Say hello to @denis. Our UK-based influencer of the month revealed how she creates viral-worthy TikToks, how to grow your social audience and how she learnt to never miss an exclusivity clause – the hard way.
Congratulations Denis! Your recent campaign results have been outstanding. What are your top three tips to growing an engaged Instagram audience, like yours?
Thank you so much! I am so happy to be your influencer of the month. My top three tips would be:
Remain authentic. Instagram users will notice if you’re not and that can hinder your follower growth. This includes finding your niche and sticking to it. You want to pin-point exactly what you’re interested in, because you’ll then have a genuine passion to share this with your audience. From a young age I’ve loved fashion and studied it at university, so I think it was very natural for me to make this the focus of my content.
Post regularly. Instagram’s algorithm usually favours people that are active on the app. Plus, you want to keep your audience engaged with new and inspiring content.
Hashtags do work! Use them in your captions and Stories to help you reach a wider audience. And be sure to change up the hashtags you use to see what works best.
What advice can you give to creators looking to perfect a highly-curated feed like yours?
Invest in the right equipment. You don’t need to spend a fortune to get good results, but investing in camera equipment is important. Lighting equipment is also a must-have, especially when the weather isn’t on your side. I also follow a lot of photographers for inspiration on composition, lighting, location ideas and editing. Some of my favourites include @mertalas, @nick_knight, @annieleibovitz and @linatesch.
What is your top performing post on your feed, and why do you think that is?
I would have to say this post, because it captures our current reality really well – dressing up just to stay in! I believe images that are aspirational and relatable always perform the best.
You’re also killing the game over on TikTok! Vamp recently became one of TikTok’s official Creative Marketing Partners and you’ve been part of some of our omni-channel campaigns. What are three tips to creating engaging and viral-worthy TikTok content that will help you grow your audience?
Thank you so much! Growing on TikTok is fun. The beautiful thing about it is that no matter what your following is, TikTok can show your content to a huge pool of people on the For You Page (FYP). This means your videos can get millions of views even if you only have 100 followers. So, your goal should be to make it onto the FYP. Here are my tips:
#1 You should be quickly jumping on the latest trends and challenges and putting your own take on them. This includes using trending songs and sounds.
#2 Another great tip is to include high-quality transitions in your videos as they are a great engagement builder. To do this, you need to consider your lighting, as even a subtle change can ruin a transition. So always try to shoot in even lighting.
#3 It’s also a really great idea to put closed captions on your videos. Not only does this make your content more accessible, but users will spend more time watching your video when they can understand what’s happening with zero sound, which helps push your content up the algorithm.
#4 Lastly, posting regularly is a must. I grew 50k followers in under four months while I was posting three times a day!
What have been some of your favourite TikTok trends and challenges?
The below three have been some of my favourites! I love creating funny and lighthearted content that is still centred around my niche. These types of TikToks usually perform really well as it’s something people can have a laugh at, while also being inspired.
@deniscolak Obviously It wasn’t me… rip husband #greenscreen #ratethings #outfits #boredinthehouse #fyp #foryou
@deniscolak I always thought I was a Carrie #satc #carriebradshaw #whatidwear #tiktokfashion #outfit #outfitideas #style
What has been the biggest mistake you’ve made as a content creator and how did you learn from it?
My biggest mistake was not reading a contract properly before signing it (thankfully not with Vamp!) It was a five month campaign and they had a massive exclusivity clause in there, which I accidentally missed! I had to learn this the hard way, so I highly recommend other creators to thoroughly re-read briefs and contracts multiple times before signing it. And if you’re still unsure, have another pair of eyes read over it for you. You also need to keep an eye out for these exclusivity clauses and make sure they are the right fit for you before agreeing to them.
Quick fire round. Right now I am….
Listening: Beethoven, strangely enough! I’m trying to deepen my classical music knowledge.
Watching: The Mentalist
Eating: Eggs (sunny side up)
Wearing: River Island
Drinking: Coffee
Lastly, after working on Vamp campaigns for Russell & Bromley, Selfridges and Estée Lauder, what do you like about working with Vamp the most?
Vamp has been a great team to work with. The whole process is seamless. From applying to a campaign, working on it and getting paid. Also, thanks to Vamp I’ve been exposed to a fantastic range of brands.
