How to Become a Hair Influencer, According to the Best in the Business

With a unique style, a heart for salon education, and a passion for adventure, the life of a hair and beauty influencer is both exciting and rewarding.

But turning what you do — your style, your passion — into a social media personality isn’t easy.

While it may seem like anyone can become an influencer these days…

(Hey, we’ve all seen the Instagram influencers who make it look so easy!)

Being an influencer takes hard work, time, and consistency.

To break down exactly how to become a hair influencer, we reached out to a few experts in the field, including salon social media experts and brand-building gurus.

With their tips, you’ll be on your way to a hair influencer in no time!

• Know Your Brand
• Flex Those Storytelling Skills
• Build Consistent Content
• Create Value for Clients
• Grow Your Network

How to Become a Hair and Beauty Influencer

Know Your Brand Inside and Out

Before you can become a hair influencer, you have to know who you are and what your brand represents. This means you have to find your niche within the hair industry. 

Jay York, CEO and Founder of Grove Brands in Tampa, Florida, knows this more than anyone.

“If you’re looking to truly grow an influencer brand and following,” Jay says, “you have to find your niche and build a brand around it.”

For Jay, building a brand comes down to having a concrete brand.

“From your focus (your niche), to your colors, to the style of your posts, photos, etc. –– having a concrete brand is critical.” 

So, before you set out to become an influencer, you need a vision — one that speaks to both you and your clients.

If you’re unsure of your brand and what it means to your audience, answer these questions:

• What makes my perspective unique?
• What do I want my brand to represent?
• Who is my target audience and what are they interested in?

Flex Those Storytelling Skills

Once you have a handle on your brand and audience, you’re ready to work on the story you want to tell. 

Chris Grayson, founder of Influencer Made, says becoming an influencer comes down to “honing your storytelling skills.” 

While becoming an influencer is never guaranteed, Chris takes note of commonalities between successful influencers.

“First, they’re passionate about their niche and have a clear point of view. They’re [also] excellent storytellers who know how to capture their audience’s attention.”

Build Consistent Content, Consistently

It may sound redundant, but you not only need your content to be consistent with your brand and story — you also need to post content consistently. (I.e. You need a regular schedule of posts.)

Whether you’re hoping to become an influencer on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, it takes regular brand-oriented content, so your audience is able to get to know you and your brand.

York pointed out that “a constant flow of content is necessary to keep your audience engaged and growing.”

At the end of the day, it comes down to trust.

Your audience begins to look to you for advice on whatever you’re best at: the best hair care tools, which events are worth networking at, which beauty brands support the LGBTQIA community.

You want to build consistent content that your audience is looking for.

Create Value for Your Audience

When thinking through the content you plan to share, it’s important to keep in mind how your content will benefit your audience.

What is your audience interested in?

How can your content help them?

How can you inspire them?

Tracey Cunningham of Méche Salon in Los Angeles, California, has over 270K followers on Instagram.

Instead of only posting pretty photos of celebrities, she shares various color formulas and tint tips in her captions. This way her audience gains new knowledge by following her!

Grow Your Network

York also shared with us the power of networking and making connections to grow your audience. 

“You’d be amazed how many people in your industry are dying to grow their network,” Jay says.

“Spending the time to truly get to know people can pay dividends. I’ve seen influencers grow rapidly just because they found an in with others in their industry.”

Another pro tip: Reach out to other influencers in the hair and beauty world. By connecting with other big names in your industry, you can find ways to help each other grow. 

As York puts it: “Real recognizes real!”

So, if you’re true to yourself and your brand, people will recognize it, and your social media audience will begin to grow.