The Tip Jar

 

This week’s Tip Jar edition features PART 1 of outstanding advice on how to be a successful micro-influencer, straight from the mind of someone walking-the-walk…@mattrossofficial! 

 

Five MUSTS for Rising Stars

Q: What are your top 5 tips or tricks for rising micro-influencers?

1. Know why you’re doing it.

The content you post, the brands you work with, the audience you’re developing, all of it will be rooted in your message/purpose.

To give you an example, I only care about two things: 1) traveling the world and 2) inspiring people to do the sh*t they love. All my content revolves around that, whether it’s my Instagram Posts, my Podcast, Tweets or my Daily Vlogs on Youtube.

Having my message/purpose constantly in mind guides all my decisions, whether it’s what to post or whom to partner with.

I truly believe this is a major key!

 

2. Embrace comparing, but differently.

I 100% believe comparison is a natural human trait that’s stronger in some, but definitely exists in us all.

When comparing ourselves to other more established influencers (or at least those we perceive to be), instead of lowering our sense of self worth, I suggest shifting that built-in desire and comparing yourself to yourself.

Compare who you are to who you would like to be. Let your potential become your competition.

That way throwing yourself into competing/comparing is actually throwing yourself into self-improvement.

 

3. You need to post more.

If you’re posting twice a week, you need to post more.

If you’re posting once a day, you need to post more.

Whatever your current posting schedule is, you need to post more.

Look. The internet is f*cking fantastic because it’s leveled the playing field in a major way (due to accessibility to the consumer) and because the cost of entry is so low (a smart phone & internet connection).

This has, however, come with one catch. You are competing for the attention of the consumer/the audience. You are not just competing against other fitness gurus, makeup artists or photographers. You’re competing against behemoths like Coca-Cola, Nike, etc.

It’s a battle for attention.

The more time your audience spends consuming your content, the more opportunities you have to expose them to your story/product/journey etc.

So it just makes logical sense to post more. 

More content, more chances to succeed.

Post more.

 

4. Listen to your audience.

Too many are crippled wondering, pondering, debating, discussing, and doing a copious amount of other procrastinating bullsh*t tasks instead of taking action.

The number one thing I have seen repeatedly in many starting out is the fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not being perfect. 

Firstly, perfect doesn’t exist, its 100% subjective. What I find perfect you may hate, so why spend time debating this sh*t? Just put out content you feel is true to yourself and then…listen to your audience.

Put out a piece of content, listen to the response, if they enjoyed it, put out more content like that.

If they didn’t, listen and adjust.

If they are offering constructive criticism (e.g. “I adore your fitness tutorials, I just wish they were more focussed on HIT workouts”) then it should be a bell ringing to tell you what your audience wants. As an influencer, your only real asset is your audience and their attention, so your primary goal needs to be to keep, grow, and satisfy their need for content to the best of your ability. 

The only way to do that is to listen to them.

 

5. Don’t get comfortable on a platform.

Social media platforms are all tools to communicate with an audience.

Two important things to remember:

1. Treat each platform natively, meaning that the content that will work well on Instagram will be different to that which works well on Soundcloud. Your message/purpose doesn’t change but the way you present/deliver it needs to.
2. Secondly, you need to put out content not on the platform that you love as a consumer, but on the platforms where the attention of the consumer is. Please understand that.

As an influencer, your asset is consumer attention, so if it’s shifting from Instagram to TikTok (which a lot of it is currently) then you need to not be emotionally attached to Instagram, and instead spend your time and energy finding a native way to deliver your message/purpose on TikTok, or whatever other platform the attention of the consumer is on.

GOOD STUFF, AM I RIGHT?! Stay tuned for more tips in this 3 PART SERIES feat. @mattrossofficial!

 

Applications to contribute to The Tip Jar are still open! You can apply to be featured by letting us know you’re down on the opportunity thread: https://theplug.xomad.com/message/detail/513