There are many reasons why one would want to become an influencer on IG or Facebook in 2023. This profession pays very well. On average, every sponsored post will give $300. But some pros can make up to $25,000 per publication. The best is that anyone can do it. It is not necessary to be a world traveler who is doing exotic things all over the planet.
So, why doesn’t everyone do it? Well, it takes some time. But with patience and the right methods, this could be an excellent career path for those who love social media! Check out below how to get sponsored on Instagram step by step!
Table of Contents
How to Get Sponsored on Instagram: How the Pros Do It
Getting started in this field takes a lot of time and guide. There are many things to bear in mind if one is doing this from scratch. Still, if things are done as they should, one should be able to learn how to get sponsored on Instagram easily and for free!
#1. Brand Definition
One of the best ways to boost engagement and be more likely to get sponsored is through branding. This is how every person who is looking to get sponsored on Instagram should start for free. Bear these marketing tips in mind and apply as many of them as possible, and results will start coming pretty soon.
- First of all, one has to define his business niche. It could be anything from sports or fashion, to cooking or languages. This will help make people interested in that type of content want to stick with the influencer.
- Match the brand’s marketing aesthetic with the topic of the account.
- Create a theme by getting unified the style of the posts, and the overall design of the business account.
- Be specific. Make each sponsored post unique and distinguishable. In this way, people will stop while they are scrolling down their feed if they recognize the blog or brand.
- Be constant. If people see many posts with the same branding over and over again, they will start to trust it.
- Having a website or blog that follows the same design lines will help too. It will make the user seem more trustworthy than with just one business social media account.
#2. Understand the Audience
Growing one’s fan base is key to be able to get sponsored on Instagram. Not only does this help establish one’s personal brand as serious, but it also leads to more sales if done right. If the account is consistent in the type of content it posts, most of its audience will have a lot of shared characteristics. This will help get sponsors that focus on a specific niche.
Something key one can do to achieve this is engaging with the audience regularly. Answer all the comments, even if it is with a simple message. Interact with them through polls on IG stories, or let them ask questions and then answer them in a live session.
Once the fan base is large enough, start gathering their demographics from the “Insights” and “Audience” tabs. There, there is all the info about their age group, gender, location, and much more.
With all this data, it is much easier to convince potential sponsors that they can reach their target audience with a partnership.
#3. Use Tags
A great way to reach a broader audience and showcase the account to the world is through the use of hashtags and geotags. They will make the content discoverable to a much larger fan base than usual. Actually, studies prove that posts with these tags have 12.6% more engagement than the ones without them.
There will be many with millions and millions of posts and some others with fewer. It is usually better to go for the ones with less competition so that one can stand out more.
Another important technique related to this is tagging brands. When using the products of another company, it is a great idea to take a good photo or video, upload it, and tag them. In this way, those who follow the brand will be able to see it. And if the content is really good, the company may reshare with its whole audience, and maybe even contact the user to talk about a possible partnership.
#4. Polish How Your Feed Looks
This cannot be stressed enough. Having a cohesive feed is one of the things that will show professionalism to the clients. If they can relate to the account’s aesthetics, then, they are much more likely to be fans. This, in turn, is one of the best ways of how to get sponsors on Instagram.
This is how it should be done:
- Pick a theme. It should be a topic like memes, cats, babies, etc.
- Choose a mood. Select the type of colors that will represent the account. They can be dark, bright, pastel, etc.
- Align the whole design. Make the brand palette suit the mood chosen.
- Use good filters. There are some of them that people prefer over others, like Hefe and Valencia.
#5. Get Brands to Notice You
Tagging them on a post is a great way to show them interest, and maybe even get paid to post on Instagram. Once the niche is clearly defined, it should be easy to come up with a few brands that could be a good fit. For example, if the account focuses on training and working out, the user could reach out to fitness studios, gyms, sports gear brands, athletic clothes companies, and more.
Something very important to bear in mind is not aiming too high. While it would be great to partner with Nike, this is not likely to happen when one is just beginning. It would be best to try to close deals with local brands and grow little by little.
#6. Post Often
In order to get paid to post on Instagram, one needs the IG algorithm on his side. And the best way to get this is by posting consistently. It is recommended to do this, at least once a day. Yet, every account owner should test what works best for his audience. Some of them may prefer to see new content many times per day, while others may think this is too much.
