New social media platforms are always perfect to grow a brand as it gives the brand the chance to grow alongside the platform. Anna Starostina registered on Instagram in 2011, a year after the app went live, with no intention of becoming a famous figure. However, social media being what it is had other plans for her. From 300 followers, within a year, she grew to a thousand followers, and since then, she hasn’t looked back.
Anna started working as a model and was posting photos on her Instagram page as a photo album. She began to gain traction when the famous women’s underwear brand Agent Provocateur published one of her photos. Things changed for her in an instant, and she went from the model who posts random photos of herself on Instagram to a more professional model who’s more intentional about her posts.
She began to learn more about mobile photography and the different techniques to edit photos on mobile. She became a lifestyle model who shared moments and still images from her daily life and work activities. Her Instagram page became a hot spot for brands that wanted to tap into her audience by paying her to post their products. Brands sent her clothes and paid her to model in the clothes and post on her Instagram page. Anna Starostina used the opportunity to the fullest by doing what she loved most: photography and modeling.
“I am a self made Instagram influencer. It’s not enough to be just ‘yet another beautiful girl.’ Behind nice pictures there is hard work and discipline and knowledge of algorithms of social media,” she said. Anna’s source of motivation over the years has come from her growth, seeing herself being talked about and recognized as one of the top independent models on social media.
Anna also has a few words of advice for models looking to break the success barrier and top of her list is to take it seriously as a career. “If you want to build a career, then you need to devote all the time to it. Run to all castings, and even better find yourself a modelling agency, so as not to search for castings on your own. You need to have a hard core and not succumb to the temptation of easy money, because the outcome of such stories in most cases is sad. You need to follow your figure and develop as a person. Knowledge of foreign languages is not unimportant. Also, for a professional model, emancipation is very important, the ability to work for the camera. These are the skills that are worth working on,” she advised.
With over a decade’s experience breaking into the online modeling and influencer space, Anna sees herself as not just another pretty face. She puts in the work and all the necessary techniques she needs to thrive as a well-known model and personality.
In five years, Anna sees herself starting a family, while still pushing a successful career as a popular influencer. She has plunged herself into many other things like sports, singing, psychology, housekeeping, and a host of other things to keep her busy.Learn more about Anna Starostina on her official Instagram page.
