The Male Influencer

When people first think of an influencer, most would probably imagine a female. That does not stem from sexism or some biased opinion of the industry, but rather the simple fact that females have dominated the influencer world thus far. However, as of recent, more and more males are entering into this field and the opportunities keep expanding. That being said, I wanted to give some insight to the new and rapidly growing male side of the industry by answering some commonly asked (but not always answered) questions.

Why have females "dominated" the influencer industry, so to speak?
The exact reasoning behind this could be up for debate, but the simplest answer is that females have dominated the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industries for centuries. With these sub-industries in the forefront of influencing, females have gotten a natural "head start" in this arena. That's not to say that females will remain ahead of the curve though. Males seem to be catching up pretty quickly.

Does this mean that males are at a disadvantage to female influencers?
Actually, quite the contrary. So many female influencers have flooded the industry that it has become even harder to differentiate between them. This makes the need for a specific focus, style, etc. even greater for female influencers. Male and female influencers may be used to represent different products based on the obvious difference in male vs. female wants and needs, but overall males have a lot more leeway (at least for now) in terms of their focus, style, content, etc.

When it comes to brand partnerships, are there less opportunities for male influencers?
This question is almost a follow-up question to the last, but the answer is a little more complex. On the surface, it may seem like there are more brands that currently use women as the face of their products or services. However, this is mainly due to the fact that there are currently more females in the industry. You can think of this as a ratio of male to female influencers. As long as there are more females than males in the industry, you will likely be seeing more female influencer promoting other brands. Aside from products and services that are directed toward female audiences specifically, you should consider males to be in one large pool with female influencers.

Are there different strategies for entering the influencer industry as a male, as opposed to a female?
Not necessarily. Cohesive content will always be amongst the most important factors when it comes to building your brand as an influencer, regardless of gender. For more tips on entering the industry, take a look at my post "How to Become an Influencer."

As a female myself, I can't say that I have experienced the male side of the influencer industry firsthand. But through my experiences working with other male influencers, my knowledge and insight keeps growing. I love sharing what I have learned and will continue to do! Stay tuned for my next post, where I will continue to explore the male side of influencing.

The Personal Side of Influencing

Being an influencer requires a rather unique and very specific middle ground between personal and impersonal. For starters, your social media presence is dedicated to the brand you're creating, which in turn should be treated as a business. However, your followers will feel much more connected to you if they feel as though they know you on a deeper level. Finding this middle ground can be tough, and, unfortunately, there isn't really a cookie cutter way to achieve it. For me, I've been able to acknowledge the more personal sides of my life throughout a few different posts, while keeping my focus on my style. That being said, I want to share my story with you, the same story that I have tried to convey over time to those who consistently follow my posts:

I have showed interest in clothes, jewelry, make-up, etc. for as long as I can remember. Just like any young girl, I loved playing dress-up in my mom's closet and doing my sister's hair (whenever she'd let me, that is). There is one experience in particular though that has not only made me into the woman that I am today, but that has also shaped the passion that I continue to have for fashion and beauty. When I was in kindergarten, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. At that point, my father had already tragically passed away, so I was living with my grandparents almost full time. My grandma stayed by my mom's side throughout her treatment, which left my grandpa as the one taking care of the kids. When he came to pick me up from school one day, he was expecting his "chatty Kathy," rambunctious, six year old granddaughter to run up and give him a big hug. To his surprise, I went straight into the car, silent as ever. He knew something was wrong and, once we got home, I finally cracked. I explained to him that all the girls at school had these long, beautiful braids, that their moms did for them every morning. Not only did I want to be a part of the trend at a young age, but I also wanted a healthy mother, who could do my hair for me every morning before I got dropped off on the playground. My grandpa did the only thing he could do: reassure me of how loved I was, tell me that my hair is beautiful just the way it is, and gave me an extra big hug and kiss before he put me to bed that night. The following morning, I walked downstairs to eat my breakfast, only to find that the dining table spread was filled with bobby pins and rubber bands, not my usual cereal and milk. My 75-year old grandfather had in fact called my aunt the night prior and had learned (or at least attempted to learn) how to braid hair, all so that he could make sure I never felt like I was missing out. I will never forget being dropped off that morning, with a paper-bag lunch in one hand and two semi-janky braids on my head, but feeling as beautiful and confident as ever.

This experience gave me two huge things that have led me down the influencer path that I am on today. The first is the ability to recognize my appreciation and love for beauty at a young age. I don't mean that in a shallow way, as I believe we are all beautiful in our own unique ways. Nevertheless, it showed me that my love for something can be manifested and put into a more long-term goal, specifically career wise. Secondly, and most importantly, my grandfather, who is my best friend to this day, helped me understand that anything is possible if you have patience and are willing to work for it. There are times where I get discouraged, whether that be on the influencer front or beyond, but his attitude is something that I try to implement into my own work everyday. There are plenty of times in our lives where something seems unattainable on the surface, but I guarantee you that, if there's a will, there's a way! I hope that by sharing more about my story, you have been able to get to know the person behind all these blog posts on a deeper level, while also gaining a better understanding of how to convey personal details about your own life through your influencer platform.

How To Gain Traction as an Influencer

So, now that I've talked a lot about the creation and display of your content in my previous posts, such as "Five Steps to a Better Feed" and "The Feed of an Influencer," I think it's time to discuss what comes next.

After you've either started from scratch or reformed your page, you should be following a plan that specifically includes your personal style choice and a content cycle. As you continue to follow that, there's a good chance you may naturally start catching new people's attention. However, this is also the point where some people tend to get discouraged if they are not gaining the traction that they're expecting. So, here's how to kick things up a notch:

• Hashtags: Using hashtags has been proven to help new people find your content. The most strategic approach is to use hashtags that are broad enough to be seen and used by a larger audience, but specific enough that your content does not just get lost amongst other posts. Also, "trending hashtags" can be even more helpful than trying to think of your own and helps people find your page if they are already looking at similar content.
• Shout-Outs: With so many up and coming brands and influencers out there, you can utilize one another for promotional reasons. By offering to shout out another user (be sure to pick someone who coincides with your influencing sub-category) in exchange for your own shout-out on their page, you can easily gain more quality followers.
• Reach Out to the Brands You Want to Represent: I've expressed the value in reaching out to brands before, but a lot of people shy away from this out of fear of looking desperate or merely being rejected. The reality is that you will be rejected at times throughout the process of becoming an influencer, but putting yourself out there first vastly widens your opportunity. Again, there are plenty of other people trying to enter this rapidly growing industry, so you have to realize that a brand is not always going to find you first and THAT'S OKAY! At the very least, make the introduction with ideal companies and if they choose to pass up the opportunity to use you at the current time, they will at least have eyes on you in the future!
• Be an Active User Yourself: Between the Instagram algorithm (as well as the algorithms of other social platforms) and the human appreciation for reciprocation, this is a big one. By being an active user yourself (liking and commenting on others' posts, following trending hashtags and similar users), you will not only be boosting your own content (which essentially means finding a loophole to different social media algorithms), but you will also be showing your followers that you care about their stuff as much as they should care about yours.

The first two are a little cliché for my style, but they still have proven beneficial for people starting out or trying to expand their brand and for that reason, I highly encourage trying them out! As for the last two tips, these are the two that I have found the most advantageous in my experience entering the influencer industry.