The dream of quitting your full-time job and becoming the next Instafamous photographer might be more accessible than you think. It just takes a little marketing savvy.
According to Business Insider, “over 90% of the 150 million people on Instagram are under the age of 35,” making it a powerful tool to stay relevant with the millennial market. Thanks to knowing how to harness this power of Instagram’s advertorial potential, hobbyist photographers have been able to “live the dream,” quitting their day jobs and focusing full-time on their feeds in exchange for likes – and lucrative sponsorships. In a sea of millions of users, though, it can seem overwhelming to make your mark. How can you get your photos noticed (especially by sponsors) on Instagram? We had a chance to talk with popular Instagram photographer @neivy, who is currently the top influencer in his home state of Connecticut, and he offered us these five tips:
1. Have a theme. Make sure you have a theme for yourself. Is it portrait, is it landscape – is it both? Consistency is key.
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2. Reach Out. Reach out to your local community. For example, reach out to your local newspaper and have them interview you.
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3. Engage. Leave comments, follow people that interest you, and follow people that might be your fans – you don’t know who they know.
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4. Reach out of your comfort zone. Email companies that you want to work with. Set up a roadmap and visualize your success until you feel like you can see yourself in that company. Keep reaching out, contact people that might already be positioned in those kinds of lifestyles and opportunities and ask them how they got there.
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5. Create for others, by building yourself. Don’t forget to invest in yourself. The roadmap you imagined in the beginning is not going to look the same in the end, but trust me you will love it. Your content will grow and change over time, it is how you embrace it that will make you unique. Build your portfolio, provide for others, be approachable.
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