Lessons on influencing from a ‘thinker for hire’ ‘
What you need to know:
“I graduated in December 2019, which was just a few months before the whole world was thrown into uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It is at this time that I decided to revive my Twitter account. Initially, I thought Twitter was just an app for sharing memes and political views, but then I realised one could do so much more.
"I had a passion for storytelling and realised that was the perfect platform for me. I decide to familiarise myself with it," Edgar Wabwire.
For Edgar Wabwire, a journalist and digital influencer, the year 2022 could not be better. A fortnight ago, he won the Pulse Twitter Influencer of the Year award, his biggest achievement so far in his influencing life.
“I cannot be more grateful and humbled to have received the award,” he begins. “I was nominated alongside other personalities such as Dennis Ombachi and Esther Kazungu who have bigger followings.”
Quite meek of him, given he has 120,000 followers on Twitter alone. So, where did it all begin?
“My journey begins back in campus. I used to create content and post it online just to pass time. I am a social person so I was taking part in different activities such as modelling. Because I had a lot of time, I created an Instagram account and started following ‘famous’ people while sharing my own content.”
Edgar, who considers himself an art lover, eventually decided to share stories through photography. He would take and post pictures highlighting social issues affecting young people such as violence and rape. He would do this in collaboration with other students. With time, his following grew from zero to about 20,000.
“It then occurred to me that I could use my social accounts for advertising. At the time, influencing had not yet picked pace in Kenya, but luckily, when I approached a potential client, I found a listening ear.”
By this time, Edgar had not started using Twitter yet, despite having an account, as he did not have a proper understanding of how the platform worked.
“I graduated in December 2019, which was just a few months before the whole world was thrown into uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is at this time that I decided to revive my Twitter account. Initially, I thought Twitter was just an app for sharing memes and political views, but then I realised one could do so much more. I had a passion for storytelling and realised that was the perfect platform for me. I decide to familiarise myself with it.”
Edgar focused on telling stories that people shared with him, and highlighting the issues of people close to him.
“My followers grew in a way I did not expect and before long, I was in the limelight. I was not prepared for many things, especially cyber bullying. I experienced a lot more bullying on Twitter, which was a shock as I had just shifted from Instagram where the landscape was a bit friendlier.”
Edgar notes that at some point in 2020, he was bullied so much that he went offline for a week and even contemplated deleting his account.
“But I have grown a tough skin now, and I know when to respond to people and when to just ignore them and move on.”
So, how did Edgar grow his following on social media? And more importantly, how does he make money out of it?
“One of the biggest misconception I face in my line of work is that what influencers do is marketing. While the two may seem quite similar, there is a difference. What influencers do is use their publicity to make a brand or products more visible. A marketing agent on the other hand is concerned with getting more customers for their company.” He notes that an influencer can also approach brands with a proposal on how to advertise their products.
“To become an influencer, the first and most important thing you need is to carve out a niche. Everyone wants to do comedy or entertainment, and while it is easy to create publicity with that genre if you have good content, you need to understand what works for you. With time, your content has to evolve and be relatable.
“Then, you have to put in the work. What most people see is the number of followers and the posts, but creating content takes careful consideration and time. You have to be disciplined and good at time management, and have a proper understanding of your audience. For instance, get to know what time of day your post gets the most engagement.”
Edgar says that for him, having a content calendar and understanding his audience has been part of his success. He also notes that while not everyone who follows you online is your friend, it is important to have a tight knit community, especially the people who have walked with you all through the journey.
“My plan is to create the kind of content that won me the award and stay true to myself.”
