Seattle U Spectator

As a Professor of Communications and Media who teaches Social Media Management among other classes, Jiangmeng Liu explores what it means to be an influencer. What sets an influencer apart from an ordinary social media user is focus, consistency and expertise in a particular field or topic. Ordinary users post irregularly or without a clear theme, but once they start to hone in on an identity or niche, they partake in creating content and building credibility.

Liu pinpoints three tips to follow if someone wants to start creating content. First, ask yourself why you want to be an influencer. Do you want to share your passions, or are you hoping for likes and followers?

“Neither answer is necessarily wrong, but the motivation matters. If you genuinely enjoy sharing, then follow that passion and try not to be overly affected by comments from strangers. If you are more motivated by attention, recognition or opportunities, that is also understandable—but then you need to be more strategic,” Liu said.

Two, start small and with something you already know, do or enjoy. This makes it easier to figure out what your content should aim to share or do. Three, be patient and consistent. Becoming an influencer comes from consistently creating content that helps your audience.

(✍️) Hadia Noor Ahmed
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(📸) Atticus Sweat