Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, with over 2.35 billion users across the world. Those that are publishing on the platform and have a large follower count can often find themselves in the perfect position to earn revenue on the platform through brand collaborations.
In this article, we will discuss how to get sponsored on Instagram, how to create sponsored posts more easily, and also how to earn more money. We will also detail how Indy can help Instagram influencers make the most of their skills and value to maximize their revenues.
Why Do Brands Use Instagram Influencers in Their Marketing Strategy?
There are numerous reasons why brands use Instagram sponsored posts to market products and services. For one, influencers have more power at convincing audiences to purchase a product or service. They tend to have a large number of followers and contacts that can help them to reach a target audience that the brand doesn't know yet.
In addition, an influencer on Instagram is considered more trustworthy to audiences. Part of this is because they are seen as being more independent than the brand selling the product. People expect the influencer to give a fair review and work with brands that match their ethical approach.
Also, a sponsored Instagram post can have a higher ROI with an influencer marketing professional than paying for paid ads. In addition, a sponsored post tends to get higher levels of engagement than an ad on the platform.
Many brands will work with several Instagram influencers at the same time when they've got a product launch or a big push for a special offer. If this is the case, they might contact an influencer agency where they can speak to several at the same time.
Types of Instagram Sponsored Posts
There are numerous types of sponsored posts on Instagram that you can take advantage of. For instance, you can include the product or brand imagery within numerous posts and tag brands.
These tags act as signposts that help the target audience to find the brand and learn more about them. Alternatively, an Instagram content creator might create a review for the brand/product. These can be very interesting and can result in a boost in sales.
Brands also pay Instagram influencers to post Instagram story posts. These have a limited time on the platform but are effective at grabbing attention. They're particularly good for when brands want to reach an audience for a limited-time offer.
The pricing structure for any paid Instagram sponsored posts can depend on numerous factors, including what type of Instagram sponsored post is being used. For instance, Instagram posts that are going to last longer will get more money than shorter-term projects.
In addition, you will be paid based on how many followers your Instagram account has. The more Instagram followers you have, the more money you can charge. You might also be paid based on the success of any sponsored Instagram post.
How to Get Sponsored on Instagram
These are the steps for how to get sponsored on Instagram with excellent brands willing to pay.
Step 1 - Choose a niche
The first thing you need to do is to choose a niche that is going to be valuable to you. You want to have something that has value to you as well as something marketable. There are numerous niches you could promote that will do well. For instance, entertainment, DIY, animals, fashion, and more.
You also want to think about what kind of content you're going to publish. You might want to create instructional content that provides followers with useful information, incorporating brands. Or you might want to have a lifestyle account incorporating products. Or you may prefer fitness content which can be very successful on the platform.
There are so many options that you can choose the style of Instagram posts you want to create.
Step 2 - Create a business plan
Now you need to create a business plan. Part of this should be how and when you're going to publish Instagram posts. You should also talk about how you're going to attract brands to sponsor posts on your account. Discuss some of the benefits they will have from working with you and the pricing strategy for your brand.
Step 3 - Create an Instagram account
Next, create the Instagram profile you would like to use for your brand. You should ensure your user name is something that is going to be friendly and appropriate for your audience and the brands. You also need to consider adding good images for your profile picture and heading.
Don't neglect your Instagram bio. Be sure you have a concise piece of text that talks about who you are and what you're offering.
As part of the process, you might also want to create profiles for other social media sites like Facebook and TikTok. Brands reach more people with sponsored posts when you have multiple platforms to promote them on. It also allows you to get paid more.
There is an unspoken rule of thumb that an Instagram influencer can charge somewhere around $10 per post for every 10,000 followers the account has. Though, this is not always the case. Cristiano Ronaldo earns $1.6 million per post for his 400 million followers.
Step 4 - Get the right equipment
While the right audience is important, it is also important to get the right equipment for your Instagram sponsored posts. What you need is a high-tech video camera for videos and a camera for stills.
You should also look at getting the best editing software so you can make the most of the content. When you use better equipment, you will see that your promoted posts will get more attention. Therefore, you can charge more for your content.
While the platform is supposed to be managed from the Instagram app, that doesn't mean you can’t use a computer to upload content. And sometimes you can transfer media from the desktop to your phone to post on Instagram with the same aesthetic appearance.
Step 5 - Create baseline content
Now you need to create a set of baseline content that you can use as part of your portfolio for brands to look for. These pieces of content should be authentic. You might want to reach out to local brands and see if they would like some free publicity for you to create some portfolio pieces.
Once you've created the initial Instagram posts, you can publish them on the schedule. An Instagram influencer tends to publish between one and three pieces of content per day. Publishing more than this can mean they don't get an engaged audience, which is so important.
Step 6 - Create a website
Now you need to create a website that allows you to promote your brand. On your website, you should have an Instagram feed and also a media kit. You should also have a landing page that allows you to promote your Instagram sponsored posts services.
