23 Common Instagram Influencer Interview Questions

Social media influencer marketing is big business these days. And big business is catching on—adding to the nearly $15 billion social media influencer marketing industry.

More than two-thirds of brands engage in influencer marketing via Instagram. Some use one-time events like sponsored posts or short-term projects, while others create “brand ambassadors” by hiring an influencer long-term to endorse just their brand.

And now you’re wondering how you can use your Instagram following for a “real” job as an ambassador for one of those big brands.

We’re going to help you by giving you a list of the 23 most common and important questions an interviewer might ask you.

Armed with these questions and concise answers, you’ll have a leg up on other applicants. You’ll also be better at presenting yourself as a professional, and hopefully you won’t be caught off-guard, scrambling for a response.

Turn your hard-won Instagram following into a lucrative work-from-home career by acing your next Instagram influencer interview.

Questions About Your Previous Experience

All employers, even those looking to fill entry-level social media marketing positions, want to know about your past experiences and what you bring to the table. 

Marketing managers looking to hire an Instagram influencer are no different.

Here are several questions you may be asked about your previous experience:

1. How long did it take you to grow your Instagram following to its current size?
2. Can we see some of your most popular Instagram posts?
3. Tell us about your biggest Instagram failure, flop, or mistake. What did you learn from it?
4. What would you consider to be your most successful campaign or project to date?
5. What sort of budgets have you been working with in the past?

Now, why are these important questions?

• They show your savviness. If it took you years to gain your following, it could signal that you either weren’t very serious about it or that you floundered and struggled before you found your audience and how to reach them. The key is to be able to show steady growth once you found your footing.
• Making mistakes and learning from them, having successful posts and campaigns, and (hopefully) a steady stream of audience growth all display your tenacity, your skill, and your talents. (Yes, even mistakes can display a knack for quick-thinking, learning as you go, and a determination to continue even after defeat.)
• The budget question may throw you off a bit, especially if you’ve never really had much cash to play with. Big brands, however, are constantly considering things like costs, ROI, and the best bang for the buck. They’ll want to have an idea of your ability to handle their cash.

The best thing you can do is to always be honest and sincere with your answers. Even the ones that may be embarrassing or show inexperience on your part. That way, you can present yourself in the best light.

Questions About Your Knowledge and Processes

Every interviewer worth their wages will want to know just how much you know and how you do what you do. So be prepared to answer questions about what you do, how you do it, and more importantly, why you do it.

1. What tools do you use and why do you like them?
2. Tell me about SEO and its relationship to Instagram.
3. What strategies do you use to generate new leads and new followers?
4. How do you plan your posts? What schedule do you follow to keep your content fresh and consistent?
5. Can we do XYZ on Instagram?

These questions give your interviewer a pretty good idea of how you run your influencer account. Are you professional about it, or just sort of winging it? They also tell him or her a bit more about your experience and education, even if self-taught.

The last one could be a “trick” question, to find out if you’re aware of the “rules” of what can and can’t be done on Insta.

Again, the key is, to be honest and sincere. Be concise and clear. And if you haven’t any idea how to answer these, now’s the time to do your research into SEO, tools, Insta rules, whatever it is you aren’t sure of. Get that homework done before interview day.

Questions About Your Personality and Professionalism

Many Insta influencers sort of stumble upon their success. They don’t set out to become an influencer; it just happens to them.

A lot of those influencers, therefore, don’t have the skills or the mindset of a professional marketer. There are even a few who aren’t exactly known for being “nice”.

And yet, a recent study showed that the followers of Instagram influencers consider them more trustworthy, able to build a stronger social presence , and show more positive attitudes towards the brands they endorse than traditional celebrities.

Your future employer, therefore, has a lot riding on your personality and professionalism, especially when dealing with possible future negative events. You could very easily find yourself faced with questions like:

1. What would you do if some of your posts were unfairly deleted?
2. How do you deal with negative comments or a brand reputation crisis?
3. What if a tactic or technique you’ve relied on were suddenly devalued by Google or outlawed by Instagram?
4. How do you handle customer service? Do you have a customer service strategy?
5. When would you/have you ever decline(d) a paid sponsorship?
6. How do you foster community and cohesion among your followers? How do you deal with infighting, trolls, and other negative members?
7. Who are your influencers? What books do you read, blogs or Insta accounts do you follow?

