Want to Become an Instagram Influencer?

Wondering how to become an influencer on Instagram? Getting there may take much more effort than you think.

First launched in 2010, Instagram is one of the world’s most used social networking services. Of course, one of the drawing cards of the app is the fact that it’s a highly visual medium, and for brands and individual creators alike, it’s got huge potential to capture the attention of millions of users at once.

As an Instagram influencer, you can make a healthy bank from over 1 billion active users each month while influencing the purchasing decisions of over 85% of people. But, as attractive as these numbers and statistics are, it is fairly easy to underestimate how difficult it is to increase your presence and stand out in fierce competition to become truly influential on this platform, as these Hong Kong Influencers we discussed in the previous post did. Luckily, there are several tips and hacks you can learn to help you succeed in becoming a popular Instagram influencer. These include finding the best time to post, adapting to the algorithm, and establishing the aesthetics to make your page recognisable and even memorable.

There’s no greater time to capitalise than now! We’ll introduce types of influencers on Instagram and share the best influencer marketing tips from some of the most successful users here, helping you attract your first 250k followers. Let’s get it on!

Types of Influencers on Instagram in Hong Kong

Influencers in Hong Kong are categorised into different types—or more accurately, tiers—by their follower count. These tiers, divided into five levels, not only indicate and measure their impact and reach on the platform, but also hint at the type of audience they command and the kind of content they produce.

• Mega-Influencers (Over 1M Followers): These are the A-listers. They are usually famous celebrities like G.E.M., Eason Chan, and Hins Cheung. Their Instagram income is often secondary to their main career. They offer visibility for brands, but come with a hefty price tag.
• Macro-Influencers (500K to 1M Followers): These creators typically earn their living primarily from content creation and advertising endorsements. Most of them specialise in broad niches like food, fashion, or lifestyle, like Emi Wong or Joeie Foodie.
• Mid-Tier Influencers (100K to 500K Followers): Growing their already large followings on the youthful platform, this category represents an influential group of creators on the rise who consistently push out engaging content, like Kiki and May.
• Micro-Influencers (10K to 100K Followers): Don’t underestimate these creators. They are known for their niche focus and sometimes have the highest engagement rates.
• Nano-Influencers (1K to 10K Followers): These are the grass-roots creators. They have a small but highly engaged and intimate community. If you’re just starting out to become an Instagram influencer, this is where you build your foundations and should be your first aim.

Tips on How to Become an Instagram Influencer

Do you need to pick a theme to be an Instagram influencer?

Of course, you do! Before you become an Instagram influencer, figure out what makes you tick and choose that as the theme of your page. Keep in mind that your personal brand should emanate throughout your pictures. It could be anything you desire, and it needs to make a statement about you.

Regardless of dedicating your profile to must-have accessories or selfies of you travelling across the globe, having a set theme is sure to inspire your next post. Not only does having a theme inspire photo content, but it also indicates what your audience can expect.

A theme will also help you stick to it, so you’ll be able to post with greater efficiency and ease.

Why do you need to write a compelling bio?

Your bio is your first handshake with potential followers; it’s the elevator pitch of your Instagram presence. In just a few lines, you have to explain who you are, what you do, and why someone should follow you. That’s why drafting a compelling bio is the first step toward success for any aspiring influencer.

Include key details that highlight your niche — whether you’re a travel creator exploring hidden cafés in the city or a fitness coach hosting classes in Tsim Sha Tsui. Add a personal touch that reflects your character and values.

How should you establish an aesthetic for your Instagram?

When someone visits your Instagram profile, your feed should instantly tell them exactly who you are and what your theme is, without them even having to read a word. That’s the power of a strong aesthetic. It’s not just about filters or colours, but the overall feeling your grid gives off.

Decide whether you want your feed to look bright and airy, minimal and monochrome, or bold and edgy. Use editing tools like Lightroom or CapCut to maintain a consistent colour palette.

Do you understand your target audience?

Before you can influence anyone, you have to understand who you’re influencing. That’s the key preparation you need to make before you become an influencer. Your followers are real people with preferences, habits, and lifestyles. They could be university students scrolling between classes or working professionals catching up on posts during their MTR ride home. Research and study your potential competitors and counterparts to learn who engages with the type of content you plan to produce most. Instagram Insights can reveal key details like age range, location, and active hours, helping you tailor your content to engage your target audience.

When is the best time to post on Instagram in Hong Kong?

IG prioritises posts from users’ friends and family, with fewer chances for corporate messages to be put in users’ queues. Businesses and Instagram influencers need to play the game effectively if they want to prosper on Instagram.

So, when is the best time to post on Instagram? And in Hong Kong? Choosing the ideal time to publish on Instagram is not easy! What you consider the “best time to post” can be a highly competitive time slot, as most people share similar insights. So, you should aim for a time when people check their Instagram accounts, but avoid uploading when most people publish their Instagram content. Anyhow, here are the best times to post in Hong Kong:

Day of the week	Best time to post on Instagram
Monday	6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
Tuesday	2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
Wednesday	7 AM, 8 AM, 9 AM
Thursday	7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
Friday	5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
Saturday	11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
Sunday	7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM

Find out when your audience engagement is high, and post your content around those peak times.

