screenshot of james charles with bubble gum

How a Regular Makeup Artist Became a Top Instagram “Influencer”

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How can a common Instagram user turn into a profitable beauty influencer? Instagram users may utilize tried-and-true techniques to build a big fan following and establish a recognizable brand for a profitable influencer lifestyle. We’ll talk about the strategies and advice that one influencer employed to be successful.

screenshot of james charles with bubble gum

Interested in learning how this well-known beauty influencer became so prosperous? Are you dedicated to learning novel methods to grow your Instagram following? You may learn from his mistakes and use what you learn to improve your own Instagram brand and business.

Read on to learn more about James Charles and the image he uses for his successful Instagram account.

screenshot of james charles instagram

With more than 22.7 million followers, James Charles is a big Instagram influencer in the beauty sector.

How James’s Rose to Instagram Fame

Instagram was first launched in 2010. Before social media, television and the internet were, for many years, the main channels for entertainment and advertising.

In 2010, users first turned to Instagram to share pictures of their cuisine, cosmetics, lifestyle, and beautiful surroundings.

Instagram has evolved into a medium predominantly used by influencers to build their businesses and make a difference in people’s lives. As a consequence, influencers were able to adapt their social standing to a new medium; becoming online icons.

How does that happen? When you use Instagram regularly, your followers will regard you more favorably, wanting to check in and see what new updates you’re posting. In essence, the more people who connect with your content, the more people will find your profile, follow it, and stay loyal followers.

You will have greater influence over individuals, and brands will be more likely to contact you to collaborate on projects if you have large, engaged audiences.

For those just getting started on Instagram who wish to boost interaction, there are websites and solutions available. Skweezer is a fantastic illustration of an effective Instagram engagement tool. People may also utilize other platforms and tools like Hootsuite to improve how they manage their social media.

His Journey With Instagram

In 2015, James Charles, a cosmetic artist, created an Instagram account.

While working as a cosmetic artist in Bethlehem, New York, American beauty influencer James started a YouTube channel. Since joining Instagram in 2015, he has grown to be more well-known and well-known than before. He displayed his skills with cosmetics and beauty advice to grow his Instagram following.

screenshot of james charles instagram post

At the age of 17, James Charles famously became CoverGirl’s first male ambassador. With his millions of followers, honors, partnerships, and other accomplishments, he is one of the most successful social media stars.

How He Founds His Talent

James Charles Dickinson was born in Bethlehem, New York, on May 23, 1999. At Bethlehem Central, he finished his high school studies in 2017.

When asked about his experience in high school, he says, “I did get bullied a lot in high school, and I just disregarded it.”

At the age of 12, Charles told his parents that he was gay. When questioned on his gender identity, he replied, “I know who I am, and I’m okay with it, and that includes being a male. But I also enjoy using cosmetics. I always wear a full set of nails.”

James charles headshot

Since being invited to perform a friend’s makeup for a school dance, Charles has been a freelance hairdresser and makeup artist. After learning how to apply makeup, he started charging the neighborhood teen females for his services.

How He Used Instagram to Further His Career

Charles joined Instagram in August 2015. He began to upload pictures and videos of his tutorials and creations. Instagram users had no clue how much of an impact the platform would eventually have on their life when it was only known as a social networking site.

His earliest Instagram fans joined to engage with his content and witness his cosmetic works of art. He rose to unprecedented heights of fame as a result of his intellect and certain occasionally contentious creative ideas that were at the time more daring and avant-garde.

He rapidly competed for a place among the most influential people on social media, coming out on top

His Instagram account has more interactions and followers now that it has a ton of brightly colored cosmetics on it. To keep his profile interesting and provide his viewer’s diversity, he also often updates utilizing a range of content forms.

James charles on covergirl

In 2016, he was appointed the first male brand ambassador for CoverGirl following a popular post about his makeup.

