This article was written by a guest contributor. For guest contribution guidelines, please visit this page.

Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is frequently lost in a good book when she is not writing about how technology impacts our everyday health and wellness.

From the outside, the influencer lifestyle looks like an easy-going way to earn some extra income while documenting your journey on the road. 

However, anyone who has spent any time behind the camera knows that recording, photographing, editing, and managing social content can quickly turn your vacation time into a 50+ hour work week. 

Achieving a productive work-life balance can be particularly difficult if you’re new to the influencer game. You’ll likely spend Hours Editing Videos and can stay up all night responding to comments on popular videos. 

Rather than burning yourself out, try to achieve a better balance by making strategic changes to your schedule. This will help you last in the long term and can significantly reduce the strain you are under.

Maintaining Your Presence

Social media algorithms are designed to boost folks who post consistent content. However, if you’re struggling to enjoy the moment due to fears about falling behind, you may need to adjust your approach to posting consistent content. 

Start by creating a content calendar for the upcoming month. This will help you save time, as you won’t need to generate new ideas daily. Instead, your content calendar will serve as your guide for the upcoming weeks. 

Once you’ve created your content calendar, start shooting content and build up a bank of videos or photos. This will serve you well in the future, as you can take days off filming to enjoy your time on the road without work. 

After you’ve shot and edited your content, schedule it to go live at a predefined time. This is particularly important if you’re planning to go off-grid for some time, as you won’t need to connect to a hotspot during your travels. 

For example, if your largest audience is on Instagram, switch to a professional account and use the post-scheduled content tab to pre-upload your materials. This will save you from fretting about posting daily and give you more opportunities to post pictures from the same photo shoot. 

Skill Building

Creating and posting social content doesn’t have to be complicated. You can create a high-performing page with just your phone and a stable internet connection. However, if you want to take your content to the next level, you’ll need to refine your skills. 

Start simple and set aside time to learn the basics of every platform. This will save you time in the future and will help improve the quality of your content. For example, if you regularly post to TikTok, learn how to do a front flash in your phone’s settings. This will save you plenty of time in the future, as you won’t have to reshoot content due to poor lighting or framing. 

Bolstering your editing skills can save you heaps of time, too. As an influencer, you’ll spend hours editing videos and photographs every day. Consider sharpening your skills with platforms like Photoshop and Premier Pro by signing up for courses on sites like: 

• Udemy;
• Skillshare; 
• Masterclass.

You can also use free Premiere Pro tutorials to learn the basics and discover valuable shortcuts. This can help you strike a better work-life balance, as you’ll spend less time editing and more time enjoying all that life on the road has to offer.  

Brand Deals

Becoming an influencer can be lucrative. However, anyone who produces social content knows that ad revenue and subscription packages require plenty of hard work. You’ll need to post content daily if you want your ad revenue to build up, and you should be prepared to be underwhelmed by your actual revenue. For example, TikTok only pays $20 – $40 for videos with 1 million views. 

Life as an influencer gets easier once you land some brand deals. You can make money while living the van life as a digital nomad by monetizing your account and collaborating with big businesses. Companies are always looking for trustworthy influencers, and many will pay more than you generate in ad revenue. 

If you’re trying to figure out your going rate, use the industry standard for influencer pay of: 

• $100 per 10,000 followers + extras for type of post (x # of posts) + additional factors = total rate

This will give you a rough estimate of how much you can generate through sponsored posts. Figure out the income you need to secure to meet your budget, but avoid the temptation to fill your entire account with sponsored advertisements. 

Hiring some Help

As your account grows, you may find that you no longer have the time to take care of every element of your social presence. Rather than fretting about the regularity of your Instagram posts or engaging with every YouTube comment, consider hiring a Social Media Manager who can help balance your workload. A social media manager completes tasks like: 

• Uses analytic tools to optimize your posts;
• Engages with users as per your brand guidelines;
• Reports their findings and makes strategic suggestions;
• Can help shoot and edit content. 

A social media manager is particularly helpful if you plan to be on the road for some time. Give your manager free rein over your analytics and pay them to compile strategic reports regarding the performance of your page. This will help you save time while planning and can help you level up your online presence. 

Conclusion

Achieving a work-life balance while you’re on the road can be tricky. You want to spend your time taking in incredible views, but you still need to post consistent, high-quality content. Make the process that much easier by investing in your skills and hiring some help. This will streamline your workday and help you focus your efforts on shooting incredible content. 

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