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How would you like a job that lets you do what you love every day on your own schedule, gets you free products or even free trips, and lets you share your passions with tons of adoring fans? Sounds pretty good, right? 

If you’re looking to make some cash on the side, or even looking for a viable career opportunity that doesn’t involve sitting in an office all day, being a social media influencer is an attractive option. The ever-expanding landscape of social media has opened up new possibilities for people who want to make money outside of the traditional nine-to-five. According to a recent report from the Influencer Marketing Hub, the social media influencer market is worth over $20 billion—and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. 

Before you make up your mind, it helps to know exactly what goes into being an influencer. 

Living the dream as a social media influencer

What’s your passion? As a social media influencer, your job is to create content about your favorite activities, products, or hobbies. “Making something fun, attention-grabbing, and valuable for your audience is such a cool way to generate income,” says fitness influencer Paige Michael (@peanutphysique on Instagram). 

Flexibility is another perk of the influencer lifestyle. “Working from home, or [from] wherever you want, is also an incredible bonus,” says Michael. It means no set schedules, clocking in and out, or bosses breathing down your neck. You can even work around your school schedule.

In a recent CampusWell survey, many students mentioned money as a motivation for becoming an influencer. “Influencers understand a future where getting a nine-to-five job isn’t the only path and the only way to obtain wealth,” says Massen H., a fifth-year student at Portland State University in Oregon. “Online content creation is a growing industry that has the potential to help those struggling with economic problems and disparity.”

It’s also getting easier to make money through social media, according to Oliver Goulden of FounderSix, an agency that helps successful influencers build their own brands. “Pretty much all brands now have gifting programs and sponsored posts that can be attained by influencers with even less than 10,000 followers,” he says.

The challenges of content creation

How long it takes to create content varies widely depending on the type of content you’re sharing. It could take 10 minutes to post a cute photo on Instagram with a pithy quote and a few emojis, or it could take an entire day (or more) to write, set up for, and shoot an hour-long YouTube video. Michael says it took her about three months to start earning an income from social media, but it was hard work. She was posting two times a day, seven days a week. That meant creating enough content for roughly 60 posts a month. 

But that isn’t all it takes. You’ll need to understand the algorithm to reach the right audience and then engage with your audience to keep them coming back for more. “A common misconception is that being an influencer is all fun and games,” says Goulden. “But behind the scenes, growing an audience on social media requires hours of dedication a day, week after week after month after year.” 

For Michael, the hard work paid off. In three months, her account grew to 10,000 followers, and brands started noticing her. 

How influencers make their money

“Brand collaborations, promotions, and sponsorships,” says Michael. “Whenever someone would purchase a product and use my code, I would generate a small commission from the sale.” 

Although it may be tempting to partner with every brand that approaches you, it pays to be selective. Many influencers start out with good intentions but get caught up in the money or notoriety. Do your research and choose brands you believe in rather than those that may be out to pull the wool over consumers’ eyes or spread misinformation. 

Michael admits to making a bad decision or two early on. “I remember working with and representing a supplement brand that I knew wasn’t using very clean ingredients in the products,” she says. “I didn’t even use the products much! But I promoted them because of the paycheck. This was years ago, and, of course, we learn from our mistakes.”

At a certain point, many successful influencers decide to build their own brand. This creates a whole new level of effort and responsibility. “If an influencer decides to take on the additional challenge of becoming an entrepreneur, creating a brand and business is a tremendous amount of hard work,” says Goulden. “In this situation, they are not just content creators but also business strategists, negotiators, product developers, customer service agents, etc.”

And if you think it’s 24/7 fun, games, and glamor, Goulden’s here to set the record straight: “Don’t think the on-screen personality is how all [influencers] actually live their lives!”

Can you handle the limelight?

Are you ready to put your life on camera? In a recent CampusWell survey, more than 70 percent of students reported following influencers on social media—but only 30 percent said they would actually want to be an influencer. “I’m sure being an influencer is great for some people, but I prefer my life to be a little more private,” says Gloria V., a first-year student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. 

That’s definitely not an option for an influencer. Michael says she films and posts everything she does that’s fitness-related. “When I go to the gym, I film. When I’m making breakfast, I film. Really, filming everything that showcases my healthy and happy lifestyle is important,” she says. “Being in the public eye at all times and feeling you constantly need to be sharing your life can be overwhelming.”

You might also end up feeling like you need to post content or risk losing your following—and your income. “My friend is a photographer, and he makes money on his social media posts. But he says it’s exhausting to keep up with and feels artificial,” says Faith E., a second-year graduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle.

And when you put yourself out there like that, you’re also opening yourself up to some harsh criticism. “People on the internet can be cruel because they’re hidden behind a screen,” says Michael. “Anyone can say absolutely anything they want, which can, unfortunately, be negative sometimes.” 

That’s the dark side of social media, and it’s important to take it into consideration. Not only is social media rife with internet “trolls,” but also research has shown that spending a lot of time on social media can increase depression and anxiety. The demands of being an influencer can also add up, especially if you’re balancing the work with academics. It’s important to be aware of when your mental health may be suffering and to be proactive in protecting it—whether that means taking a break or reassessing your goals and priorities. 

What it really takes to make it as an influencer

How many followers do you have right now? Over 100? Over 1,000? You’re on the right track, but you’re going to need a lot more if you want to make an income. When it comes to being a social media influencer, you’re only as successful as the size of your following—and building and maintaining that is hard work. It takes not only creating the content that people want to see but also staying engaged with them enough that they click those “follow” or “subscribe” buttons.

“It’s difficult to predict specific earnings, but one thing is clear: As your platform grows, so do your profits,” says Goulden. “The journey is unique for each influencer, but growth tends to fuel more growth, opening up new avenues for income and collaboration.”

Michael shares that the most important thing is to stay true to yourself throughout the journey. “No matter what people think, no matter what you might get paid, be 100 percent authentically you,” she says. “[By] doing this, you will attract the audience you want. You will attract brands you want to work with. You will be able to sustain the career. And, most importantly, you will be happy.”