Hey Trish…I love social media and I’m thinking of making it a professional career. What are some things I ought to consider?
Hi there, and welcome back to another week of Ask Trish! Can you believe that this is the last Ask Trish post of February?! That’s right..we’ve nearly completed ⅙ of 2025. Even as the time’s been flying by, I hope you’ve had a great month (and for those of you folks here in the US, I hope you’ve been staying warm…particularly as the weather has been super wacky!).
Thank you so much to this week’s question-er for this important, reflective question. It’s possible that some of you could never imagine yourself as a full-time influencer–if I’m being honest, I’m definitely in that bucket!–but increasingly, when I visit and speak with fellow Gen Z-ers and plenty of young folks from Gen Alpha, I’ve heard repeatedly, over and over again, interest in turning their interest in social media into a full-time professional career. Whether they want to be “a full-on influencer,” a “ full-time content creator,” or a “professional digital creative,” their vision is the same: building a digital platform that gets millions of views, and ideally, (i) helps make them plenty of money and (ii) allows them to share their personality, creativity, and interests with others.
But what I so appreciate about this week’s question is that it–correctly–acknowledges that deciding to “go influencer” is a really big deal, even if it seems ubiquitous in our digital world today. At least a little bit of reflection before you go “all in” can be valuable. And so, in this week’s post, I offer our question-er–and all of you–some food-for-thought about what to consider before you embrace a career as an influencer.
You might be thinking.. “Uh, Trish, didn’t you just say that you’re not a full-time influencer? And you would never really want to be?” Fair enough–but thanks to my work, I’ve spoken to dozens of largely young influencers, some of whom are incredibly successful on apps like Instagram and TikTok. I’ve also looked at a lot of research, commentary, and reporting on influence, some positive, and some negative, all of which have influenced my perspective. So, while I’m definitely not an expert, I do think that I have some insights–and hopefully, a little wisdom–that can be valuable as you make this call.
Here are my thoughts:
- Are you already an influencer? How long have you been an influencer, and in that time, what success have you seen as a “part-time influencer”? I notice, in your question, that you reference making influencing “a professional career,” which I interpret to mean that maybe it’s something you’ve been doing as a hobby, or in your spare time, but you’d like to make it your 9-5. If that’s the case, it’s worth thinking about what your experience has been like thus far. Have your socials been off-the-charts…and you feel like your other commitments are holding you back? Alternatively, do you think they would be off-the-charts if you didn’t have other commitments holding you back? Or in general, have you struggled to gain traction? (That’s incredibly common, by the way. I have countless friends who, in spite of their videography skills and their wonderful personalities, have struggled to see those follower counts go up.) If it’s been a struggle, you might want to honestly consider whether you think things will change if you go full-time. Try to be realistic, not aspirational.
And speaking of being a part-time influencer…if you’re not already a part-time influencer, you might want to start there. Nearly all of the influencers I know started off influencing in their spare time–while pursuing school or a traditional career–and then, after a remarkable level of success, maybe decided to go full-time. But the truth is, influencing can be hit-or-miss, and you don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket.
- How has influencing been for your mental health, wellbeing, and safety, online and in-person? Over the years, I’ve spoken to many young influencers who have shared stories about how what began as a passion for expression and creativity quickly turned into a chore, a mental stressor, a source of insecurity, an addiction, and even a place where they were exploited. There’s been plenty of in-depth, eye-opening reporting that’s shown that young girls, in particular, can be targeted and stalked by men with nefarious intentions. (Crucially, as the article I’ve linked there describes, many of these young “influencers” are encouraged and managed by adults–which presents its own questions about who’s to “blame.”) And even independent of influencing, specifically, even social media platforms’ internal research has shown that platforms like Instagram can be toxic for young women. Lots of influencers have also reported experience with racism and harassment online.
So, before you take this on–in a part-time, or full-time capacity–it’s worth asking: can you do this and be okay? How will you set digital boundaries to protect yourself? Have you been able to do that effectively thus far? If the answer is no, that’s a strong, compelling sign to perhaps not pursue influencing.
- Where do you hope to be in a year? Five years? Ten years? 57% of GenZ-ers want to be influencers, but I have no doubt that their interest in influencing may vary. Perhaps some want to do it for a few years…and then go to medical school. Maybe some really hope to make it not just a full-time career, but a long-term career. Different goals are likely to produce vastly different influencing experiences. And, of course, any time you spend as an influencer is time that you could spend doing something else–whatever it is that you might be interested in doing so. So ask yourself, is this your passion for life? If not, it’s worth calibrating the time you’re spending on influencing accordingly.
I hope that that advice was helpful. If you have additional questions about this topic, or any other internet/tech-related topic, please feel free to share your thoughts with me here. I’m truly down to explore whatever is on your mind–so ask away! Thank you in advance for contributing.
Wishing you a great end to February,
Trish