You don’t have to be a sports star or a celebrity to build a large following - 10 years ago, we only saw sports stars and celebrities endorsing brands, but brands now allow influencers to be their advocates tasked with orchestrating conversations and altering brand perceptions.

The rise of influencer marketing has seen many people setting up profiles in an effort to capitalize and make money off brands. Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but I feel too much of the conversation has been focused on attaining a big following in selling that reach to brands. Rather than starting the conversation with ‘how to build a big reach’, I feel that the more important question to ask for those wanting to be influencers is, ‘how do I create great content?’. 

Webfluential asked its top Instagrammers to fill us in on the three things which they consider to be key when creating great content for Instagram. Gareth Pon, Levon Lock, and How Far From Home (Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger) have a combined reach of over half a million on Instagram and their audiences were built by consistently creating great content with a unique perspective. See what they had to say below.

Gareth Pon

It's more about the story behind the image rather than the image itself: Often times people focus so much on technical ability and settings on a camera and they end up forgetting about the story of an image. The narrative behind a photo gives you the ability to speak without ever uttering a word. 
Don't post for the sake of it: Always have a reason to post an image before you do it. It is easy to get caught up in the 'maintenance' of your account, but posting just for the sake of it is the quickest way for you to lose your edge.
Continuously challenge your own perspective: One of the most valuable things I've learnt is that the quicker you embrace change, the better. That comes with knowing when you need to adapt and how your adaptation will suit the content you're creating, whether it be in an instant for a client or for an entire shift in your personal style.

Levon Lock

Always create content you like: I find that this is the most important vibe for me. I've worked on campaigns that kind of force their content on you, and it never gets the engagement that was expected. Your followers follow you because they like YOUR content.
Say no to brands: If you don't like the campaign, say no. Simple as that. Chances are, something better will come up.
Instagramming should be fun:
When I started instagramming, I became part of a scene that was dynamic and fun. I sometimes feel like that has been lost. Either that, or I've lost interest. Keep it fun. Make it about the content, not the money. At the end of the day, you started instagramming because you thought it was a fun and creative way to express yourself. Don't lose sight of that.

Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger (How Far From Home)

You have to be unique: Research and analyse all the accounts that are in the same genre as you. If you are in the travel space (like we are) look at all the people traveling around the world, and see what they are doing. This is not so that you can do something similar or copy them, it's so you can completely differentiate yourself from them.
You have to be consistent: If you are used to posting every second day, or twice a day, or once a week, your community is used to that too. Engagement will depend entirely on your audience, so cater for them and what they're used to. Also - don't try put pressure on yourself to post twice a day and then you find you don't have enough quality images and stories to keep that going. Choose the frequency and stick to it.
You have to have your own look and feel: As with any branding or art form, you need to have your own style. Instagram works in the same way. It could be the way you edit your photos, the way you shoot them, or perhaps how you style the subject in your photos - have your own look and feel and let people gravitate towards that style.

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