My Journey of Becoming an Instagram Influencer

Doctor, Architect, Teacher… Instagram Influencer? One of these is not your typical answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” 😆

When Instagram was launched I hopped right onto the train in 2011.

I had been on Facebook briefly and disliked it. The mostly-text posts were too political and too self-righteous. Not to mention the extreme FOMO that my younger self felt when I saw friends or acquaintances having fun and (heaven forbid) I wasn’t there. Instagram was a breath of fresh air because I knew nobody on the app. I quickly built a friendly and wholesome community of digital friends with similar interests as me. At the time that was crafts, planning, journaling, tarot, and nature… to mention a few. For years Instagram was a comfort zone for me.

In 2018 I went through significant life changes and focused on a lot of spiritual healing. I had experienced so much and worked so hard to improve myself; I felt like a new person! My confidence reached higher levels and I wanted my Instagram to reflect the evolved person I was.

I decided to refresh my account with a new username and vibe!

Introducing: KristinByTheOcean! 🏝️ I started posting about my favorite skincare, beauty, and fashion styles; which was very casual and beach inspired. As excited as I was to be sharing this new side of me, sadly my account followers dropped by almost 1k when I switched niches! A lot of my previous audience wasn’t interested in my new hobbies. This is when I fell into the trap of joining loops and giveaways to gain some followers back. For awhile things seemed great but then I started to notice the lack of genuine engagement on my posts.

I didn’t realize it, but at this point I was definitely trying to be an Instagram Influencer! I kept sharing things I loved because it was SO much fun putting together outfits, planning photoshoots, and getting pictures at gorgeous locations. But after just a few months I got bored of posting so many photos of myself (without much more reason other than sending people to my referral links in hopes of making commissions). The whole thing started to feel very shallow and I wanted to share things that had more meaning and substance.

One day somebody noticed where I lived and DM’d me saying they were going to be in Laguna Beach the following weekend. They asked if I had any brunch recommendations. Yes I did! Another day somebody asked about the best family-friendly beaches in the area. Why certainly! Sometime later another DM wanted to know what hotel I would recommend for their budget. I got ya!

I loved getting messages from people who wanted to know where to go and what to do around my town!

It seemed like I was answering more and more questions about Laguna Beach and then a light bulb went off in my mind.

That’s when I changed my niche yet again.

My boyfriend and I were always out-and-about so I began sharing all the things we did around Laguna Beach. From my go-to beaches, to my favorite late-night spots, to the best taco Tuesday restaurants. And this time I didn’t lose followers! I found something that I was truly passionate about and it showed! When I created posts the enthusiasm was just there and I didn’t have to force it.

Now everything feels right.

Since finding my “true calling” on Instagram, I’ve collaborated with some fantastic local businesses. I’ve met amazing business owners and influential people in town. I get to hang out at the prettiest beaches and most delicious restaurants. I even have some exciting collaborations with local magazines coming soon! Showing off my beautiful town and inspiring people to visit brings me so much happiness. Even locals thank me for motivating them to get out more. Calling myself an Instagram Influencer sounds so bizarre but I’m embracing it because I love what I do!

Things I would have done differently:

• In retrospect, I would not have joined the loops and giveaways. They tell you all the participants are in your same niche and you think you’re going to make some new friends, but I got a wide variety of people following me. It’s costed me more time finding and deleting these random followers than it was worth. Just stay away from any kind of artificial growth if you want to maintain a reputable account.

• I should NOT have changed the direction/niche of my account! Starting a new account would have guaranteed me a better quality and more engaged following. Some of my older followers are interested in the crafts I used to post, or the fashion things I shared, so they no longer engage with my posts. As of writing this, my audience is 9k and to be brutally honest, I would guess only 5k of them are interested in my current posts. As an Influencer the quality of your audience matters more than the quantity.

All that said, I’m so grateful for having Instagram as a creative outlet through so many phases of my life. I can’t wait to continue this journey and keep on growing!