FAQs

Use these tips when taking your Instagram photos:

• Use natural lighting, and even try golden hour
• Follow the rule of thirds for photo composition
• Draw the viewer’s eye with leading lines and interesting perspectives 
• Add depth to your images by having different items in the foreground and background
• Get creative!

Instagram has released a new feature called Security Checkup that will allow users to keep their accounts secure. This function guides you through the steps needed if your account may have been hacked. You can access Security Checkup through the Security option under Settings. 

Instagram also recommends enabling two-factor authentication when logging in along with adding your phone number and email address to your account. If something happens to your account, this is how Instagram will reach out to you. 

Once you upload or record your Instagram Story, click the sticker icon and choose the link option. You will then be able to direct viewers directly to that website unlike before when the phrase “link in bio” was commonly used. You can even rename the title shown on the sticker to be whatever you want. 

It is recommended to post 2-3 times per week on your Instagram Feed. Stories should be more frequently, at least once a day. You should also post 4-7 Reels each week.

Without planned content, it can be difficult to remember to post on Instagram at all. A lot of businesses will plan their content a month at a time with social calendars and batch produce their content. This could be a little difficult for a creator on the individual level sharing their daily experiences. 

When planning content, it’s important to know the format type your audience wants to see. Are they interested in bite-sized nuggets of educational information or aesthetically pleasing images? Once you have this determined, you’ll want to choose your theme so when businesses find your profile your grid looks well thought out. This decision will also take some of the pressure off when planning since your filters, fonts, and colors are pre-determined. 

Lastly, think about the content that you actually want to share. Your audience can tell when you aren’t being authentic and genuine about what you post online.

Create Instagram Stories that are pleasing to look at by:

• Changing the background color to be completely solid
• Using an image as the background when sharing a feed post
• Utilizing branded fonts and colors
• Adding cool designs with the eraser tool
• Uploading multiple images
• Posting boomerangs
• Creating videos that are 15 seconds or less
• Finding on-brand GIFs
• Adding music, closed captions, and other sticker options
• Using the correct story size (9×16 ratio) 

You can optimize your Instagram Reels through a variety of ways:

1. Create original and educational content
2. Include closed captions
3. Hop on trends fast
4. Share Reels to your Feed and Story for more views
5. Optimize onscreen text placement so it fits in the frame if people are watching through the Feed or Reels
6. Find your niche and post consistently 
7. Utilize 3-5 hashtags per post
8. Use audio from Instagram’s library

You can improve your Instagram engagement rate by:

• Understanding the content your audience wants to see
• Being authentic
• Sharing a variety of content formats (photos, videos, carousels, etc.)
• Creating savable content that people will want to send to their friends/followers
• Crafting compelling content
• Going live
• Engaging with your audience, you can even share content other users tag you in
• Posting consistently and strategically
• Adding strong calls to action
• Using relevant hashtags

The engagement equation is Engagement Rate = Engagement / Followers. Any interaction with a post is considered engagement, so on Instagram that would include likes, comments, saves, and shares. 

To be eligible for a verification badge on Instagram, you need to follow their Terms of Use and Community Guidelines. Instagram also looks for accounts that are authentic, unique, complete, and notable. 

You can request a badge by going to Account Settings, tapping Account, and then choosing Request Verification. You will then need to enter your full name and provide proof of identification.

Find brands on Instagram with a similar presence as your own and start pitching yourself to these brands. Working with smaller brands will allow you to build a portfolio while building your presence at the same time. It is best practice to reach out to a brand through email, but direct message will work as well. 

It can also be valuable to start tagging the brands of your clothing before you even begin working with brands. Brands will value it when you take aesthetically pleasing pictures showcasing the outfits and accessories. 

Before you begin working with brands (at any number of followers), there are a few things you want to establish. Define your brand and know your audience to create valuable and meaningful content. Post consistently, using hashtags and tagging your location. You can even tag brands in your posts, especially the ones you want to work with. Include your contact information in your bio and pitch yourself to brands; no need to wait for them to come to you. Most importantly, know your worth and don’t undersell yourself.

