Making Money As A Social Media Influencer - Part 1 ( Those who already have 100k or more followers )

To each their own. I know this career option isn't of interest to everyone. If you're interested and qualified, here's my knowledge up to date. This is part one of my series on becoming a social media influencer.

If you've built your fan base upwards to 100k, 300k, or more, you can actually be making a monthly income. Several people I follow who are professional pinup models, pinup photographers, and other careers within the pinup industry, have spent years and years building their brands.

In this day and age it's no longer only celebrities who are paid or sent free things to endorse or wear. Social media influencer is an actual career now. Actors, singers, dancers, performers, models, designers, photographers, too.

It's safe to say that money was involved, or is involved, that helped build hundreds of thousands of followers. Maybe they are a pinup photographer who makes a living on pinup photography. Maybe they are a pinup model who has a website and or makes money various ways, from her fan base.

Can be a model who's highly accomplished, established as a stylist, or a model who is a designer or boutique owner, too. It can be a photographer who works with stylists and models, often.

I think most people who have hundreds of thousands of followers have figured out there's money to be made, if they aren't already making it. I just can't imagine a professional pinup model with 300k on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, not already making money. The key is building up to that amount and level. That can easily take several years! Let me give some examples of professionals in the pinup industry who have become social media influencers along the way. Pinup, vintage, or boudoir photographer's that have a studio, offer use of wardrobe or want to incorporate that in the future. Photographers that have a styling team, style models themselves, or plan to offer that service in the future. Photographers that photograph clients and often models, and have returning clients. Why would it benefit you as a pinup photographer to offer use of wardrobe? Because that increases your value, brings something unique to the table, and it's an essential resources needed for every single shoot, by all your clients. That will add to your worth, and an extra service means extra money. You'll be booking clients that don't have pinup wardrobe, so that's new clients, extra income. Things like beauty products, hair products, are needed for professional styling. If you are working with a pro mua or hairstylist, and you can offer styling tools or products, that's only going to increase your value. If a company sends you free hair supplies in exchange for promotion and cross promotion, you can use them to style your clients hair, or your staff stylist can. That's definitely an added resource. It's also something unique. I know models, I know what we need for every shoot, I know what most photographers offer. They say diversification is the key to a successful biz. Adding unique services are eye catching in biz advertising, and bring new clients who need that specific service to book a shoot. If you say pro hair and makeup stylist included or available for certain packages, that's obviously offering more than a photographer who isn't, offering that essential service. I say essential, because every model needs makeup, some may have the budget for a mua. If you're a photographer and stylist, then not only is it a bonus for your clients, an extra service offered, there's also no middle man, you provide an extra service you get paid extra. If you were into get a biz deal with a name brand makeup product company, say Mac. When you advise saying your makeup artist will use Mac products, or certain packages come with a complimentary Mac product, undoubtedly that will raise eyebrows, spark the interest of clients who need makeup services and love that brand. Hair products, supplies and tools. If you make an agreement with a company that sells those kind of items, then offer them and advertise with them included in packages, it will produce the same results. I'm taking products we use at every shoot or most shoots. Things your clients directly will use, a stylist will use, or you will use, and often. That's saving you or your stylist on staff, money. Cross promotion. If you are posting using hashtags that are name brands, and the company you produced content for is advertising and cross promoting your brand, in exchange for products, that will increase your following, no doubt in my mind! If you work with any big biz, model using a big name brand, then advertising they'll do, or cross promotion, it will automatically bring up your following. So, things essential for most shoots, and all pinup shoots, are things of value, things you can save money by not buying, things that are eye catching services, things that you can offer as complimentary gifts, or even turn around and sell. That brings me to my next subject within this topic. What if a company has products or clothing in their budget to give to social media influencers, models, their best customers, etc. Not asking you to sell them, just to either wear them, or have your models wear them. They want images and or video content. Once you've given them the content, you may end up owning something, or many things, you'll never use or wear again, but is valuable enough to sell. Maybe a pair of sunglasses you don't exactly fancy enough to wear again, maybe a dress that's beautiful but way too fancy, and you'll never wear it again. There are models who buy photo shoot wardrobe to model in once, then sell it. This is super common and has been a long time. Celebrities that sell gowns, expensive name brands that they wore only once to an event, also common. I know of so many websites where women who own used, high end, name brand clothes, sell it. These items are in mint condition, previously owned, but high quality expensive stuff. Maybe they never wore it, maybe a purse they used once, but it's a 30 thousand dollar purse! Maybe was a gift. Maybe they bought it, maybe a company sent it to them for one event, now they'll never wear it again. Now there are companies who rent out name brand clothes on a mainstream level. You order online, they deliver to your door, free shipping both ways. You pick out outfits for an event, for the week, for the month, for a trip, etc. Wear the items, don't wash or dry clean them, just stick them in a bag and they are picked up. There are just so many ways to make money from things you bought or things sent to you, in exchange for content. I've been selling my photo shoot wardrobe for like 10 years, off and on,via Ebay. Also my clients buy clothes from me.

