Have you ever heard of the term “infopreneur?” Upon first glance, it might seem like a recent addition to our modern lexicon, one that might have come from TikTok or another of Gen Z’s favorite social platforms. While the term has actually been around since the 1980s, the infopreneur is experiencing a massive revival in the age of social media. So, what exactly is an infopreneur?
The definition of “infopreneur” is pretty much spelled out in the word itself. An infopreneur is an entrepreneur who makes a living by sharing information and knowledge with others. While the concept seems simple enough, there are many things you need to consider before becoming an infopreneur.
Here, we’ve compiled a guide full of tips and tricks to help you on your journey to infopreneurship.
What is an infopreneur?
To put it simply, an infopreneur is someone who creates a business based on gathering and selling knowledge and expertise. Working within targeted niche areas, infopreneurs tend to deliver specific information regarding unique topics or industries.
The concept of the infopreneur has been around since the 1980s, when the term was coined by writer and researcher, H. Skip Weitzen. Since then, the idea of the infopreneur has changed to accommodate the technological innovations of the 21st century, including the emergence of social media platforms like TikTok.
Today, the internet and social media has made the dream of becoming an infopreneur attainable to anyone with the drive to pursue it. Before the internet existed, aspiring infopreneurs could earn a passive income creating value-added reports, or giving professional advice through self-published books, audio cassettes, and CD-ROMs. Now, thanks to social platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, it’s easier than ever to kickstart – and accelerate – your career as an infopreneur. The ability to share information with millions in just the click of a button has opened the door to self-employment for virtually anyone with a smartphone and WiFi connection.
Today, infopreneurship takes many different forms, with infopreneurs sharing their knowledge across many different mediums. You might already be familiar with a few famous infopreneurs: Tony Robbins (public speaker and life coach), Tati Westbrook (beauty YouTuber), and Glennon Doyle (We Can Do Hard Things podcaster). Modern infopreneurs can also be vloggers, TEDx speakers, authors, thought leaders, and webinar hosts, among many other career paths.
How to become an infopreneur
Now that you have an idea of what infopreneurs do, how exactly do you become one?
As we established, the ability to share information with a digital audience is available to virtually anyone: that’s the easy part! Establishing yourself as an infopreneur is where the hard work starts.
It takes a massive amount of dedication and perseverance to grow your audience and, ultimately, to become an authority in your niche. To make things easier, we’ve compiled this list of tips and tricks on how to establish yourself and succeed as an infopreneur in today’s digital market.
1. Determine your area of expertise
The first step in becoming an infopreneur is determining your area of expertise and whether there’s a market for it. Is there one subject you’re really passionate about, that you could read, research, or talk about forever? Do your friends come to you for information or advice about one subject in particular? Pick an area of expertise that intersects with your knowledge, experience, and genuine interest.
Determining your area of expertise is one of the most crucial decisions you’ll make as an infopreneur. Be sure to give it plenty of thought and to choose carefully, as this decision will determine the direction of your career in infopreneurship.
2. Find a profitable niche
A niche is a specialty topic and is often one that people don’t know much about on their own. Due to this lack of general knowledge, there’s usually a higher demand for information on niche topics. Because of this, honing in on the right niche can create loads of profit for an infopreneur.
Before you choose your niche, do some research online and on social media to see if there’s a real gap in the digital market that you’re able to leverage. Choose a niche that you’ll be able to commit to and that you’ll feel comfortable talking about, teaching, and offering advice on.
3. Choose the right platform
From YouTube to WordPress, there are many ways to share information online. Take some time to decide which platform works best for you and your specialty.
For example, a beauty-oriented infopreneur might choose a video-focused platform like YouTube or TikTok due to the highly visual aspect of their niche. Choosing the right platform will help you maximize your reach and your profits.
Depending on your niche, you might also want to consider distributing content across multiple social media platforms. This will allow you to reach a number of different audiences and many more potential customers.
