How to Become a Fashion Influencer: 10 Essential Tools You'll Need

Become a Fashion Influencer the Easy Way with these 10 Essential Tools

September 24, 2023

If you’d like to become an online fashion influencer, you’re probably wondering what tools or equipment you might need on a day-to-day basis.

I’m here to help eliminate the guesswork with this checklist!

These are my top 10 must-have tools that you’ll need to get started in the fast-paced and competitive world of online fashion influencing. These are all tools that I currently use or have used previously with success.

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10 Essential Tools to Become a Fashion Influencer Online

1. Camera and Lighting Equipment

iPhone

If you’re just starting out, I recommend using the best iPhone you can afford. You can take great photos with an iPhone, but good lighting is key and makes a huge difference in the quality of your photos.

Ring Light

At the very least, you’ll need a really good ring light to showcase your outfits.

Tripod

Depending on the type of ring light you purchase, you may also need a tripod.

Clicker Remote

Of course you can use the timer on your phone, but I like using my clicker!

Work-around for Older iPhone

If you can’t afford one of the newer iPhones, then take photos and record videos using the front-facing camera only (not the back-facing “selfie camera”). You can do this with a mirror attached to your ring light so that you can see if you’re in frame as you’re snapping and recording.

2. Photo and Video Editing Software

As a beginner fashion influencer, you’ll definitely have edits to make. Even as you become more experienced, you’ll always need reliable photo editing software to make your images look their best.

iPhone Editing Apps / File Transfer Apps

Here are some of the photo related apps I use on my iPhone:

Adobe Lightroom – robust editing app
Bazaart – great for removing unwanted objects
File Transfer – I do a lot on my desktop, and I use this to transfer a file to my desktop if for some reason it hasn’t been uploaded to the cloud.
Dropbox – I’ve used Dropbox previously but don’t need it anymore since I’m using the cloud.

Desktop Editing Apps

Video editing is much easier for me on desktop. There are two video editing apps I would recommend for a beginner fashion influencer:

Camtasia

Camtasia is very user-friendly video editing software for beginners.

I have used Camtasia for years, and I’ve been happy with it. However, at times the software would lag due to insufficient resources on my laptop and I started looking for a online-based solution.

Flixier

The solution was Flixier. I was thrilled when I found this app.

Flixier is very much like using Camtasia so there was virtually no learning curve for me. It solved problem I was having with Camtasia using up too many resources on my laptop.

They offer very affordable monthly plans with no contracts and a free trial. This is a real plus for an influencer starting out, since Camtasia is priced at $299.99.

3. Social Media Management Platform for Fashion Influencer Posts

Meta Creator Studio

For scheduling social media posts, I use Meta Creator Studio, since I focus mainly on Facebook and Instagram.

Some popular scheduling apps are:

I’ve used these in the past but am only using Meta Creator Studio now, with another app to repurpose content (more on that below).

Planoly

I’ve also used Planoly in the past to schedule Instagram posts and really enjoyed using it. It allows you to easily plan the aesthetic of your grid.

I stopped using it when I began posting only reels. Since I post those directly from Instagram I no longer needed to use Planoly.

It’s a really user-friendly, fun tool to use to plan your Instagram feed.

4. Fashion Influencer Focused Blogging Platform

Whether you’re creating content for social media, YouTube, or Amazon, I highly recommend having your own website as well.

You don’t want to depend on the algorithms of a platform that you do not own. With your own virtual “real estate”, no one can remove your content.

More importantly, you don’t own your followers on social media. You really need to build your own list of subscribers who relate to your fashion aesthetic.

When you own your own list, you can email these subscribers whenever you like. No one can take them away from you as long as they continue to subscribe to your newsletter. (More on email in #7.)

WordPress or Squarespace

You can use WordPress or Squarespace to create a professional fashion blog to complement your social media presence.

I recommend WordPress.org to build a self-hosted website rather than WordPress.com.

You can read more about the differences between the two here.

