I have a lifestyle blog and I have an Instagram following of 13.5k. But am I an Influencer? What is an influencer? And how do you become an influencer in 2022? Is it still possible to rise to influencer status in 2022 with every other person growing their following and launching a blog?

I find the term influencer an interesting one. As well as being classed as a “micro-influencer” I also manage our influencer program at work so I see it from both sides of the coin. There are the influencers that have an impressively large following but very low engagement. These are the ones I tend to avoid when looking for bloggers to work with. And then there are the ones that have a smaller following but amazing engagement and lots of interaction with their audience. Now, these are the influencers I would prefer to work with. They are invested in their channels and their audience. You don’t have to have a massive following as long as you are prepared to put in the hard work to connect with your audience.

How to become an influencer when there’s so much competition?

I’m not going to lie. Generally speaking, there’s no quick way to become an influencer. Sure, there are some people who have had overnight success, which is amazing, but for most people it takes a lot of time and dedication. That’s not to say it’s not doable though. Here’s my step by step guide on how to become an influencer in 2022:

1. Find your niche

What do you want to be known for? What are you good at? Having a niche is really important so your followers know what to expect from your content. You can then also look for keywords you can target for that specific niche.

For me, it made sense to blog about balancing life as a working mum. I launched my blog when I was going back to work full-time from maternity leave. Feeling overwhelmed about being a working mum with a baby, I was wondering if I would manage to balance my career with being a mum. Could I do both and if so could I help other working parents going through the same thing? On my blog, I include career advice specifically for working mums but I also blog about family time and home life. It’s all about life balance.

What do you relate to? Or do you have a skill that you could share like crafting? Have a think about what your niche could be and explore what influencers are already out there talking about what you want to talk about.

2. Choose your social media platforms wisely

As an ex-journalist with a love of writing, I knew I wanted a blog. I wanted my blog to be my main platform but I also knew I needed to be on other channels too to get seen and grow my audience. The thing is though, as I mentioned before, I’m a full-time working mum. I only have so much time available to me so I can’t be on all platforms. I had to choose the social media channels I wanted to use. Here’s what I went for:

• Instagram: Visual and inspirational, as I love photography this was a natural choice for me.
• Twitter: Twitter is quick and easy. Plus a lot of brands I want to work with are active on this platform.
• Pinterest: As I want to drive traffic to my blog Pinterest was a good option. It works as a visual search engine.
• YouTube: I love making videos and the ability to film and edit a vlog is a great advantage when working with brands.
• Facebook: Having a page or group can be a great way to grow your audience but more often than not you will need to put some spend behind your posts for them to get a good reach.

Of course, there are lots more social platforms out there and some, like TikTok, are more popular than others. Social media channels will come and go. The trick is to jump on a new platform before it booms as you will have an advantage on anyone joining the platform later. With more established channels make sure you have enough time to dedicate to them otherwise it’s not really worth having them.

3. Engage to grow

If you want to grow your audience you need to engage with them. If anyone comments on your post always reply to them. Engage on accounts that are your ideal audience too.

4. Network with other influencers

Most influencers, especially micro ones, are a friendly bunch! Sure, there may be some who are only out to look after number one, but there’s a whole lot more who are happy to connect and support you!

Join some Facebook Groups for influencers and make some connections. Ask any questions you may have and you will find there’s a number of established influencers who are happy to help.

5. Start working with brands

“But I haven’t got enough followers?” I hear you cry. Do you know what, even if you have only 1000 followers you can start working with brands. It’s often quality over quantity and if you are happy to produce good work and go the extra mile you will soon be able to start ‘influencing’ your audience by working with companies you love.

6. Learn SEO to generate traffic

To help you grow your audience, learn SEO. If you can generate organic traffic to your website you are growing your audience.

7. Stay true to yourself

It’s important to be authentic. Don’t work with a brand if it’s not something you would like yourself. There are some really good influencer campaigns doing good things. Use your influence to not only work with brands you love but to support things you care about too.

So now you’re an influencer

Once you become an influencer – no matter how small- enjoy it! Be true to yourself and follow regulations in place to work authentically. Good luck!

Disclaimer: Some links are sponsored on this blog post