4. Create a community
Community is key when it comes to being an infopreneur. By refining your brand, you’ll eventually amass an audience of people who want to learn what you have to offer.
It’s important to keep your community’s perspective and experience in mind as you establish and grow your business. Ask yourself how you will engage your audience, and how you will continue to retain customers over time.
Creating an online community gives you the chance to connect with your audience, increase engagement, and build better brand loyalty. Creating a learning communities is one way to connect with your audience as an infopreneur. These learning groups allow infopreneurs to share tips, resources, and research about their niche with their audience.
Inspiring, supporting, and staying active with your followers in these ways builds up a sense of trust that will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
5. Develop a revenue model
To transform your passion into profit, you’ll need to find a way to monetize your knowledge.
After amassing a following, many infopreneurs become well-known influencers in their own niche area and often charge for providing consultation services. There are many different ways to capitalize on your content depending on your niche.
Developing multiple revenue streams with smart brand partnerships will help diversify your potential earnings. There are many ways you can monetize as an infopreneur, including consulting, affiliate marketing, social media advertisements, and more.
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5 Characteristics of an infopreneur
Anyone can pick up a smartphone and begin sharing knowledge. However, there are some key characteristics that all infopreneurs must possess or develop in order to turn a profit from their passion.
1. Be motivated
It’s hard work to break through and gain traction as an infopreneur. Like any entrepreneurial endeavor, infopreneurship comes with its share of ups and downs. The key is to stay motivated enough to persevere and work hard towards your goals, even in the face of setbacks.
2. Never stop learning
All infopreneurs are experts in their niche. But, even if you’re an expert, there’s always room to keep learning, especially in the age of information.
As an infopreneur, it’s important to stay on top of the latest news and knowledge within your niche. Being open-minded to new ideas, techniques, and processes will help you retain your followers and keep them learning new things, too. It’s a win-win situation and one that’s sure to boost your profits.
3. Be adaptable
The world of self-employment comes with its own set of risks, especially in the internet era when things move quickly and can change at the drop of a hat.
To stay afloat as an infopreneur, you need to be able to adapt to change quickly. Keep an eye out on the current trends and platforms that have the most engagement, specifically regarding your niche area. This will help you experiment and find out what will hook your audience’s attention.
4. Be engaged
The best way to grow your business as an infopreneur is to stay actively engaged with your audience. By showing your followers that you care about their learning journey, you’ll develop a loyal customer base that will be more likely to buy your products and refer you to friends.
5. Don’t get discouraged
Stories of “overnight success” are few and far between, and are often not realistic. The behind-the-scenes of being an infopreneur is challenging. It’s important to remember that good things take time – and a little (or a lot!) of trial-and-error. Becoming an infopreneur takes confidence, perseverance, and determination.
Staying optimistic and open to change will help you come out on top, and allow you to find success as a infopreneur.
The perks of becoming an infopreneur
There are many upsides to working for yourself as an infopreneur. While this profession may not be for everyone, those who are determined enough are able to reap the wide range of benefits.
An infopreneur is able to build a flexible schedule for themselves, which gives them the freedom to create their own lifestyle.
The top perks of becoming an infopreneur include:
- Creating your own work schedule.
- Unlimited earning potential.
- Ability to work remotely from anywhere.
- Creative freedom and expression.
Infopreneurship is a booming industry that is oversaturated with people wanting to share their knowledge. However, if you have enough drive and persistence, the potential benefits are limitless.
Get started as an infopreneur!
There are many ways for a creator to start generating money from their audience, no matter the size. The best way to find out is to get started and take that leap.
Once you’ve determined your area of expertise, you should begin by figuring out which platform you’d like to use to share your knowledge. See which platform other creators in your niche are using. Be sure to consult with a few different platforms and weigh the pros and cons of each.
Once you’ve decided on a platform, it’s just a matter of creating your first piece of content and clicking “Publish.” The rest relies on your hard work and determination. You’ve got this!
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