So, you’re looking to start making money as a micro-influencer? You’ve come to the right place.

Life as a micro-influencer can be a rather rewarding way to earn a wage, but it’s so important to get the basics right before you start. Too many people think it’s a breeze, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Don’t get us wrong, it can be outrageous fun when you gel with the right brands, but getting there takes plenty of grease of the elbow variety.

Let’s find out how you can make it work on social media in 2023. Here’s everything you need to know about becoming a micro-influencer and making a living out of it.

 

What Is A Micro-Influencer?

A micro-influencer is someone who creates content to tell engaging stories about products and services they love to carefully curated audiences on their platforms of choice. These audiences are typically around 1,000-50,000 people in size on social channels like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest, but micro-influencers often use the likes of blogs and email newsletters to reach them, too.

To be successful in engaging their audiences, micro-influencers need to have carved out a niche and developed strong relationships with relevant brands within that niche. This isn’t something that can be achieved overnight, of course—it takes a great deal of time, effort and high-quality content to build worthwhile connections in the industry, both with brands and followers.

One of the best bits about being a micro-influencer is that you can usually enjoy closer and more meaningful relationships with people, from the marketing managers at your partner brands to your faithful followers on your chosen channels.

Macro-influencers, on the one hand, have hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers, so they might have more of a struggle to tell authentic stories about the products or services they’re spotlighting because their audiences know they’ve been paid to do so. Micro-influencers, on the other hand, build smaller but more engaged audiences by talking about products or services that genuinely had a positive impact on them—they can receive gifts from brands and choose whether or not to post about them. If they don’t love them, they don’t have to post; if they do love them, they have the autonomy to post personalised content to tell their audiences all about the experience.

It’s usually the case that the greater the audience, the more expensive the influencer, so micro-influencers can also be a more affordable option for brands with limited marketing budgets. Not everyone can afford to pay Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi to play chess on a suitcase, so there is high demand for storytellers with everyday connections with their audiences.

 

How To Make Money As A Micro-Influencer

There are so many different routes into life as a micro-influencer that it’d be impossible to cover them all here, but there are some foundations you’ll need to lay to set yourself up for success. 

 

Top Tips  For Becoming A Micro-Influencer On Social Media

 

  • Find your story and stick to it as best you can

As we touched on in our guide to user-generated content creators, doing your research early doors simply has to be part of your strategy. Follow the stories of other influencers for a while and get to know where the gaps are in your chosen industry. You’ll not only need a niche in terms of products and/or services, but also a unique story that’s unmistakably you, so take your time to nail your narrative.

 

  • Get familiar with the guidelines

In becoming an influencer, you have a responsibility to be honest and transparent with your audience, so it’s important that you get to know the rules before you start posting any content.

Remember, there’s a difference between gifting and advertising when it comes to brand relationships, but you might end up doing a combination of the two, depending on which brands you partner with down the line. To be safe, have a good read through the CMA guidance for influencers so you know you’re always going to be straight with your followers.

 

  • Pick products you already have

When you’re ready to get things off the ground, you might want to do a few practice runs with products you already own. Choose something you love and try creating a reel about it for your Instagram followers. This is a great way to hone your content creation skills, get on the radars of some desirable brands and start building your community.

 

  • Don’t get overexcited

Once you’ve posted a few times and started developing a few relationships here and there, it can be easy to get carried away. Try not to start bombarding brands with pitches or posting a million reviews a week. Post regularly by all means, but your luck will swiftly run out if you overdo it—try to find the right cadence for your particular audience.

 

  • Connect with complementary brands

Finding a network of brands and influencers like Gifta is a great way to make sure you play your cards right. We connect gifted storytellers with brands that will slip straight into their narratives, so there are no eye-rolling ads or inauthentic relationships—only genuine, engaging content every time. Get in touch at hello@gifta.co.uk today to find out more.

 

  • Don’t neglect your portfolio

OK, so you’re now in with a few brands and you’ve got a good following on the go. Things are going well, but make sure you don’t rest on your laurels. Keep on top of your portfolio to always have fresh case studies to share with potential new partners. 

 

FAQs About Micro-Influencers

How Many Micro-Influencers Are There?

It’s nigh on impossible to tell how many are out there, but a recent survey stated that almost half (47.3%) of all influencers are micro-influencers. It’s a fiercely competitive market and it’s not easy to break into, hence the importance of finding your niche and honing your storytelling skills when you’re starting out.

How Much Do Micro-Influencers Get Paid?

Pay can change drastically between influencers, brands and platforms, so it’s hard to put an average on it. Many micro-influencers make a living by receiving a combination of gifts and payments for posts with certain brands and the latter can be anything from £100 to £1,000 or more, but it depends on the individual agreement made between you and the brand. How much you get paid per post will probably change every time, so you have to be willing to negotiate.

Which Platforms Are Best For Micro-Influencers?

The most popular platforms for micro-influencers tend to be the likes of Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, but they can differ greatly between industries and niches. Don’t plump for every platform just because everyone else is using them—do your research and find the right ones for your message, your strongest content formats and your preferred type of audience..