How to Be a Nano Influencer (No Dancing Needed)

by Nick Laight | May 22, 2026 | Blog | 0 comments

What do you think when I say the word ‘influencer’?

Do you recoil in horror?

Or maybe roll your eyes?

You might instantly think of attention-seeking personalities dancing like idiots on camera for views…

Skinny women pretending to live glamorous lives by hanging around hotel pools in Dubai drinking champagne…

Or young moustached men taking endless photos of their smashed avocado on toast.

And, yes, there’s plenty of that on social media.

But this isn’t the full picture, not by any means.

As I showed you earlier this year, some unlikely characters are becoming huge on networks like TikTok… precisely because they’re NOT your usual influencers.

Like the ‘Bus Auntie’ who makes videos of herself standing near London buses…
Gerald Stratford, a Cotswolds pensioner who posts about his garden.
Nonna Silvi, an 84-year-old from Tuscany, who shares posts about her son’s bakery.
Or Mother and son, Tola and Kevin Andu, who talk about Kevin’s experiences as a young man with autism

So TikTok is no longer just for teenagers doing dance routines and eating handfuls of cinnamon.

And as I explained in January, some of the fastest-growing accounts are regular, older people who come across as relatable and authentic.

And here’s the surprising thing you might not realise…

You don’t even NEED a lot of followers to make money from Instagram or TikTok.

Ordinary people can build small but loyal audiences around simple interests and real-life experiences…

…and then turn those audiences into income streams.

Simply by becoming trusted voices in niche areas!

The Rise of the Nano Influencer

A nano influencer is defined as someone with between 1,000 and 10,000 followers on a social media platform.

That might sound small… and yes it is compared to what we think of as mainstream ‘influencers’.

But these kinds of accounts get HIGHER ENGAGEMENT than big celebrity accounts.

Which means that their audience actually reads, watches and responds to their content!

Studies show that nano influencers notch up average engagement rates of 4–5% on their posts.

While mega-influencers with hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of followers will typically get less than 1%.

In other words, a nano influencer with 3,000 engaged followers can generate more interest and clicks than an account with 300,000 passive ones.

For instance, last week the Daily Mail ran an article about 55-year old Andi Chalk.

She had just 2,150 followers online in September when she started creating short videos for platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

Since then she has earned around £10,000 and can make £90 for a 15-second video and £155 for a 60-second clip.

Her clients include travel companies, insurance firms, kitchen gadget makers and even a cremation service!

She says:

“Brands are crying out for midlife creators. I am desperate to get more people in their 50s and above to do this. I hit my 50s and I thought “Is this it?” But creating videos has enabled me to leave my job.”

And it’s true…

There’s a Mature Gap in the Market!

Businesses and marketing departments have realised that small niche accounts run by authentic people are little online goldmines.

PATHWAY ONE

Create User-Generated Content (UGC) for Brands

This is the route that Andi Chalk went down.

You create short videos (typically 15–60 seconds) that brands use on their social media accounts and advertising.

It is known as ‘User-generated content’ (or UGC).

You don’t post these videos on your own account. You simply film the video, send it to the brand, who then shares it from their own page.

The average pay for a single 30-second UGC video is around £35 for beginners, but this climbs as you gain experience.

Established creators can charge £100–£250 per video.

As you can see, this is different from traditional influencing, because your follower count is irrelevant.

The only thing that matters is the authenticity of the video you create.

And it’s a fast growing sector…

The UGC industry is estimated to be worth £4.25 BILLION globally and UGC videos are expected to make up 78% of all online content by 2033.

To get started, Andi Chalk set up an account on freelance website Fiverr.com.

A few days later she got a gig for a company that makes wax melts and said:

“I had this gorgeous bunch of wax melts the company sent. The brand’s owner wanted me to do a 45-second video for £90 and he wrote the script for me. It was so simple to do.”

Another example of this is Polly Craig, who left her job to make UGC videos about fitness and nutrition, which earns her £4,000-£6,000 a month.

She contacts some brands directly to ask if they want her to create videos, but sometimes it’s the brands that contact her.

(Bear in mind that on her own social media accounts she only has a few thousand followers!)

Here’s how to get started with the UGC approach…

Set Up a Profile on a Freelance Platform

Create an account on Fiverr (fiverr.com) and/or Upwork (upwork.com). Set up a gig listing such as “I will create authentic short-form videos for your brand.”

You can also sign up to specialist UGC platforms like Billo, Collabstr, Insense or Trend.io, which connect social media creators directly with brands that are running campaigns.

Create Sample Videos

Before you get your first booking, you need to show brands what you can do.

Pick 3–5 products you love, like a gardening tool, kitchen gadget, a vitamin supplement or an item of clothing. Then film a 60 second (or less) video about each one.

Options include..

