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Some people love beauty and fashion, others are interested in travel or food. Posting about it on Instagram as an influencer is one thing, making money as a side income is another. We met influencer Lejla Enigma, who turned her hobby into a job. How the 27-year-old Bosnian did it, she revealed to Kosmo in an interview.
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How long have you been running your Instagram page? How did it all start?
In 2013 I took spontaneous photos of cities, things and trips and also posted them. After a while, I gained more and more followers. The development to become an influencer came about later. About three years ago I won a trip where I was allowed to travel to Paris with big influencers. That’s when my first collaborations began. This is how it all developed, with the small orders getting bigger and bigger. In the beginning I wrote to the companies to work with them. After a while they wrote to me. I don’t see it as a primary calling, but rather as a part-time job.
What does the everyday life of an influencer look like?
A lot has changed since I had a little baby. I used to be able to organize my time well, for example when I was filming or posting. My daily tasks include taking photos, filming videos, preparing postings and writing entries. It really takes a lot of effort than many people think. Added to this is the daily reading and replying to comments and messages, responding to inquiries, and taking professional photos. For this, a lot has to be prepared, but also followed up. Now I have to wait more or less for my husband to take the baby and continue the content.
You’re a mother, but you’re a blogger on the side. How do you get that under one roof?
To be honest, I haven’t managed to get it under one roof since the baby was born and had to neglect my Instagram account a little. Agreeing the two is really exhausting and difficult if you intend to make money with your Instagram page. I also cooperate with some companies and that takes a lot of time. It should get better over time.
What do you particularly like about your work and what do you like less?
What I love about my job is that I can do the things that I particularly enjoy. I also got to know a lot of new people. From this even friendships developed. Basically, you’re never free. People are curious and want to know everything about your life. You definitely have to be aware of this constant availability and be able to live with it. Some people just don’t want to see how much work has gone into it and write hurtful comments. That’s pretty annoying, but over time you learn to deal with it.
What is your advice to interested people who also want to become influencers? What’s the best way to do that?
If you want to get started as an influencer, you should always be honest with people. You will immediately notice whether someone is pretending to be or not. It takes many years, so I advise you to be patient. That’s why I do it as a part-time job. I encourage you to always be true to yourself. You can also write to companies to cooperate with them.
Your Instagram profile is in Bosnian. Will there be bilingual entries soon? What is the prerequisite for being successful for a long time?
My focus is on the Balkans and now also on the German-speaking area. In the near future I will start bilingual posting. But I can only do all of this when my little baby gets a little bigger. I think it will be a lot better in terms of time.
On the next page you can have a look at Lejla’s pictures!
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