How to Become a Micro-Influencer and Get Paid By Brands

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One of the most received questions I read is how to become a micro-influencer and begin earning money. Since micro-influencer marketing is relatively new, it’s a great question. However, there is no clear-cut road map of how to start. Though, the expectation of influencer marketing will grow to approximately $16.4B in the industry in 2022. And not all of that money is going to celebrity influencers.

Many brands and especially small businesses are looking for the right influencers and brand ambassadors to work with and may not be able to afford the exorbitant fees celebrities charge. The key here is they want to work with everyday people who are actual users of their products or services and charge a lower price than

So there is no better time than now to dip your foot in the market and become a micro-influencer.

You will find a few tips below to help you collect some of this $16 billion. Then you will be ready to set yourself up to start attracting and working with brands based on my experience as an influencer.

A micro-influencer campaign may be just what you need to take your marketing strategy to the next level. The first step is to continue reading below.

The begin making money as a nano or micro-influencer, you must discover your particular niche. I suggest finding three things you are passionate about. If you combine the three things you are emotional about, you will stand out from the many other influencers. Influencers of all sizes must really nail their audience segmentation.

You could be passionate about parenting, plants, and home renovations. As a result, your particular niche could be the plant renovating momma. With a tagline like this, I would want to read more about what they are doing.

Your niche does not need to be outlandish. You could simply discuss your career because you love your job. Let’s say you are a teacher. You can disseminate resources for parents to supplement their child’s education.

Whatever your choice, choose a niche that you’re passionate about and have experience running marketing campaigns in. However, this is a HIGH TURNOVER industry. I’ve witnessed many people start and give up. A place you don’t enjoy may lead to you quitting out of frustration, so focus on things you want.

Work on your storytelling skills after you determine your niche. Your social media platforms and blog should discuss your story. For example, if you are a tech guru in Omaha who loves to get out of the great plains, you should have photos of yourself on your different travels. You can also discuss the various apps you use to plan your trip.

One crucial thing before we move on is to make the story authentic. Most people will be able to pick up that you are pretending to be someone you’re not. As a result, it will be a turn-off for your followers and the brands you want to represent.

Good images help tell your story, especially on visual platforms like Instagram. The most important thing is good quality and bright images that attract clients.

Most clients will want to repost your pictures on their social media or may buy the rights to use your photographs, so the better your images, the more earning potential you will have. You can hire a photographer or purchase a ring light, a tripod for your camera, or your phone and take them yourself.

Remember to tag brands you use in your posts.

Overall it would help if you created predictability. There are no complex rules to follow. If you want to post every day at 8 am for 365 days a year, go for it. If you start with a routine, stick with it.

Do not disappear and reappear. Brands want to work with consistent content. If you disappear, they will think you’re unreliable. Remember, brands ultimately want to pay you money. So if there is no content, they can not continue their growth.

Reputable brands work with influencers who follow FTC guidelines. So if you have not done any collaborations with other influencers, take some time to work with them.

Also, if you didn’t read the FTC guidelines above, please take some time to read them later. It really will help save you some stress in the future.

Study how other influencers disclose their brand relationships. Observe their hashtag on social media. You will post according to the guidelines when you do your first collaboration.

Tag the brands you use in your posts. This way, they will see your content whenever you post. For instance, tag the flour brand or the cake stand maker if you made a gluten-free cake.

Once you are comfortable with your content and engagement rate, you can begin pitching brands. Pitch to the brands you love and use often.

Don’t contact a brand because you notice them working with other influencers. Certain brands select individual influencers for some campaigns. Therefore they approve their work weeks before you see it live.

So it’s too late to join the movement when it comes across your feed. Ultimately you want to get ahead of the curve by tagging brands. Influence the brands to start a new campaign with your unique take on the subject.

This next part is for new nano and micro-influencers. These terms might be new to you some I want to help you by defining the terms and different follower count for .

In order to earn money as a micro-influencer, it helps if you have followers. This way, brands know there is an audience who trusts you, asks about your products, and takes your advice.

Some brands will not work with nano-influencers, and they will tell you no. However, this is fine because the brands you want understand that nano-influencers can bring a high ROI. These brands will hire you, so focus on those. If you can show them you have higher engagement than those with larger followings your chances of getting hired as a nano influencer will improve. Brands want to work with influencers who have an engaged audience. So the size of your audience doesn’t matter as

When you eventually pitch yourself, show a few examples of your success and the personal connection you have with your loyal audience. Maybe an Amazon Affiliate link in your IG bio influenced 950 people to purchase the product.

You can begin product testing your influence and use those examples in your pitch deck.

If you’re not sure you can deliver high-quality content, work more on growing your influence. Ultimately you don’t want to disappoint a brand. You want to get a positive word into the PR world.

It’s also a good idea to develop long-term relationships with brands; repeat work is excellent for business.

Start with a slight pitch if you’ve never worked with a brand and want to test it out. I have been working as an influencer for years, so I rarely work in exchange for products. Unless the product is just that great, and I want it. I did accept products and services when I first began.

When you get that first campaign, create an excellent impression. Whether paid or not, create content that will impress the brand. Therefore your first sample will help influence other brands in hiring you in the future.

You always want to overdeliver so your clients are happy with your work. Great content could land a monetary offer, or you could attract other brand partnerships.

Suppose you are still having trouble breaking into the game. Then create content with a product you already own. You are already an expert on its use. So use it to create content. If your audience appreciates your content, the brand might reach out to you.

PRO TIP: Use video content to attract top brands. Video is the most useful tool in an influencer’s toolbelt.

To begin earning money as a nano or micro-influencer is in influencer networks. These days, joining networks of influencers will speed up your earning potential. We work mainly with our brand partners, but I still work with networks.

Here is a reference for a great example of influencer networks:

Linquia (Pay-per-click model not for everyone)

Join these networks to draw inspiration from both mega influencers and smaller influencers who are on top of the latest trends and already earning money. Following public figures will help you develop your unique voice.

The world of micro-influencers is a growing trend! Go and make great content. As a result of posting high-quality photographs, you will become a top-earning micro-influencer. Just post consistently and under the FTC guidelines. You will need to start on a small scale, but eventually, you will grow a wider audience.