Do Influencers need a studio?

Firstly, indulge me for a second, I just want to align our collective understanding of what an influencer really is. In my opinion:

“An influencer is anybody with a voice and (importantly) an audience.”

Although you might feel like posting on most social networks is like yelling into a void, you have to acknowledge there are quite a few people who do quite well with their yelling.

There are some negative connotations about Influencers in some circles, yet it remains an aspirational term in others - it is easy to put this down to our seemingly modern paradigm in which everything is polarised - but I think this is more simple than that...

“Many social media content creators, or Influencers, are simply a victim of the envy of others.”

In Australia, we would call that "Tall poppy syndrome."

Putting any preconceived ideas aside - shall we just agree that an Influencer could also be called a content creator, and that it's practically anybody who posts and has an audience? 😁

So, do Influencers need a studio?

In the same way that we don't have to produce films with quality cameras, optics and experienced people lighting the scenes and recording the audio - you could argue that Influencers don't need studios.

The most popular misconception I keep coming across is that the appeal of an influencer is that it's real, it's raw. All they need is their talent and their iPhone - nothing more, and that's what audiences find engaging.

And therein is one of the biggest tricks Influencers play on their audience.

“The most popular influencers are typically supported by at least a few people, if not whole teams. They don’t shoot on an iPhone, and nothing about what they produce is spontaneous. It’s scripted, typically rehearsed, professionally edited and deployed with deft precision.”

In my experience there are several plateau points as Influencers grow their reach. It doesn't really matter specifically where the number is - but that stagnation of growth is an indicator that it's time to look at what is being done, how they are doing it, or what they are doing it about.

In the bedroom

Most Influencers are able to cultivate a solid and loyal following, but it's the transient audience that they need to captivate - and this is why I argue strongly that there will always be a point in every Influencers growth curve where they need to switch from iPhone (or Android) in the bedroom to some sort of production package including a camera, lights and microphones.

A polished, more professional, video is more captivating to the eye. Crisp clear audio makes it easier to hear and understand, and a well lit scene makes the viewing experience all the more enjoyable.

This is where smart influencers can get their first easy engagement and audience bump. Put simply, better quality content equals better quality engagement. People will watch for longer, will be more likely to subscribe, and more likely to watch more of your content, and seek out future posts. "Don't forget to like and subscribe..."

Adding the skills

After the initial bump that comes from the quality improvement, growth will inevitably tail off again. And this is where one of the most difficult steps any influencer will take has to happen.

“Most Influencers believe that their style is unique. “Only I can edit the way I do”. Let me tell you - your editing style isn’t unique, and a professional editor will do a lot better job than you. But that’s okay, you aren’t an editor.”

In the same way that you aren't an editor, you aren't a lighting technician, nor a sound recordist or cinematographer. Which do you want to be? An Influencer, or a script writer? An Influencer, or a grip? Influencers that succeed naturally gravitate to two core roles - executive producer and talent. To do that - they fill in the gaps with experts in those roles.

Influencers who embrace this paradigm seem to be a lot more successful than those that don't. And it would be helpful if the Influencers that were doing it would speak more publicly about the teams that help them produce their content - nobody watches because they think everything is done by the person on the video - they watch because the content is engaging, well produced, well edited and tells a story they connect with.

And finally, the studio

A lot of great, engaging content is produced outside of studios - I'm not trying to debate that. But, content produced inside a studio is typically of better quality, is faster to produce, and, ultimately can cost less (as long as you respect that time is money).

I know all the arguments from "my audience loves being in my space" to "I can't change the look and feel of my videos" - most of the time - this isn't true. If you don't believe me, and you are reading this as an Influencer trying to decide what you do - ask your audience.

Audiences revel in the success of the content creator. Moving into a studio is a massive marker for success both of the Influencer and the product. Importantly for the audience - it says to them - you backed the right horse - "I've made it because of your support." Let them have that!

Being in a studio offers many benefits that are nearly impossible to properly achieve from a home, or even a home studio.

Being in a professional space allows for multi-camera shoots, that can be broadcast live, edited on the fly, with perfect lighting and sound, detail that is hard to introduce elsewhere because of the tremendous control a studio brings to the mix. All of this makes a better product, and a better product is almost always more engaging.

What used to take a week, can now take a day. Influencers who are serious about their craft can turn that extra time in to better content, better brand alignment and better outcomes across the board.