Know that when you decide to take the final step to be an influencer, you’re doing a lot more than just agreeing to publicize a brand or a business. You’re also putting yourself out there. You’re advertising not just the brand but also yourself. And remember, you’re now in the public eye, open to public critique and answerable to public prosecution.
If you aren’t prepared to take on all that, you aren’t prepared to be an influencer. Here are a few things that you can do to be sensible in these sensitive times.
How To Be An Influencer The Right Way
Don’t Take a Leaf Out of Any Politician’s Book
One of the things that the pandemic taught people—and not just in this country, but around the world—is that our leaders aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed.
When you’re in the public eye all the time, you have to be mindful of one thing above all:
Your words have consequences.
Imagine if a former president had thought twice before branding the coronavirus with racist terms—kung flu and Chinese virus among them.
The Atlanta Spa Shootings could be traced directly back to the hate mongered against a specific community, even if it was done unknowingly. That’s the thing. If you’re going to be an influencer, a public personality, you can no longer do things unknowingly.
Always Fact Check
You’re an influencer. You’re someone who lives and breathes in the digital world. You should know, more so than anyone else, that the internet is a den of fake news. There really is no absolute truth when it comes to articles and blogs you come across on social media or the internet in general. This is exactly why the onus of confirming whether or not a news article is actually true lies on you before you share it. All you need is a few Google searches, and it will save you humiliation in the long term. You also don’t want to be answerable to the brand you have partnered with—explaining how you could get something so simple so wrong.
Always Be Respectful
The final and most important edict if you want to be an influencer is to always watch your words. Especially when you’re talking about marginalized communities or tough times. Don’t pull an Ellen and compare your billionaire grievances to that of prisoners’. And definitely don’t tell the world that you’re struggling to put meals on the table when you’re a literal Prince with millions in inheritance.
Be An Influencer Today. Change The World Tomorrow.
Start today and start small. Connect with brands and businesses from all around the world if you’re an influencer. Use these resources to help you out.