How to Become a Lifestyle Influencer

Today, many people choose to share pieces of their daily lives online—from morning routines, fashion choices and meal prep to all manner of struggles and successes. Among them, some dream of making a genuine career out of it as a lifestyle influencer.

If that’s something you aspire to, you’re in the right place. In this article, the Fanvue team and I will walk you through 7 proven, achievable steps to becoming a lifestyle influencer. You’ll learn how to get started, how to build an audience, and how to monetize your fanbase through genuine, authentic connections. Plus, I’ve included links to resources, online courses, templates, apps, and all the tools you need.

What Being a Lifestyle Influencer Actually Means

The global creator economy is currently valued at over $200 billion, and lifestyle influencing is a key part of that. In fact, one estimate suggests that lifestyle influencers earn an average annual income of more than $70,000.

But what exactly is a lifestyle influencer?

A lifestyle influencer is a creator who shares their life online by posting about a range of topics, including their routines, what they wear, where they travel, what they eat, their relationships, their home, their hobbies, and even their thoughts.

They build influence through consistent content that feels relatable or aspirational—making people want to watch, follow along, or copy bits of the influencer’s life.

Some examples of popular lifestyle influencers include:

• Emma Chamberlain: What started off as candid, relatable vlogs on YouTube has now led to an influencing career focused on fashion, coffee culture, mental health, and travel.
• Aimee Song: Originally known for fashion, Song now posts about a mix of topics, from home decor and motherhood to travel, wellness, and entrepreneurship.
• Chris Olsen: Olsen rose to fame for humorous, slice-of-life content on TikTok, and now creates content about everything from friendships and dating to daily routines and personal growth.

Unlike other creator niches—like fitness influencers—lifestyle content isn’t defined by a single topic or skill. It’s anchored in who the creator is.

You’re already a lifestyle creator if you post about your:

• Routines and habits
• Preferences and tastes
• Opinions and personal frameworks
• Small decisions and trade-offs
• Wins and failures

But what moves you from a creator to an influencer is when people start responding to your content, asking you questions, and coming back again and again for updates. They start saying things like “I feel the same way”, or “this is exactly what I needed to hear today—thank you”.

In other words, connecting with your audience lies at the core of becoming a successful lifestyle influencer.

Let’s look at how to make that happen.

How to Become a Lifestyle Influencer in 7 Steps

Follow these 7 steps to build a career as a lifestyle influencer.

Step 1: Choose a point of view

Many influencer guides out there will tell you to start by “choosing a niche.” But one of the biggest blockers new lifestyle creators face is the fear of being “too generic” or posting about the same topics as everyone else. The fact of the matter is, though, you probably are going to post about many of the same topics as other people.

And that’s totally fine. What you really need to set yourself apart is a unique point of view (POV).

Your POV is what makes your content different from anybody else’s, no matter the topic, and allows your audience to view the content you create through your own, personal lens.

Successful creators do this all the time. One might frame a slow morning as self-care, another as a strategic reset, and yet another as a ritual to shape the rest of the day.

So, instead of obsessing about a niche, figure out what perspectives consistently shape your thoughts and decisions.

Unsure where to start? Write your answers to these questions:

Values

• What do I care about more than most people I know?
• What kind of people or behaviors do I judge?

Priorities

• When I’m busy, what do I refuse to sacrifice?
• What feels non-negotiable in how I live?

Boundaries

• What drains my energy?
• What have I grown to stop tolerating over time?

Tastes

• What do I naturally gravitate toward in my everyday choices, from food and clothes to aesthetics?
• Where do I happily spend more money?

Lived experiences

• What has shaped how I see the world?
• What lessons have I learned the hard way?
• What do people already associate me with?

Once you’re clear on your POV(s), the next step is deciding whom you want to share that perspective with.

Step 2: Decide who your content is for

Your point of view gives context to your content, but a deeper understanding of your audience can help you attract the right people and post about topics that keep fans coming back.

