How To Become An Instagram Influencer?

Here’s a mind-blowing fact: in 2025, there are currently about 64 million influencers on Instagram. Wowza!

The only logical question you can ask from this is: what makes Instagram influencers such a good “investment” in the first place?

It’s a fact. Brands are no longer relying on regular ads for their campaigns. Now they’re bringing in social media influencers to skyrocket their sales. 

The simple truth is that Instagram influencers offer brands more opportunities, relatability, and closeness with their customer base – making their advertising a breeze. But brands are not the only ones profiting, though – the influencers earn a pretty good cut.

On average, if you’ve got a solid follower base, you can make up to $250 per post.

Makes you want to become an influencer? We see why.
Sit tight, and scroll through our guide on how to become a successful Instagram influencer.

What Is an Instagram Influencer?

Is there a definition for an influencer?

Yup, and we’ve decided to look it up in the Oxford English Dictionary: 

“Influencer – a person who can influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.“

No wonder the most searched topics online are “How do you become an influencer.” 

You ask, and we answer!

https://flocksocial.com/blog/how-to-get-more-likes-on-instagramNow that we’ve cleared the “influencer” part let’s add on the Instagram. What’s so special about that?

Or better yet, why the heck does everyone want to become one? 

An Instagram Influencer is an Instagram user (well, duh) who has an established audience.

Along with that, they have a distinctive brand and credibility. The trust they have built up with their audience is crucial, especially regarding sponsorships and company-paid ads. 

Basically, their job is to persuade their followers to try out a new product or service of brands they work with.

Most of these brands use the help of Instagram influencers to advertise their products. They scroll through social media (just like all of us do on a daily basis) and pin down fitting influencers for their new product launch.

And with that, specific audiences would be targeted

This works a whole lot better than just resorting to general advertising. The followers of these influencers trust their opinion and taste – they appreciate and listen to their recommendations.

Plain ads can’t compete with that, and that right there – is how to turn followers into customers.

To your luck, you can become an Instagram influencer as well. 

You just need to follow a few simple steps. We’ve covered everything you need to know about Insta-stardom. 

How to Become an Instagram Influencer? 11 Magic Steps

There is more to growing your Instagram business account than you originally thought. 

Successful influencers get there because they have an established personal brand, and they use the Instagram algorithm to their advantage and the algorithm on other social media platforms.

Getting brand deals and reaching your target audience can be challenging, but there are 111 magic steps you can take to reach your goals on the world’s most popular social media platform.

Let’s check them out!

1. Choose a Niche & Own It

First things first. 

You need to figure out which industry you want to join – pickings are plenty.

Beauty, fashion, and lifestyle influencers are extremely popular on the platform.

Some popular examples to look up include: 

• Zoe Sugg

• Lauren Conrad

• Rosanna Pensino

Cooking and fitness influencers are also popular: Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are by far the most popular ones!

These were just the most popular ones. There are plenty of other options to consider:

• Travel
• Sports
• Animal
• Gaming
• Celebrities
• Entertainment

The point of this blog is to get you to figure out what suits you the most. That’s the first step in how to become an influencer.

Sure, there might be extra exposure in the fashion influencer industry. Making music, on the other hand, is a bit more “rocky.” Nonetheless, it’s important to love what you do

This is the best route to succeed in this step:

Build an audience around your passion.

It’s an easy way up from there! 

But speaking of directions, it’s time to get down to business. So…

2. Switch to an Instagram Creator Account

Once you decide to go down the influencer path, having a regular account isn’t gonna cut it anymore. 

You need to switch to a Business Account. 

You’ll have more features and options once you switch to Instagram Business mode. For instance, links and contact information will be directly and publicly visible on your profile. 

This makes it easier for brands to connect with you on potential projects.

Now, on to the numbers side of the business – when enabling this feature, you gain access to Instagram Insights. What’s that, you might ask?

This is Instagram’s built-in analytics tool. that helps you take your game to a whole new level. With this awesome feature, you can keep an eye out for how your posts are performing. Numbers like impressions would be just a clock away. 

You can also see the number of visits your profile gets.

Overall, this helps you to get to know your audience, their demographics, and when they are most active.

How To Switch To a Business Account

Here’s how you can switch to a business Instagram account in just 5 steps:

1. Go to Settings from your Instagram profile. 
2. Select Account on the visible menu.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and click the Switch to Professional Account.
4. You’ll have two options: Creator or Business. The “Business” option provides a more in-depth analysis of your profile’s progress and analytics. It would be a great idea to pick that one. But whatever floats your boat!
5. Next comes choosing the category of your brand or company. Instagram made sure to include many diverse options when choosing your profession. From Art to Real Estate – they sure did include everyone!

These five were the basic, and the following two steps are optional. 

You can choose to add your Public Business Information and even connect your Facebook profile or page if you want to. Connecting as many other social media accounts as possible is always a good idea. It makes your profile more secure and authentic.

3. Optimize Your Instagram Bio

It’s undeniable – an Instagram bio is something all macro influencers need in order to attract an engaged audience. 