Always include a way for brands to contact you about buying sponsored posts from you. Most will not contact you via the Instagram DM system, so include an email. If possible, get a professional email domain; don't rely on Google or Hotmail.
If you've got plans for offering lots of pricing tiers, remember to include all the sponsorship opportunities on the website so prospective clients know what is on offer.
And don't just think of stills that you can use. You can always have sponsored video content that brands can purchase. You might want to charge more for videos than images. But videos can also be a great way to get better digital marketing results.
Step 7 - Reach out to brands
While you are waiting for brands to contact you, you should look at reaching out to brands. You can cold email numerous brands, sending them a proposal for sponsored posts on Instagram and other social networks.
Included in your proposal, you should explain what you're offering them, what price you're offering the sponsored post for, etc. You might also want to include an Instagram post example for your target brand to see what you can offer.
While you are trying to find those potential sponsors for Instagram sponsored posts, you should continue to publish an organic post every day. If you post consistently, it will help your follower count grow and make your brand look more professional. If you keep statistics on the organic posts, you can also include information such as the average engagement rate.
Not every post you do must be sponsored. You want to ensure you have a personal brand that audiences will trust.
Step 8 - Negotiate
You may need to wait before you get a brand to show interest in your offers. However, you might get a few brands that are interested in sponsored Instagram posts. When this happens you need to negotiate with them.
During negotiations, you want to get as much information from them as possible, such as what they want from the promoted posts and what the goals of the whole campaign are. They might also want you to add Instagram ads to the campaign. You need to make sure that you include Instagram advertising costs in the pitch.
Instagram ads can be expensive, and this can be a rather troublesome part. So unless you have experience in successful campaigns with Instagram ads, it is better if you don't offer it.
You need confidence in your sponsorship pitch. Sponsored Instagram posts can be very valuable to brands, but they might not have the budget for everything. So, be sure that you don't overextend yourself.
For all paid sponsorships, all contracts should be sent over. In the paid sponsorships contract, you detail what is included in the deal, who is responsible for what, timelines, and the amount the client has to pay.
Brands that are looking for a certain target market can be very lucrative. You can charge them more if they're looking for an audience from a certain geographic location or if they're looking to buy a sponsored video. Anything that takes you more work, be sure that you're increasing the price so you don't get underpaid.
Step 9 - Start producing Instagram sponsored posts
Now you can start to produce the Instagram sponsored posts that are needed. Many influencers on the platform will be working on numerous Instagram sponsorships at the same time. Therefore, they need a way to manage all the projects without having a list of unfinished work.
At the same time, they might need to think of ways to insert organic posts into the feed every so often. Therefore, it is important to keep a diary or use management software that can keep control of the workload.
Remember, when you're sponsored on Instagram, you're supposed to highlight the promoted post with certain hashtags. This is so you're not misleading the target audience.
Step 10 - Monitor results
After the publication of the sponsored content, you want to make sure you're monitoring the results. You'll want to include results of top-performing campaigns when pitching brands your sponsored posts on Instagram in the future.
There are several things you want to keep a record of, including the following:
- Reach - How many people saw the content?
- Engagement - When an Instagram user interacted with the content.
- Results - Whether brands recorded more sales.
Step 10 - Get paid
Now you need to send your invoice and get paid. About 29% of invoices are paid late and 10% never get paid. Micro-influencers are often the ones that fall foul of this as they don't have the power against large brands.
To improve the odds, you need to make sure that you are sending professional invoices. And you should offer multiple ways to get paid.
If you aren't paid within the time specified, you can always remove the sponsored post from your feed. You can always replace certain posts with an organic post that has a similar message.
Indy Can Help Instagram Content Creators
Instagram is an exciting opportunity for many. You can truly turn a passion into a full-time career. It will be a challenge to get there, but that challenge can be made easier with the help of Indy, which offers essential tools to improve onboarding, project management, and invoicing tasks for your business.
- Create and manage proposals to prospective clients with a professional tool that allows you to send unique and detailed collaboration offers to prospective clients.
- Manage your workflows with Tasks tool that allows you to connect your work to a Google calendar.
- Improve cash-flow with an invoice generator that can help you create invoices in minutes and get them paid quicker thanks to multiple payment options you can offer clients.
And there are more tools and resources available from the Indy platform. It offers a free-to-use tier that includes three free proposals, contracts, and invoices a month, as well as the ability to use other tools.
Conclusion
Creating content on Instagram is a skill that many people don't have. When you have access to a wider audience than brands do, then you can be a valuable partner for those companies. Therefore, you might be offered the chance to publish sponsored posts on Instagram.
You will get the most success when you're organized and know how you're going to reach engaged audiences and improve the brand deal you get. This is where Indy can help with nine essential tools designed to make freelance admin work easier, quicker, and more profitable. Try Indy for free today to see how the platform can help you.