An unboxing, where you open a product and share your first impressions
A ‘problem/solution’ video where you describe an everyday frustration, then show how the product fixes it
A simple “3 reasons I love this” talking-head video
A clip where you film the product in use and narrate over the top

These don’t need to be perfect or slickly edited. In fact, the more natural and unpolished they are, the better!

Advertisers using UGC are seeking authenticity above production values.

Build a Simple Portfolio

Add sample videos to your Fiverr or Upwork profile.

Also create a standalone portfolio page with a single web link you can include in pitch emails, DMs to brands, or your social media bio.

There are several free tools that make this very easy..

Canva (canva.com) – has free website templates. Search for ‘portfolio’ in the templates section.
Google Sites (sites.google.com) – It’s a drag-and-drop website builder that’s completely free. Create a single page with a headline like “[Your Name] – UGC Creator,” embed your videos, and add a paragraph about who you are and what you offer.
Carrd (carrd.co) – gives you a mobile-friendly page where you can showcase your videos, add a bio and include a contact button or email link.

Whichever you choose, your page should include:

A short, friendly introduction – who you are, what niche you’re in, and why brands should work with you
Your 3–5 best sample videos
The types of content you offer (e.g. unboxing, testimonial, product demo, voiceover)
Your contact details or a simple way to get in touch (email address or a contact form)

Once it’s live, copy the link and add it everywhere that you’re online.

Approach Brands

Contact small and mid-sized brands directly on Instagram or TikTok. Look at companies you already buy from – particularly those with a social media presence that could do with more natural, relatable content.

Use a simple message like this:

“Hi! I’m a UGC creator who makes short, authentic product videos. I love your [product] and would love to create a video for your social channels. Here’s my portfolio: [link]. Would you be open to a collaboration?”

Set Your Rates

Start at the lower end (£25–£50 per video) to build reviews and a client base. As you gain experience and testimonials, increase your rates.

You can also offer package deals (e.g. 3 videos for a reduced bundle price) to encourage repeat bookings.

Once you have a track record, you can charge usage rights fees on top when brands use your video in paid advertising. Potentially you could earn.

£25–£50 per video as a beginner
£90–£250 per video with experience
£500–£2,500+ per month part-time
£4,000–£6,000+ per month full-time

PATHWAY TWO:

Build a Small, Niche Following

This requires you to grow your own audience – but it doesn’t have to be large. Just a few thousand people who trust your recommendations on a specific topic.

When you achieve that, you can make money through:

Affiliate commissions
Direct payments from brands
External affiliate income from programmes like Amazon Associates or Awin
Selling your own digital products (guides, templates, mini-courses) to your audience

Here’s how to go about it…

Choose a Niche

This should be something you already enjoy or have experience with, either in your personal or your professional life. Potentially profitable niches for older nano influencers include:

Gardening tips and recommendations
Budget cooking and kitchen gadgets
Health, supplements and fitness over 50
Home organisation and decluttering
Dog or pet care
Caravan, camping and travel
Allotment growing
Books and reading
Craft, knitting or sewing
Charity shop and car boot hauls
Retirement planning and midlife lifestyle
DIY and home improvement

The key is to be specific in your niche selection.

‘Gardening’ is a little broad, but ‘Container gardening for small spaces’ would be better.

Instead of ‘Health’ you might look at ‘joint pain” or insomnia.”

Or rather than ‘dog care’ you might focus on ‘Life with a reactive rescue dog’ or ‘my fussy eating dog’.

The narrower your focus, the more you are likely to stand out from the crowd and the more loyal your audience is likely to become.

Set Up Your Account

Download TikTok and/or Instagram. Then create an account with a name that signals your niche, for example “Jane’s Kitchen Finds” or “Midlife Garden Guy.”

Write a short bio that tells people exactly what you share.

Something like: “Budget kitchen gadgets tested by a 52-year-old who can’t be bothered with complicated recipes.”

Add ‘UGC’ to your name or bio if you also want brands to find you for paid content work.

Start Posting Videos

A smartphone is all you need to make your videos!

Talk to the camera for 30–60 seconds about a product you’ve tried, a tip you’ve discovered or an opinion on something. Then aim to post 3–5 times per week.

Engage With Your Audience

The advantage of being a nano influencer is that you can have conversations with your followers in a way that celebrities and big accounts simply can’t!

So when someone comments on your video, make sure you reply.

If someone asks a question, then answer it.

And when someone shares your content, thank them!

This kind of activity makes you more visible, and builds trust.

Monetise

Once you have around 1,000 followers, you can apply to the TikTok Shop affiliate programme. This lets you tag products from TikTok’s marketplace in your videos.

When a viewer taps the product link and buys, you earn a commission, typically 5% or more, depending on the product.

You can also sign up to affiliate programmes like Amazon Associates and include affiliate links in your bio or link-in-bio page (use a free tool like Linktree or Beacons).

As your account grows, brands could start approaching you for sponsorships and maybe even UGC work!

All it takes is a smartphone, a subject you care about, and the courage to give it a go.