As @magicfox, Daniel Fuchs from Düsseldorf has 1.8 million followers on Instagram. That means he’s not only one of the top earners in the industry but also someone who lives the influencer lifestyle that so many dream of. Despite this, the 31-year-old remains firmly grounded and is grateful for one thing in particular: the positive feedback he gets from his followers.
This Interview is from J’N’C N °77
What does it feel like to have 1.8 million followers?
When the numbers grow incrementally over the past few years, it doesn’t overwhelm you suddenly. The first follower milestone that made me take a deep breath was three and a half years ago when I hit the 100,000 mark. Of course the first million was also a major milestone as that’s when you suddenly realise what’s going on.
And what will happen once you’ve hit the two million mark?
I’m sure that will be pretty crazy too, but I don’t really think about the numbers. It doesn’t put me under any pressure.
Who does your loyal followership consist of?
I have a large intersection of people who identify with simple things – like sports, fashion or travel. I’m not the kind of guy who wears high fashion items and fits into a niche. That’s exactly why I founded ‘The Modern Man’ blog with my two mates Sandro Rasà and Kosta Williams. We wanted to cluster the modern man of today, to find out what exactly defines him. That still seems to appeal to a lot of people.
And what makes your account stand out?
The fact that it’s so natural, I think. I’ve remained true to myself. I started out in 2014 and since 2015 I’ve been running my account with a concept. My approach has remained constant since then. The type and quality of content has of course improved, but my outfits and posts have ultimately remained the same. I’m still a down-to-earth kind of guy, something that’s really important to me because the last thing I want is to come across as arrogant. Even if I have that many followers, it’s no reason for me to get big-headed. I just want to be on equal terms with everyone and do what I enjoy. I also never pushed myself to be a certain kind of person, but always aimed for things that were important to me personally. But one thing you shouldn’t forget is that I started my account really early, which means I have played quite a part in shaping the influencer scene – especially in the men’s sector.
“And then came the big bang and the algorithm changed the chronology of the feeds and the reach.”
Do you think Instagram is oversaturated?
If you look around, you do notice that a lot of the accounts are very similar. A lot of them aren’t really doing anything different to what I do. So if someone asks me for advice on what they can do to promote their account I say to them, “Just don’t do the same as me, because that’s already been done.”
So where does Instagram’s future lie?
That’s an interesting question that the scene often asks, because as a social media star, of course you’re dependent on the success of the platform. If they make any significant changes, for example, the platform might be out and influencers would suddenly be out of a job. But if you look at the updates taking place on Instagram over the last few years, they’ve all been positive – whether it was the introduction of Stories or InstagramTV.
Would you include the algorithm in that?
Let’s just say, it’s different. Two or three years ago Instagram was very organic. I had between five and seven thousand new followers a day with totally normal posts. And then came the big bang and the algorithms changed the chronology of the feeds and the reach. The effects were felt by everyone. I think the platform should stay simple, because at the end of the day that’s the reason why Instagram became so popular: you could select what and who you wanted to see yourself. Without any advertising or external influences. In short, it was simple.
And one last question to conclude our interview: what’s the best thing about your job?
The feedback from my followers is my personal highlight. The motivation that you get day after day, from all over the world, whether it’s people who write to me or people who spontaneously come up to me on the street and thank me. It’s incredible what that can do to you. And without these people, I would have inevitably reached the point where it would’ve become quite hard for mentally. But my followers motivate me to carry on and keep getting better.