It doesn’t matter how fancy your content is or how consistent your posting is; if you post at the wrong times, you won’t be able to reach the right people – these factors are interdependent.

So, get familiar with Instagram analytics and learn more about your audience so that you can post at the best times to meet their needs. If you’ve established quite an international following on the platform, use tools like HootSuite to schedule your posts at different times. This will ensure your posts are posted at the right time in several time zones.

How important is it to post consistently and create a content calendar as an Instagram influencer?

Consistency is key as an Instagram influencer! As with any other social media platform, Instagram requires consistency in order to attract loyal followers. Upon learning when is the best time to post, it’s time for you to establish a pattern to post consistently, such as at least once to three times a day, minimum. Otherwise, if you skip a few days here or a week on there, then you might come back to find that your Instagram page has turned into a ghost town.

One of the most effective strategies that you can use to stay consistent with your posting schedule is to plan your posts in advance. Better yet, create a weekly or monthly content calendar tailored to your niche — this helps you plan ahead, align your posts with trending topics, and ensure a balanced mix of content types.

A content calendar also allows you to visualise your posting rhythm and keep your feed cohesive on Instagram. For example, if you’re a Hong Kong food influencer, you might dedicate Mondays to café reviews, Wednesdays to street food finds, and weekends to collaborations. Experiment and test to determine which day and time is best suited for a particular type of post. Your current followers are most likely to share your content if you post consistently.

Should you choose your hashtags carefully?

Hashtags can certainly help! Prior to making any post, do your research to find out what the latest and best hashtags are. You can post up to 30 hashtags on each post.

Whatever you do, never put the hashtags in the actual post caption, but rather add them as a comment immediately after you post.

That way, they’ll still help you attract the attention of the right followers according to the latest algorithms, without outshining the actual post.

How can using the geotag feature help you as an Instagram influencer?

Instagram’s Geotag feature allows you to tag particular locations within the photos you post, so you can share your location in real-time.

For example, if you’re at a certain hotel or restaurant, you can let your followers know that you’re actually posting right there and then.

Plus, it’s a great way to attract an audience from people who follow those locations.

Are you using all the available content types on Instagram?

It’s difficult to be an Instagram influencer. It’s a constant juggling act to publish at the right moment, interact immediately, and come up with fresh ideas to beat the algorithm.

To get the best results, you will need to diversify your content with all the content types available on Instagram. Reels, Stories, IGTV, carousels, and static posts are there to be used.

From our observation, Instagram influencer accounts with the highest growth focus on Reels. Currently, IG’s algorithm favours them. If you choose to leverage Reels, make sure you pick a good tune too! One thing to remember: don’t use TikTok content in your Reel. You will be penalised if you do so.

Stories are good for keeping up engagement. Good solid carousels rock too! The goal is to diversify your account’s content so your viewers stay engaged and don’t get bored!

Are you creating high-quality content?

You may post your content frequently and choose the best time to do so; quality, however, will always outweigh quantity, especially on a platform like Instagram. High-quality content is what truly captures attention and keeps your audience coming back for more.

Make sure your photos are sharp, well-lit, and thoughtfully composed. Invest in good lighting, experiment with angles, and use editing tools to enhance colours. Videos should have steady framing and engaging pacing, especially for Reels, which dominate engagement in 2025.

High-quality content also means relevance and authenticity. Tell your authentic experience at a new Central brunch spot or give your honest review of a local skincare product. When your audience feels your sincerity, they’re more likely to trust, comment, and share.

Why should you stay alert to the constant algorithm changes and updates?

Instagram never stays the same for long. Every few months, new updates, features, and algorithm tweaks can completely change how your content performs, affecting your visibility and growth.

That’s why you should always stay alert and adapt. Follow Instagram’s official channels, keep an eye on updates from social media experts, and observe how your reach or engagement rates fluctuate after major updates. When you understand how the algorithm currently ranks content, you can adjust your strategy — whether that means posting more Reels, encouraging saves and shares, or leveraging new tools like Broadcast Channels and Collab posts.

Why must you make your Instagram interactive and shareable?

Apart from knowing the best time to post on Instagram in Hong Kong, make sure your content is interactive and easy to share.

For example, if you only post a picture with a huge watermark over it with minimal description, people probably won’t engage with or share it.

Focus on creating interactive content that is engaging and thus shareable. Encourage followers to participate through polls, Q&A sessions, quizzes, and even direct messages. This type of two-way engagement not only boosts visibility through the algorithm but also helps build a more genuine connection with your audience. Also, take it easy on the advertising and avoid being too obvious, as this can sometimes turn off followers. The general rule of thumb is to post one advertorial post after every six random, non-promotional posts.

Remember, as with influencer marketing – Tag, Tag, Tag!

If you decide to create a post that pays homage to a big movie star or musician on your page, for example, tag them or their PR team and some popular entertainment news outlets. This will allow these larger accounts to share your post if they find it interesting.

Final thoughts

When it comes to Instagram, every post is an opportunity for exposure.

As you plan your steps to become an Instagram influencer, you will realise that the key to building your audience has always been authenticity. Remember to use all the tips we have given here. Also, remember to post on Instagram at the right time!

Becoming an Instagram influencer, whether as an individual or a brand, is hard work! If you’d like a helping hand, please check out our social media services. You can also contact us. Happy posting!