What is an Influencer?

When people see how much money influencers make, they often wonder what it would take to become one. Nobody earns brand partnerships with zero followers, so you’ll have to build a following. Once you’ve found your audience, you could become a full-time influencer with active and passive income.

Defining an Influencer

An influencer is a public figure with the ability to sway the habits and opinions of others. They typically operate on social media, sharing glimpses of their lives, recommending products, partnering with brands, and selling a lifestyle that other people want to achieve.

TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are popular for influencers because it’s easy to share photos and videos on those platforms. However, some gather a niche following on Bluesky, Threads, or Twitter/X. An influencer could have tens of thousands of followers on one platform and only a few hundred on another.

Different Types of Influencers

Influencers fall into different categories depending on their audience size. Mega and macro-influencers use their fame to influence pop culture’s biggest fashion, music, and lifestyle trends. While nano and micro-influencers have less followers, they can shape trends and sell products in their chosen niche.

Mega-Influencers

Mega-influencers are well-known social media stars and celebrities, such as Alix Earle or Kim Kardashian, who have over 1 million followers. They often partner with major brands and could receive tens of thousands of dollars (or even millions) for a single ad.

Their reach gives them the highest level of pop culture influence. However, their fame and high price tag make them largely inaccessible to smaller brands.

Macro-Influencers

Macro-influencers have between 250,000 to 1 million followers. They could reach tens of thousands of people with a single post, and instantly boost awareness, engagement, sales, and overall ROI for your brand. While working with macro-influencers can bring impressive benefits, they may still charge a premium — although it’s typically less than mega-influencers.

Mid-Tier Influencers

Mid-tier influencers have between 60,000 to 250,000 followers. These influencers are often professional content creators, with both a close relationship with their audience and a wealth of experience managing brand collaborations. This sweet spot makes them trusted partners for a variety of influencer marketing campaigns, including social takeovers, promotional giveaways, sponsored content, and more. 

Micro-Influencers

Micro-influencers have between 25,000 to 60,000 followers. The general public probably hasn’t heard of them, but since they’re less likely to attract bots and spam accounts, they have more genuine followers.

These creators usually focus on a niche topic and are valued for their knowledge, trust, and authenticity that they communicate to their audiences. Their expertise earns them a small but dedicated community.

Nano-Influencers

Nano-influencers have between 2,500 to 25,000 followers. They have a relatively minor reach, but for businesses, they’re more affordable and easily accessible. These influencers are also more likely to interact directly with their audience, creating a close-knit community of people who trust their recommendations. 

Some companies enjoy investing in an up-and-coming influencer who could blow up in the next few years.

The Psychology Behind Influence: Why People Follow and Trust Influencers

Influencers build parasocial relationships that make followers feel as though they know the influencer personally – often perceiving them as a friend. Sharing photos, posting life updates, responding to comments, and using a relatable, conversational tone creates a sense of loyalty and trust. As a result, their followers strive to support them by consuming and sharing their posts, and buying the products they promote.

Influencers often become trusted voices in their niche because they consistently share firsthand experiences, deep knowledge, or genuine passion for a topic. Their growing followings are a reflection of the value they provide, whether it’s beauty advice, fitness tips, or product recommendations. As a result, audiences often look to influencers as their go-to sources for inspiration and guidance on a given topic.

Over time, influencers build a loyal community around their brand. Partnering with major companies increases their credibility and gives them an extra marketing boost. The slow trickle of followers becomes a steady stream as more people join in, eagerly awaiting their favorite online celebrity’s next update.

How Influencer Culture Differs Across Platforms

Each social media platform has its own format and set of features. To succeed, influencers must create content that fits the platform’s culture. Some of the most popular platforms include: 

• TikTok: TikTok influencers share short, punchy videos that grab your attention. Sometimes, they share unedited glimpses into their lives or talk about their daily routines in a vlog. They might also share dance tutorials, challenges, lip-syncing clips, beauty videos, and other content related to their field.
• YouTube: On YouTube, influencers share long-form videos that educate, entertain, or inform. YouTube stars make money not only by partnering with brands, but also by monetizing their videos and earning AdSense from advertising sponsors.
• Instagram: Instagram’s format encourages influencers to upload lifestyle content, such as pictures of their wardrobe, makeup, house, meals, and vacations. While pictures dominate the platform, many stars also upload short videos through Instagram Reels and Stories. 
• LinkedIn and Twitch: LinkedIn and Twitch are more niche, but many creators have carved out a small following. On LinkedIn, influencers post about their recent partnerships, industry updates, and content creation tips while connecting with fellow professionals. Meanwhile, Twitch’s livestreams allow creators to host live events and earn money as they perform or play video games.

The Operations Behind an Influencer Brand

High-profile influencers often have a team that reaches out to brands, manages contracts, sets key performance indicators (KPIs), and helps them build their following. As their popularity grows, the influencer becomes increasingly lucrative, resulting in major brand deals, paid vacations, and other perks.

These talent agents and teams use software (like Aspire) to stay on track with communicating with brands and getting content approved. For content development, they’ll need calendars, editing software, and creation tools. Many teams use software that consolidates the client’s social media platforms into one dashboard, allowing them to read and respond to comments, view analytics, and schedule posts.

When content creators reach influencer status, some hire a PR representative to help them market their brand and avoid controversy, while others employ an agent to find job opportunities. Additional team members may include managers, editors, and assistants who handle various tasks. Virtual agents are increasingly popular for tech-savvy clients.

