.
Affiliate marketing
Influencers who promote or review products can provide their followers with affiliate links. When someone clicks on the link and buys the product, the influencer gets a cut. For example, a food blogger might post an affiliate link to their favorite granola. When followers purchase granola through the link, the blogger earns a percentage of the profit on each sale.
Ad revenue
Content creators can monetize their work by placing ads within it. When viewers watch or click the ads, the influencer gets paid. For example, an influencer who does makeup tutorials on YouTube might have ads running before each of their videos, earning commission based on the video’s engagement rates.
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Leveraging analytics to boost your engagement
Analytics show you what’s working and, more importantly, where to improve.
“People are looking for anybody who reaches the target audience in an authentic way,” Ryan says. And that means focusing less on follower counts and more on engagements.
Understand key metrics and what they mean
Key metrics are signals that guide your strategy. In addition to likes, comments, and shares, consider deeper engagement metrics such as:
- Average view duration: Indicates how long users engage with your video content.
- Engagement rate: Measures interaction relative to your follower count. A higher rate shows a stronger audience connection.
- Click-through rate (CTR): Identifies how often people click your links, demonstrating the effectiveness of your CTAs.
These metrics provide insights into what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t. For example, if your engagement rate is high but your CTR is low, you may need to rethink your CTAs or content hooks.
Track engagement with tools and platforms
Tracking your content’s performance is the difference between dreaming of a community and actually building one.
Here are some tools that can help you understand audience behavior:
- Google Analytics: Offers a comprehensive look at traffic sources, audience demographics, and overall engagement across your website or linked platforms.
- Instagram Insights: Provides detailed data on engagement rates, impressions, and reach, helping you understand how well your posts and stories perform.
- YouTube Studio: Gives you access to metrics like watch time, audience retention, and demographic breakdowns, allowing you to see which videos engaged viewers the longest.
Analyze data to refine your content strategy
Data without action is wasted potential. To refine your content strategy, consistently review your analytics.
Look for trends—are certain post types getting higher engagement? Is your audience responding more to educational content or humor? Adjust your content frequency, format, and messaging based on the data.
For example, if your Instagram Stories outperform regular posts in terms of engagement, consider integrating more interactive features like polls or Q&As into your strategy.
Legal considerations for influencers
Copyright issues, contracts, and transparency rules can be intimidating, but you need to get them right to protect your brand and stay compliant.
Whether you’re sharing original content, working with brands, or posting sponsored content, understanding legalities helps you avoid pitfalls, build trust, and keep your business growing.
Understanding copyright and intellectual property
Think of your social media content as a tangible asset like a house or a car. If others use it without your permission, that’s a violation. The same applies to you when using third-party materials. Images, music, or even text snippets can land you in hot water if handled incorrectly. When in doubt, ask for permission or use licensed content.
Navigating contracts and agreements with brands
Contracts are like blueprints for brand collaborations. They define expectations, deliverables, and how and when you get paid.
They can also help you protect your creative property. Always include clear usage rights and exclusivity terms to ensure brands don’t repurpose your content without approval or compensation.
Say a skin care brand wants to use your video on its website. Ensure your agreement specifies where they can use it, for how long, and for what purposes. With these legal parameters, you can retain creative control over your work.
Disclosure requirements for sponsored content
The rules here are simple: Your audience must know if you’re getting paid or receiving free products. Not disclosing isn’t just unethical—it’s illegal.
The FTC is clear: Use unambiguous language like “#ad” or “#sponsored” in your sponsored content. Why does it matter? It’s about maintaining trust. “If you betray your audience, then you lose them,” Francis says.
How to become an influencer FAQ
How much money does an influencer make?
Influencer earnings vary depending on follower count, industry, platform, and engagement rates. A micro-influencer might earn hundreds of dollars monthly, while a mega-influencer, like Kylie Jenner, could rake in tens or hundreds of thousands with a single post.
Can you make a living as an influencer?
Yes, you can earn a living as an influencer by monetizing your content or by becoming a brand ambassador. Your success depends on growing a following, creating quality content, and developing a steady income stream.
Which social media platforms should influencers focus on?
Aspiring influencers should choose social media platforms with a high number of users in their target industry. They should also find a good fit with a platform that matches their preferred content type. For example, say you want to become a social media influencer with short videos about cooking. You might consider TikTok, where you can post quick cooking clips for an established community of food fans.
