Securing sponsorships can be the ideal stepping stone for establishing long-term brand partnerships and fostering a thriving online community. Instagram, being one of the most widely used social media platforms, has become a hub for content creators to monetize their content.
Are you looking to make more money through sponsorships? In this article, we'll guide you through the process of getting sponsored and posting sponsored content.
Sponsored Instagram posts are posts in which creators feature a brand's product or service in exchange for compensation. Here are a few characteristics of sponsored Instagram posts that will help you recognize them and eventually create them:
There are two types of sponsored Instagram posts:
Before pitching your brand, it's crucial to identify the type of content you want to create. This helps attract brands whose aesthetics align with your content.
Posting consistently is key to getting noticed by brands. Aim to post at least once a day across multiple platforms, and keep your engagement levels high by responding to comments and DMs.
Brands are looking for creators with a highly active and loyal audience. Create authentic relationships with your followers through your content and direct engagement with them. Always be thankful for your supporters, and they’ll continue to support you and your brand.
A media kit is a way of introducing yourself to brands and showcasing your content as well as your social media stats. Brands are looking for data to justify their spend, so be sure to provide measurable results such as engagement, click-through rates, and metrics demonstrating your potential impact on their brand. If you’re interested in learning more about creating a media kit, check out our guide.
You need to give brands a way to contact you. Consider creating a business email and displaying it on your profile. You may also want to consider keeping your DMs open so that brands can send you messages when they come across your profile.
If you're choosing to do outreach, only reach out to brands that you're confident working with. You should work with companies that you can actually vouch for. This means reaching out to specific brands you have experience with, and only making deals with brands you've thoroughly researched if they reach out to you first.
Turning a one-time sponsorship into a long-term partnership is ideal when it comes to securing sponsorships in the future. Building a relationship with the brand by staying in touch with their team after the initial collaboration is key.
Negotiating comes down to budget, deliverables, and deadlines. If the brand's offer doesn't align with your needs, negotiate. You should be paid as much as you think your work is worth, so don’t be afraid to really vouch for yourself.
Before accepting a sponsorship, consider these factors:
Instagram's community guidelines require creators to disclose if a post is sponsored, and failure to do so could lead to penalties or legal implications. Follow these steps to tag a sponsored post:
By following these steps, you should have what it takes to start reaching out to brands and landing sponsorships! As Instagram continues to grow, creating authentic, engaging content will continue to be the key to success.
If you’re interested in building another revenue stream by providing apparel, merch, or exclusive membership content to your followers, check out Fourthwall. Our platform brings creators closer to their audience by streamlining the selling process, allowing you to focus on your content creation. Get started today to begin your ecommerce journey.
For more information on making money through Instagram, check out our Instagram Monetization guide.