If you are in Rwanda and you have used Instagram for a while you might have stumbled on a page called Rwanda Updates, a page with more than 800 thousand followers that earns more than a typical office job. Have you ever wondered who is the man behind it?
Instagram is a platform used by many, especially the youth, who want to know about current events and the latest news and some who enjoy relaxing content.
Niyonsenga Gérard is the proud owner of an Instagram page called ‘Rwanda Updates’, followed by more than 800 thousand people. He shares various content about Rwanda, including entertainment, tourism, politics, and more.
Niyonsenga mentioned that he started this page ten years ago, and after seeing that there was no other way to make a living, he decided to focus on it.
He said, “I used to use Facebook, but before, I didn’t get much attention, and I didn’t have the opportunity to find a job. That’s why I asked myself, ‘What can I do to find a job?’ and I said to myself that I should find something to do on the internet, and that would help me.”
Niyonsenga mentioned that some of the strategies that helped him grow his page were to first stick to the name he had chosen and carefully look at the content he was sending out to the public, the particular hours he posted, and more.
He said, “If you want to create a successful page, you need to look at what people want to see. For Rwanda Update, I first thought about the kind of content that would engage people and be shared across multiple accounts.”
“When I settled with this name I wanted something that people would easily relate to Rwanda even people who would like to visit. It is all about creating things people will like. Same as content, for example, we are coming out of festivities you have to create content that will trend.”
User experience is key to his success
When Niyonsenga started his page, he did not look for a job since he was earning a living with the profits he was making. He was even able to employ three other people who all helped manage the platform.
He says that all it requires from him to make the page successful is to dedicate his time, and internet and use the latest gadgets for content creation.
He said, “I can earn between 500,000Frw and 1,500,000 Frw, but some activities like ‘Tour du Rwanda’ are major events where you can more than that but it is never under 500,000 Frw per month.”
All this money comes from companies and institutions placing advertisement advertising on Rwanda Updates.
Niyonsenga says that content creators in Rwanda like him face numerous challenges the biggest being that they are not given space and a platform to grow in Rwanda.
He says, “If you look at Rwanda Updates, it’s a page that connects with the country, what I do is travel and other things because I love my country, and people who have visited our page are more than 8 million.”
“When you look at how institutions, for example, Visit Rwanda, use influencers from abroad rather than local creators, you see it’s a problem, we need to be given those opportunities but it’s a struggle.”
Niyonsenga urges content creators to build a positive impact send out powerful messages and make sure they also profit from their hard work.
