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How to partner with brands on instagram


Partner With Brands and Earn With Instagram's Branded Content

EARN WITH BRANDED CONTENT

Your followers look to you to share the brands and products you love. And as you grow, you can start getting paid by brands for sharing that intel.

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INTRODUCING

Instagram’s creator marketplace: Where brands and creators can more easily build branded content partnerships

GET GOING

How to get started with branded content

BRANDED CONTENT TIPS

Sharpen your branded content game

Just do you

Followers can tell right away when a partnership is out of character for you. So stay true to your style and only partner with brands that really speak to you.

Own your partnerships

When a brand sponsors your content, they’ll expect to see their product front and center. And your followers will appreciate your transparency as well.

Create mobile-friendly content

Always capture video content vertically. And since content is often viewed without sound, try to add copy throughout or enable subtitles in advanced settings.

Prohibited and restricted categories

Certain products, like drugs and weapons, can’t be promoted as branded content. And others can only be promoted with restrictions, like alcohol. See the full list.

Format restrictions

Don’t include pre, mid or post-roll ads in videos or audio content. Don’t include banner ads in videos or images. See what it looks like in our visual guide.

Always disclose paid partnerships

If you’re getting paid in any form for your content, you’ll need to add a Paid Partnership label. Unsure if yours qualifies? Check out our full list of scenarios.

EARN LIKE A PRO

How to earn with branded content

Since you’ll negotiate the terms of every branded content deal, each will be different. But it’s always a good idea to provide the brand with data, like your number of followers, average number likes, views, comments and shares your organic content and past branded content deals have received. All of this will help back up why you deserve a certain rate.

Find more ways to earn.

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CREATOR SPOTLIGHT

The golden rules of brand deals according to @chazsmith

Figure out how to include the brand in a video you’re already planning. Write a skit where the brand gets sprinkled on as a nice “seasoning” at the end. And create stuff you love, not stuff you think will perform well.

Questions?

What if my business partner doesn't appear in search results when I try to add them as a brand partner?

Ask your business partner to be approved or select “Send Request” when prompted after you attempt to tag your business partner.

LEARN MORE

Do I need to use the Paid Partnership label for things like free trips or gifted product?

Yes, anything received from business partners counts, whether it be money or otherwise.

LEARN MORE

How can I enable brands to promote my posts?

You need to give permission before businesses will see the option to promote your branded content posts. Then there are a few steps to follow.

LEARN MORE

WANT MORE?

More ways to earn on Instagram

BONUSES

Earn money based on the plays of your reels.

SHOPPING

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BADGES

Another way for fans to show their support — beyond likes and comments!

How to Get Sponsored on Instagram (Even if You Currently Have 0 Followers)

It's no surprise you want to become a paid Instagram influencer -- heck, the average price for a sponsored Instagram post is $300, and if you become more successful, like yogi Rachel Brathen, you could be making $25,000 per post.

But the idea of getting your posts sponsored might seem laughable to you. You're not posting pictures skydiving in Australia -- you're posting pictures of your brunch. However, you could be more marketable than you think.

Instagram has become an insanely popular channel for brands to promote their products. In fact, Influencer Central found consumers consider Instagram to be the sixth most effective at influencing their purchasing decisions.

Instagram's popularity might make you feel the platform is already too crowded for you to stand out. But here's the thing -- brands are quickly realizing the power of normal people to promote their products. Micro-influencers, or people with a small number of followers compared to the big players, see the most engagement out of their audience.

Think of it this way: I'm going to trust my best friend's advice over Kim Kardashian's when I'm purchasing a product. I trust my best friend, we share similar interests, and I know she's genuine with her advice (no offense, Kim … ).

It's the same concept for micro-influencers -- with the right strategy, your audience will begin to see you as one of their real friends. The more they trust your advice when seeking out purchasing decisions, the more likely you are to get sponsored.

Here, we're going to show you everything you need to do to get sponsored on Instagram, even if you currently have zero followers. Keep reading to get started or click the links below to jump to a specific section of this article.

