Become an influencer

Do you need to be popular to make money from social media? No! There are, however, a few important lessons verified influencers (those with the blue ticks and paying clients) have learnt through trial and error. As traditional media keeps losing eyeballs and revenue to digital and indeed social media, this content revolution presents unprecedented opportunities for those who know how to make the most of their interests and smartphones. In 2019, Elma Smit was hand-picked by two global governing bodies as the face of their World Cup content campaigns, in the space of only six months. Yet, she generated more revenue from influencer work in that same period than from anything else. In Become an Influencer, one of South Africa's leading content creators and influencers spills the beans on how to build a loyal audience, how to charge for paid campaigns and how to avoid running into a social media meltdown. Maps Maponyane, Rachel Kolisi, Nadia Jaftha and Liesl Laurie and a whole host of other leading influencers also reveal their influencer secrets, tips and hard-won lessons to Elma, while leading strategists who select influencers for global and local campaigns share what they look for in an influencer.