One of the many questions I get weekly is how I get my Instagram sponsored posts and partner with brands. I wish I could say that I do this one thing and viola! The good news is that you do not have to wait until 10k followers to start getting paid for sponsored content! I landed my first paid sponsored post with well under 5k followers. I did make sure to set my account up for success before I reached out to brands and pitched. What does that mean? I grew an engaged following over time and became an expert in my niche. This gave brands many reasons to partner with me. It has been a learning process that I am still working on today. I will be the first to tell you, I am not an expert. But I have collaborated with brands for the past few years and am here to share my experiences with you. In this post, you will learn how to grow an ideal audience, get noticed by brands and ultimately get paid brand partnerships on Instagram.
What Is Influencer Marketing and Instagram Sponsored Posts?
Influencer marketing has become incredibly popular in the last few years. Wondering what is Influencer marketing? It is the use of social media accounts that hold “influence” over their audience as a marketing strategy. Instagram influencers can utilize their social media accounts to create Instagram sponsored posts for a business in exchange for compensation. Many influencers have made lucrative careers by doing this but you do not need to have millions of followers to partner with brands. Micro-influencers have just as much power when speaking to their niched audience. The FTC requires influencers to tag paid partnership label on Instagram sponsored posts.
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How To Get Paid Brand Partnerships On Instagram
Create A Niche
In order to get sponsored posts and work with brands, you will need an engaged following. To get an engaged following you will need to start by defining your niche or micro-niche. You need to figure out what topic your account will focus on and ultimately become an expert in that subject. Being a dog account is not specific enough. Are you dog account that focuses on fashion, training, recipes, travel, etc? Really hone down on the type of content you produce.
If you try to make everyone happy, you will end up making no one happy.
Create Content That Connects With Your Ideal Audience.
After picking your micro-niche, you will need to create content that connects with your ideal audience. Unsure who your ideal audience is? Think about the people who like/comment/save your posts or direct message you. These people are your ideal audience. Now if you spend time in engagement groups, loop follows or giveaways. It will be hard for you to figure out what accounts are showing up authentically versus forced to be there. I recommend reading this post on why I left engagement groups.
Post Consistently
Pick a posting schedule that works for you. Whatever schedule you choose to do, be consistent about it! Create the same amount of posts, reels, IGTVs and stories. Your audience will start to anticipate seeing you at certain times so make sure to deliver. Again, do the best you can with your schedule not other people’s schedule.
Optimize Your Bio
Optimize your Instagram bio for keywords that are part of your niche. It should clearly state who you are and what you do. Include your contact information such as your email address and website url so brands can find you easily.
How To Get Noticed For Sponsored Instagram Posts
So far you’ve learned how to optimize your bio, create content that is being shared and are posting consistently. But how do you get a brand to notice you?
Tag Brands In Your Post
As you post about brands that you like to use, tag them! Then go over to their page and engage authentically. Start a conversation with the brand and build a relationship. A brand is more willing to work with you when they know you use their product and love it already.
Check Brand Specific Hashtags
Most brands create a specific hashtag that accounts can include when posting about their product. For example, DSW uses #mydsw. I always include that hashtag when I wear shoes from DSW. I also engage with other people who have used the hashtag.
Pitch To Brands
After setting up your account for success, it’s time to pitch to the brand! Remember that brands get hundreds of emails, so you will need to be concise but memorable. You will want to let the brand know who you are and what services you offer. Also, include a media kit or portfolio of previous work (this can be a URL to your website.)
Always Follow Up!
More than likely you may not hear back from the brand on the first email. Send a follow up in a week or two. You’ll be supposed by how many people respond to follow up emails.
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