  • How to Get Sponsored on Instagram
  • What's a Sponsored Instagram Post?
  • Using #ad and #spon Hashtags

How to Get Sponsored on Instagram

  1. Define your brand.
  2. Know your audience.
  3. Post consistently.
  4. Use hashtags and geotags.
  5. Tag brands in your posts.
  6. Include contact information in your bio.
  7. Pitch paid sponsorships.
  8. Know your worth.

1. Define your brand.

You'll see the best engagement if you're able to define your niche. Do you want to post food and health related content, or focus on fashion? Whatever the case, it's important to establish your brand.

Besides the type of content you post, branding has a lot to do with your overall aesthetic. How do you want to style your posts? What's your messaging? To further solidify your brand, you might want to consider creating a cohesive feed theme (use these feeds for inspiration).

Specificity is key. A good influencer's posts are distinguishable and unique -- when a user is flipping through her feed, she'll be able to pause and recognize every time she sees a post from that influencer. As she continues to see similar content, she'll grow to trust that brand as an expert in the field. If the influencer suddenly and randomly changed course, the user might not understand or trust the content anymore.

Additionally, you might want to connect your Instagram brand with an online presence. Creating a website with similar aesthetic and messaging is a good way to do this -- the more you unify your social media accounts, the easier it will be for brands to distinguish how you can help them.

2. Know your audience.

Knowing your audience is critical for convincing a brand to work with you. It's mutually beneficial for you, as well -- if you understand your audience, you're able to correctly identify which brands will see the most success from using you as their sponsor.

Start by gathering the basics -- what is the gender, age, and geographical location of your core demographic? Which of your posts do they like the best? What times of day do they respond best to content, and what can you infer from this?

The demographic information you gather will help you pitch partnerships with brands. Brands want to know who they can reach if they work with you. Explaining "You'll be reaching thirty-something, working women, primarily from New York, who often use Instagram first thing in the morning and prefer fitness content" is certainly more powerful than saying, "You'll be reaching women."

3. Post consistently.

CoSchedule gathered research from 14 studies to identity how often you should post on social media sites. For Instagram, they found you should post a minimum of once a day, but can post upwards of three times a day.

CoSchedule also found 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM, and 2:00 AM, are the best times to post.

To grow your following, it's critical you post at least once a day. Instagram's algorithm favors new and fresh content, and you don't want your audience to unfollow you or forget about you from lack of consistency.

However, you'll need to figure out what works best for you and your audience. Perhaps your audience feels bombarded when you post three times a day, or maybe they prefer it. Maybe your audience engages most with your posts at noon. It will take some trial and error, as well as Instagram metrics tools, to figure this out.

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4. Use hashtags and geotags.

Hashtags make your content more discoverable, so they're necessary for growing your following. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post, but TrackMaven found nine to be the optimal number for boosting engagement.

You'll want to use hashtags as relevant to your content as possible. You'll also need to check to make sure the hashtags you use aren't broken or banned (take a look at this list of banned hashtags if you're unsure).

It's critical you choose hashtags that aren't too broad. #Healthyliving, for instance, has over 20,000,000 posts, while #healthylivingtips only has 13,000. The less competition, the easier it will be for your content to get discovered.

When you peruse a hashtag's page, you can also get a deeper sense of what types of content your post will be up against. #Healthylivingtips might typically feature posts with food recipes, while your post is about cycling -- this could defer you from using that hashtag.

Geotags are equally important, but for a different reason. Geotags can help people find you if they're interested in a certain location. This helps you gain more followers, and it also helps you appeal to brands that are interested in reaching a certain demographic. For instance, maybe a boutique sees you often post fashion tips from the California area, and they're looking to appeal to people in that region -- it's a win, win.

5. Tag brands in your posts.

Okay, now you're officially ready to begin reaching out to brands. You've defined your brand and audience and have created some quality, authentic posts. Now, you should have a pretty good idea what types of businesses would benefit from a partnership with you.

