If you’re a content creator who loves clothes, shoes and accessories, you may be curious about how to become a fashion influencer with no money. Some of the best fashion bloggers on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube started as unknowns in the industry.
There’s no need to have your own clothing line, runway-model looks, or connections in the designer world. Becoming a fashion influencer boils down to creating great content that engages your audience. Here are some tips to help launch your dreams of becoming a fashion influencer on social media.
1. Choose a platform
Although you can create and share content on more than one social media platform, it helps to start with just one channel. This will allow you to focus on building a solid foundation of interesting content until you’ve found your voice and niche.
Does it make sense to pursue your dream of becoming a fashion blogger on Instagram because that’s where your fashionable friends already engage with your content the most? Or maybe TikTok feels like a more natural fit for the youthful target audience you’re hoping to reach with edgy streetwear style tips. Or perhaps you plan to create longer video tutorials that would best be served by YouTube.
Beth Djalali is a fashion influencer who uses YouTube to share longer videos that lend credibility to her expertise about “Style at a Certain Age.” At nearly 12 minutes long, her video, “How to Look Stylish and Chic in the COLD over 50!” was well suited for the platform’s format and reach.
Whichever platform you choose to launch your fashion-focused content, just ensure that the format and audience match your vision and goals.
2. Determine your niche
While creating a niche for yourself as a fashion influencer can help separate you from generalists, it’s not necessary to succeed. With that said, if you have a passion for something specific, such as luxury-brand purses or vintage footwear, capitalize on it. You can still post other fashion-related content to fill in the gaps, but having a speciality may truly benefit you, especially when you don’t have a lot of followers.
Take VintageZac, a micro-influencer on TikTok. Although Zac is all about vintage fashion finds from flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores, he does throw in some non-clothing discoveries, such as decorations, posters and videos.
3. Create great content
Creating great content isn’t just about the quality of the photo, video or message. Even fashion influencers have creative license to be funny, informative, helpful, and entertaining. It may take some time to determine what a unique voice and style are, but don’t worry about getting locked into something. Just aim to be authentic as you evolve.
No need to invest much money into purchasing new clothes or accessories right out of the gate. Consider taking photos of different outfits in store dressing rooms, mix-and-match with the pieces you already own to create new outfits or film yourself shopping for unique pieces at a thrift store or on the clearance rack.
When in doubt, think of your content from three perspectives:
- How do I interest people in viewing my content?
- How do I keep my audience interested?
- What do I want people to do after viewing my content?
By answering these questions, you’ll help build not only your followers and reputation but also increase your chances of attracting the attention of brands looking to partner with fashion influencers.
4. Build your audience
Growing your audience always starts with appealing content. After all, there’s no sense in inviting people to follow you if there’s nothing to see. Create a schedule to ensure you’re posting fresh content regularly and actively engaging with your audience when they comment.
To attract new followers and brands to your account:
- Optimize your social media profiles with keywords about your niche in the fashion industry.
- Look for ways to collaborate or cross-promote with other influencers.
- Follow brands on social media you like and would consider partnering with and tag them when you post about a brand’s product, services, or news.
- If you create content on multiple platforms, cross-promote to drive traffic to your main platform.
- Look through Casting Calls on The Creator Marketplace® to partner with influencer-seeking brands.
- Attend networking events, even conferences and ribbon cuttings, which can be a good place to meet like-minded brands.
- Consider joining a fashion influencer agency or platform, which can help you get noticed by brands, or fashion influencer marketing spaces, which connect you with like-minded content creators.
5. Create an influencer media kit for brands
While there are several ways to earn income on social media by creating fashion-focused content — including creating your online store or earning a commission from affiliate marketing, many influencers earn solid payouts with sponsored posts.
You’ll recognize these brand-influencer partnerships by the “sponsored” or “ad” label on posts. The idea is simple: the influencer is compensated to create content that promotes the brand’s products or services.
To indicate that you’re serious about partnering with brands, assemble a downloadable influencer media kit with your bio, active social media channels, follower count, audience demographics, engagement rates, and compensation rates. Once you’ve partnered with a couple of brands, you can add past collaborations, testimonials, and campaign results to your kit. An easier way to do this is to create a listing in The Creator Marketplace.
Use these tips to launch yourself as a fashion influencer on social media. With no startup costs and only an investment of your time, you’ve got nothing to lose and a whole new career to gain.
Influencers:
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Marketers:
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