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.

What's a Sponsored Instagram Post?

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:

• Clearly marked as sponsored or advertisement: Sponsored Instagram posts are required to be labeled as "Sponsored" or "Paid partnership with [brand name]" to indicate that they are paid promotions.
• Promotion of a product, service or brand: Sponsored Instagram posts are intended to promote a specific product, service or brand. These posts often include a photo or video of the product along with a caption highlighting its features or benefits. 

There are two types of sponsored Instagram posts:

1. Paid Sponsorship: This is when the creator gets paid for a post that is on the creator’s profile.
2. Promoted Posts and Ads: This is when creators boost their posts with a budget they create and control, or a company can promote them.

How to Get Sponsored on Instagram

1. Define the type of content you create or want to create

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. 

2. Be consistent when posting

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.

3. Build an engaged audience

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. 

4. Create a media kit

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. 

5. Be reachable

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.

6. Target the right brands

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.

7. Build a relationship with the brand

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.

8. Don't be afraid to negotiate

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.

4 Considerations Before Accepting an Instagram Sponsorship

Before accepting a sponsorship, consider these factors:

1. See if the brand’s audience aligns with yours: It's crucial to work with brands whose audience aligns with yours. This helps ensure the sponsored content comes off as authentic and blends well with the rest of your content.
2. Work with brands you genuinely endorse: Don't promote a product you wouldn't use yourself. Your followers will likely see through it and will further damage your relationship with the brand and your followers.
3. Ensure the brand's success aligns with your values: Ensure the brands you're promoting align with your values, beliefs, and morals. Mishaps could land you in hot water with your followers and potentially lose credibility.
4. Choose trustworthy brands: Ensure the brand you're promoting is reputable and that you and your followers can trust the product.

Pros & Cons of Instagram Sponsorships

Pros:

1. Reach new audiences: Sponsorships are an excellent opportunity to broaden your audience and reach new potential supporters.  
2. Additional revenue stream: Sponsorships provide an additional revenue stream for creators, allowing you to make more money by creating content. 
3. Establish long-term partnerships: A successful sponsorship can lead to long-term partnerships and collaborations with brands, which can make your revenue stream more stable. This may also encourage other brands to reach out to you for partnerships. 

Cons:

1. Loss of authenticity: Over-promoting products can lead to a loss of authenticity, leading to a drop in engagement, and eventually, followers.
2. High competition: The rise of creators partaking in sponsored content means that you’ll make dynamic and engaging content to stand out.
3. Legal requirements: Failure to disclose sponsored content could lead to legal complications.

How to Disclose an Instagram Sponsorship

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:

1. Underneath ‘Tag People,' click ‘Advanced Settings.'
2. Click ‘Tag Business Partner.'
3. Start typing the brand's name and select it once it pops up.
4. Enter a short description of the sponsorship, i.e., #sponsored #ad #paidad, and hit ‘done.’

Start Making More Money Today

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.