How does acting influence your influencing?!

Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Youtube and Snapchat are well established social media platforms that are heavily used by influencers. As an influencer it is important to have a niche and stick with it. It can be a hobby that an influencer has a deep interest in such as gaming and dancing, or it can be keeping up with the latest beauty and fashion trends. Either way it is the job of the influencer to create engaging content that will help them build a large following but, how much of their online content involves acting? This blog is going to look at how acting can enhance influencers capabilities and produce better content.
How will an influencer create a video?
It must start with a topic such as, a brand or store that is going to launch for the first time in the UK, or a personal change such as going to secondary school or planning a special birthday occasion. Once an influencer has decided to create content on a topic, they must build an idea of what they’d like to create for their online following. This can be done by viewing social media analytics and finding out the latest trends and recreating similar content.
Topic
Deciding on a topic is an important aspect of creating content. It is essential that you are familiar with the topic and understand it enough to share content about it. Research is very important when planning and creating a script. However, bear in mind you will create a deeper understanding of your niche when you are sharing it with others online. When acting and creating the content for your influencer channel you will be able to hear out loud whether you are making sense or whether you need to do more research to come across more knowledgeable.
Plan and script
Once you have decided on the type of content you would like to create it is time to plan a story line and script it. This step is important because it is the foundation base for the content to be built upon. It is not unusual for content creators to go off script when they are filming, however the story line should remain the same. Edits and changes to a script are sometimes essential, enabling an influencer to tweak their content before it is created.
Rehearsal
Some influencers will rehearse off camera, so they appear exactly as they want to in their content, this step will be repeated until they have made the right adjustments to their script and physical movement. This is a good way to prepare before filming content that will take place in a public location such as a shopping centre. Other influencers will set up their recording equipment and rehearse in front of their camera and adjust their script and movements until they are happy to press record. There is no right or wrong way to rehearse for content creation, each influencer will have their individual way of preparing themselves before pressing record. Remember rehearsals are a good way of building confident acting skills, self confidence and relatability which creates higher quality content that engages a higher volume of viewers.
Voice and body language
An influencer that is telling a story will use voice projection, facial expressions and body language to emphasise emotions, these acting techniques are used to grab the attention of the audience. Having balanced acting and good story telling is important for an influencer who is wanting to create engaging and interesting content rather than distracting and irritating content.
However, an influencer that is demonstrating a product such as skin care or make up, will use more subtle facial expressions and tone of voice to present a natural image. They will use voice projection to control their volume when addressing the audience and demonstrating a product. It is important the tone is not too quiet and soft or too loud and powerful. Believable facial expressions are very important and will be used similarly to voice, not too little but not excessive. Appearing to have a natural reaction on camera, demonstrates credibility to the audience which will create more engagement with the product and the influencer.
On Camera
The rehearsals have been completed and its time to press record. It is important to be authentic, letting your personality shine through on camera creates a natural image, that most viewers will engage with. Authenticity is important when building an audience, some viewers will be interested in the topics that you engaged with however, others will be interested in YOU! having an audience that likes you as a person will give you the confidence boost to create more content and can be a great way of becoming a well known influencer. Although it all sounds too good to be true, there will be times when you can create certain content once and that’s it. A good skill to build on is improvisation, if there is one opportunity to gain content in an open environment then you must be able to think quickly and create high quality content under pressure. Creating GRWM or shopping haul videos require an influencer to speak to a camera this can feel overwhelming at times, and it will take practice. However, working on your acting skills will ease any tension and hopefully it will be an enjoyable experience.
The benefits of acting skills
Having previous experience as a screen actor will boost confidence and benefit your online presence. Screen actors have the ability to tell a story through a screen this transferable skill is very important when creating online content. Each video you want to create has a topic/theme and a story will naturally flow to show this to an audience. Screen actors already have this skill making it easier for them to understand the basic principles of storytelling. Performing for your audience is a key aspect of influencing and authenticity and credibility are the key to keeping viewers engaged, this involves good use of body language, tone of voice and facial expressions. Audiences want to be entertained they do not want to feel like they are being talked at and, having screen acting skills can enhance your ability to adapt your content to make it more engaging. Screen actors use their own personality to fit into character roles, using your personality as part of your online presence is important, but enhancing it with good screen skills will make your online presence much stronger. Using recording equipment can seem overwhelming, unless you have experience in screen acting. Gaining experience from screen acting classes is a good place to gain confidence around cameras, lights and microphones. Script memorisation is a key skill of acting developing script skills will allow influencers to create content easier and quicker. The ability to make high quality content in a short space of time, free’s up space to research and develop more content which will reach a wider audience. Screen acting is a great way to boost your confidence and reduce any anxiety that may occur when filming content or speaking with your audience. Practicing acting as a craft can also help build on editing skills although this is not a direct skill actors have. It is something that is learnt over time spent in an acting career or through acting training
Ready to launch your influencer platform
Research and understand your niche and potential audience.
Gain screen acting skills through an academy or experience.
Rehearse your content – script, body language, speech and tone, facial expressions.
Set up your equipment – Camera, lighting, microphone.
Be authentic and let your personality shine through on your videos.
Edit – cut clips, add music, add voice over.
POST on your platforms.

The growth of social media has enabled more platform users to build on their individual acting skills. Pressing record immediately demands a level of preparation and acting skills to establish the story an influencer is trying to tell through a lens. Being authentic is very important however it is equally as important to create quality content for the audience this is why research, preparation and rehearsing is just as important as the equipment that will be used. For some influencers this comes naturally
however for those with less confidence and understanding of the industry acting classes can be beneficial. To answer the question ‘how much do influencers act?’ depends on the type of content and how much content they are creating however, do influencers act? Yes, of course they do. If it is your passion to become an influencer follow the steps above to become the best online version of yourself, drawing in audiences that find your relatable. ​

Author

Katie Hollings