1. Optimize your Instagram profile
2. Keep a consistent content calendar
3. Post at times when your audience is online
4. Encourage brands and partners to engage with your content
5. Avoid fake followers
6. Cross promote your account on other social platforms
7. Post content your followers want
8. Start conversations
9. Find hashtags that convert

Before you begin working with brands (at any number of followers), there are a few things you want to have established. Define your brand and know your audience to create valuable and meaningful content. Start posting consistently, using hashtags, and tagging your location. You can even tag brands in your posts, especially ones you want to work with. Include contact information in your bio and start pitching yourself to brands; don’t wait for them to come to you. Most importantly, know your worth and don’t undersell yourself. 

1. Optimize your Instagram account
2. Keep a consistent content calendar
3. Post at the best times for your audience
4. Get brands and partners to advocate for your content
5. Avoid fake followers
6. Cross promote your account on other platforms
7. Post content your followers want
8. Start a conversation
9. Find hashtags that convert

Instagram does not claim to shadowban content. However, they have restricted content from being discovered on the Explore page. These are some of the things that can cause Instagram to restrict your content:

• Violating community guidelines
• Paying for likes, comments, or followers
• Spammy activity (ex: having too many hashtags in a single post)
• Using banned hashtags
• Using a hashtag that receives a sudden surge of activity

Instagram uses video selfies to verify your identity, as images can be modified. The review process may take up to two business days, and while the video and your account is being reviewed, you will not have access to any of your profile.

Collabs are a way for creators and brands to work together.This Instagram feature will allow posts on both the Feed and Reels to be credited to both accounts, with likes and comments being shared to the post on both timelines.

The best time to post depends on your audience on Instagram. People have different reasons to be on social platforms at various times throughout the day. However, some general rules of thumb include posting 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday to Friday. Mornings tend to be the best time as it is hard for people to resist the tug of their phone from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. while preparing for the day ahead. 

Instagram Creator accounts also have access to Insights which allows them to see analytics on their posts and help provide answers into what time is the best to post for them.

According to RecurPost, the worst times to post on Instagram are on Saturdays and Sundays as this is most likely when people are out doing things and not scrolling on social media. You should also avoid posting late at night, especially between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

• Perform research on other top-performing Instagram bios, especially those related to your audience
• Choose a handle and name that is easily recognizable and searchable
• Upload an attention-grabbing profile photo
• Choose the words in your bio very carefully and utilize valuable keywords and hashtags
• Include a strong call to action
• Provide a way to contact you, preferably an email address

A lot of people use GIF stickers in their Instagram stories, but did you know you can make your own GIFs to match your branding? Follow these simple steps:

1. Become a verified brand on GIPHY (this can be more difficult for small businesses and solo artists)
2. Upload your GIFs to GIPHY (they must be uploaded as Stickers and not a GIF in order to use them on IG)
3. Start using your GIFs on Instagram (use the descriptive tag you added when uploading to GIPHY to find your sticker on IG)

Creating your own Instagram theme or aesthetic takes an eye for detail by keeping color palettes and key graphical elements in mind. Most influencers keep preset filters saved on a photo editing platform to use on every photo they upload to Instagram. Different themes include bright colors, pastels, dark colors, doodles on every cover image, or black and white photos. 

Click the plus button in the top right hand corner of the feed or profile page and then choose the Reels option. From there, you can start recording or upload videos you have already prerecorded.

After uploading or recording your Instagram Story, you can click the Sticker icon and then select the music option. Then you are able to browse and search through Instagram’s database of available music. 

Once you upload or record your Instagram Story or Reel, click the sticker icon and choose the captions option. The sticker will automatically transcribe your video for the viewer.

While brands do look at follower count, the most important number they check for is engagement rate. A creator with any number of followers can start working with brands to be an influencer. 

Instagram influencers make money through various ways: brand deals, affiliate marketing, selling their own merchandise, and more. Affiliate marketing is providing links to your followers to purchase products you recommend and receiving a little commission when they do. Influencers of different tiers charge different rates for brand deals. For example, a creator with 5,000 followers might charge $100 for an Instagram Story post versus someone with 900,000 followers might charge around $1,000 for a Story.