This will also help to keep people from forgetting about you. This is something that will reflect on low engagement, which potential sponsors usually do not approve of.
#7. Include a Contact Method in Your Bio
Summarize your main info in a few phrases and add that to the bio. Many prefer to use bullet points so that the information can be read easily, which is a big pro in the world of social media. Order all the data from more to less important. For example, a good idea to get sponsored on Instagram would be to add that as the very first thing. Also, detail some contact information, like an email address, blog, or website so that those interested in partnering can reach out easily.
#8. Look for Paid Sponsorships
A great way to get paid for publishing on Instagram is by contacting the brands directly and offering them a partnership. For this to work well, it is better to start with small brands, since they tend to be more open for collaboration to make their company grow, and then little by little start to contact bigger ones.
How to Pitch to Clients
- Interaction. Interact with the company’s account by liking their posts and commenting on them. If they have custom hashtags, using them repeatedly is a good idea too. If this happens repeatedly, the profile manager is likely to notice, especially if the influencer has big numbers.
- Contact Them. One could send them a direct message saying why they would be a good fit, proposing some ideas, and highlighting the benefits of this type of partnership. It is best to call them or send them an email to keep it professional.
- Follow Up. If some time goes by and they do not answer the private message, it could be a good idea to comment on their posts, letting them know that they should check their inbox. Maybe they received so many texts that this one could have been lost there.
- Send Emails. If contacting them on a social network does not work, it would be a good idea to look for their email address on social media and reach out to them. Some of them include that info on their bios, but if it is not there, it surely is on their blog or website.
- Make It Personal. Instead of looking for the typical “[email protected]” or “[email protected]”, try to find the email address of an actual person. Ideally, it should be the one who manages their social media. If this does not work, look for them on LinkedIn. Search “Social Media Manager at [brand name]” and contact them.
What to Say When Contacting a Brand by Email
One of the top ways to learn how to get sponsors on Instagram is by contacting them by email. With the right message, sending cold emails could be the most profitable way to start new partnerships.
These are the steps to follow to do this.
- Look for companies that look like they are investing in their social media profiles and may want to get someone sponsored. A good idea could be to look for the ones that the competitors have already used. If starting out, it is best to look for startups and use this experience to build a portfolio.
- Get their email from their profiles or websites.
- Write a message explaining who the influencer is, why he would be a great fit, highlight any previous related experience, and show metrics.
- Adapt that text to each company. Some parts can be used as a guide, but make sure that it does not sound generic, or the responses may be very low.
- Make sure to send many of these emails. Not everyone will answer, so it is best not to put all the eggs in one basket.
This is a good sample email, but make sure to adapt it to the profile and the company that is being targeted.
Hi [name],
I am [name], and I run the Instagram account [hyperlinked @name]. My profile focuses on [theme], based on my [related experience]. My fan base is made up of people who [various demographics and interests of followers], which seems like a good match for the people your company targets. At the moment, I have [x] followers, and an [x%] engagement rate on my posts, and [plug in any related awards/achievements if applicable].
I think we could benefit from each other, and I’d like to propose a partnership. These are some of the thoughts on how we could do that:
[# of posts, payment terms, timeline, etc.]
Would this be something of interest for [brand]?
Thanks for taking the time to consider my proposal!
[your name]
What to Bear in Mind When Contacting a Brand for an Instagram Sponsorship
- Make sure to explain clearly which the job of an influencer is. State the niche and clarify what the benefits of an Instagram sponsorship are.
- Give them all the info they need. Include in the application all the relevant data, like the number of followers, engagement, the age group, and location of the audience. They need to know this to understand how a good fit they are.
- Make sure to ask only for reasonable things. One should know his worth and demand no less, but no more than that either. Asking for large sums that one is just not worth will only lead to lost time on both sides. Be flexible and discuss to reach an agreement that benefits both parties.
#9. Research How Much You Are Worth
Before starting pitching to potential partners, it is key to know how much one is worth. More often than not, influencers do not value themselves enough and ask for far less than they deserve. To avoid this, weigh in different aspects, like the number of previous partnerships, how big those brands were, past results, etc.
