Muhammad Zohaib

In the age of digital marketing, influencers play a vital role in creating brand awareness and generating leads. The main reason for that is people tend to trust the recommendations of influencers because of their relatability and popularity. But what determines the success of an influencer? Follower count or engagement rate.

One can be easily deceived by the massive number of followers an influencer has, but the real question is: are those followers even organic? Or are they just paid? It does the brand no good if the followers are not real and do not engage with the content created by the influencer.

Engagement is defined as the likes, shares, and comments on a post, and when you divide it by the number of people seeing that content, you get the engagement rate. It tells us how much the followers care about the content that the influencer posts. You can have thousands or even millions of followers; but if the engagement rate is not good, the number of followers holds no importance or benefit.

An influencer is named so because they possess the power to influence actions. That is why having a good engagement rate is better than having a vast number of followers – Quality over quantity. This means having quality followers is immensely important. They can be simply defined as active accounts that engage with your content rather than fake audiences or passive user handles, who are just sitting as a number on your profile.

To get insights, WALEE developed the proprietary IQS (Influencer Quality Score) method using AI and social listening tools. This has improved the reliability of comparing influencer categories. It assists in evaluating an influencer’s following quality, whether they are mega, micro, or nano influencers.

Each influencer has its own niche and passion points. Select content creators based on campaign relevance, not just popularity, to ensure alignment with the subject and message. For instance, if your campaign is related to cricket then Wasim Akram would be the right choice, not Mathira.

While some brands focus on follower count, many now prioritize influencers based on their engagement rate, a wise choice!

The number of followers an influencer has doesn’t always equate to engagement. Sometimes it’s quite the opposite. Brands prefer influencers who assist in achieving their desired KPIs, like increasing conversions or engagements, rather than running awareness campaigns.

Identify passion points for engagement by considering your target group’s age bracket and preferences. These data points will help you select the right content creators for your next campaign.

Are you considering becoming a content creator? Content creation, whether as a blogger, vlogger, podcaster, or influencer, can be rewarding, but it demands dedication and perseverance. But before reaching the point of why become a content creator. One should know what is it actually. A content creator shares digital media on platforms like websites and social media, using text, images, videos, or audio.

Content creation allows you to establish yourself as an authority or expert in your field. By consistently producing high-quality content, you’ll be able to build a reputation as a trusted source of information and inspiration in your niche, creating a network where people can relate to an established concern. This can open doors to new opportunities, such as collaborations, sponsorships, and speaking engagements.

With the rise of social media and digital platforms, it’s easier than ever to reach a large audience and monetize your content through sponsorships, advertising, and other forms of monetization. While it’s important to remember that building a successful content creation career takes time and effort, the potential for financial gain can be a great motivator for those looking to make a career out of their passion.

Another benefit of content creation is the ability to inspire and impact others in a positive way. Whether you’re sharing your personal journey, providing helpful tips and advice, or simply entertaining your audience, your content has the power to make a difference in people’s lives. This can be a truly rewarding and fulfilling aspect of content creation.

Content creation allows you to express yourself creatively and develop new skills. Whether you’re a writer, a photographer, a video editor, or a podcast host, creating content allows you to explore your creative side and improve your craft. As you produce more content, you’ll find that your skills will improve and you’ll be able to create more engaging high-quality work.

As a content creator, you have the ability to have a flexible schedule, work from anywhere, and be in control of your own content and the direction of your brand. You can work on your own time and from anywhere you want, you can decide what topics to cover, what tone to take, and how to present yourself to the world. This freedom can be incredibly empowering and allows you to create content that truly represents who you are.

While it’s possible to gain fame and make money through content creation, it’s not an easy or guaranteed path. Creating high-quality content takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication. If you’re only in it for the fame and money, then content creation may not be the right choice for you.

If your primary motivation for creating content is to boast about your accomplishments or possessions, free stuff or trips, then you’re likely to come across as insincere and your audience will not be engaged. Content creation can be a great way to share your passions and interests, but it’s not a platform for showing off or bragging

When a person’s goal is to earn money ASAP, their vision of right and wrong gets diluted. Normally your approach is restricted to the present in this case, one will not see the harm it may cause in the future. Content creation is a consistent job and needs a coherent, morally accurate narrative to sustain a decent following over time.

Creating high-quality content takes a lot of time and effort. From researching, filming, editing, to promoting, you’ll need to be prepared to invest a significant amount of time into your content creation. If you’re not willing to put in the work, then content creation may not be the right path for you.

Creating content can be emotionally taxing, as it can be a reflection of yourself. Receiving negative feedback or criticism can be hurtful and you’ll need to be emotionally resilient to handle it. Content creation can also be a solitary endeavor. You’ll be spending a lot of time alone, writing, filming, and editing. If you’re not comfortable with spending a lot of time by yourself, or by the feedback you might receive, then content creation may not be for you.

