As more people turn to the internet to learn about the past, history influencers are on the rise.
History influencers can be traditional teachers who share their knowledge on Twitter. They can also be amateur historians, hobbyists, journalists, and researchers. Anyone with the ability to teach and share their research can be a history influencer.
What Exactly Do History Influencers Do?
Influencers have strong followings on social media platforms, such as YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. People read what they have to say and trust them when they promote products.
Besides product promotions, influencers will post hacks and tips, the latest news, and unique viewpoints relevant to their field.
They often have a blog or website and will write in-depth articles about their area of study.
How Do They Build An Audience?
The first step to building an audience is to produce content. For many history influencers, this step involves writing a book and getting it noticed.
Creating a video channel connected to a blog or other social media account is another way to build an audience.
People often test out multiple platforms until they find what works best for them.
How Does This Apply To You?
StrangeAgo attracts a large number of educators as well as history lovers. The most common email I receive is one that asks for advice on how to get started as an online historian or researcher and how to make money doing it.
After you have built your platform and stayed consistent with your content, you can begin to position yourself as an influencer.
Reaching out to businesses related to your topic will be necessary to start earning money for promotional posts.
For example, if your particular history niche is ancient Egypt, you will reach out to travel agencies that sell pyramid travel packages. If you write about the American Civil War, you will want to contact businesses that sell Civil War replicas and Civil War museums.
By promoting products related to your field and that are of interest to other history lovers, you are providing your audience with valuable tools.
How Long Does This Take?
The answer to this question depends on multiple factors. First, what is your niche? Beauty, health and fitness, and investing are hot topics, but they are also niches that are overcrowded with influencers. History niches are not as crowded, but they take more time to attract an audience.
You also have to take into account how much time you will devote to becoming established in your field.
I worked on my blog part-time, and it took me over a year to get noticed. If I had gone full-time from the start and promoted my work through multiple social media accounts, I could have lessened the time it took to get me where I am.
Don’t Get Overwhelmed.
It is easy to get overwhelmed when taking the first steps to become an influencer.
Sit down and write out a basic business plan for yourself. Write down the steps you need to take to build your reputation and influence.
Do your research and study popular influencers.
Make a plan of action, and break it down into small activities. Do one or two items on your list each day and slowly build your platform.
Becoming an influencer is one of the most satisfying things you can do while also sharing your history passion with the world.
