How do I get started? This is a question I’ve been asked for the past few years since beginning my digital content creation career in 2018. Many people want to create fashion, lifestyle, or beauty content and have the opportunity to work with brands, either as a “side hustle” or a full-time career. If you’re looking for a few tips to get started, I’ve got your back.
Set up “creator” social media accounts
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are currently the most popular sites for influencer marketing. If you want to establish you online presence and hopefully get spotted by your favorite brands, you NEED to be active on these apps. If you’re planning on posting more professional content as a creator, your account should reflect this, wether you create a whole new account or use an existing one. A creator or business account allows you to view the analytics of your account to see how well different posts perform and also provides you with additional metrics to monitor your account’s growth.
Here are some resources for how to set up creator accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest:
establish your personal brand
Once you have your accounts set up, you should have a nice photo set as your profile pictures, since that is the first thing that many people will see when you post. Additionally, your bio should be professional and concise and show a value proposition: why should someone follow you? What do you have to offer? You can use your bio to explain your “niche” describing the types of content you typically post.
Add a professional email to your bio
As someone who has worked in social media for a few years, I cannot stress this enough. If you want to work with brands, you have to provide them with a way to contact you.
As an important note, the Instagram email button on your profile only works when using the mobile app and not on Instagram in the web browser. Many influencer marketing professionals who scout out creators use the web browser version of Instagram on their computer while they are at work and if they cannot find your email within a few seconds of glancing at your bio, they will move on to someone else.
It is also important to use an email address that is professional, easy to type/remember, and as close to your username as possible.
Create your “pitch”
As you begin your content creation journey, you will probably want to start reaching out to brands with your “pitch” of what your value is and what type of content you could make for a brand. There are so many great resources online and even templates to base your own pitch of off.
create a media kit
In the beginning, this can be optional as you likely won’t have much experience working with established brands. But as you start building your brand network, you will have some examples of what your work for brands can look like. A media kit is essentially a portfolio for content creators and bloggers with more information about you, your metrics and engagement rate (how well your content typically performs) and examples of some of your past work. If you’re not a strong designer, no worries! Canva has some templates you can utilize, but it is important to change up the design and make it your own, since so many people use these same templates.
Here is a great tutorial from a creator I love and admire,
Austen Tosone:
capturing your content
While a camera is a great investment, if you don’t already have one you can use your phone camera! Most smartphones have high quality cameras that will be able to capture your content well. A tripod is also a great tool to capture content on the go or when you might not have someone else around to help you.
photo & video editing
Editing is important, but you don’t have to pay for expensive software. The mobile app version Adobe Lightroom is free and is a great tool for photo editing, including color and exposure adjustments. Here is a great tutorial to get even the photo novices started!
If you are shooting video content, you can edit on a mobile device or on a computer. Simple edits can be done within the TikTok and Instagram apps, but I often like to use a different program. The app Splice is free and make video editing really easy for beginners, with all of the basic features you’ll need to begin.
Get inspired
As you start your journey, it is important to find other creators that inspire you! You can find new accounts to follow on any platform by searching keywords that have to do with your niche. For example, as someone who creates fashion content, I might search “plus size fashion” and “sustainable fashion” to find some new accounts to follow for inspiration.
If you’re looking for more inspiration and want to connect, follow me on social media and feel free to reach out with any questions! Happy creating!
https://www.instagram.com/annakubitz/
https://www.tiktok.com/@annakubitz