Influencers on Instagram are creators who produce content and build communities based around a specific topic or niche. They provide their tips and favorite products to their audience, sometimes on behalf of those brands.

Yes! There are no requirements to turn your account from a personal one to a Creator account. All you have to do is open up the Settings on your personal account, scroll down to Account, and then click on Switch to Professional Account down at the bottom. 

In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement that Instagram will be offering as much as $35,000 to Instagram Creators who get a certain number of views a month on their Reels. 

According to Instagram’s blog, they also offer a couple more features Creators can set up through the platform to make money (just not from Instagram itself). Users who sell their own merchandise can set up a Shop to get their products in front of more users. Creators can also use the Affiliate Tool to post branded content.

The Instagram Creator account is best for content creators, influencers, artists, and public figures. A Creator account is recommended over a Business account for those who don’t actually sell products themselves but do collaborate with brands. 

Instagram defines branded content as a creator’s content that features a business partner for an exchange of value in the form of money or a product.

An Instagram content creator is someone who makes content that caters specifically to their audience. For example, if someone posts different types of outfits on the platform then they cater to that audience. The Instagram Creator account also allows those users to access special features to make it easier to control their online presence, understand their growth, and manage their messages. 

Follow these steps to turn off comments on your YouTube videos.

1. Visit YouTube Creator Studio.
2. Select the “Settings” option.
3. Click “Channel” then “Advanced settings.”
4. Under “Audience,” choose “Upload defaults” and then “Advanced settings” at the top.
5. Navigate to the “Comments” section and choose “Disable comments” in the drop down. Then hit “Save” to make the change permanent.

Disabling comments allows you to control what user-generated content appears near your video. To improve video performance, you’ll want to keep comments on, especially if you’re expecting a lot of good interaction. You may want to turn comments off if your video is about something controversial or if the video is for internal use.

You can customize your YouTube channel by making a branded profile picture, banner, icons, and thumbnails. Your channel looks more professional when it has a cohesive look to it.

You can increase the chance your YouTube video goes viral by:

• Creating a unique video
• Playing to emotions
• Sharing with brands and other creators
• Appealing to your target audience
• Cross-promoting on other platforms 
• Implementing keyword research
• Producing quality content

You can improve the performance of your YouTube videos by:

• Elevating your recording, audio, or editing skills
• Optimizing your video titles and descriptions for search
• Incorporating relevant hashtags
• Branding your video thumbnails
• Using YouTube’s clickable in-video tools (end screen)

Some good ideas for YouTube videos include the most popular video types:

1. Product reviews
2. How-to
3. Vlogs
4. Gaming streams
5. Comedy/skits
6. Hauls
7. Tags or Challenges
8. Favorites/Best of
9. Educational
10. Unboxing

For one video with a million views, the average pay lies somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 if video ads are turned on.

The most popular video types on YouTube are:

1. Product reviews
2. How-to
3. Vlogs
4. Gaming streams
5. Comedy/skits
6. Hauls
7. Tags or Challenges
8. Favorites/Best of
9. Educational
10. Unboxing

Having an engaged audience is the number one thing brands look for when searching for creators to work with. Try these tips to make yourself stand out among the crowd: make your channel look professional and branch out to other platforms. You can also find sponsors by reaching out to brands directly. 

You can effectively promote your YouTube channel by:

1. Writing engaging titles
2. Optimizing your videos (fill in title and description, mention keywords, utilize tags)
3. Engaging with the YouTube community
4. Targeting Google search results
5. Embedding your videos on a website 
6. Sharing your videos on other social media platforms
7. Collaborating with other creators and brands
8. Running a paid YouTube campaign

YouTubers do not get paid specifically for their likes. However, this form of engagement can help get a creator’s video in front of more viewers, which increases views and potentially money earned from ads. 

Liking a video helps the creator and the YouTube algorithm know that the video is full of good content and other people need to see it.