This is basically a short description of your Instagram account.

The magic behind it is that it can tell short personal stories and say something about your Instagram page, and the best part – it can include your website’s link.

This a crucial detail for growing your brand and promotion!

If you take a look at other accounts in the niche, you can see that they all have links in their bio to their storefront or website – especially aspiring influencers.

There are actually several things you can do to fit right in and get some Instagram fame.

The very first thing you should do is add a link to your landing page or website. Then, you should add a way for people to contact you – you can invite them to write you direct messages or email you.

Make use of special characters in your bio, too, and don’t be afraid to use emojis, either. The best actionable advice we can give you is to use emojis that best reflect you as a content creator.

Once that’s done, add your company’s business account handle, or if that’s your business account, add your personal Instagram account handle. This way, you will connect your Instagram content to your personal brand, and you make it seem more genuine.

Lastly, you should write a little bit about yourself – but make sure to keep it short and sweet. Instagram bio can only be 150 characters long, but some bios just seem too long – don’t let yours be one of them. 

Also, keep in mind that creating content should align with your bio.

4. Post High-Quality Content Consistently

Finally, it’s time to express your creative side! 

Choosing an original theme or aesthetic for your Instagram profile is a huge part of being a successful Instagram Influencer.

Sticking to one style makes you seem more professional and reliable. Plus, the more unique and expressive your ideas get – the more impact they will have on other creators. 

Don’t follow a blueprint; create one!

Here are a couple of amazing styles we’ve seen and loved!

• Inspired by the sunny streets of California in the 60s – warm colors turn your feed from basic to retro chic. 

• Bring out the minimalist in you with the simple monochrome black and white. It’s a Scandinavian daydream, easily accomplished with one Ikea trip and an iPhone.

• Colorful? No, that’s so 10 years ago! Gen – Z calls it a pastel makeup dream! We could just get lost in this Instagram account.

As long as it makes sense and reflects who you are and what you do – you are good!

The key to this is not to mix and match too much. If you try multiple themes at the same time, your feed could come off as unorganized.

It’s called an Instagram identity crisis. 

Getting down and personal on the gram is where all success lies! But let’s discuss the actual content you will be posting. 

The days of badly angled selfies and poorly edited photos are far gone – thank God! 

You want your followers to be impressed with the stuff you post and engage with it. Take your time in making content that is one step ahead. Sometimes, you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone – and that’s okay.

While the feed aesthetic is a must for fellow influencers, so is the engagement rate, and this comes with consistent content creation. Valuable content that you serve consistently throughout the week will make you perform really well, according to Instagram’s algorithm.

5. Use the Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are an integral part of your posts!

They can get your sponsored posts to pop out in the right niche. Yes, you should post consistently – but your follower count won’t budge if your target audience cannot see the content pillars you’re creating.

That is why you should use hashtags when posting content, as it allows your posts to perform better on the Explore page. When your Instagram account is popping on the Explore page, your follower count will grow, and your Instagram posts will start new conversations!

6. Post Stories and Instagram Reels

Stories and Reels are the magic behind Instagram aesthetics.

Yes, Instagram posts are important, as your Instagram feed is the first thing people see when they visit your Instagram account. 

However, if you wish to become an Instagram influencer, you will need to post Stories and Instagram Reels, too.

In fact, you should use all formats for content creation on Instagram to ensure you get all the attention you can. Instagram Stories can start meaningful engagement with your Instagram followers, no matter how many followers you have.

You can even now make an Instagram Reel out of your best Stories to create video content if you’re all out of ideas to create content right now!

7. Track Your Performance With Instagram Analytics

We know content is the essence of your page, but there’s one more thing. You can have excellent content, but perfect timing si your right-hand man.

You need to post pretty frequently to keep your page active and the audience entertained. 

Bear in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean you must spam your followers with posts/stories every hour. Nope, that’s not what we’re aiming for.  

This is where those Instagram Insights come into play. 

Checking when your followers are most active is one of the best features of Insights. That way, you can plan exactly what time you should post to receive the most engagement.

Another good tip is to prepare your content in advance. This helps eliminate the jump scare of not having content to post. Again, we can’t stress this enough – posting any kind of content to be active is not the way to go. 

Always remember that influencers’ main job is to influence their audience. And your audience can see when the posts aren’t genuine. So, spend that extra hour or two to nail the content game.

8. Engage With Your Audience To Create an Engaged Community

Building an audience is one thing, but building a community is on a whole nother level. 

You might reach your goal of having, let’s say, 10,000 followers. But then what?

You need to engage with your followers frequently. Influencers who are approachable and easygoing tend to do better numbers

This will help you secure your audience and even broaden it after some time. 

The followers that you already have came for your content and stayed for your personality.

With that said, let us jump in with a few tips on how to engage with your followers:

Answer comments and DMs

This is a must if you are looking to boost your engagement. Your followers want their voices to be heard. Keep the conversation going!

Host Giveaways

Giveaways have become very popular in the past couple of years. Not to mention extremely profitable. 