In conclusion, becoming a content creator can be a great opportunity, but it’s important to ensure that you’re doing it for the right reasons. Do let us know in the comments below, what are your reasons for creating content. Do you have what it takes to become a good content creator/influencer?

In today’s age of increasing digital connectivity, content seems to be the king. Let’s learn how to make content work commercially so that you can commercialize your passion. Content spans learning, entertainment, experiential media, recommendations, shopping, and various forms of audio-visual, written, or hybrid communication. Content includes various formats (textual, iconographic, symbolic, gesture-based) tailored to specific audiences.

The rise of social media introduced content creators to influencing opinions and integrating marketing messages across categories. Genres include leisure, travel, finance, sports, gaming, beauty, fashion, and more, offering a wide array of content possibilities.

However, while many creators want and aspire to make content work commercially, very few actually can. Every content creator dreams of earning payment for their creations and their passion. But the crunch comes when you try to monetize and earn from it.

As a content creator, if you’re unsure about monetizing your content, let’s categorize the discussion into two broad areas: 1) Intent and 2) Execution.

Consider your intent: monetize your content when dedicating yourself to it as your primary or backup career. To make your hobby or content financially supportive, it must cover your bills.

It’s natural to assume you’ll need endorsements, native advertising, online services, or subscriptions to make your content financially viable. These are some, not an exhaustive list, outlining key areas for commercial and financial success.

The second is the execution bit, where originality, personality, and creativity are the three cornerstone principles that top the method of earning you want to select. It helps keep the authenticity intact and doesn’t make you look like you are in it (just) for the money – as this can be the biggest put-off for your audience engagement!

So, what does it actually take to go big with content and make money while you’re at it? While the idea might seem daunting, you can follow some sure-shot tips to get it right – let’s begin!

If we haven’t emphasized this enough, it still is all about the idea. The conversation you want to have and the story you want to share with the world. Especially if it entails your own passion point. It should, rather we believe that it is a must. Only then will content production not become an unwanted chore.

The difference you want to create and the impact that you want to have will fall into place. Because this is where it all starts and this is how you keep going and keep churning.

You might have heard of Maya Angelou’s saying around, “people forget what you said and did, but ’they never forget how you made them feel”. With content becoming more visual and experiential every day, fueled by the accessibility and improvement in consumer technology with phone cameras improving drastically, DSLRs and GoPros becoming part of everyday vocabulary and drones no longer restricted to military tech.

The graphics revolution in games, movies, and cinemas is also adding to the notion that we live in a visual era. Creators must think content beyond just what to say but how to say it, in terms of execution itself. Focus on what you want your audience to feel, when they see a particular piece and work backwards to achieve that experience.

One key learning is to craft your content in a format that is easy to consume and watched enjoyably by your followers and prospective audience. There is no dearth of format types either and creators can choose from blog posts, videos, graphics, eBooks, podcasts or whatever creative tools of application, a creative mind can think of. But the key here is to discover the hero content format.

However, it also doesn’t mean that a creator has to stick to only one format for every piece of content created. Rather discovering the winning formula includes mix and match of various content types, to keep the audience engaged and glued to your updates. Hence, creating content in any format with a consistent, calendar-based churn rate lets your audience become accustomed and familiar with your posting frequency and align expectations.

Just to put that in perspective, a YouTube or any other platform-based podcast series might be a great promotional tactic for your content goals, but it requires a multi-format skill set, equipment-based knowledge with a persistent drive, to stick to it.

Compare that to a blog which is less resourceful and capital-intensive. Hence, choosing the content format requires commitment and then utilizing the right tools to publish and promote your content online

Content comes in many forms – videos, blogs, podcasts, reviews, and many other formats, but its success relies on your ability to adapt it to your preferred, flagship medium. One size does not fit all and it is necessary to tailor your content according to the relevant medium.

This is also very important when you try to reach out to and engage your audience; where they are. It’s also about finding the right balance between self-promotion, sharing useful information and entertainment. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat are all great mediums to create and share content.

The key is to understand the medium and its requirements. Then making and tailoring content to fit the platform and its execution formats. E.g., understanding how interaction with short video formats such as reels and stories occurs in META (FB Vs Insta), then comparing it with YouTube Shorts and how to drive conversion to the main content in each.

Too many times, we jump to audience metrics of reach, frequency and engagement without understanding the content consumption behavior of the audience themselves. The key to creating successful content is to make your audience feel like you’re speaking directly to them —and for that you need to know them like an old friend.