Attorneys and legal advisors are also essential parts of the team. They can negotiate contracts, discuss brand usage rights, adhere to FTC disclosure laws, and help influencers launch their own businesses. Most influencers hire tax professionals because they have multiple income streams, which can become complicated.

New Trends: AI Influencers and the Future of Influence

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have led to virtual influencers, such as Lil Miquela. These computer-generated characters have profiles with status updates, fashion photography, and brand endorsements. Despite the lack of a human presence, Lil Miquela has earned over 2 million followers and inspired other creators to develop AI-generated celebrities.

AI-powered tools are also on the rise. With a few clicks, AI can write captions, generate blog posts, edit drafts, schedule posts, and develop marketing strategies. This helps influencers save money, but it also produces content with a distinctly artificial voice. AI-generated imagery often has strange artifacts or an “uncanny valley” appearance.

While AI has its uses, many consumers prefer real content that sparks a human connection. As a result, influencers who capture human moments in their work and make an effort to connect with their fans may experience a rise in popularity. AI also makes some people distrust influencers as fake photos become harder to detect.

Choosing the Right Path: Human vs. AI Influence

Before you launch your brand, you’ll have to decide if you want to work independently or use AI tools. AI is faster and cheaper than human employees, but some businesses have experienced backlash for working with it instead of giving a real person a job.

If you include AI in your strategy, you’ll need to do some research to find the right tools. Free tools may generate low-quality content, but expensive tools can be overpriced. Be prepared to experiment with prompts and take time to refine the output.

Working with real people helps you build a connection with your audience, but you’ll need creativity, time management, and interpersonal skills. It’s also important to trust the process and let people work at a steady pace.

Udemy offers a variety of courses to help you succeed, including classes on social media, video production, business strategies, and AI tools. Choose a course today to get started.

How to Become an Influencer: Steps to Start Your Journey

Follow these steps to achieve your dream of becoming a social media influencer:

1. Choose Your Niche

With thousands of other influencers online, you’ll need to stand out. You’ll create content for this specialty multiple times a week, so make sure it’s something you enjoy.

Popular niches include:

• Beauty
• Fashion
• Food & Beverage
• Home & Interior
• Family & Parenting
• Travel
• Technology

2. Select a Platform

You don’t have to overwhelm yourself by signing up for every social media platform. Stick to one or two so you can focus on using the features, growing your audience, and polishing your content.

3. Create Content

Once you’ve chosen a platform, start uploading content at least three to four times a week. Use a content calendar so you can space out your posts and plan ahead. Otherwise, you could overwhelm your audience with too much content or lose followers during a dry spell.

4. Engage With Your Audience

Interacting with your followers shows them you’re a real person, not a content-creating robot. Take the time to respond to their comments, ask thoughtful questions, share polls, and encourage interactivity. This builds a loyal community around your brand.

5. Collaborate With Brands

When you’ve earned a few thousand followers, start reaching out to brands and discussing a collaboration. Some companies have established influencer, affiliate, or brand ambassador programs that you can apply for directly on their website, or through a platform like Aspire’s Creator Marketplace.

Once you reach the 10,000 followers mark, more businesses may start contacting you. Typically, you’ll endorse their products in exchange for money or free products.

6. Be Honest and Authentic

Throughout the process, stay true to yourself and give your honest opinions. Your audience follows you because they want to hear your genuine thoughts, not an endless feed of advertisements. Your authenticity and unique personality also make you stand out in a world of curated online stars.

How to Make Money as an Influencer

Influencers can take advantage of several revenue streams, including:

• Sponsored posts: Businesses often offer money or free products in exchange for an advertisement. You’ll share a positive post encouraging others to buy the product. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires you to disclose sponsored posts, so make sure you check the guidelines.
• Affiliate marketing: Affiliate marketing operates on a commission-based model, so you’ll get a percentage of sales when you share a link to a product. This allows you to make passive income without much effort. Affiliate marketing is popular with bloggers because they can easily share links in their posts.
• Selling your own products: If you’re ready to start your own business, you could sell your own products, services, and digital goods. Many creators use online storefronts, such as Shopify, to sell products to their followers. If you’re selling physical goods, you’ll need to take care of buying supplies, packing orders, shipping to different countries, and more.
• Brand ambassadorships: Some influencers build long-term partnerships with brands, and sometimes even take on more responsibility as an ambassador. This may include a series of paid promotions over a longer period of time, or even an “influencer takeover” where you gain control of the business’ profile. While ambassadorships may require more effort, they boost authenticity and generate a long-term income stream.

Become an Influencer With Udemy

We offer several courses to help you kickstart your career. The Be a Social Media Influencer course teaches you how to navigate the entire process, including finding your niche, developing your brand, building an audience, and dealing with online trolls.

Afterward, polish your skills with influencer marketing courses. These classes teach you how to advertise your brand, monetize your profile, partner with fellow influencers, create high-quality content, and become a full-time creator. The lengths and prices vary, so it’s easy to find a class that fits your schedule and budget.

Becoming a successful influencer requires time, effort, and patience. However, once you’ve gained momentum, your following could quickly multiply until you start receiving lucrative brand deals. In the meantime, Udemy’s courses give you the knowledge, advice, and information you need to succeed.