According to YouTube Guidelines, creators should avoid harmful or dangerous content, violent or graphic content, hate speech, and harassment or cyberbullying behavior. 

Beyond that, to succeed on YouTube, it’s important to make sure you upload at a consistent rate, keep your videos engaging so people watch all the way through, ask viewers to subscribe and leave comments on your video, and share your videos on other social platforms.

The average YouTuber earns $3 to $5 per 1000 video views, but they can make more through brand partnerships.

Here are a few tips for those wanting to focus on fitness with their YouTube channel:

• Update your audience regularly
• Understand what your audience wants to see
• Initiate interaction with your community
• Collaborate with other creators

It’s never a bad idea to introduce yourself with your first video on YouTube. Share the type of information you’ll share regularly on your channel and anything you feel would be valuable to your community to share. 

According to Mediakix, creators are categorized as the following types of influencers by the number of average views:

• Nano: 1,000 – 10,000 average views
• Micro: 10,000 – 25,000 average views
• Mid-tier: 25,000 – 100,000 average views
• Macro: 100,000 – 1,000,000 average views
• Elite: 1,000,000 – 5,000,000+ average views

Get started growing your subscribers with these tips:

• Know your audience
• Create a content calendar
• Post videos consistently
• Schedule videos in advance
• Use CTAs to encourage viewers to subscribe
• Respond to comments

All YouTube Memberships cost $4.99. You can tell a channel has this feature if it has a “Join” button next to the “Subscribe” button. For every YouTube Membership payment, the channel owner receives 70% of the funds while YouTube takes 30%.

Once you subscribe to a YouTube channel, any videos posted by that creator will populate in your Subscriptions feed.

The amount creators make varies based on a couple factors: number of subscribers and video views. Views helps determine money made from Google Ads, while subscribers will allow you to work with different brands.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average YouTube influencer in America makes $48,338 per year, or $23 per hour.

YouTube pays influencers through their AdSense program. Companies place advertisements on the streaming platform, and YouTube uses this money to pay creators based on the number of views their videos get.

There are two ways you can get paid via your YouTube content. The first is ad revenue after reaching certain monetization requirements. This is paid to creators by YouTube from money that companies spend on placing ads. The second is through brand deals and working with other companies to promote their products and services. 

The best type of YouTube videos are those that demonstrate what you’re passionate about. Authenticity and genuine interest are key to creating great content. Whether you’re interested in gaming, cooking, reading, make-up, anything you can think of, start there when creating your channel. 

Kinds of videos that are popular on YouTube include:

1. Tutorials 
2. Ask Me Anything (AMA) videos
3. Whiteboard/educational videos
4. List videos
5. Product reviews
6. Challenge videos
7. Unboxing videos
8. Behind-the-scenes videos
9. Explaining videos
10. Product demo videos
11. Testimonials
12. Reaction videos
13. Webinar teasers

You can grow your YouTube channel by:

• Asking viewers to subscribe
• Ending videos with a teaser about what you’re working on
• Verifying your Google account
• Building a community with viewers
• Branding your channel (banner art, channel icon, description, custom URL)
• Adding a channel trailer
• Branding video thumbnails
• Using YouTube’s clickable in-video tools
• Organizing your videos into playlists
• Posting videos consistently
• Cross-promoting your videos on other social platforms

Yes! It costs you nothing to start a YouTube channel.

You need two things to start a YouTube channel: a camera and software to edit your videos. 

If you have a phone with a camera and a way to download free editing software, then it costs absolutely nothing to start a YouTube channel. 

There are two ways you can get paid via your YouTube content. The first is ad revenue after reaching certain monetization requirements. This is paid to creators by YouTube from money that companies spend on placing ads. The second is through brand deals and working with other companies to promote their products and services. 