It's important to start small. If you're interested in skincare, don't go straight for Estee Lauder -- instead, try tagging small skincare start-ups you've seen across Instagram already.

Let's take a look at an example -- @Tzibirita, a travel influencer, posted this image of herself wearing a Paul Hewitt watch. The image is high-quality and fits with her brand, and she tags @paul_hewitt in her description. Even if you're not paid by Paul Hewitt, you can still post the same type of content and tag their brand in the post. Ideally, it will at least put you on their radar.

Begin with small brands and tag them in your descriptions. Engage with your audience by responding to comments like "Where can I get one?" or "How much?" and the brand will soon see you've proven yourself a suitable sales partner.

6. Include contact information in your bio.

Consider your bio a chance to signal to brands your interest in becoming an influencer. Include an email or website so they can reach you, and include a press kit if possible.

For instance, @tzibirita doesn't waste her bio space. She includes her email and website, and even adds a title -- "content creator". Brands will have no doubt she's open to doing business with them.

Furthermore, you should use a website or blog as your chance to expand on your brand and demonstrate your versatility. Consider adding a Press Page to your website, so brands can take a look at your services. Once you begin sponsoring brands, you can add them to this page so brands can see you have influencer experience.

7. Pitch paid sponsorships.

There's nothing wrong with reaching out to brands and offering your services. With the right pitch, you might be able to land some gigs without waiting for brands to find you.

Look for brands that clearly invest time and money into their Instagram presence. You might start by researching what similar influencers in your industry already sponsor. Remember, it's okay to start small. Working with smaller brands will allow you to build a portfolio.

Once you've curated a list of brands that might want to partner with you, send them an email. In your pitch, clearly and briefly outline who you are, what you do, and any achievements you have in the field that make you an expert. Then, explain why you're a good fit for the brand, and include data such as follower count and average engagement rate.

Alternatively, you might consider sending a brand a DM straight from Instagram. It's certainly more relevant to the job you're vying for, but it might get lost if a brand get hundreds of DMs a day.

8. Know your worth.

Make sure you know how much you're going to charge when brands reach out to you. The industry standard is $10 for 1,000 followers, but it could also vary depending on how many likes you get per post. Additionally, as you grow, you'll be able to charge more.

While you'll want to have a minimum set, you can negotiate to encourage brands to pay more. Perhaps for $300, you'll throw in five Instagram Story posts, and a link in your bio to their website for 24 hours. You can use other Instagram features to sweeten the deal.

Once you have your pricing structure nailed down, you'll need to know how to sponsor a post on behalf of the brand you're working with. Now, keep in mind there are two different kinds of "sponsored" posts: those for which brands pay Instagram, and those for which brands pay another user.

Confused? Here's what I mean:

What's a Sponsored Instagram Post?

A sponsored post on Instagram is paid for by the poster to reach a wider audience. There are two main types of sponsorships: In one, a brand creates a post and pays Instagram for access to a custom audience. In the other, a brand sponsors another Instagram user -- often called an "Influencer" -- who creates a post that features the brand in some way.

Here's more detail on each type of sponsored post:

Promoted Posts & Ads

Just like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, Instagram comes with a native ad management platform. Advertisers can use this tool to customize a target audience -- using attributes like age, sex, location, and interests -- and invest a specific amount of money to getting their post in front of Instagrammers who identify with this audience.

The thing to remember here is that the advertiser is making and publishing the post. They're paying Instagram for the audience they want access to, but the post is theirs to create.

Paid Sponsorships

Paid sponsorships take place between a brand and another Instagram user. Typically, this user has a personal brand and attracts an audience of his or her own. This user is often called an "influencer."

This person can then use the steps explained earlier in this article to find and work with brands that appeal to a similar audience. When they find a brand who wants to sponsor them, they can charge this client a certain amount to create a post that features their product or service. Think of it like social media product placement; just like a business might pay a TV show to have their brand of soda on the countertop in the series finale, they can also pay a person on Instagram to hold that same soda in a picture on their Instagram feed.

