Becoming a Hunting Influencer
If you want to start in the hunting industry it won't be an easy road, there are a couple of costs that it involves. But in the end, it will be worth it!
I started out thinking, “Hmm, I want to start sharing my hunting experiences, but I don't know where to start.”
So what did I do? I started to think of a name for my show. I was sitting in my blind one day and was thinking, “What do I do when that big buck steps out?”
Then it hit me, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat. So that is where the name Hunting On The Edge came from. I strive to show every part of the hunt from prep to the final kill.
So, how do I start in the hunting industry?
The short answer is JUST DO IT! You have to have a grind mindset. There is no outline on how you are supposed to get started or how to do it.
The first thing is to brainstorm a name. Then think of what you want to show your followers. It could be prep work, bow setup, the hunt, or travel. And then you are going to need to get a camera. If you know you are going to stick with it, get a good camera that you won't need to upgrade for the next couple of years. And then you just edit off your phone for a while, I edited off my phone for the first 2 years.
Things to stay clear of
The first thing you are going to want to do when you make a page is get sponsors or get on pro-staff teams. You most likely won’t be able to get Sponsors right off the bat. And I won't lie, I was like that at the beginning, like wanting sponsorships right at the start, but you need to build up your page first to show the companies' your numbers and commitment.
Companies want to see your audience engagement, relevancy, your passion, quality and quantity of your content and posts.
So just start posting your everyday stuff you do when you get ready for a hunt and content about the hunt. Start building your reputation and value that you could add to a brand. Then you can start reaching out to companies.
How to reach out to companies
These are some of the things I did when I reached out to companies
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I either met them at a sports/hunting convention/show
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I would message them on Facebook. Stating who you are, what your page name and why you would like to join their team. Present your numbers to demonstrate your value to add to their brand.
What are the costs of this industry?
One of the costs is time because you spend hours and hours making demo videos or other types of videos for companies. Let's say it takes you a total of 8 hours to finish a short video from filming to editing to make sure everything looks good in the final video. If you are promoting 5 companies, that is 40 hours you are spending on 5 videos.
I like to post about 3-4 times a month for brands I promote. And I like to make about 3-4 videos for them a year. So that is about 200 hours a year producing video content. And then add in time in the woods trying to get a deer. It adds up after a while.
Then comes expenses:
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Travel
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Fuel
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Licenses
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Food
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Shelter
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Camera gear
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Hunting gear
And let me tell you, the longer you do it the more expensive it gets.
Is it worth it in the end?
It most definitely is worth it! You get to show people your life, you get to build a fan base, and you get to build great relationships! You also get to meet many great people in the hunting industry. It may take a lot of money to get into this, but if you stick with it and keep doing it, you may also be able to actually make some side-hustle cash in the hunting industry!
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Written for QuikCamo by Lucas from Hunting On The Edge on Facebook and @hunting.ontheedge Instagram, Edited by Kyle, owner of QuikCamo
