Influencers influence millions of people through their reach on social networks, whom they consider to be authentic and honest.
They position themselves in niches and tailor their content to their target group and the platform for which they mainly produce.
Companies offer influencers lucrative deals if they use their reach to advertise brands that are interesting to the target group.
Becoming an influencer looks so easy from afar. Shooting videos, smiling a little for the camera and living a life far removed from a 9-to-5 office job. But is it really that easy to become an influencer? A contributing factor to the myth is that even the most successful influencers often started their careers as a hobby before, in the best case scenario, it turned into a successful full-time job. But how do you become an influencer and how do influencers earn their money? We answer the most important questions.
What is an influencer?
Influencers have many followers on social media like Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter or on platforms like Youtube. They can influence their fans – more precisely: their purchasing decisions.
As a rule, influencers first build up a large fan base, be it through fitness, cooking or even videos about taxes. They are often regarded as experts in their fields and therefore have a high degree of authenticity. Most influencers also often provide insights into their private lives. Since influencers often take their first steps as a private person with hobbies, they often appear more honest than classic advertising media could ever be. That is why lucrative deals beckon for influencers with a wide reach when they advertise the products of companies.
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How do you become an influencer?
Charisma and good looks help, but they’re not nearly enough. Influencers are often experts in a specific industry and devote their content to relevant topics. Whether it’s technology, make-up, bodybuilding or comedy – anyone who provides interesting content for the community can quickly build up a fan base.
Content tends to be images and videos, but informative Twitter threads, podcasts, or blog posts are also common. Different subcultures use different platforms – while gamers like to network on Discord, fashion mostly takes place on Instagram. So concentrate your content on the platforms that suit your target group in order to successfully build your own reach.
With an increasing number of followers and thus greater reach, most influencers also become more professional – from professional equipment to the management that takes care of the brand deals.
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How do influencers make their money?
Influencers can be paid to create sponsored content where they promote a specific product or brand. Affiliate marketing is another widespread method: Here, fans are guided to partner shops through personalized links, often with small discounts. The influencers, in turn, share in the sales generated in this way. The bodybuilder Jo Lindner, for example, who on Instagram joesthetics calls, uses affiliate links to online shops for fitness supplements and clothing for similarly built men.
The influencers also sell their own products. An example would be Jeremy Fragrance, followed by over six million on Tiktok. He sells his own perfume and now also advertises for the discounter Aldi.
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Influencers can also offer their followers exclusive content, such as access to uncut podcasts, blog posts on Substack, paywalled videos, or private chat groups and coaching. Tickets for events and performances can be monetized just as exclusively.
Who are well-known German influencers?
In addition to football players of the national team or the model Heidi Klum, there are also those who were not already famous before their influencer career among German-speaking influencers with the most followers.
Lisa and Lena are 20-year-old twin sisters from Stuttgart, who became famous as teenagers through lipsync videos on Tiktok. It works on Instagram your content in the feeds of over 19 million followers, on tiktok they are subscribed to by 13.5 million accounts.
Pamela Reif creates ten to fifteen minute workout videos on Youtube and thus generates hundreds of millions of clicks in addition to 9.4 million followers. The German mother tongue does not stand in the way of her reach – her workouts are accompanied by music and have English titles. Her most successful video is called: “10 MIN AB WORKOUT // No Equipment | Pamela Reif„.
Julien Bam not only entertains his more than six million followers on YouTube with humorous music videos, but also with insights into his private life and professionally produced storytelling.
Younes Zarou is with over 50 million followers the most successful German Tiktoker. Born in 1998, the influencer produces visually appealing videos of illusions paired with tutorials or making-ofs.
Nick Kaufman sees in his videos on Tiktok Above all, he looks good and is accompanied by his almost 20 million followers in everyday life. The loud “wikiThe German-Indian born in Singapore in 2000 produces, among other things, sponsored content for the fashion label Boss.
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