Shopify

Shopify is a wonderful platform for an online store if you have physical or digital products to sell. I’ve used both Shopify and WooCommerce (the e-commerce plugin for WordPress).

WooCommerce is more customizable but Shopify is much more user-friendly for a beginner.

However if you plan to work strictly as a fashion influencer or affiliate marketer and do not plan to sell physical products or dropship at this time, WordPress is the way to go.

Although you can create a blog on Shopify, the features are very weak compared to the robust features of a WordPress blog.

5. Content Planning and Organization Tools

CoSchedule

CoSchedule is extremely helpful for content planning. It’s the best software I’ve used for this because it allows you to drag scheduled tasks to change the date, customize tasks by color-coding them, and so much more.

It’s invaluable in helping a busy content creator stay organized.

Repurpose.io

For repurposing content, I highly recommend Repurpose.io.

This app is a game-changer in that is allows you to easily streamline a content repurposing strategy for all of your videos, livestreams and podcasts.

You can set it up to keep all of your content visible in your dashboard and create workflows to post from one platform to another. These posts can be immediate or scheduled in advance.

This is probably my favorite tool because it helps me keep track of everything I’ve posted and allow me to make the most out of each piece of content.

6. Fashion Influencer Affiliate Marketing Networks

Amazon Affiliate Program

I recommend that you join the Amazon Affiliate Program first, before joining any other affiliate programs or networks. It’s very beginner-friendly and if you’re more of a lifestyle-focused influencer or blogger you can easily recommend products in any niche like beauty, health and wellness, fitness, parenting etc. alongside your recommendations as a fashion influencer.

Amazon Influencer Program

One you’re an Amazon Affiliate, you’ll definitely want to join the Amazon Influencer Program. This will allow you to post product recommendations and content to your own Amazon Storefront and will be your dedicated “website” on the Amazon platform.

Beginners sometimes have trouble getting accepted to the Amazon Influencer program for various reasons. For help knowing what to do to get accepted into the program, I highly recommend taking the Simple Profit System training by my mentor Travis Stevenson before applying. If you follow the simple guidelines in this training, you will have no problem getting accepted.

I truly believe this training is an absolute must for a beginner and is honestly the fast-track to start earning income online.

Collective Voice or RewardStyle (LTK)

Join affiliate networks like RewardStyle or Collective Voice to monetize your fashion recommendations from many popular brands.

These are a bit more difficult to join as a complete beginner, because they are looking for an engaged following on at least one platform. But if you’ve been accepted into the Amazon Influencer Program, you should have no problem getting accepted to CV or LTK.

7. Email Marketing Software

ConvertKit

I’ve used several different email marketing software but for beginners I highly recommend ConvertKit to create and grow your fashion-focused email list.

This is the most beginner-friendly email software I’ve found.

8. Fashion Trend Research Tools

Pinterest is the easiest way to follow the fashion trends and organize your ideas on boards.

InStyle

I’ve always loved InStyle magazine. Depending on your personal style vibe, you may prefer another.

Whether you subscribe in print or online, a fashion publication like this will help you stay ahead of the curve and on top of the trends.

Your Favorite Blogs and Influencers

Keep following the blogs and social media accounts of your favorite fashion influencers for inspiration.

9. Analytics and Insights Tools

Meta Business Suite

Meta Business Suite Insights provides useful analytics to measure post engagement on Facebook and Instagram.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an essential tool for measuring website traffic and analytics.

10. Creative Tools

Canva

Canva is an excellent and essential tool to create just about anything you can imagine, from Instagram posts to Reels to Pinterest creatives to media kits.

It’s a very user-friendly tool and one that I’ve used every day for years. Highly recommend!

Become a Fashion Influencer with this Essential Toolkit

These are the tools that I believe are necessary to get started as an online fashion influencer or content creator.

I have personally used all of these tools and highly recommend them to kickstart your journey to success.

With these essential tools in your fashion influencer’s arsenal, you’ll be well-equipped to grow your online presence and turn your passion into a business you love.

Now it’s time to begin your journey to becoming a fashion influencer!

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