There are 2 things to consider when you’re thinking about who your audience is: who they are (their “demographic”) and what they’re looking for (their interests):

1. Demographics: What genders, age groups, regions, and social backgrounds are you creating for?

2. Interests: Your followers could be people trying to:

• Build better routines or live more intentionally
• Elevate their lifestyle by mirroring yours
• Avoid burnout in their personal or professional lives
• Discover what’s trending in shows, restaurants, and holiday destinations

So, how can you define your audience?

Option 1: Proactive research

Your audience research doesn’t have to be formal.

You can think about your audience as a past or current version of you, especially if you’re targeting the same demographic as yourself.

• What confused you a year ago?
• What habits took the longest to build?
• What beliefs did you have to unlearn?
• What do people already ask your advice on?

Or you can study what’s working for other lifestyle influencers with the same audience demographics you’re targeting.

• Which of their posts are getting the most likes?
• What are people discussing in the comments?

Next, write your positioning statement: “I share my everyday life, so [audience demographics] can [a clear outcome].” For example, “I share my everyday life, so millennials like me can learn about the latest trends in food, fashion, and movies.”

This gives you a compass for every piece of content you create (or skip).

That said, this approach isn’t for everyone. Some lifestyle influencers prefer doing things the other way around.

Option 2: Reverse-engineering

With this method, you can simply start posting what you feel like posting, and what feels true to you. Then look at what’s working—what are viewers saving, sharing, commenting on, and sending you DMs about? Studying these patterns can tell you more about your audience’s interests, pain points, and desires.

Whichever route you choose, understanding your target followers is key to creating content that resonates.

Step 3: Choose the right content topics and formats for you

Lifestyle content usually falls into one of 3 buckets.

If you still need help coming up with ideas, there are lots of great tools available online. For example:

• This guide by Brafton on How to Create Lifestyle Content That Makes an Impact
• These online lifestyle courses from Ûdemy, which offer inspiration and new skills to share
• This Domestika course on Professional Production of Lifestyle Videos for Social Media

You can also use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude for help brainstorming. Lots of influencers openly talk about how they use these tools, like this Instagram post by Katie Felton.

Once you have a few key topics in mind, choose formats that match how audiences expect to consume your content.

• Short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or Fanvue are ideal for posts like GRWMs (Get Ready With Me), day-in-my-life clips, morning rituals, or what-I-eat-in-a-day.
• Stories on Instagram or Snapchat are great for capturing moments—for instance, pictures or videos from an event you’re attending (or attended).
• Carousels, like on LinkedIn or Instagram, work better for structured reflections, like “10 things I’d say to my younger self” or “Lessons from my pregnancy,” etc.
• Long-form videos on YouTube or Fanvue are ideal for detailed product reviews, travel vlogs, or skincare routines.

When you’re starting out, it’s best to pick 1–2 formats and social platforms, instead of spreading yourself too thin. This also helps viewers recognize your content in their feeds. For more meaningful fan connections, you can also use a mix of these formats on Fanvue, which is perfect for sharing exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage, and pay-per-view content, as well as interacting with new fans.

Once you’re set on your content topic and formats, use these tools to start creating:

• Any smartphone for filming (I like this free course by Moment on Mobile Filmmaking)
• A notes or voice memos app for capturing ideas (the basic iOS and Android ones are good, but apps like Notion and Evernote work great, too.)
• Simple editing tools, like CapCut or your computer or phone’s platform’s built-in
• Canva for graphics and visuals
• Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude for caption inspiration

Step 4: Use your personality to stand out

Good lifestyle content starts with compelling topics, thoughtful formats, and, in some cases, beautiful aesthetics.

But don’t sacrifice your authenticity for visual polish, because ultimately, audiences are here for the “real” you, not just the “reel” you—your tone, humor, skepticism, enthusiasm, calm, or even intensity.

They want to feel like they’re spending time with you, not watching a performance. When your own, unique personality comes through, it signals to people that they’re engaging with an authentic, relatable person.

Here are a few ways you can let your personality show up naturally:

• Speak naturally in videos and podcasts. (Avoid reading from a word-for-word script.)
• Write captions that reflect your tone, feelings, and emotions.
• Avoid over-scripting moments that should feel real.
• Share your doubts and failures.
• Replay your videos and re-read your captions before posting them. Ask yourself, “Does this really sound like me? Would I say this to a friend?”