If you work with many models and female clients, you may offer use of wardrobe. If you've been unable to invest in it, but it's a goal, then both people would benefit. A photographer who already invests in wardrobe to offer it as a service and photographer's who've been unable to afford to add that service. An example, eyelashes. 90% of my clients wear them at every single shoot they do. Rarely are they committed to a specific brand. And the 10% who show up without them on, usually what them, but didn't buy any in time, don't know how to apply them,... but if they were available and help applying was available, they'd buy them. A photographer could go into biz several different ways, with a company that manufactures or sells lashes. Not an agreement to sell, percentages involved, etc. But either the company makes you a great low rate deal, because you order in bulk, or they off you free lashes in exchange for photo content. Add a few bucks onto your package rates, and say complimentary lashes included. Or have them sitting out, charge a couple of bucks over what you got for inexpensive, and clients will buy them. I used to buy very inexpensive lipstick and offer one complementary for my models that booked solo, private shoots. Lashes wouldn't be used by different clients or sold once used. But photo shoot clothes can be worn by many future clients, or can be sold. I've sold clothing without even trying. Modeled in a bathing suit that was custom made for me to model in at a big event. Someone bought it right off my back basically, lol. Once I was done modeling in it, a couple asked to buy it. Since I have models and female clients at my home every week to style and photograph, so often they see something they not only want to model in, but ask to buy it and keep it. Or they ask to please know where to buy it.

This is so common. I have an entire wardrobe room filled with clothes. I've already invested thousands just in photo shoot wardrobe! I feel it's a definite bonus to buy less and have brand new wardrobe sent to me. I could save everything for my future clients, sell certain things, or sell it all. Once a company has their content and are happy with it, you own the products or clothing. Having new garments added to what you offer your clients is definitely beneficial, more than you just saving on investing.

Again, you can use what's new to advertise with, saying you have fabulous brand new wardrobe recently added. If a name brand, you'd add that or can email your past clients, telling them about the new and exciting wardrobe additions. This blog post is fairly long and I've yet to cover so many other things that relate directly to this topic. Let's simplify. If you're in the entertainment industry, in modeling or photography, specifically the pinup industry,....you need wardrobe, styling supplies and tools. You invest in those things often, either you or your clients do. If you already have a huge social media following, already built your brand, produce often, work with others often, and can show your social media numbers are high, there are endless companies that will send you free items and products, in exchange for content and promotion! You can be saving money, adding unique services, adding new services or new wardrobe, giving away complimentary items, that cost you very little or nothing. Or you can actually make money by receiving things for free, providing a company with content, then selling and making a profit, on items you'll never use again. I see top professional pinup and boudoir photographers who have studios, offer styling and wardrobe use, and already have tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of followers. They've invested in wardrobe and plan to continue. So they are completely qualified to be a social media influencer. Companies will send them garments or products for their models. Same with top professional pinup models, who have a humungous fan base and following. They need wardrobe, they've invested so much money just on photo shoot wardrobe, and plan to continue. Companies will no doubt send them things to model in, if they have 300k, 1 million, etc. I know a professional fashion model whos signed with an agency. On the rare occasion she shoots trade, she normally always sells the items. So she actually makes money the few times, here and there, she agrees to trade for modeling something, in exchange for keeping it. Many times she's received money and products, sold the ones she had no use for, and made additional money. Yes, of course it takes work. However, I guarantee you that if a top pinup photographer or model with 300k, 500k or more approaches a pinup clothing company or beauty product company, they will be sent free items or garments in exchange for advertising content. Beyond that, there's directly being paid, which totally depends on the company, their budget, their personal taste and choice, and your social media following bring extraordinarily large.