Are you feeling inspired to start sharing your passions online but don’t know where to start, nervous about trying something new, or don’t want to be judged for “trying to be an influencer”? I’ve been there! And i know a lot of people feel the same way. Today there are soooo many content creators / influencers it may feel overwhelming or that there’s no way you could add value in a way that someone else isn’t already. I’m here to tell you that YOU CAN and there is a place for you to share your passions online. Here are the best tips I’ve learned after two years of content creation.

Step 1: JUST START

I know, I know. It is SCARY to put yourself out there for the world (or your friends and family) to judge. At least one person will roll their eyes and send your post to the group chat saying “omg they’re trying to be an influencer smh” - you just have to accept that and start anyway.

The first thing you should do it turn your Instagram (I recommend using your existing personal account as opposed to creating a new account) into a “business account". How you do this is go to “Settings”, “Account”, then “Switch Account Type”. Switching to a business or professional account will enable you to see a ton of analytics on your acocunt and individual posts which are super helpful. I have a spreadsheet where I track my analytics every week.

Next you should update your account bio to describe your niche or the interests you plan on sharing on your account. You should also make it to where you have an email button on your profile so that brands can easily contact you. I made a new email address for this so that it would be separate from my personal.

Make a plan to post a certain number of times a week. I would recommend between 2-5 times a week but make it something you can actually stick to. Remember that quality posts are so much more important than posting just to post So if you feel you can only provide 2 high quality pictures / posts a week, then two it is! That being said, quality will improve over time! my posts from when i started 2 years ago are VERY different than what I post now - you will start to learn what works for you but you have to JUST START to get there.

My most asked question is how I edit my pictures for a cohesive Instagram feed. Early on I purchased a package of presets from another content creator, Danielle Gervino, and I still use these 2 years later. You can find them here. This comes with 4 presets that you can use within the Lightroom app where you can make small tweaks based on the lighting / coloring of the picture. This creates a cohesive vibe and coloring when someone comes to your page. You can definitely find free presets! PRO TIP: you cannot put screenshots into Lightroom, so if you want to edit a screenshot (from a video or something else), put the screenshot into the Facetune app, then immediately save it from the app, and then it will work in Lightroom.

I also use a post planning app called Planoly. This app allows you to see what your feel will look like with photos you haven’t posted yet as well as plan your captions. You will notice that when trying to separate paragraphs in captions on Instagram, the spacing will turn our really wonky. This app lets you do the spacing how you want and then it will transfer seamlessly when you post to IG.

The mystery of Hashtags.. I do not have a foolproof hashtag strategy and I’m not sure if anyone does, so I can only tell you my strategy. In the notes app of my phone i have a long list of hashtags that I might use on any given post. After I post, I go to this list, copy and past it as a comment on my post, then delete the hashtags that dont apply. I try to have between 10-20 on each post, 30 is the max you can have. When adding hashtags to my long list, I first look them up on IG to see how many posts are under that tag. For example, if when i type #fitness into IG, there are 1.2M posts.. I wouldn’t want to use this tag because the chances of someone looking at that hashtag and seeing MY post out of a million, are very slim. I would instead use #dallasfitness which has 321K or #dallasfit with 68K. A good idea is to go to a content creator with a similar focus as you, and see what hashtags they are using.

Always add a location to your posts as well as tag the brands you are wearing / brands in the post. This is just another way to get more eyes on your post.

Make sure to reply to comments on your posts as well as comment on other people’s posts! The most significant way that I’ve gained followers is by engaging on other people’s posts. I go to my explore page and find a creator who has similar content as me and then scroll through the people who have “liked” their post, and then I go and like a couple of THEIR posts as well as leave a comment. Since we already know they like content similar to yours, often times they will follow you or reciprocate the engagement by engaging on your posts which is also helpful. I try to do this for about 30 minutes every day. Make sure this is not spammy and genuine engagement on their posts though!

After a few weeks of consistent posting, create an LTK / RewardStyle account. You have to get approved for this account which is why you want to have your account going already when you apply. This allows you to create “commissionable links” so you can monetize! Previously only IG accounts with over 10K followers could post links on their IG stories but now anyone can - so if you link an outfit or product using your LTK, you can make a small commission if anyone makes a purchase form that link.

Repurpose your content to other platforms! Assuming your primary platform is Instagram, you should repurpose your reels to tik tok and share all of your IG posts to Pinterest! I know there are some very in depth strategies on how to use Pinterest to grow your Instagram but I have not gotten a chance to really dig deep into that - so for now I just share each IG post to a related board on Pinterest.

Other quick tips:

• try to have at least one story up at any given time. The more stories the better (to an extent lol) - try to remember to snap pics / videos throughout your day even if its an ordinary day for you

• get comfortable with short form video content - play around with it! Reels are scary at first but necessary

• know that you will always lose followers and thanks ok!

• look to other creators for inspiration - if i see a post that resonates with me, I “save it” to a content inspo folder within IG. Obviously don’t copy a post but you can always repurpose things with your own unique perspective

• POST ON TIK TOK - It truly only takes one viral video for your account to take off

• save IG sounds that are trending for you to use on future reels (look at the bottom of the reel and if there is an arrow next to the name of the sound, its trending. click the name of the sound and click save)

• listen to podcasts about content creation for more tips (Blogging Unscripted, Life with Mariana, Note to Self)

• DO NOT spend a ton of money on a ton of cute clothes and cameras when you are first getting started - the only purchases I think are worthwhile are a tripod and some presets for photos

• don’t focus on getting brand deals / collabs - only collab with brands that you truly love. I personally do not participate in “product for post” collabs (aka they don’t pay you) but that is totally your decision! Focus on building the audience’s trust in you before you start promoting random products - I know it’s tempting and I have made this mistake! I am already working on a blog post dedicated to working with brands

• there are a ton of “trends” on ig and tik tok and they’re great but don’t ONLY do trending videos - get creative and show your personality

• keep a list on your phone of post topics, ideas, quotes, etc. to look back on when you need inspiration for a post - i am always jotting things down to reference later

Apps I use daily:

• Lensbuddy - this app takes a ton of pictures back to back so you have a ton to choose from and can get some cute candid shots

• Planoly - mentioned above, helps plan posts and captions

• Lightroom - also mentioned above - where I edit all my pics

• Over - where I create texts for videos or to label a posts (ex: saying what workout the post is)

• InShot - this is where I do all of my video editing - its super easy and user friendly

• Canva - you can do SO MUCH in Canva (I use it on my computer instead of the phone app) I have a Media Kit template that I update / customize each time I send it to a brand as well as an invoice template also to send to brands

The most important tip for any new content creator - HAVE FUN and know that you will learn and evolve with time!

xo Eliza