Online social media influencers often come across as interesting, exciting, and glamorous, and those who work hard to build a loyal follower base can also find a great way to make money.
Georgia Kelly, Strategic Partner Manager at Instagram, says she loves seeing people grow their brands and business.
“Creators are at the center of culture on Instagram, setting trends and signaling what’s next,” says Kelly.
“It’s so exciting to see and we want Instagram to be a place where you can both grow your personal brand and make money.
“It’s difficult for YouTubers to begin with – not least during a pandemic – so we’ve worked very closely with them and tried to put ourselves in their shoes so we can develop products and features that can be really useful,” she added added.
Those with a loyal following on Instagram make money from their profiles
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Instagram has several initiatives to aid its creators, such as recently testing the use of IGTV video ads. It enables Instagram to support YouTubers who use IGTV by offering them payments for ads shown.
Kelly said there has been positive feedback from content creators and advertisers.
The website also offers enhanced access to a “paid partnership with” tool that clearly shows when a business relationship exists. According to the platform, this allows people to be upfront and build trust with their fans when they get paid to post content.
In October, it also launched Badges for Instagram Live for more than 50,000 YouTubers worldwide, opening up additional monetization options.
Badges can be purchased by viewers during a live video and appear next to a person’s name.
Fans who buy them will be noticed in the comments and unlock additional features, says Instagram. It has also tested purchasing initiatives in the United States and hopes to bring this to more markets soon.
If you introduce yourself as an influencer, the filmmaker duo TOPJAW (@topjaw), who create food and travel content, have shared their top tips for success.
TOPJAW is directed by Will Warr (@willwarr), 31, and Jesse Burgess (@ jesse-burgess), 29, both from London.
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“We’re primarily a long format (longer and more detailed) content creator. With branded content, we work hard to make ads as natural and humorous as possible while maintaining the same energy and charm as the other content. “
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How can you get started and encourage people to follow you?
The couple advises to be as authentic as possible. “When we talk to our audience as we do to our friends, we see the greatest engagement and growth.”
It’s also important to keep content “real”, as if you’re giving others a glimpse into your life “behind the scenes,” they add. “There’s nothing wrong with making your Instagram feed look smooth and cohesive, but don’t strip it of character entirely.”
Is there certain content that you find piquing people’s interest?
“The tone of voice is the key to TOPJAW. We write the way we speak, with all the exaggeration, the sarcasm and of course the jokes at the other’s expense. All of this is part of the TOPJAW brand and one of our USPs.”
Posts with close-up shots of faces, action, and food – and possibly all three together – can really get attention too, they add.
How do you keep a fan base after you’ve built it and keep people from getting bored?
“Our long format content is just food and travel. Sure, our personalities and relationships shine through, but they’re heavily embedded between fast-paced cinematic informative content that is like a fast-forward Netflix show.
“Instagram enables followers to have a clearer view of our lives, interests, other relationships and a wider circle of friends.”
They also say consistency is important and warn against the temptation to “post too much,” adding, “Quality and relevance are key. Before we post anything, do we think about whether our followers really want to see this? “
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How do you work with companies. Are they coming up to you or are you going up to them?
“We rarely approach companies. We are constantly planning and working on self-produced and self-financed content, as we are still growing.”
They have a list of ‘dream companies’ they would like to work with, but note,’ We find that we are in a much better position for creative control and fee negotiation when the brand approaches us than the other way around around so we tend to play the waiting game. “
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