Written by Lauren Bath. All image credit Lauren Bath.

Becoming a professional instagrammer is more difficult than people seem to think. I’m noticing a trend now of people seemingly considering ‘professional instagrammer’ a viable career choice without truly understanding what it is that we do. So my first tip is to do your research and get a solid understanding of what the job title means before actively pursuing it as a career.

Without going into too much detail the core of the business is that you are working as an ‘influencer’. I sometimes also hear this referred to as an online influencer, a digital influencer, a social media influencer or even a social media/ digital marketer. No matter what word is used though, it all comes down to the same thing. You have an audience of people online who trust you and you use that reach combined with that trust to influence people’s decisions.

A fashion or lifestyle influencer is hoping to influence their audience to buy the latest pair of shoes or jacket or to drink a certain drink or read a book, watch a movie. A travel influencer is trying to influence travel choices. My job comes down to a combination of skills that I use to showcase various destinations and relevant travel brands to my audience in the hopes that they want to visit that place or use that product down the track.

So, now that you know what it means the most important tips are as follows –

• Grow an online audience of people that trust you and keep in mind that this can take years to do.
• Develop your photography skills, as Instagram is a visual platform that uses imagery to catch people’s attention.
• Seek out information on how the tourism and travel industry works; there are online resources, people you can ask and my new conference as starting points.
• Start promoting the heck out of yourself and work your butt off to secure opportunities and clients.

About Lauren: Lauren Bath became Australia’s First Full-Time Professional Instagrammer when she decided to take a chance on Instagram and quit her job as a chef. Since then, her passion for travel has taken her all over the world and inspired others to chase their own dreams, through her mentorship with The Travel Bootcamp. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.