Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are some of the platforms where you can become a content creator or social media influencer – but it’s a crowded field. The best chance of success is to find your niche. “Content creators are active in all kinds of areas,” says Philippe Riechel from the German digital association Bitkom, from gaming to fashion , fitness to nutrition. Competition for followers, though, is fierce no matter what the topic. Finding something that sets you apart from everyone else is key. “This is the only way to gain attention, followers and maybe even advertising revenue one day,” says marketing consultant Mario Kaminski. Finding a suitable niche is about identifying trends online and combining them with your own interests. Then, the next challenge is figuring out how to create and present your content. “Those who bring creativity and passion to the table and are prepared to deal intensively with the topic have good basic prerequisites,” Riechel says. Becoming a content creator means building up your own brand, which takes time. “You have to work on it every day and produce content,” Kaminski says. How to get more followers on Instagram: expert tips A budding influencer can try to gain followers in a variety of ways. One way, especially at the beginning, is to comment on other people’s content while linking to your own. “But that is incredibly tedious in the long run,” according to Kaminski. A more effective way is to use platforms such as YouTube, TikTok or Instagram. “[Deciding] which channel is most suitable often depends on the content,” Riechel says. It’s generally advisable to use several platforms at the same time and to adapt the content to the respective platform. “This way, you reach a larger target group and can increase your own reach even more.” How much can you earn as a content creator? “In the beginning, mostly nothing at all, because it takes time until you have followers and reach with your content,” says Kaminski. It’s when you have several thousand followers that you become an attractive prospect to advertisers. According to Kaminski, content creators can earn about €5,000 (US$5,500) per advertising deal for every 100,000 followers they have. There is no upper limit to earnings in principle – it’s mostly a matter of negotiation. Some of the ways a content creator can make money include product placements, banner ads, partner links and sponsorships. However, making lots of money as an influencer is very much the exception and not the rule. “Most content creators don’t earn any money with their content, and only very few of them generate enough reach to make a living from it,” Riechel says. For most, being a content creator is just a sideline. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a reason not to try. “Many successful creators emphasise that the financial aspect should not be the main motivating factor when setting up channels,” says Riechel. The most important thing is to enjoy what you do and be authentic.
