Social media influencers exist on every platform and for almost any reason. Though it seems as if just anyone can become an influencer nowadays, cultivating a known name on any platform involves a lot of dedication and persistence.
Instagram has been around since 2010 and continues to grow to this day. Users looking to grow their profile have to examine the ways accounts grow on Instagram, finding the various algorithms and what methods to gaining followers work best.
Caralee Pridemore (@caraleestyles) owns Sweetly Pinned Hair and Makeup and has a current following of 23.7K on Instagram. Based in Dayton, Pridemore has managed to create a platform for her business, but it did not come without hurdles.
“Honestly, it was just like getting it off the ground,” Pridemore said. “I tell everybody this all the time because people will be like, ‘Oh, you have a large following,’ and I laugh every time because I'm like, not really. I've been doing this since 2012.”
Pridemore credits her growth to her authenticity.
“I'm just a weirdo,” Pridemore said. “I've always been the type that’s like, I want comments that are haters because, to me, that means you've made it. If people are being mean to you and taking the time out of their day to comment on your posts, then that's a big deal I feel like.”
Vulnerability becomes a huge part of Instagram. Pridemore shared that Instagram stories are a helpful way of being open with your followers. Stories create a more personal approach to your audience.
Bianca Stout (@hairbybiancarose) is a stylist with a passion for color located in Cincinnati. Instagram platforms do not always have to be business-related but can be directed to helping those who aspire to produce the same content.
“One of my biggest goals was not to grow my business, but to have other networking opportunities with maybe other brands in my industry, the beauty industry and also becoming an educator, possibly,” Stout said. “So the biggest challenge was just not knowing where to start.”
Stout, with a following of 36.3K, revealed that consistency is key, and knowing your audience is a huge factor when discovering what media to produce. She feels catering to the likes and interests of followers creates a connection that can be closely related to one on a personal level. It makes followers feel like they know who is behind the screen.
“It's really important to put yourself out there just as much, if not more, than whatever you're good or services are,” Stout said. “That way, people really identify with a person.”
When building a foundation, Stout feels having a name and face to the business name creates a personal connection and approach.
“It's just repetitive showing people that you know that you're there, and you're posting, and that they see your name,” Whitney Burkhart (@wb_upstyles) of Whitney’s Bridal Upstyles said. “They will always get the name stuck in their head; they're like, ‘Oh, that's them, and that's their brand and then their visual.’”
Burkhart, with a following of 47.7K, is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She expressed how different and how quick Instagram is evolving.
“I guess when I started it back in 2015, I think the algorithm was whenever you would post a picture, it'd be in chronological order,” Burkhart said. “So it was like the more you post, the more I feel like you got out there and then it started to be different hashtags.”
All three have found Instagram to be a challenge. To experience success, they would advise a mixture of using relative hashtags, tagging popular locations, creating personal stories, making enticing reels and frequently posting. Growing a platform can take time, but Pridemore, Stout and Burkhart used their knowledge to grow and adapt to the constant needs of the platform.
“You'll find your own little niche and your own style and what makes you, you and why people follow you,” Burkhart said.
