We’ve all been there, and oh my isn’t it hard being the new kid on the block? Whether it’s a first day at a new job or being introduced into a new group of friends, it’s so hard trying to make your own space in an already established group, and it’s no different when it comes to being a newcomer on the content creating scene.
I first took my baby steps into the content creating world way back in 2012 when I started my first blog. It didn’t last long as I soon fell out of love with constantly having to write posts. I quickly realised that what I really enjoyed about blog posts was taking pictures. Having come from a photography background (my Grandad is a retired wedding and portrait photographer) I have such a passion for creating beautiful images. I soon got stuck into my personal Instagram account. My friends would tell me how aesthetically pleasing my Instagram feed was, and honestly this always brings me so much joy! I really spend time and effort in taking my photos to make sure that they are beautiful quality, even though 90% of the time they are just taken on my phone (iPhone 11). I also spend my time editing my pictures to fit my feed theme, something which other content creators will agree is not as easy as it looks!
It was at the beginning of lockdown, when one of my best friends (@gabby.roses on Instagram) decided she was going to bite the bullet and make her first Youtube video, that I decided to create a new Instagram page to create a more curated feed for my content. Thus, @hannnilyj was born! If I’m completely honest with you, it’s damn hard starting a new page from nothing, zero followers and no reach. I have never shared my new feed on my personal Instagram as I wanted it to be a professional space, this of course is an entirely personal decision. I found the best way to start growing my page was to interact as much as possible. I follow hashtags to find like-minded guys and gals, not only to share the love on their content but also to inspire me to make more of my own content. This is a really great way to find feeds of similar interests to yours. For me, I love to follow #midsizestyle, #petitegirl and #whowhatwearing for my fashion inspiration. Engaging with others who use the same hashtags has really helped me to grow my page.
In reality it’s hard being a new content creator, especially with so many fantastic creators already established. However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for anyone new! It’s all about finding your niche and engaging with those within it. People will always find a way of finding new pages that capture and inspire them! My biggest piece of advice is to not give up. My page is only at 300 followers currently, but I have managed to grow that in a mere few weeks which is so amazing, and I am so grateful for all the support. I can’t stress enough how important it is to engage and talk to other creators which have a similar niche to you, and at the end of it all you may even become great friends with those you interact with! I have met some absolutely lovely girls on Instagram which is one of the best parts about having my page.
The most important part of being a new content creator is making the content that you love. There’s no point going to loads of effort producing pictures that you *think* others want to see. The likelihood is, if you’re making content that you love and would want to see, that someone else out there will be waiting for the moment they find your feed. Also, if you’re enjoying making your content, you won’t want to stop, so you’ll have an abundance of media to share! I love @livv.gracee’s advice; she says to take at least one photo a day worthy of your feed, then you’ll never be short of content to post. She also says that to be the most engaging that smaller creators should be posting once a day and taking plenty of stories to stay at the top of everyone’s feeds. Personally, I think these are great ideas and helps to keep a creative mindset!
At the end of the day it’s all about putting yourself out there and not being afraid of judgement. Through putting myself out there I have had opportunities I would never normally have had, just like writing this blog post for The Influencer Blog There are some fantastic little communities out there looking to share small content creators, just like me and you, who are waiting for you to speak up and let them know that you’re there. If you’d like me to share some of these communities you can always drop me a message anytime and I will do my best to help you in any way I can! I hope that I’ve inspired you to continue creating the content you love, and remember it’s not always about followers and reach- so long as you love what you are doing.
Much love, Han x
Comments