How to Get Sponsors on Instagram: 5 Simple Steps
Whenever you log onto Instagram, it almost like everyone you see is an Instagram influencer or at least trying to be one.
But with the average price of a sponsored post ringing in at $300, it’s no wonder why so many of us are looking for ways to get sponsors on Instagram.
Above all, Instagram is becoming an increasingly popular place for brands to promote the products that they’re selling.
The good news for you is that brands are starting to realize that paying average, everyday people to promote their product actually gets more engagement than depending on the big accounts on Instagram.
So, want to start cashing in on your Instagram account? You betcha.
I’m going to show you how to get sponsors on Instagram in 5 simple steps without having thousands of followers or posting pictures of you traveling the world.
So, How Do You Get Sponsors on Instagram?
Why would a big-name brand want to pay you, a small Instagrammer, money to promote their products?
Well, let’s think about it for a second.
Would you trust a product recommendation from someone with 110k Instagram followers that you have no personal relationship with? Or would you trust a product that your best friend with 500 followers is recommending?
You have a personal relationship with your best friend- you two share common interests, so you’re going to trust their opinion when they’re recommending something. Even as someone with a smaller following (aka a micro-influencer), if you build a relationship with your audience, people will begin to see you as their friends.
Building a relationship with your audience (no matter how small) will get people to trust your advice when they’re looking to buy a certain product, which makes it more likely for you to get sponsorships.
So, even if you only have one followers, we’re going to break down what you need to do to get yourself sponsored on Instagram.
1. Make Your Contact Information Visible
If you want a brand to reach out to you, you need to have your contact information displayed somewhere it’s easy to find. Putting your contact information in your bio is one of the easiest ways to do so.
However, you don’t have to put up all of your personal information in your bio. Internet safety is still important in 2019!
You could include an e-mail address, a link to a website, or even a link to your media kit in your bio!
Not only does adding contact information into your bio make it super easy for brands to contact you, but it also shows companies that you’re open to creating content for them!
2. Know Your Audience
Understanding who your audience is made up of is one of the most important parts to getting an Instagram sponsor.
Brands aren’t always going to contact you to get sponsored on Instagram; sometimes, you’ll need to reach out to them to show them that you’re interested in working together.
But, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Knowing who your audience is, makes up one of the hardest parts of getting a brand to work with you.
While understanding who your audience is, benefits you (you’ll know what type of content to post to your feed), it’ll also help you to figure out what brands you should be connecting with to get sponsorships from.
The good news is that figuring out who your audience is isn’t difficult. All you have to do is figure out the age, gender, and location of the people that are interacting with your Instagram. If you have a business account, you just have to click on the ‘Insights’ tab and you’ll see something like this:
The demographics that you’re able to gather will help you be able to create a better pitch to potential brands. Companies want to know who they’re able to reach by working with you.
3. Define Your Brand
It’s important that you’re able to define the niche of your brand. Not only will this define the type of content that you’re posting, but it’ll help you to create a better aesthetic to your account.
Here are some questions that you should ask yourself to help define your brand:
- How do you want to style your posts?
- Do you have a specific message that you’re trying to convey?
- Are you attempting to create a cohesive theme that makes your Instagram recognizable?
Brands love it when you’re able to create and develop an account that is unique and distinguishable from the rest of the content found on Instagram.
4. Use Tags And Hashtags
It’s no secret that hashtags help to make your content easily discoverable on Instagram. If you’re looking to grow your following, you need to use relevant hashtags to the content you’re creating.
When you’re posting content that features brands that you’re trying to get sponsored by, tag their Instagram page.
Once you tag a brand on Instagram and they like your posts, all of their followers will be able to see your post. A brand may even re-gram your picture and tag you in it, which will help you to gain exposure to their audience.
Not to mention that when you tag a brand in posts over time, they’ll see that you’re a dedicated brand. Using their branded hashtags and tagging a brand in your posts will help to further catch their attention. Brands love working with people who are truly committed to their products!
Just as a note of caution, when you are tagging and hashtagging a brand, make sure that you’re aware of the quality of the pictures that you’re using. The images that you’re showing a brand will act as a ‘portfolio’ for any of the future work that you’re looking to produce for that company!
5. Be Brave – Pitch Sponsorships
Even if you have a couple of thousands of followers on Instagram, brands may not reach out to you at first. If you’re looking to work with brands, you have to make sure that your purpose is clear and that you’re looking to work with them.
Pitching brands directly to let them know that you’re interested in working with them is a great way to get the ball rolling on a project.
Before you reach out to your dream brand, you should try reaching out to smaller brands that are in the same niche to get some experience under your belt.
While smaller brands won’t have as big of a budget as larger companies will, working with a smaller business is a great way to create a mutually beneficial collaboration to help get your account more exposure.
Start working with a bunch of smaller brands and you’ll eventually catch the eye of a larger (maybe even your dream) company!
ChaChing- You’ve Just Gotten Instagram Sponsorship
By following along with these tips, you’ll get your first Instagram sponsorship in no time! Just make sure that when you’re posting your sponsored content, to disclose to your audience that you’re sharing a sponsored post vs when you’re sharing stuff that you genuinely like.
What’s a brand that you’d love to be sponsored by?
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