Not only will you surprise your followers with, for example, a brand-new iPhone or some merchandise, but you will also gain a huge boost in engagement from all the likes, comments, and shares. 

It’s a win-win!

Post polls and questions on your Stories

This method is used frequently when influencers want to hear some feedback from their followers. This makes the followers feel more included and a part of your growing community.

Host Live Q&As

An excellent mix of the Q&A feature that has been popular on Instagram Stories and the feature to go Live. Now you can do it at the same time. Your followers will be able to get their questions answered in real time.

Put questions in your post captions

If you’re posing a recent pic from the beach and it has a beautifully written caption, don’t be afraid to tack on a question at the end.

It can be something simple like “Do you like going to the beach” or even something like “Tell me about your favorite memory from the beach.”

9. Reach Out to Brands & Seek Sponsored Content

As an aspiring Instagram influencer, you will need to collaborate with respectable brands and ask for sponsored content. 

What’s this all about? Well, simply put, this includes two establishing partnerships with brands,

Here’s how it goes.

Once you have a couple of thousand followers, you are ready to start reaching out to brands in your niche. Make sure to choose carefully1

For this strategy to work, you’ll need to perfect your sales pitch. 

Instagram DMs work okay, but it’s more professional if you shoot them an email. Make sure that you let them know how collaborating with you can benefit them. That’s how to be an influencer nowadays.

You might not get a response right away. Don’t stress too much about waiting a few days.

Don’t let bigger brands discourage you as well. As your Instagram profile grows, you are sure to get positive responses sooner rather than later.

Pro-tip: 

Try and partner up with brands that you already support. If you already like the product/service, it will be easier for you to share that message with your followers.

10. Collaborate With Other Influencers With Similar Follower Demographics

Nothing creates magic like a super-duper collaboration with other influencers. 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that people LOVE to see their favorite celebrities join forces and promote a product they’re passionate about.

You have other Instagram influencers in your niche that might be willing to collaborate with you. After all – it’s a win-win situation for both of you. 

So, instead of looking at them as competition, try the friendlier philosophy. You are in this game together and can all benefit from a collective boost.

That’s how you become an influencer – by having a close relationship with one first!

Shoutout for shoutout is a great strategy in the beginning. Find people from your industry that you like or even look up to. If you mention them in your Instagram Story, they will surely reciprocate and return the favor.

It’s always a great idea to build a likeness among your peers – not just your audience. It gives you and your page exposure, trust, and a sense of community. 

11. Do NOT Buy Fake Followers!

This is a trick that most rookie Instagram influencers fall for because they want to achieve fame overnight.

Buying fake followers on Instagram is a big NO!

It’s not easy – getting aesthetic Instagram feeds and a good engagement rate does not happen overnight.

Becoming even a micro-influencer takes time and dedication from your side. Still, this shouldn’t tempt you to buy fake followers so that you can ramp up your numbers. 

This can only set you back as an Instagram influencer and even get you banned from Meta social channels – a risk you should not take!

If you want to grow your Instagram organically, consider signing up for Flock Social, where you’ll get real followers that will actually engage with your profile and posts.

Instagram Influencers FAQ

Here are a few questions that might have popped into your mind while you were scrolling through our guide:

Q: How Many Followers Do You Need To Be an Influencer on Instagram?

That’s a trick question.

When searching around the app, you’ve probably seen that most of your favorite Instagram influencers have millions of followers, so you could be wondering how you can get there by just posting content. 

The thing is – a micro-influencer is an influencer that has just over 10,000 followers, so you’re on the good track. Also, keep in mind that it does depend a lot on the niche – meaning that if it’s highly specific, you can be highly influential with fewer followers than someone in fashion influencing, for example.

Q: How Hard Is It To Become an Influencer on Instagram?

If you are new to the game of Instagram influencing and want to become one, it could all seem difficult or even impossible to achieve at first sight. However, the key is to keep your Instagram feed fresh and post consistently.

Post content all the time, but don’t post just about anything; as a social media influencer, you have to provide value for your followers. 

Your posts and Instagram Stories should be a reflection of your brand and your personal story – so make sure to keep everything within the theme.

How Much Do Instagram Influencers Make?

Well, this question can be a tough one to answer, as it all depends on the level of influence and your engagement rate rather than just the follower count. 

On average, influencers earn somewhere between $50 and $250 per post, and the prices are different for Instagram Stories – keeping in mind that we are talking about micro and small influencers. Mid or mega-influencers can earn much more — but it can all depend on the niche you are in.

Key Takeaways

That’s about it! We sincerely hope that this guide helped you understand what it takes to become an Inta-sensation. 

As you might have guessed from what you read, becoming an influencer is not an easy task. It takes time and dedication. But anyone who wants to put in the hard work and dedication, with a pinch of originality, can nail it.

After all, it all comes down to consistency with a personal touch to truly make it on Instagram, so give it a go. Don’t give up quickly – it takes some time and work to see some real results.

And, of course, what’s an Instagram influencer without followers? 

This is your sign to try Flock Social if you are looking for a no-fuss, organic Instagram profile growth, and see how easy it can be to become an Instagram influencer!