3 Lessons from my First Year as a Full Time Influencer
3 Influencer Lessons
This week marks my one year anniversary as a full time influencer and boy has it been a crazy year! I’ll be honest I was ill equipped to start when I did but what I lacked in knowledge I made up for in drive. Although it took me several months to really make money, I’m glad I chose the path I did because I’m so much happier in my career than I ever thought possible. To glean some of my life lessons, keep on reading!
Follower Count is important
Be sure to follow me on Instagram!
I would like to preface this with quality being the most important of all when it comes to content creation, but a larger quantity of followers definitely helps you become a more serious influencer as well as make significantly more income. I’ll be honest while I worked hard at 10,000 followers, I didn’t really see a change in affiliate sales and partnership opportunities until I hit the 35,000 mark. It’s a little frustrating knowing nano influencers are not being taken as seriously as macro creatives but it is possible to grow online with a consistent reels strategy and a focus on gaining followers!
Remember, the more eyes on your product/brand, the better. It creates a stronger community and depending on your niche, it’ll be easier overall to convert sales. I also just enjoy the larger network of connections and while a big following may be intimidating, there is a lot of power and privilege that comes with it and if this happens to you know you deserve it and the perks that come along with it!
Asking for help is okay
One of the best things I did for myself that I should have done a heck of a lot sooner is sign up for the Sidewalker Daily pitching course. While it was quite the investment, I learned so much from the class and was able to quadruple my income pretty easily. I knew having spent nearly $1000 on a class I needed to make that money back and ideally fast so I got to pitching like nobody’s business. I’m actually glad I got into that habit because the connections I made helped me actually create a solid income for myself. Not only was I able to make connections but I learned how to negotiate and value myself as an influencer. I now have a solid business behind my creativity and for that I am eternally grateful.
Daily routines are crucial
Part of my daily routine of course is engaging with my audience!
My final tip that I wish I knew from the get-go was to get myself into a routine! I was horrible about a work schedule and routine when I first started out and I genuinely think I missed out on a lot of money during that time. I was not really pitching to brands nor was I taking time to organize my administrative duties. I also was waking up late and rushing to complete tasks when I should have been getting up early and giving myself time to create quality content. Nowadays, I wake up at 8 am and film in the morning while the light is good before doing computer tasks in the afternoon and going to events at night. This has allowed for more of a work-life balance and makes monetizing my platforms that much easier!
Here’s to another year
Let’s be real, the lessons above are just a few of the lessons I’ve gleaned this past year. Business ownership is no joke and while the perks are insurmountable, there are definitely some drawbacks and learning curves throughout the experience. Fortunately, these lessons will only help you at the end of the day and as long as you learn from them you should be alright!
Until next time,
Lauren