Some of these you may never have thought about before. And some, like the trolls and negative comments, you may not consider important enough to be asked about in an interview.

And yet, your answers to these tell a lot about who you are and how well you can handle yourself in a “crisis” situation. Your personality is a big part of your influencer success and the brand hiring you needs to know if it fits with their brand identity, too.

Questions to Determine Your Possible Future With Their Brand

Every interviewer has one thing on their mind: What can this candidate bring to our company? What could they do for us?

Therefore, you can expect some questions about what you might do if you got the job, and things you could do in the future. Questions like:

1. What goal would you set for us? How would we measure that we’d reached that goal?
2. What are some relevant metrics for tracking ROI on Instagram?
3. How do you stay informed on the latest trends, innovations, updates, and tools for Instagram or social media marketing?
4. How would you best allocate a budget of $____?
5. How would we communicate with you? What’s your preferred channel for brand or influencer communications?
6. Why are you the best Instagram influencer for our brand?

The first question in this set is the best one to “show off” with. Prepare several scenarios based on either past experiences or a wish list of desired experiences. Get creative and really nail plans for different goals, like:

• Building brand awareness
• Increasing sales
• Increasing sign-ups
• Launching a new product or service
• Announcing some “breaking news” or development at the brand

You could even go so far as to create some mock posts or videos, showing off exactly how you’d handle each scenario.

The same goes for question 4, even though you can’t get specific with the numbers until they ask you. You could always do a “for $XXXX, I’d do Y…” kind of thing.

The one question that often trips up interviewees is that last one: Why should we hire you?

This is where you really need to shine, to make a good impression. Use the answers to the following questions to help you do just that.

• What makes you different from other influencers in your field? What makes you stand out in a way that would be beneficial to this particular brand?
• What skills do you have that would be best suited to promoting this brand?
• What non-Instagram experiences such as hobbies, volunteering, classes, training, sports, and/or interests do you have that could be used to benefit this specific brand?

Make notes of 3 to 4 answers to these questions. Create a short “script” you can use to answer the all-important “why should we hire you?” question. Something like:

As your brand ambassador, I’d be a part of your team. By playing community basketball and volunteering at the local animal shelter, I have ample experience working with others. My easy-going personality means that I don’t get flustered or frustrated easily, and I find this both helps when working with others in real life and in dealing with online trolls and negative commenters. My Instagram followers are already familiar with your brand, as I’ve mentioned it on several occasions…

How Much Can You Expect to Earn?

Many Instagram influencers deal in barter. They trade products for endorsements, services for testimonials, and feature reviews. There is, however, real money to be made by professional influencers working for big brands.

The following table using data from Repsly, shows ways in which Instagram brand ambassadors are paid, and on average how much they can make.

What if You Suck at Interviews, Especially on Zoom?

Maybe you’re a natural at Insta stuff, and that’s how you’ve developed your following. Buuuuut, when it comes to talking to boss-types in interviews, you’re never sure what to say or do, and you end up losing opportunities because you, well, suck as an interviewee.

One thing that can help is to be prepared for their possible questions. And that’s what this has been about. The better prepared you are, the less anxious you have to be about the whole thing.

There are some other tips and tricks you can use to help you shine in those Zoom and video conference interviews. 

This handy YouTube video gives you 5 interview tips based on psychology and science that should help overcome some of that suckiness.

Where to Go From Here?

At Small Revolution, we offer courses to help you become the best online employee a company could ever want. For Instagram influencers used to working alone, you may want to check out our course on Working with Online Teams.

And if your brand interviewer or recruiter wants a resume’? We’ve got you covered there, too, with a course on creating a resume that’ll knock their socks off and all but guarantee you a spot on the interviewee list.

Here’s what one of our former students had to say about Small Revolution courses:

As a professional Instagram influencer and brand ambassador, you’ve got a bright future ahead of you. Our courses, informative blog articles, and other resources can put you one step closer to that future of your dreams.

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