Where It All Began.
Wearing Princess Polly dress, Unitude purse, and Zara sandals.
My not-on-purpose journey to becoming an Instagram Influencer.
Hi, my name is Deborah (but I go by Debbie) and I am an influencer. Honestly, it makes me cringe just to say it! Every time I mention that word to anyone else, I say it with air quotes and a grimace as it has become such a dirty word. Nevertheless, I suppose that an “influencer” is what I am. In order to better understand why I would do this to myself, I think it will be helpful for you to gain some insights about the influencer world from the very beginning of my journey.
About two and a half years ago, I was an occasional blogger who would post the occasional outfit and write somewhat regularly on my blog about style and travel. However, I would look at the aesthetic feeds of bloggers and think to myself: “I could do that!” One night, I sat myself down and created a new Instagram profile. I recall spending way too much time figuring out a new username that would somehow encapsulate all that I wanted to express on this new platform. In the end, I came up with the @TheStylishWordsmith—a moniker combining both my love for style and words.
Why did I feel the need to start an entirely new account? Personally, I felt that a blank slate would allow me to build a new brand for myself and separate me from my old blogging platforms. As well, I wanted to start from zero and track my growth from a concrete starting point. As well, I knew that many of the people who followed me on my old platform might not be so understanding as to why I was suddenly posting very different stylized content (as opposed to my previous personal posts).
Having that fresh start allowed me to have a little bubble in which I could create my new vision with minimal judgment from peers. I started by posting three (!) times a day; most of these posts were re-posts from past trips or adventures. However, these re-posts were interspersed with new content based on reading, writing, and style. Creating this new content was not an easy task as I had to: 1) get into the habit of creating content, 2) research into what type of content I wanted to create, and 3) find the materials for this content. Despite all of my doubts in the beginning, I knew that consistency and maintaining an original voice was key; as well, I would have to work hard to find my brand’s niche and community.
Eventually I whittled down my focuses to three main areas: fashion, beauty, travel. As these are all areas of great interest to me, I felt fairly confident I could generate a lot of quality content for them.
At this early stage, creating content was a difficult habit to cultivate. I had to endlessly research accounts that I found inspiring and decide what I could realistically execute myself. As well, I was either taking photos myself with my Canon DSLR or forcing my reluctant husband to snap a few half-hearted shots here and there. Nevertheless, I succeeded with my goals of posting regularly and creating a consistent aesthetic for my overall feed.
At this early stage, I remember that I had the somewhat timid goal of reaching 8,000 or more within a few years. However, it still surprises me that, about 2.5 years later, I now have a following of about 16,000 (and growing). How did I manage to achieve this modest success? Stick around and I’ll fill you in with the details.
Cheers, Debbie (aka The Stylish Wordsmith)