If you’re feeling unsure about what parts of your personality to highlight, a personal branding course is a great place to start.

Once you’ve nailed the content itself, the next big thing is staying consistent.

Step 5: Build a posting schedule that’s realistic and achievable

Consistency matters to both audiences and algorithms. When you show up regularly, your content is more likely to reach viewers, who, in turn, are more likely to recognize your content.

But this golden rule for content creation can become a slippery slope for lifestyle influencers.

Compared to niche-specific content, lifestyle material isn’t limited to a specific topic; it can be about any—and every—aspect of your day. Without boundaries, you might feel compelled to post all the time and quickly burn out.

Luckily, a well-thought-out posting schedule can save the day, helping you focus on consistency, rather than frequency.

Planning 2–4 posts per week focused on specific topics is an achievable and realistic way to start.

You could, for instance, structure your posts like this:

• Monday: Productivity hacks or start-of-the-week rituals
• Wednesday: Opinions on film, music, books, etc.
• Friday or weekend: BTS content from the day or specific events

Create your schedule using Google Calendar or pick one of Notion’s content calendar templates. Also, remember that you can always adjust your schedule as you find your footing.

Once viewers start seeing your content regularly enough, they’re more likely to give you a follow.  

Step 6: Connect with your audience at a deeper level

Posting good content consistently helps you gather a following, but it’s only half the battle won. Today, audiences increasingly desire a two-way interaction. They want to be heard, acknowledged, and even responded to.

In fact, a recent report shows that micro- and nano-creators with small, engaged audiences achieve higher conversion rates and better ROI than creators with larger, less engaged followings.

Here’s how you can build a deeper connection with them:

• Reply thoughtfully to questions, comments, and DMs instead of using emojis.
• Acknowledge familiar names—those who frequently engage with your comment.
• Follow up when someone shares their story, context, or progress with you.
• Pin comments that are interesting or controversial.
• Host livestreams to interact with your followers in real time.
• Incorporate polls and AMAs (Ask Me Anything) in your stories, and publicly share interesting responses.

That said, it’s much harder to keep these up as your fan base grows. You can reply to 10 DMs a day, but not hundreds and thousands, and social platforms simply aren’t built for this kind of connection at scale.

That’s where AI tools like Fanvue’s AI assistants really make a difference, letting you stay connected without being “on” all the time. It provides:

• AI-assisted messaging for fast but personalized responses
• Long-term memory feature that remembers past interactions with your fans and references these in conversations—for instance, wishing someone the best of luck for an upcoming performance
• Automated messaging to welcome new subscribers or thank superfans for their purchases, etc.
• AI voice calling to deepen connection through 1-on-1 voice interactions using your real-life voice

While a stronger connection helps with fan retention, it also provides a clear pathway to monetize your content.

Step 7: Turn lifestyle influencing into a steady income

As a lifestyle influencer, people need to learn about your tastes, opinions, and values slowly and across situations before trusting your word. That’s what the first six steps in this article were about.

But once you’ve built that trust, the world is your oyster. You can earn through:

• Brand and affiliate partnerships with any category of brands that count as “lifestyle”—wellness, travel, food, music, and more
• Ad revenue, where platforms pay you when viewers watch your content (and the ads built into it)
• Fan subscriptions on platforms like Fanvue, where audiences pay for closer access to your life, direct interactions, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes action
• Selling lifestyle-related digital products to your fans on Fanvue or via your website and social pages—think style guides, cookbooks, cleaning tips, etc.

While you need a sizable following to secure good brand deals and ad-based payouts, you’re never too small to start earning via direct fan support on Fanvue. This kind of recurring support is more sustainable than one-off deals. It’s the difference between hoping a brand renews a campaign and knowing that a group of fans chooses you every month.

Final Thoughts

If you already share your life online, you’re closer to becoming a lifestyle influencer than you think.

You can start building intentionally with:

• A clear POV
• A deeper understanding of your audience
• Content that reflects your identity
• A consistent posting schedule that shares moments, thoughts, and decisions from your everyday life

As your audience grows, platforms like Fanvue let you deepen connection at scale, opening doors for monetization through fan subscription, digital products, and even brand deals.

FAQs