Do you want to partner up with brands specific to your niche? Are you looking to monetize your account by becoming an Instagram influencer?
Use this article as your go-to guide on how to get sponsored on Instagram!
What Brands Look for in Instagram Sponsorships
Brands consider many factors when researching Instagram sponsorship. Follow these tips to stand out to companies looking to partner with influencers and micro-influencers!
1. A Strong Brand with a Unique Story
If you’re wondering how to get brand deals, you must be sure that you are clearly building a brand on Instagram. Create a dialog that is distinct, interesting, and consistent.
Influencers gain popularity and get more followers on their Instagram accounts when they stick to something specific. Why? It makes their content easier to relate to for followers interested in that particular niche or lifestyle!
So what story are you trying to tell?
If you’re an artist, share your journey in creating. Post about what inspires you to make art, where you make your art, and the work itself!
If you’re a fashion blogger, document your shopping trips, screenshot your favorite brands, and take photos of your outfits.
Whatever your “thing” is, focus on it and run with it! This will help you narrate your story and captivate your audience.
2. A Loyal, Engaged Audience on Instagram
Having a well-built audience is essential! Loyal followers in a niche market are more willing to put trust in you and engage. That leads to more sales on Instagram and the growth of your personal brand.
So make sure you are targeting an audience that is consistent with your brand story.
You also need to engage with your Instagram audience. Reply to every comment on your feed, even if it is just a thank you with a smiley emoji.
If people send you a DM, do your best to reply right away! You can also use Instagram Stories to create engagement! Create Story polls and ask for opinions.
Remember, it’s a two-way street! Engage with your followers and people who like your posts, too.
Having a dedicated audience is necessary to gain Instagram sponsorship for small accounts and larger-scale social media influencers, too.
3. An Engaging Profile that People Love to Visit
How do you get sponsored on Instagram? By having the best Instagram profile possible!
First impressions are everything. Pick a flattering photo that makes you look approachable, yet professional. You can even use filters and Instagram color themes on your Instagram feed to make your profile memorable and unique only to you.
Be sure also to clearly define your purpose and explain who you are in your bio. People want to know who they are following. They also need to understand why they should follow you in the first place!
You want people to reach out to you, so make sure you include contact information like your email address, and links in your bio, too!
4. Posting Consistently to Instagram
Are you wondering how else to get a sponsored post on Instagram? Consistency is key!
Explore posting to Instagram daily. Posting once a day will increase your chances of getting brand deals and getting more followers!
If you plan to post multiple times per day, try to keep them spaced throughout the day so your posts don’t have to compete with each other for engagement.
So why is posting consistency so important?
If you’re not routinely posting, people may forget about you or unfollow – definitely not something potential sponsors want to see!
Plus, the Instagram algorithm likes brand new, fresh, high-quality content. Your posts will be more likely to be featured if you keep them frequent and consistent.
Depending on your niche or industry, mornings may be better than evenings, and certain days of the week might be better than others.
Use your Instagram analytics to figure out when the best days and times are to post and work it into your posting schedule.
5. Hashtags, Geotags, and Brand Tags on Your Instagram Posts
All three types of tags are the tools you need to use to make your content discoverable. That’s how you get sponsored on Instagram with 1000 followers, or 10,000!
Instagram posts that use hashtags gain a 12.6% increase in engagement over those who do not use any at all. But you have to use them correctly!
The best hashtags for Instagram are relevant to your brand and relate directly to what you’re posting. You can use up to 30 hashtags at once, but the sweet spot is around 10 or so per post.
The overly broad hashtags used millions of times will have much more competition.
Using a generic hashtag like #instagood or #photoftheday will make it a lot harder to get noticed.
Try a combination of less broad hashtags that don’t have as many attached posts, and more specific ones that have only been used a few hundreds of thousands of times, or those with even less use to stand out.
Geotags on Instagram will make it easier for local brands and businesses to find your profile.
Or, if someone is interested in a particular location, they can search that location and see your post. This helps you gain more followers and will help brands who want to target a certain demographic.
Tagging brands in your posts is the perfect stepping stone to getting brand deals. Not only will the brand receive a notification and see your post, but people who are interested in the product or service can also inquire in the comments.
Start by using smaller brands that are less inundated with tags to gain attention. You can always level up to more prominent brands later!
How to Get Sponsored on Instagram by Pitching Brands
So, you’ve built a strong brand with a unique story, know how to attract the right audience, and have designed an Instagram profile that pops. You’re posting consistently, using hashtags, and have started tagging brands. Now what?
It’s time to start reaching out to brands that you want to work with via DM and email! Here are a few tips on how to get brand deals on Instagram.
Pitching for Brand Deals on Instagram: Do’s and Don’ts
DO: Explain who you are and what you do. Let the brand know what your specific niche or industry is and why you would be a beneficial asset to them.
DO: Include relevant data, such as follower count, engagement rate, and other vital insights. These help show why you’d be a great choice to promote the brand. Your stats also show you know what you need to do it successfully!
DON’T: Make unreasonable demands. You should know your worth and be confident in asking for what you think you deserve. But you need to be realistic, flexible, and open to discussion.
Important Rules to Know about the Instagram Sponsorship Program
If you’re telling people about a brand you like and you have no direct relationship with that brand, you don’t need to worry about letting your followers know.
Getting any sort of financial compensation from that brand, make sure you mention it somewhere in your ad campaign and do it clearly so people can understand. You also have to make sure it is hard to miss.
You can’t hide it in hashtags or put it in your about me. If you’re creating sponsored content in Posts or Stories, the disclosure has to be visible.
If you do an IG Live, post a video on your IGTV or youtube channels, you have to verbally mention it! Make sure you convey the disclosure in the same language as your endorsement – no funny business!
What else should you know?
If you didn’t try the product, you can’t talk about it.
If you tried it and didn’t like it, you cannot falsely claim that you loved it.
You also cannot make up any claims that would require the brand to provide additional proof that they don’t have.
If you want to know more about, check out what people are asking on the FTC’s website!
Improve Your Chances of Instagram Sponsorship with an Instagram Tool
Use an Instagram tool that will help you find hashtags, schedule your posts at the best times, and let you geotag. Doing this will increase your chances of getting Instagram ad deals and sponsorship – and make juggling all these moving parts easier!
Tailwind’s Instagram publishing tool will help you organize your posts, enhance your presence, and help you monetize your Instagram. Curious? Try a free trial of Tailwind for Instagram — no credit card required.
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