The majority of the cameos in his career are from different television and online programs. In Alone Together, he portrayed Jasper (2018). Additionally, he had appearances in Nikita Unfiltered and The Secret World of Jeffree Star.

In the year 2020, Charles served as presenter, director, and co-producer of the reality competition show Instant Influencer. With Morphe Cosmetics, he created an eyeshadow pallet and a collection of cosmetics.

He has received several honors for his efforts on social media, including two People’s Choice Awards, three Streamy Awards, one Shorty Award, and one Teen Choice Award.

James charles holding makeup palette

One of the most well-liked beauty blogs on the internet, James Charles has amassed millions of followers and a long list of noteworthy partnerships.

How did he achieve such a huge following on Instagram? Key Points

James’ story is an excellent example of how to genuinely succeed on this platform. He gained notoriety on Instagram rapidly, and while some would say that he was just “lucky,” there’s no denying that he has made some intelligent choices and chosen a successful strategy. 

Let’s look at how he accomplished it to gain some inspiration for your profile.

  • He collaborated with a number of famous makeup artists with a substantial fan following.
  • He used to post stuff on Instagram often, both as profile updates and stories.
  • He collaborated with reputable media sites (Covergirl).
  • He appeared in cameos on TV shows and YouTube channels.
  • Instead of being just another app user, he made himself into a “brand.”

He also updated his platform frequently and posted unique and fascinating content, which helped him rise to his present position on Instagram.

His knowledge offers individuals helpful information so they may attempt the original and imaginative styles he produced with cosmetics, so it’s not simply for entertainment.

Learn from James’ Instagram Influencer Success

In light of Jame’s success, let’s discuss how you may start from nothing and grow into a lifestyle influencer or brand.

want to be an instagram lifestyle influencer

Pick A Niche

A powerful influencer is someone who commands a lot of attention in a small market.

Instagram is up against stiff opposition. If you lack specialist knowledge and talents, start working on them right now!

If you don’t have anything distinctive, like James Charles’ early introduction into the platform as a male beauty and fashion influencer, it will be difficult to stand out in the crowded Instagram market (which was fairly novel at the time).

Consequently, how do you choose which market to enter? Consider the following:

  • What talents do I possess? Do I have talents or skills in any specific fields?
  • What specifically piques your interest?
  • What may be different from the way individuals usually talk about certain niches when they post? (For instance, how can someone in the gardening industry think of a fresh way to talk about gardening?)

Content Editing and Branding

For Instagram, photographing and filming talents is a requirement. Instagram offers filters and captions. If you want to stand out from other Instagram users, learn how to take high-quality pictures and videos and edit them for the target audience of your specialty.

A Pro Tip: After you get more recognition, it could be good to engage a team of editors and graphic designers to oversee the branding and editing of your future content. But because you’re just getting started, you’ll have to manage this by yourself.

Post Frequently

If you want to become a successful Instagram influencer, you must consistently post new content. Make use of a management tool to help you manage and organize your content so that you aren’t swamped with the laborious process. This makes it simpler for you to focus on creating the content rather than constantly updating, organizing, and posting it.

Build Your Fan Base

You are now ready to start as an influencer, however, you need to work out how to get more Instagram followers. Follow people who are experts in your field. Here are some more ways to grow your Instagram following:

  • Follow trending hashtags related to your business and specialty for advice.
  • Participate in their content (comments, Dms, etc).
  • Begin collaborating with other brands, influencers, and businesses to reach their audiences.
  • Partner with accounts in your shoulder specialty that are of a similar size.
  • Use a platform like Skweezer to broaden your audience and foster engagement (we feel that this is one of the best tools to boost your social media).

James Charles undoubtedly put in a lot of effort to become the Influencer he is today. His dedication to producing quality material, his collaborations, and his now-iconic Covergirl look all helped him gain notoriety.

His example, as well as the examples of several other well-known Instagram influencers, will act as a continual source of inspiration to keep you moving forward with the development of your account.

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