‘I need to get established first,’ said Dixie, looking less certain.
‘You really only need your mobile phone and an angle,’ said Jay.
‘What do you mean by an angle?’ asked Renee.
Jay put down his knitting and gave her his full attention. ‘There are lots of people on social media. Big-name celebs the brands are always going to want to work with, the reality TV lot who do pretty well… There’s all sortsreally but it’s a lot easier if you are already famous.’ Dixie’s smile slid from her face. Jay noticed and hastily continued. ‘But,’ he said, waving his hands in circles as if winding himself up, ‘among the millions of wannabes there are the canny ones who have carved out a niche for themselves. They’ve done something a little different so they appeal to the masses but also stand out from the crowd. You could easily be one of those.’
‘Nope, all bloody gibberish to me,’ said Renee. ‘Times like this I wish I hadn’t given up smoking pot.’
Jay ignored Renee and carried on. ‘There are too many people doing it for you to follow everyone but you can find people who interest you. There are parents dealing with kids of all ages, the “mumfluencer” if you will.’ He left a pause for laughter but there wasn’t any. ‘Gamers are very popular. Fitness is a biggie– there’s everything from puppy yoga to unicycling.’ Dixie wasn’t looking any happier. ‘If you enjoy knitting, you can follow people who do the same. They post videos with tips and hacks and share their latest projects. Is that what you’re going to do?’ asked Jay.
Dixie swallowed hard. ‘I don’t know yet. I’m just building my following.’
‘Cool. How many have you got?’ he asked.
‘Two hundred and thirty-four now.’
‘That’s a lot of people,’ said Renee, finally looking impressed. Nora was shaking her head for Renee’s benefit. ‘You can have a damn good party with two hundred people.’ Renee seemed to focus on a spot on the wall. ‘Wehad one hell of a night in sixty-five, until Cilla started singing. Luckily the Monty Python lot drowned her out until one of them got punched on the hooter. Someone chucked up in my bath and I don’t know what Norman Wisdom did to my potted orchid but it never flowered again after that night.’ Renee chuckled. ‘Happy times.’
Jay pulled out his phone. ‘I’ll follow you on Instagram.’ He tapped away until he found Dixie’s profile. ‘There you go. Now you have two hundred and thirty-five followers.’
‘Thanks,’ said Dixie. She was also now checking her phone. ‘Jay, you’ve got three thousand, seven hundred and something followers!’
‘He is an actor,’ said Nora.
‘It’s not many really. Ryan Reynolds has over fifty million,’ said Jay. ‘But we all have to start somewhere.’
‘I guess,’ said Dixie. ‘I’m going to need loads before companies will pay me, aren’t I?’
‘According to the internet,’ said Nora, ‘not a reliable source, but still– it says you need a minimum of five thousand followers, and with good engagement and affiliate product links you could make a thousand pounds a year.’
‘That’s not much, is it?’ said Dixie.
‘That would barely keep me in gin,’ said Renee, more to herself than the group.
‘Maybe I would have been better being a living statue.’ Dixie stared at her yarn. ‘And now I’ve lost count of my stitches.’
‘Don’t give up at the first hurdle,’ said Nora. ‘You simplyneed to think about what your angle is.’ She looked at Jay and he nodded vigorously. ‘Once you know that, then you can start to target followers and build your brand. You’ve got this.’ Nora did her best to sound positive.
‘I guess.’ Dixie didn’t sound convinced.
‘Can youseeyourself being an influencer?’ asked Nora. ‘Is it something you think you’d enjoy?’
‘Visualization is a great technique. Fake it till you make it. Imagine yourself doing the thing you want to do and then you’ll do it,’ said Jay, losing conviction the more he went on.
‘How does that work exactly?’ asked Dixie.
‘It’s not bleeding magic, is it?’ Renee knocked back the rest of her Painkiller cocktail. ‘If you can see it happening in your mind then you’re tricking your brain into believing it’s possible.’
‘I couldn’t have put it better,’ said Nora.
‘I have to believe first and then it’ll happen?’ said Dixie, brightening up.
Nora nodded. ‘You need to believe but then you need to take action. That’s the only way anything ever happens.’
‘Then I have to come up with an angle pretty quickly.’ Dixie became animated. ‘Like knitting for prisoners or cocktails for pets or making friends with wild animals…’
‘Maybe have a bit of a think about that,’ said Nora, topping up Dixie’s glass.