Get started growing your platform toward monetization with these tips:

• Pick a niche
• Know your audience
• Build a community
• Work with a content calendar
• Schedule videos in advance
• Use CTAs
• Respond to comments

Get more subscribers for your YouTube channel by:

• Asking your viewers to subscribe
• Ending your video by teasing what you’re working on
• Verifying your Google account
• Building a community with your audience
• Creating effective channel branding (banner art, channel icon, description, custom URL)
• Adding a custom channel trailer
• Branding your video thumbnails
• Using YouTube’s clickable in-video tools (end screen)
• Organizing your videos in playlists
• Posting videos on a consistent basis
• Cross-promoting your videos on different social platforms

Engaging videos typically incorporate background audio, sound effects, and pop-up text. Start editing on one of these free platforms:

• Shotcut 
• iMovie
• Blender
• Lightworks 
• Wondershare Filmora
• Openshot 
• HitFilm Express
• Windows Movie Maker
• Clipchamp
• VSDC

Someone new to YouTube should begin by posting what they’re passionate about. Authenticity and a genuine interest in a topic shows through in video content. Whether you’re interested in beauty, fashion, travel, corporate life, anything you can think of, start making videos about it.

You don’t need a certain number of views to stay on the platform. YouTube will let you continue to upload videos even if you aren’t getting any views. However, in order to become eligible for monetization on the platform, you need more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months. 

All you need to get started is something to record videos with (like your phone) and software for editing if you’d like. There are plenty of free platforms you can download; if you’re an iPhone user, iMovie comes automatically downloaded on your phone.

All you have to do to be a YouTuber is to start uploading to a YouTube channel. Pick your niche—something you’re passionate about—and create content that educates, humors, or inspires. 

There are more than 37 million YouTube channels.

The “Baby Shark Dance” YouTube video by Pinkfong has the most at 10.6 billion views.

Meet the following criteria and your videos on TikTok are more likely to be widely accepted on the platform:

• Post original content created by you
• Make ethical content that doesn’t include dangerous activities
• Do not include any nudity, violence, or graphic content
• Try to keep your videos free from political commentary 

You can organically promote your TikTok by getting on people’s For You pages. Creating engaging content that can be fun and sometimes tastefully controversial, utilizing the right hashtags, and connecting with your audience’s favorite subcultures are a few ways to do so. 

According to Later, the highest paid TikTokkers are:

1. Charli D’Amelio = $17.5 million
2. Dixie D’Amelio = $10 million
3. Addison Rae = $8.5 million
4. Josh Richards = $5 million
5. Bella Poarch = $5 million

You can get sponsored and start working with brands on TikTok by building a following, creating a profile that stands out, growing other platforms, and creating organic content about your favorite brands. Since TikTok is a relatively new platform, brands will most likely want to see you have a following on other social platforms as well. It is also more beneficial to work with brands you already love; create content about their products or services you enjoy, tag them, and have your Influencer Press Kit ready to send to them when that content starts performing well.

You can grow your followers on TikTok with these tips:

1. Identify your target audience 
2. Jump on trending sounds, dances, etc.
3. Include the right hashtags
4. Post videos at the right time
5. Share UGC (use the Stitch or Duet features)
6. Cross-promote your videos on other platforms (ex: IG Reels and YouTube Shorts)
7. Engage with other TikTok users
8. Include CTAs at the end of your video

Anybody on a social platform can consider themselves an influencer. There are different tiers based on the number of followers a person on TikTok has; this allows you determine rates you charge brands when creating content for them. 

• Nano = 5,000-50,000 followers 
• Micro = 50,000-150,000 followers
• Mid = 150,000-750,000 followers
• Macro = 750,000-2,500,000 followers
• Celebrity = 2,500,000+ followers

You get more views on TikTok by showing up on new users’ For You pages. This section shows an endless stream of videos from creators a person typically doesn’t follow based on the algorithm.

There is no one-time-fits-all for posting on just about any social media platform, especially TikTok. Every creator has different audiences, which means there are different optimal times for everyone. However, you can start experimenting with timing best practices to determine what works best for your content. 

Based on a study by SocialPilot, the best time to post is between 6am to 10am and 7pm to 11pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. 

TikTok’s verification process isn’t quite as clear as other social platforms. The TikTok staff gives the blue check mark to creators that produce high-quality and popular content. 

