5 tips to become an influencer

Being a content creator is a coveted career. It’s booming in popularity. More than half of Gen Zers want to be influencers, according to one survey.

But being an influencer is not just about the glitz and the glamor. It’s about hard work, persistence and strategy. And most important of all, content creation is about connection, says alumna and influencer Laura Vila ’16.

“Everyone is craving an honest connection,” Vila says. “People are craving community. And that’s part of what I do with my brand. I really pride myself on sharing in the moment. I have a one-to-two-hour turnaround time from when I experience something to posting about it. That’s really quick. I want people to feel that it’s organic. I also speak directly to the camera because I want the audience to feel that they are my friends.”

Her personal touch has gained her thousands of fans. She has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram alone. In the last month, she has gained 7.6 million views on Instagram and more than 23 million views in the last 60 days.

Her career as an influencer has grown so much that she recently hired a manager. She regularly partners with top brands like Dior, the Miami Heat and Home Depot, creating content for their products and services.

FIU News sat down with Vila to get her insight into content creation and her advice for students interested in following in her footsteps.

Here are five key tips:

1. Identify your content pillars

Why post about just one side of your personality when you have multiple interests? It’s a question Vila asked herself early on in her career.

“As a person, I’m not one dimensional, so my social media shouldn’t be either,” she says. “When I first started my Instagram page, I was a student. I loved fashion. I still do. But, as you grow up and build your own life and your home, you start to develop new hobbies and interests.”

She began posting about home renovation and thrifting.

Her audience loved it. In fact, when she meets her followers in person, her home renovation content is what they mention the most.

“I found that home projects really connect me to my audience,” she says. “There’s something about creating a home and thrifting…it’s about community. My audience repeatedly asks for it.”

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A post shared by Laura Vila (@lauramvila)

So, how do you decide on a strategy to post content that may span a wide breadth of topics?

“It’s important to have pillars,” Vila says. “If you have your organic pillars that you feel represent your content and represent you, you can intertwine the pillars.”

For example, some of Vila’s pillars include home makeovers, thrifting and fashion. She makes sure to post content related to each of those pillars regularly, to keep each pillar alive and to keep viewers who gravitate toward one particular pillar interested and receiving content about that pillar.

“Keep repeating those pillars,” she says. “Every time you get a new audience member, people will know what to expect from you and why they follow you. And remember, as long as it’s a representation of you, it will be authentic.”

2. Lean into your community.

Vila often posts about small businesses that she adores. It’s one of her favorite parts of the job.

“It means more than anything when people leave a comment thanking me for recommending a small business that I love,” she says. “I do this organically. It’s completely unpaid, no sponsorships.”

It’s part of her personal touch — and one of the reasons her content resonates with the community.

 “Growing up in Miami, everyone has their go-to people,” she says. “I regularly shout out Miami small businesses that I think are doing a great job. Sometimes people are just looking for an honest recommendation about a business. That’s what I give them.”

The result? “It’s a win-win for everyone,” she says. “The businesses appreciate it, and my viewers appreciate it."

3. Treat content creation like a business.

“If you want to make it a business, you have to treat it like a job,” Vila says. “A lot of people struggle with that because it’s very fun. But you have to apply some discipline. You have to give yourself a schedule and you have to figure out your posting goals.”

If you start posting and wonder why you’re not getting followers, she says to ask yourself one question: “Would you follow yourself?”

If the answer is no, then you need to change your strategy. “Make content that you would follow someone for,” Vila says.

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A post shared by Laura Vila (@lauramvila)

She also recommends embracing the business side of content creation. Working with brands requires a new set of business and legal skills. Navigating contracts, rights of usage and other legal terms can be daunting. But Vila says it’s essential to make sure you learn about those things and realize which rights and contract terms are important to you. 

“You need to know the operations from the ground up,” she says. “If I hadn’t learned that side of the business, right now I wouldn’t be able to ask my manager to focus on various contracts or rights. I just wouldn’t know enough to ask the right questions.”

4. Start content creation as soon as you can. But give yourself time to build a foundation before going full-time.

“Launch and then adjust,” Vila says. “People sometimes spend so much time trying to get the perfect piece of content, and they won’t post it until they feel it’s ready.”

She says to let go of perfectionism. The more experience you get sharing content, the more you’ll realize what works and how to best shape your strategy.

On the other hand, it’s best to give yourself the time you need to develop your brand before deciding to quit your day job and focus on content creation.

“You don’t need to rush into being a full-time content creator,” Vila says. Vila herself began her Instagram page while she was a student at FIU and went on to continue her passion project as a side hustle while she worked for several years for the Miami Heat.  

She says having a full-time job allowed her to blossom as a content creator and gave her the freedom to spread her wings as an influencer without having the pressure to make enough money to survive solely from content creation.

“It’s so important to give yourself the stability of a standard job because it lets you be creative when your creating content,” she says. “Give yourself time to have the foundational growth it takes to build a brand.”

Once she felt she was grounded and ready for the leap, Vila became a full-time content creator.

5. Take advantage of your time at FIU.

Learn, grow and get ready for the future.

“I took every opportunity I could,” Vila says. “If you give yourself the chance to get involved in the university, to get to know your peers and to enjoy the beautiful campus, it changes your FIU trajectory immensely.”

She joined the Alphi Xi Delta sorority right away and even recruited her best friend to join. Vila eventually became the head of recruitment of the sorority. “It really did shape my sense of leadership and being able to relate to people,” Vila recalls. “I found a lot of purpose in that.”

Her senior year, Vila got an internship with the Miami Heat. After graduation, she was selected for a job at the Miami Heat, working in sales and large group events at what is now called the Kaseya Center.

She recently returned to campus to speak with students in FIU’s content creator ambassador program alongside fellow alumnus George Arango, known as Mr. Eats 305 online. During the conversation, Vila shared her tips and advice for student creators, many of whom listened in admiration to her story.  

“People ask me how I made it,” she says. “The truth is, I put a lot of work and effort into this. I was just consistent. I wanted to share my voice. It’s years of putting one foot in front of the other before you find success.”