In the spotlight: Instagram blogger, Melissa Trippert

Today's guest in, “In the spotlight” is a 20-year-old Instagram blogger, Melissa Trippert. She has an Instagram blog (@melissatrippert) with almost 2000 followers where she posts lifestyle and self-care tips. In addition to that, she is studying to become a nurse. In this article, you will find out all the ins and outs of having an Instagram blog. Both the good and bad sides of being a micro-influencer.

Not an easy hobby

Melissa did not just start her blog out of nowhere. She tells us, “I wanted to make sure I was prepared because I take my Instagram seriously and I do not want to post just anything.” Beforehand she made some standards for herself as to what she would post. She would use her platform to spread positivity and help others with her advice. Most importantly, her followers get to see the real her.  

Having a blog might seem like an easy hobby but Melissa says otherwise. “I used to think it was just taking a picture and posting it. That is definitely not the case. I usually make a whole day free to prepare posts. You have to find someone to take the picture, think of a text that is useful but also entertaining, and think of different outfits. If you want to gain a lot of followers the key is to be very active, which for me can be hard sometimes.” 

The pressure and competition is high in today's market. Melissa admits that there are a lot of accounts just like hers, some of which have a much higher number of followers. “It is very important to have something unique that makes people want to follow you. I try to use the fact that I have moved out at 19 years old to my advantage for that. I have to admit that I haven’t really found what makes me stand out, but I am working on it.” However, her competition are also her friends. Many small blogs help each other out by liking each other's pictures and giving shout-outs. This is one of the many things that Melissa enjoys about blogging. 

“The number of likes don’t matter to me. If I helped one person, that’s enough for me.”

Likes

Being a self-care blogger has taught Melissa a lot over the past few months. “By teaching others, I learned many things about self-care and self-appreciation, and it has made me a better person. I used to be very worried about likes and engagement on my posts. Having this blog has made me realise that I shouldn’t care about what people think of me and it has made me gain so much confidence. I have also realised that it doesn’t matter how many people I reach through my posts. Even if it only helped one person, I feel accomplished.” Melissa has had many good responses to her posts. She has had more DM’s from strangers, explaining to her that her advice has helped them than she could ever imagine. 

If you want to start your own blog, remember that the most important thing is to have fun. Don’t expect success to come to you immediately and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It can feel demotivating if one post doesn’t do as well as another. If you enjoy what you do, the likes and the followers don’t matter too much. “I have my blog just for fun. It doesn’t really matter if I become a big influencer or not. I am satisfied with what I have now. But if I suddenly gain thousands of followers that is fine with me too.” she laughs.

It might take a lot of work to maintain a blog but in the end, it is all worth it. The hardest step you must overcome is to start. So, what are you waiting for?