How many followers do you need to get started and land paid brand deals as an influencer

Experts highlight that influencer marketing is growing faster than any other marketing strategy, indicating a promising future for aspiring influencers. When in action, influencers are akin to celebrities, and they enjoy a range of impressive benefits that will leave you amazed.

One of the major advantages of being an influencer is the flexibility and freedom it offers. Unlike a traditional full-time job, influencers can work at their own pace and choose their areas of interest.

Whether it’s beauty, fashion, cooking, technology, or personal stories, influencers can pursue their passions and turn them into a career. They can decide their working days and hours, improving their work-life balance.

Another significant benefit is the opportunity to collaborate with top brands. Influencers have the chance to connect with renowned brands and promote their products. By building and identifying their niche, influencers can attract the right brands and open new doors for themselves. This collaboration with brands brings exposure and helps influencers achieve their dreams.

For those starting, income may range from occasional $100 payments. On the other hand, highly renowned influencers have the potential to earn millions of dollars. According to Vox, micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers can earn between $40,000 and $100,000 annually. Influencers with millions of followers can command tens of thousands of dollars per post, and top influencers can generate annual earnings ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

Almost every day, I get this question, “what if I have no/few followers?” And my answer is you can always start small. You don’t have to be a celebrity or have a huge following to succeed as an influencer.

In fact, you can get started with a small but engaged fan base. The number of influencers ranges from a thousand to tens of millions, and follower count shouldn’t be your primary concern.

What matters more is having a dedicated audience who genuinely values your content. Focus on building a community of followers who actively engage with your posts, read your captions, like your new content, and participate in your stories. These followers truly matter and can contribute to your success as an influencer.

Surprise… surprise, you don’t even need to have a huge following before you can get started as an influencer! 

With as low as 1,000 to 10,000 followers, you could get started as a nano-influencer and then focus on growing your brand and increasing your earnings exponentially. 

Influencer Categories by following size

For us, we like to categorize influencer types according to the following sizes:

👍🏻 Nano-influencers: 1,000-10,000 followers

👍🏻 Micro-influencers: 10,000-50,000 followers

👍🏻 Mid-tier influencers: 50,000-500,000 followers

👍🏻 Macro-influencers: 500,000-1,000,000 followers

👍🏻 Mega/celebrity influencers: 1,000,000+ followers

While it’s generally true that influencers with larger followings tend to earn more money, you don’t have to get yourself worked up if you fall into the nano- or micro-influencer categories. 

And that’s because many smaller brands are actively seeking partnerships with nano- and micro-influencers to work with. 

In fact,  micro-influencers are usually preferred on Instagram.

Although companies and brands looking to collaborate with smaller or emerging influencers might have a smaller budget, they are generally more accepting if you partner with other brands. And that means you have a better chance of earning from multiple sources.

Remember that long-term relationships with brands often lead to more lucrative opportunities than one-off posts.

What’s more important if you are a smaller influencer is to focus on building your niche or specialization and nurturing relationships with your clients.

UGC

You can also work on your UGC. User-generated content is taking the social media world by storm.

Also known as “UGC“. This type of content is created by customers and published on a BRAND’S social media, not the creator’s. UGC comes in many forms, including images, videos, reviews, a testimonial, or even a podcast.

UGC is the future! You can make a full-time income with zero followers with UGC!

+UGC is an untapped market and rates are high

+No analytics involved

+Uncapped income

+More flexibility on brands

+You don’t have to be on camera

+Diversify your income

Want to learn more about UGC? Check out our mini-course here!

Free Creators Class

I just launched a new creators class I’m so excited about where my goal is to help you make your first $100K as a content creator! It’s all about how to make it as a profitable creator. I help you create powerful pitches and unlock paid partnerships and share all about the creator economy. 

Plus you get my eBook “14 Creative Ways Creators Can Make $10K” just for registering!

☕️I’m spilling the tea on…⁣ 

• If being an influencer is still profitable
• The exact steps you need to regularly land paid brand deals
• How to monetize no matter your following size (YES EVEN 0 FOLLOWERS)
• PLUS steal our proprietary pitching secrets that landed our students $1M in brand deals last year
• And so much more!⁣

With our UNIQUE brand partnership strategy you can:

🎟️Stop feeling alone

🎟️ Stop feeling stuck 

🎟️ End the burnout and frustration 

🎟️ Work when and where you want

🎟️Become the owner of your OWN 6-figure brand

🎟️Negotiate and upsell so you’re not trading time for money

🎟️Land PAID brand deals to work with your dream brands 

🎟️Get paid to travel the world

🎟️Gain the confidence to know your worth

🎟️Stop spinning your wheels wondering what you’re missing

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. 

✨Without having a huge audience

✨Without having to spend long hours running your business

✨Without working on things you’re not passionate about

⁣

See you in class!⁣ Click the link below to register for free.

👉 https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/influencerfastpass 

Here are just a few of our student’s wins:

“Before using the pitch strategies from Influencer Fast Pass our largest deal size was $800 and after using the pitch and negotiating templates we’ve landed $34,000 in brand deals the first month.” -Marie + Nanci

“As a Content Creator, I just started charging extra for usage rights, whitelisting, and exclusivity. I’ve left so much money on the table. I just renegotiated an existing contract and they approved to increase the rate!! The usage rights were for 6 months :). “You have not because you ask not.” Also “my people perish from a lack of knowledge.” Thank you @verbalgoldblog for all your help and guidance!” – Jennifer  

“This has been life-changing. Women empowering women and not seeing each other as competition.”-  Maddy

“Thank you so much for all your guidance! I just got my first paid partnership and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!!!!!” – Angela

“I’ve been killing the UGC game! Just signed a $1100 deal and an $800 deal this week!”- Aly

“We were handpicked to rep a BIG brand and were paid $8,000” – Lisa

“My husband was able to quit his job and come home to help me with our content creation business.”

“I closed 2 brands this week and one is my first 4 figure deal 😭😭😭”

“The brand manager came back to me and offered me a red deal for a YT short that pays $500” -Corinne

This could be you! Let us help. You have questions, we have answers. Ready to go forward together? We are here to help you build your dream and support you on the journey! You’re no longer alone, we’re with you. We’re going to help you end the cycles of guesswork, burnout, feeling alone on your journey, and the pressure to get it allll perfect – those days are done.