Clearly there are more creative sponsorship ideas you can come up with -- I decided to go with a cliché ...

Influencers are similar to Instagram's ad manager in the sense that they both draw an audience that brands might not otherwise have access to. However, the differences in this type of sponsorship are that the brand is paying the influencer -- rather than Instagram -- for access to their audience, and the influencer -- rather than the advertiser -- is the one creating and publishing the post.

There are numerous influencers for each industry. Here's a big list of today's known influencers and the types of audiences they attract.

Using #ad and #spon Hashtags

In the past couple years, brands have come under fire for hiring influencers but not making it clear to the audience that these influencers were getting paid.

Department store Lord & Taylor, for instance, settled charges with the FTC in 2016 after paying 50 influencers to wear a dress in their posts without hashtagging #sponsorship or #ad.

Influencers are supposed to hashtag #ad or #sponsored in posts they're being paid for, but these tags make some brands uncomfortable because it makes the post appear inauthentic.

In 2017, Instagram released a paid partnership feature to combat this issue -- if you tag a brand in a post and the brand confirms the relationship, the ad will be marked at the top with a "paid partnership" label. This also helps the brand gather data regarding how well the campaign is performing.

It's critical your followers know if you're getting paid to promote a product. Ethics aside, it could destroy your account's credibility if you're caught, and lose everything you've worked hard to build -- namely, an authentic, trusting community.

If you truly don't want to post #ad or #spon, there are some ways around it -- for instance, Airbnb created the hashtag #Airbnb_partner, to signal a paid partnership without using the word "ad".

When in doubt, adhere to Instagram's policies. You can read Instagram's branded content policies in full here.

Ultimately, getting sponsored on Instagram isn't easy -- it takes time, effort, and perseverance. But if you work hard to differentiate yourself in the industry, and connect on a personal level with your followers, it can be extraordinarily rewarding.

Collaboration with your favorite brand: where to start and how to continue successfully?

Making friends with PR departments and digital agencies is an easy and sure way to start collaborating with brands. But "friendship" in the world of marketing is rational. Anastasia Varetsa, senior copywriter at Inbase agency, uses the example of her colleagues to tell how producers decide who to work with and how bloggers are chosen for specific beauty brands. Use this text as a guide on how to work with mass market and luxury brands in different areas.

How agencies track bloggers

We have created an electronic file with bloggers and influencers with whom we have worked and are working, with whom we have already planned projects and with those whom we are ready to consider in the future. In simple words, for each of the brands we compile lists of bloggers, cooperation with which is recommended throughout the year.

But this does not mean that the list is immutable: at any moment you can get into it, but you can also fly out of it. We constantly monitor social networks, we put a tick in front of some influencers, and a cross in front of others. Those who have a “tick” are included in our lists for cooperation, and those who have a “cross” are not recommended for cooperation. But in this work there is never a final verdict, it is a complex process, which we approach strategically to build.

How to get on the long list

The agency has a lot of criteria according to which the pool of bloggers recommended for the brand is compiled. You do not need to go into all the subtleties, but there are aspects that we advise you to pay attention to.

Check the brands you want to work with. Make a list. Or two - "for now" and "for growth." Include those you like on these lists: don't turn your back on "simple" brands and don't hesitate to take aim at what seems unattainable. Analyze which of the brands you noted compete with each other: here it is important to understand that only one of them can make you their ambassador. For example, Bourjois, owned by cosmetics maker Coty, will not consider those who regularly post L'Oréal products on their blog.

Follow brand guidelines. Each brand provides us with a description of their ideal influencer. But it is not necessary to work in an agency or be a visionary in order to guess who this or that company wants to see in their “friends”. Analyze the brand's previous advertising placements. If girls in nude makeup smile at you from all the pictures, and you can’t live without red lipstick, just pay attention to another brand that you feel better.

