Don’t let your Instagram feed fool you… The journey to become a micro influencer takes hard work and dedication! As someone who learned how to become a micro-influencer several times over without a lot of meticulous planning or focusing on my follower count, I have good news: You can do it if you love the work. No large following needed to start!
Here are 4 easy and realistic ways to make it happen and sustain your growth – even enough to eventually pitch to brands!
What Are Micro-Influencers?
Micro-influencers have 1,000 to 100,000 followers, though the exact number fluctuates depending on who you ask. They focus on creating engaging content for a niche audience.
People trust micro-influencers because of their authenticity, which means they also have greater engagement than mid-tier or mega-influencers with larger followings.
How To Become A Micro-Influencer In 4 Steps
1. Put passion first
I didn’t have clear goals to become a micro-influencer – I just liked my niches and posted about my struggles and solutions with my audience.
When you start, focus less on reaching a certain follower count and more on delivering the most value to the ones who follow you right now. People will take notice if you’re genuine.
2. Post regularly
With so much content flooding your followers’ feeds, quality does count… but when you’re first starting out, quantity matters just as much.
When I had a small food blog, I constantly brainstormed content ideas between having little kids and a hectic full-time job.
As a micro-influencer, the stakes for perfectly filtered and high-quality content were low, so I could get into the rhythm of consistent posting before pivoting to better photography or keeping up with social media trends.
To post consistently, you need to treat this influencer work as a part-time job. Set time aside to think about what your audience would value, and deliver that every time you post.
This is what keeps most people from becoming micro-influencers – if it takes too long to see results, they give up. That doesn’t have to be you, though.
3. Focus on authenticity
You have something that big influencers and brands want – real content! As long as you show up for your audience and act like you, your followers will grow.
It’s easy to get swept away in what everyone else is doing, but don’t fall for that trap. Your greatest asset is your point of view on your specific niche, so use it!
Followers will come with time, and they’ll identify with your struggles and successes.
4. Engage and connect
If you want to grow your following and work with brands someday, make your engagement rate a high priority.
How? Start conversations, ask questions, and show up for your followers.
Building a community will help you monetize over time because you create trust along the way – and people buy from people they trust.
Before I came up with paid offerings (or got brands to pay me), I focused on creating conversations with my followers.
An Instagram post asking, “does anyone else struggle with this?” or “have you heard about this?” resonated way more with them compared to random pictures from my life that didn’t help to solve a problem, entertain, or inspire in some way.
How To Become A Micro-Influencer And Monetize Your Following
You followed the steps above to grow – now it’s time to leverage your following and get paid to become a micro-influencer!
1. Look for opportunities everywhere
This is a big part of finding brands looking for influencers – you just have to pay attention!
You can find paid micro-influencer opportunities to collaborate with brands, try affiliate marketing, and get new products just by observing how others monetize their content.
2. Update your micro-influencer media kit
A micro-influencer media kit is like a resume you can show brands.
Once you have a decent following, you can easily learn how to make a media kit and showcase your best content to potential brand clients.
It’s essential to have one of these before you make contact with brands. I have the perfect micro-influencer media kit template that makes the process effortless!
3. Perfect your brand pitch
These new opportunities and media kit won’t get you anywhere until you learn how to pitch to brands.
Hone in on your strongest assets to show brands you’re serious about working with them and creating a win-win partnership.
Avoid saying too much or too little in your initial pitch. Focus on your strongest statistics and give them a chance to show interest.
If you’ve been growing an engaged following, it should be an easier sell!
The Reality Of Becoming A Micro-Influencer
Ask anyone who succeeded on their journey to become a micro-influencer – it wasn’t all about epic Instagram photos and free products.
It’s like any other job. It takes hard work, extra hours (especially if you have a full-time job), and making genuine connections with your community.
Most people won’t become micro-influencers or beyond because of the real commitment it takes.
But, if you pick a niche you love, connect with your audience, and deliver consistent content that speaks to their struggles, you’ll get rewarded for your work. You just have to keep showing up!