The biggest tip for TikTok users is to just have fun with it! The algorithm recognizes the content that people genuinely enjoy to push to others on the platform. 

There are a few factors that influence the TikTok algorithm:

• Video likes, comments, shares, completions, and rewatches
• Subject matter
• Device settings
• Audio
• Keywords in the caption and hashtags

A strong indicator of interest is if a viewer finishes watching a video from beginning to end. This is why it can be helpful to create short videos with lots of text to allow the video to keep playing while people read.

Here are a few tips to create a viral video on TikTok:

• Understand trends
• Bring humor into your content
• Keep your videos short
• Encourage interaction
• Utilize hashtags
• Understand your audience

It is fairly easy for a TikTok video to go viral overnight, thus leading to your account gaining more followers. It all starts with building a recognizable brand, finding your niche, following the trends, and engaging with other users. 

It’s recommended to use hashtags related to your niche in order for your videos to find the right audience. However, there are some general trending TikTok hashtags you could also include:

• #fyp
• #foryoupage
• #tiktoktrend
• #featureme
• #viralpost
• #funnyvideos
• #justforfun

TikTok allows creators to use the Promote feature as an advertising tool to get your videos in front of more people. This function does cost money and has certain restrictions on the sounds you can use in promoted videos.

You begin choosing a TikTok niche by evaluating specific areas where you can provide insight and inspiration. Topics range from beauty to corporate life, puppy personalities to artists showcasing their work. Whatever your interests are, there’s your niche.

It is required to have a business account in order to place a clickable link in your TikTok bio. However, there you can still have a URL in your bio; it’s just unclickable. Edit your profile and place the text in the bio. Try to make it something simple as people will have to type it out for themselves. 

TikTok does allow you to link to other social platforms like Instagram and YouTube without having a business account.

Follow these instructions for using the Stitch capability on TikTok:

1. Tap the arrow icon in the bottom right corner of the video frame that you would like to Stitch. 
2. Choose Stitch.
3. Select the part of the video you would like to Stitch.
4. Start filming. 

TikTok requires you to be at least 16 years old and have at least 1,000 followers to go live. In order to broadcast live to your followers, open the app and tap the plus (+) button. Tap the Live button next to the option to record, name your livestream, and you’re off!

It all begins with simply creating on TikTok. Once you establish your account and start working with brands, you’re typically referred to as an influencer. 

Anybody can create videos on TikTok, but to be eligible for the Creator Fund there are a few requirements: 

• You must have a Pro account
• You need at least 10,000 followers
• You garnered at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days

Creators can expect between $20 and $40 from the Creator Fund for reaching one million views on one video. 

It has been revealed that the TikTok Creator Fund generally pays their creators between two and four cents for every 1,000 views. If creators partner with brands directly, they can negotiate payment per post.

TikTok calculates the payout from their Creator Fund based on views, video engagement, and sometimes region-specific performance. When collaborating with brands, those factors, along with followers, can also play a role in the rate a creator charges for their service.

TikTok pays their creators through the Creator Fund. First launched in spring of 2021, the fund encourages users to find their voices and spark creativity. 

Creators on TikTok can be paid by brands to post videos promoting their products or TikTok’s Creator Fund.

TikTok influencers charge for their service of creating and sharing viral videos on the platform. 

One of the most important factors in gaining a fanbase on Twitch is streaming often. People are less likely to want to follow or subscribe to someone who doesn’t go live frequently. The more you stream, the more people can get to know you and appreciate your streaming style. 

Some other important factors in gaining a fanbase on Twitch are: 

• Making your viewers feel appreciated 
• Promoting your streams across several social platforms 
• Using your analytics to see which content performs best, and using these findings when planning out your streams 
• Connecting with other streamers and being active in the Twitch community

There are two types of Twitch bans: temporary suspensions and indefinite suspensions. Temporary bans can last anywhere from one to 30 days, while indefinite suspensions have no set timing. The durations of indefinite suspensions are determined by Twitch.