Try to research and find their tension points, motivations, aspirations, challenges and fears. Understand their best possible outcomes, their dream solutions, and their biggest fantasies. Provide solutions and fun, just like a friend does.

Keep in mind what makes your content yours, is you. While it is important to innovate and bring in new flavors for your audience, it is sticking to what makes your content unique compared to others and don’t give up on your roots. Consistency adds authenticity and helps the audience relate to you on a personal level.

Also, if you have committed to a regular publishing schedule, like delivering a new post every Wednesday, your audience will expect to see posts published on Wednesdays – so try not to disappoint them! In case you are unable to deliver as per schedule, you can put up a small post to let them know. It is good to keep them informed.

If content is king, well so is the customer! Follow intently what your audience is saying to you and about you. Find out what they like and maybe don’t like, and try to incorporate that feedback. While you know your content best, you will be surprised at the amount of constructive feedback you can get (for free) – and it will actually help you create better content – and hey that is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?

While getting brand endorsements can be a tough task, getting on-board with your favorite or preferred brand will require more visibility and consistency! As you build your audience and repute, brands will eventually pick you up. However, the key is not to put the product or brand before your content.

The cart should not drive the horse. The idea is to showcase and integrate only the brands that align with your beliefs, audience, personality or online character. Doing so, is likely to get you noticed as brands today are always on the lookout for content creators, who can add value to their proposition. However, social media users can easily sniff out content that feels fake and will tune it out. So, like we said before, it is important to stick to your roots – be real and be genuine.

Hope you find these tips useful. Let us know if we have missed any. Also, what difficulties are you facing on the road to monetization of your content? Those will help us come up with more practical insights to address the challenges and we would love to add those to the list. Bon voyage to a great creator’s journey ahead.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “being an influencer is not a real full-time job” often. It suggests that uploading content to social media requires no skills or effort, and anyone can do it.

However, the rise of the creator economy has enabled many influencers to build successful careers. This contradicts popular opinion and supports the notion that being an influencer is a legitimate full-time job.

According to Merriam-Webster, an influencer is “one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of others”. Hence an influencer is anyone who influences and helps to shape how other people think. This usually pertains to a specific field or niche area/industry that the influencer belongs to.

People follow influencers for their opinions and what they have to say on topics that interest them. In today’s age, social media plays an integral role in our lives, and we rely on it heavily. As a result, influencers’ viewpoints hold greater value for us.

The pandemic and evolving work dynamics have redefined the concept of a ‘real job,’ moving it beyond rigid & typical 9-5.  The popularity of flexible work schedules, including remote, freelance, and work-from-home options, has surged.

Considering the possibilities in all of these, being an influencer is very much plausible. So, whoever is planning out concepts, films, production, and edits and is ready and willing to post content regularly to earn money (usually all on their own) can very well be considered self-employed and engaged in working full-time.

The main appeal of being an influencer is the fact that it can be an extremely lucrative job (depending on the individual’s following and brand affiliations/deals), and a person is likely to earn more money than they would at a more conventional job.

You don’t need a certain degree or educational qualification to be an influencer either, literally, anyone can do it.

Influencers have to build their brand and produce content all on their own. Hence, it takes as much time and effort as any other profession or a more conventional job.

They have to work hard to be consistent with their content and not only build/establish their audience but maintain it and actively try to grow their audience. Influencers have to keep evolving with trends to keep their content interesting and to keep their followers engaged.

While working with brands, like a “regular job”, influencers have to meet deadlines and deliver their content according to brand requirements.

TikTok influencer Charli D a’melio became extremely popular in 2020, when her dance videos went viral and garnered huge following, reach and engagement on the platform.

She now has her own clothing line, reality tv show, is currently on the dance competition show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and has done various brand endorsements for Dunkin Donuts and Takis to name a few. Hence being an influencer is now her full-time career.

Pakistani influencers like Waliya Najeeb and Shahveer Jafry were able to turn being influencers into their full-time careers. Waliya was initially a photographer when she started her Instagram page but after gaining popularity, she now solely focuses on producing beauty and lifestyle content, along with modeling and working with big local brands such as Khaadi, Gul Ahmed etc. Similarly, Shahveer started his career by filming small skit videos and collaborating with fellow Pakistani youtuber Zaid Ali T.

Eventually, he was able to gain a mass fan following through his relatable content on ‘desi culture’ and the representation of foreign Pakistanis through humor.

However, the main downside of being an influencer is that it offers little to no job security and is not a sustainable career path. As long as the influencer is popular and getting views/likes, only then they will be making money and brands will want to work with them.

Even though more people are slowly opening up and accepting the idea, working as an influencer is still shunned and there is a stigma attached to it in society. What do you think? Is being an influencer a real job? Or is it just an easy way to earn money, free products, perks and a quick way to become famous?