There's no easy way to say this: Influencers are losers.

They are lazy, they are impulsive, and they are fake. They pump out posts and retweet them faster than humans can say "F—k."

You cannot give what you do not have. There are plenty of folks out there with multiple followers and who are booked for speaking engagements.

They're called keynote speakers or motivational speakers. They're actually some of the best, most ethical influencers around.

In fact, what we should be telling folks, and telling everybody, is to never accept a fee to do the work of any kind. Don't engage in deals you can't really afford.

Why?

You're not doing enough work to earn your living

And you're not writing or speaking about anything you know. These are lame excuses to buy a ticket to a presentation that someone else is writing for you.

You're becoming a show pony for someone else's paycheck.

It's not how you're going to get your reputation back. And if you find yourself feeling like a puppet because you're being paid to run around and pretend you're a motivational speaker and influencer, don't sign any more contracts.

Your followers won't buy into anything

They will never go for an influencer who doesn't have a blog, or an impressive podcast, or something to prove to his or her audience.

You're doing nothing more than giving advice that might be helpful but is usually a waste of time

They don't really want you to throw around all kinds of opinion. They want you to share your own experience or wisdom.

You're giving advice that isn't useful. Not everyone wants you to tell them what to do.

Even if you are an expert in your field, and you have over 20 years' experience, a lot of people are not ready to hear it. I have never found the motivation to write a book or speak in a seminar unless I felt like it was something I really needed to say to people.

I could tell you everything I know and I would never be a bestseller. I am a humanist and I have always been an entrepreneur.

I'm not there to make money, I'm there to make a difference.

Influencers are all about giving advice they don't really believe in. They're trying to make you do something, not give you something.

It's an industry that is heavily weighted toward earning a commission instead of doing something that actually matters. It's a matter of pride for them to think they have all the answers, when in reality they have not learned a thing from the thousands of people they've failed to help.

If they were really committed to helping, they would be embarrassed to think they can't help someone. They wouldn't feel good about taking a selfie with a celebrity to get free tickets to a seminar.

There are influencers out there who have truly useful information and knowledge, but we shouldn't let the ones that only want to earn a commission off of us crowd out the real experts, the people who are changing the world and helping people.

They're the real influencers. They're more interested in helping their communities and doing more meaningful work than going on meaningless speaking tours, meeting with celebrities and hawking a book or consulting business.

These are the people who really deserve your attention.

You're cashing in on the prestige of being a speaker or blogger when you should be honing your craft

Blogging and speaking are hard, and it takes a lot of work to get good at them. It's an experience I've found the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

You're going to be completely alone and in the dark, trying to navigate a path that's never been taken

It's a straight line and you can't veer off. If you're going to do it, you need to make sure you know what you're doing.

You're not learning anything

Writing a book is very different than teaching a seminar. A seminar you can scale up or down.

A book takes years to write and it requires much more training and education. You need a constant flow of content in order to maintain momentum.

There's no consistency.

Be real

There are a few ways to become a successful influencer.

Create great content. This means they must produce videos, or tutorials.

This is one of the biggest ways to be successful. Don’t think you can start by building a following with only one product or service.

This just won’t work. Start with a smaller niche and get familiar with it.

You’ll need to have some marketing skills if you are trying to build a name for yourself.

This means they must produce videos, or tutorials. This is one of the biggest ways to be successful.

Don’t think you can start by building a following with only one product or service. This just won’t work.

Start with a smaller niche and get familiar with it. You’ll need to have some marketing skills if you are trying to build a name for yourself.

Create relationships. That is really what it’s all about.

Influencers are creating a relationship with you, their customer. You, as the consumer, don’t see that because all you see is their followers.

Be the one to connect with the person behind the brand. You have something to offer, and they want to know more.

They want to know more about your life and passions, which is what they are wanting to share. Learn from their mistakes. Most people are only starting out, and they learn from their mistakes.

Conclusion

That is really what it’s all about. Influencers are creating a relationship with you, their customer.

You, as the consumer, don’t see that because all you see is their followers. Be the one to connect with the person behind the brand.

You have something to offer, and they want to know more. They want to know more about your life and passions, which is what they are wanting to share.

Learn from their mistakes. Most people are only starting out, and they learn from their mistakes.

Connect with people. People love to hear about other people’s stories.

Influencers love to connect with people and share their lives with them. Let them do that.

It’s easy to get lost in the numbers, but you have to remember what this is about.

It’s easy to get lost in the numbers, but you have to remember what this is about. Ask for gifts.

Influencers will often offer you things in exchange for your following. Be sure to be a good person.

You can’t be a complete fraud. Be a good person, and in return they will help you.

Be authentic. Authenticity has become one of the biggest challenges to start a business.

But you must take that a step further. You need to be who you are.

Always be yourself and don’t be afraid to be honest with your audience. This is not about you and your friend.

This is about them and your business.