Welcome to a great new weekly series we are about to start! We have been lucky enough to get in contact with a few instagram 'influencers', providing us with great insights into the business aspect of managing blogs, instagram pages, and some tips and tricks to get started! Keep reading on to learn from our first influencer, Annie!
Profile: Anniesbucketlist
Annie is a travel blogger from Sydney, Australia, creating some amazing content on her adventures! Her large following of over 170,000 people on Instagram is no surprise considering the quality of content she produces. Beautiful images of Annie's travels are sure to inspire!
Some of Annie's recent content:
So we asked Annie a series of questions we think you guys would find most interesting and useful!
In your travel and lifestyle based style of content, why do you believe that people would prefer to follow you over someone with a larger following? I think it's likely that someone who is following me is also following larger accounts in the 'travel and lifestyle' niche too (as opposed to 'preferring to follow' my account). The reason why someone would do that is because we might all share the same interests (e.g travel) but our accounts add value in different ways. For example, if someone is following my account plus the larger account we're both sharing content from Japan - my content might be focused on landscapes and traditional Japan, while the larger account is showcasing luxury and modern Japan. We're sharing different experiences and giving more options to the user that's interested in Japan. Another reason why someone might choose to follow me could be because my content aesthetic appeals to them in some way. Instagram is a visual platform so when there's a visual affinity, you're most likely going to follow that account.
What encouraged you to get started on instagram? I was blogging for a while before I decided to make an Instagram account, so I was a bit behind. I really only created an account because I was interested in trying out the Instagram filters (this was before I knew how to edit my photos using Photoshop). I started off sharing fashion content on Instagram since that was my interest at the time. I would take pictures and tag brands and these brands would repost my pictures on their channels so it started growing organically that way. Eventually, I fell out of love with fashion and decided to take a break. I eventually met my partner (@willsbucketlist) and he's a photographer and videographer by trade, so he began teaching me about photography and would use me as his subject during our travels. I started sharing these photos on Instagram and that's when I realised that was the type of content that I loved and my account began morphing into a travel account.
Do you work with brands? If so, how was your experience? I work mainly with tourism boards, airlines, hotel groups and occasionally with tour agencies. For my own safety and security it's important for me to work with official government boards or large corporations because travelling is part of my work and I don't want to have my organs harvested LOL. So far the experiences have been really amazing, especially when they're with the tourism board. The tourism board will organise and provide a 1 or 2 week itinerary that showcases key places and experiences they want the influencers to highlight for the travel campaign. They then select 1 or 2 influencers from different countries to participate in the trip and we're all given a brief and contract stating the minimum content requirements for the trip and payment details. As you travel and collaborate with these influencers, you end up forming close friendships and you learn a lot about their country too, that part for me is priceless.
What would you recommend to someone who was just starting on instagram? Many people who start their Instagram account for the purpose of having followers are constantly comparing themselves to others and are obsessed over the numbers. That's not what Instagram should be about. Instagram is a visual platform, so figure out your strengths and what you're passionate about and pour that into your Instagram content. If you keep working on this and adding value to your audience, you'll build yourself a portfolio of Instagram content that you'll be proud of and your page will naturally grow from it. There are obviously best practice things to learn too such as (e.g always including location tags, using the right hashtags, posting during the most active hours on Instagram) but these are secondary to the quality of your work.
What do you like the most of being an influencer? I'm very grateful for the opportunities that it's given me. Through my work I've made amazing friends from all over the world and it's mind boggling that Instagram could bring people together that way, it's opened up my eyes to a new world and a new community of people that constantly keep me inspired. With everything that's happening with the world right now, travel is on hold, companies are forced to downsize and people are losing their jobs. I guess this situation has also made me grateful that I can continue to work remotely and communicate with my audience through Instagram, that's a privilege that not many people have. The term 'influencer' may have taken on a lot of negative connotations over the years. But as someone who has experienced both the corporate world and now the 'influencer' world, I definitely see things in a different light and would never take this job for granted.
So... what can we take away from what Annie said?
"Each account adds value in different ways" - we couldn't have said it better ourselves! Don't feel defeated if your account isn't growing as fast as you would like, and don't compare yourself to existing accounts. The people that follow you are there because you produce content that is appealing to them! It isn't about quantity but quality.
The content you're super passionate about right now may not last forever and thats ok! It is ok to alter your content to be more in line with what you love. If you have more of an interest in a different style of content, it will translate, and your followers will appreciate you creating content you enjoy! Don't be afraid to make the switch if you have changed your interests, and similarly, don't be afraid to get started if you're new to the game! There is always time to learn and opportunities to change - that is the beauty of instagram.
Working with brands is a great way to integrate your passion for instagram and your career! Working with professional brands that you can establish a relationship with will allow you to continue making the content you love, your followers desire, and feel like you're never working a day in your life!
Social media platforms can foster some amazing memories, experiences and friendships. If you're lucky enough to experience working as an influencer, you will be exposed to an entire different community of people and world of new knowledge. Communicating with audiences of people, having the ability to remain inspired and influence other people are just some of the amazing perks of the job!
Thank you so much to Annie for taking the time to answer some of these questions for us!
If you loved this type of content, are looking for more interviews or just have some recommendations - please let us know in the comments section! We would love to hear your input.
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