What is a Virtual AI Influencer & How to Create Your Own

A virtual influencer is a digital persona created with artificial intelligence (AI) technology to promote brands and engage with the audience on a website or social media platform.

Just like human influencers, they are brand ambassadors with their characteristics, personality, and aesthetics, but they cost less and offer more flexibility.

Let’s see the top reasons why you should use a virtual influencer and how to create one:

Advantages of Virtual AI Influencers

1. Always available

AI influencers are available 24/7. They don’t need sleep, breaks, or time off, meaning they can engage with audiences and create content anytime. This constant presence helps brands stay connected with their audience without interruptions.

2. Fully customizable

AI influencers can be tailored exactly to a brand’s needs. They can match a brand's tone, message, and target audience, making sure every interaction aligns perfectly with what the brand wants to portray. This customization makes them a great fit for specific marketing goals.

3. Always relevant

AI influencers don’t have personal issues or controversies. Unlike human influencers, they won’t make mistakes or get into scandals. Brands can rely on them to always stay on message and maintain a consistent, predictable image.

How to “Hire” a Virtual Influencer

Even though a virtual influencer can cut your costs in the long term there are still some expenses to cover. If you’d like to hire a well-known AI face (Lil Miqela, Shudu) you have to pay their creators based on the “gig”. 

You can also build your own virtual influencer from scratch, and use it forever. Here is how to do it:

Step 1: Pick an AI Influencer Creation Tool

Nowadays you don’t need extensive designer or coding knowledge to create your virtual avatar, you just need avatar generators.

Tools like AKOOL offer advanced and user-friendly features for creating highly realistic 3D avatars, complete with lifelike facial expressions, body movements, and textures. 

1. Choose your favorite avatar: Create it with text, image, or video, or choose a studio one from AKOOL’s extensive library.
2. Customized voice: Clone a voice or choose the perfect match from over 500+ characters.
3. Create and download in 4k: Make essential edits and turn text into video within minutes.

4. Use it instantly or edit online: Use the video directly or make further edits in AI Video Editor.

Step 2: Customize Your AI Influencer's Appearance

Whatever tool you use to create your avatar you should customize it so it fits your brand and overall marketing strategy. If you’ve done influencer collaborations in the past think of the communication and characteristics that your audience reacted to most.

If not, try to think of the best persona to represent your brand and values that will also be very appealing to your audience. You can always test and refine on the go.

One of the tricky spots is language. What if your audience isn’t only US-based, but scattered globally? Don’t worry. With AKOOL you can automatically translate live virtual avatars so they communicate in multiple languages.

See what it looks like:

Step 3: Develop a Content Strategy for Your AI Influencer

Start by defining your content goals and objectives. What do you want your AI influencer to achieve through their content?

Whether it's increasing brand awareness, driving engagement, or promoting specific products or services, having clear goals will help guide your content creation process and ensure that every post aligns with your overall marketing strategy.

Develop a content calendar to ensure regular posting. Plan a mix of content types, such as posts, stories, videos, and interactive content like polls or quizzes, to keep engagement high. Consistency in content helps build trust and a strong online presence.

Step 5: Launch and Manage Your AI Influencer

With your AI influencer fully customized, your content strategy in place, and your promotional platforms selected, it's time to launch your digital persona and begin engaging with your audience.

Create a buzz around their debut. This may include teasing their arrival on your brand's social media channels, partnering with other influencers or brands to cross-promote, or even hosting a virtual launch event to generate excitement and anticipation.

Track key metrics like reach, engagement, and conversion rates, but also your audience’s comments and reactions to see if you can improve and refine. Since AI influencers are relatively new, it may take a while for your audience to get to know them and connect them to your brand.

So, whenever possible make sure to be as authentic as possible and deliver real value.

Top Virtual Influencers People Love

If you’ve heard about AI influencers you’re probably familiar with one of the faces below. If not, check them out to see how they influence online and how people react to them!

Here are some of the top virtual influencers making waves in the industry:

1. Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela)

https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/p/DGgI0u6papT/?hl=en - embed her post

With over 3 million followers on Instagram, Lil Miquela is one of the most well-known and influential virtual influencers in the world. 

She is created by the AI company Brud, and she is a 19-year-old Brazilian-American model, musician, and style icon who has collaborated with major brands like Calvin Klein, Prada, and Samsung.

2. Shudu (@shudu.gram)

https://www.instagram.com/shudu.gram/p/DFNtmzeMfNX/ - embed her post

Shudu is a virtual supermodel created by the photographer Cameron-James Wilson. 

With her striking features and flawless skin, Shudu has been featured in major fashion campaigns and editorials and has even graced the cover of Vogue Australia.

3. Noonoouri (@noonoouri)

https://www.instagram.com/noonoouri/reel/DGf66hhJ3ht/?hl=en - embed her post

Noonoouri is a virtual influencer and digital art project created by the German artist Joerg Zuber. Noonoouri has collaborated with luxury brands like Dior, Gucci, and Versace, and has been featured in publications like Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar. Noonoouri's unique blend of art, fashion, and technology has made her a favorite among fans and industry insiders alike.

4. Imma (@imma.gram)

https://www.instagram.com/imma.gram/reel/DC1ekejyJjv/ - embed her post

Imma is a virtual influencer and model created by the Japanese company Modeling Cafe. With her pink hair, doe-like eyes, and edgy fashion sense, Imma has become a rising star in the virtual influencer world, collaborating with brands like IKEA, Porsche, and Dior.

5. Bermuda (@bermudaisbae)

https://www.instagram.com/bermudaisbae/p/CFLEYCWF71L/?hl=en -  embed her post

Bermuda is a virtual influencer and digital artist created by the AI company Brud, the same company behind Lil Miquela. With her edgy, punk-inspired aesthetic and outspoken personality, Bermuda has gained a following for her bold fashion choices, thought-provoking content, and meta-commentary on the nature of virtual influencers.

Conclusion

Have AI virtual influencers sparked your interest? If you’d like to build your own for your social media,  video newsletters, website, or internal usage, try out AKOOL.