Another essential aspect to bear in mind is the number of followers. Some add an extra $10 for every 1,000 fans they have. Also, engagement is vital. If the follower count is not that high, but there are many likes and comments that should definitely be taken into account. Every influencer should consider all these to avoid selling themselves short.
#10. Agree on Deliverables Before the Work Starts
Once the amount and the payment methods have been agreed on, one should make it clear what should be expected from this partnership. The details should be very clear to avoid any complaints on both sides. This means that they should specify the number of posts and stories, the dates when they will go live, if the client will review them first or not, if the company would like any specific hashtag or caption to be used, etc. This is the best way to avoid misunderstandings, keep the company happy, and go for a long-term relationship.
What Is a Sponsored Instagram Post?
These are posts for which the account owner pays so that they reach more people. There are two main types. In the first one, the brand pays a popular influencer so that he promotes the company on his account. In this case, it is the responsibility of the freelancer to let his followers know that he is being paid for this. In the second case, the profile owner pays Instagram to promote that post to a custom audience. Let’s see them in detail.
Promoted Posts
This is a simplified way of running ads. There are not many settings to tweak, as the platform shows the post to a broad, general audience. This could be a good way to get started with a brand awareness campaign for companies that sell products that anyone could be interested in. If this is not the case, then it will probably end up consuming more money than the one it earns.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Perfect for beginners
- Good for general audiences
- Includes links and buttons
Cons
- Not ideal for niche markets
- Could end up not using the budget well
Ads
These are set up through the ads system. This gives the user more flexibility to select exactly the audience they want, what type of results they are expecting, and they may even use these same settings to use this campaign on Facebook. This takes some more time to do, but it will be worth one’s while when the budget is better spent.
Pros
- Better targeting
- Improved budgeting
- More flexible
- Integration with Facebook
Cons
- Requires some expertise
- Takes more time
Why You Should Use the #Ad and #Spon Hashtags
Influencers who get an Instagram sponsorship should make this clear somewhere on their posts. Ideally, this should be done through these hashtags.
In the past, there were some complaints about people who did not do this. This happened mainly because the company did not want this to be known, so the content seemed more authentic. But Instagram did not consider this to be an honest practice, so they added a new tool.
FAQ Section
How Many Followers Do You Need on Instagram to Make Money?
The ideal minimum would be at least 10,000 fans. But this number could be a bit lower if the engagement is really high, and the profile is very specific to the niche. This is especially so if the brand is local, and they want to reach other people in the community. In this case, maybe a number as low as 5,000 could be enough. But bear in mind that these cases are quite limited.
How Much Does a Sponsored Instagram Post Cost?
The costs vary from person to person. This will depend greatly on how much the account fits what the company expects. They usually care about metrics like the number of fans, engagement, the specificity of the theme, and more. Usually, those who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers can get around $200 per post. But the higher the numbers, the more one can get paid. Accounts with over 100,000 followers could get up to $700 per post only.
When Should You Ask for More Money from a Brand?
To be able to ask for more money, the profile should be big and have proven results from past partnerships. This will give the profile owner more leverage when it comes to negotiating the compensation.
Once one has already started working on a long-term partnership, he could ask for better payment once he starts delivering excellent results. If the numbers are much higher than expected, then it would be fair to ask for more.
What Does a Sponsor Get in Return?
Sponsors get a better reputation and new clients. Through influencers, they can reach their target audience in a natural way. In this way, they build trust with them. These people will, then, be more likely to go and buy from that brand. It is like the 2.0 version of word of mouth.
Which are the Pros and Cons of Sponsorship?
There are many things that companies have to bear in mind when getting into a contract with influencers. These are some of them.
Pros
- Better reputation
- Very high return on investment
- It is a natural way to reach one’s target audience
- Targeting is much easier
- Builds trust
Cons
- More expensive than organic reach
- Looking for the right influencers may take a lot of time
The Tested Ways to Get Sponsors
Learning how to get sponsors on Instagram in 2023 may seem daunting at first, but after a few trials, it should not be so. There are many proven techniques that, after some practice and some polishing, should be able to get brands that need an influencer. Effort and consistency are key.
Have you tried these methods on how to get sponsors on Instagram? Let us know in the comments below how they worked out for you!
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