Be selective in your advertising placement. Do not chase short-term profit: by placing an advertisement in every second post, you miss the opportunity to cooperate with serious brands. But there is one exception here: the frequency of advertising placements does not matter if the brand wants to use an active audience of fans on the wave of hype. For example, when Dasha Klyukina (2.6 million followers) won The Bachelor, posting on her account made sense despite the abundance of ads.

Strive for quality, not quantity. Hundreds of thousands of subscribers and likes, of course, add advantages to you, but we look at the comments especially carefully. “Live” communication under posts allows you to draw a conclusion about the activity of your audience - bots in the comments are immediately visible, they should not be there. If you are asked to send statistics - do it.

How to stay shortlisted

You should not relax when you start working with a brand: there are no irreplaceable bloggers. Usually influencers disappear from our lists when collaboration with them does not bring the desired result. This happens for various reasons. It happens that there is no “chemistry” between a blogger and a brand, in which case “migration” to another list is possible. But sometimes a blogger just works in bad faith, and then it’s more difficult to fix the situation. Therefore, from the very beginning it is better to follow a few simple rules.

Be honest with your brand and your audience. We always analyze the result of the publication and are especially happy when questions about the product are asked in the comments. We do not encourage cheating likes and views. Need "clean" results. Discuss them with the producers, this will help both you and the brand to make further work more productive.

Follow the brief. Understanding a brand means following its recommendations and wishes. At the same time, we are not villains and are always ready for dialogue, because we understand that you know your audience better. But we love the initiative within the brief.

Work on your mistakes. Again, it all comes down to dialogue. Show brand loyalty and it will reciprocate. If the brand team is not very happy, try to understand what exactly. Be prepared to offer bonuses - yes, that's the magic word! These may be additional "stories" with the product. If you go forward, you can count on more.

How to match the brand

Above, we wrote about the importance of following brand guidelines. You can dwell on this in more detail. Luxury and mass market brands are guided by different approaches to choosing a blogger for cooperation.

Lux. The portrait of an ideal influencer for brands of this class should first of all be in line with the philosophy of the brand. Micro-influencers can rejoice: luxury is not so much about reach as it is about the concept of your blog, especially your Instagram account.

It is believed that Gucci is the founder of the concept of "digital influencer" and the first to gather trendsetters around him. With your content, let these brands know that you are ready to do something special for them. This is where "niche" comes into play. For example, for Gucci we chose Galina Rover's Instagram (813 thousand subscribers) , when he had a pronounced bias in fashion.

View this post on Instagram

Post by GALINA ROVER. (@galeine)

Galina Rover for Gucci

Mass market. Brands in this segment also have their own idea of ​​the influencer they need, but the key criteria for them are the age of the audience and the reach of the blog. Such brands very rarely want to see "philosophers" in their lists - influencers who are in perfect harmony with the brand's philosophy. They need people who can replace media placements - banners on websites, ads on Facebook.

Age and reach are important for mass marketing. A blogger needs to work on their blog metrics and target brands that work with bloggers of their age.

The mass market loves "multi-stationers": if you develop YouTube and Instagram at the same time, your chances of cooperation increase. The same applies to "lifestylers" who do not limit their creativity to narrow topics. So, when Galya Rover refocused on lifestyle, she was also invited to participate in the Rimmel advertising campaign.

Other heroines approached Bourjois. This mass market brand conveys the image of a "Parisian", well-groomed, able to combine sophistication and playfulness. The brand loves to collaborate with makeup artists, beauty bloggers, and celebrities. We chose Vika Moiseeva (196 thousand followers) , Veronika Zaborovskaya (78 thousand) and Olya Mikhnevich (75 thousand) for the Eye Catching eyeliner and mascara advertising campaign. The heroines approached the age, the brand was impressed by the positivity of the girls, their beautiful appearance, the ability to make reviews and win over the audience, the multi-channel also worked.

Vika Moiseeva for Bourjois

But Alena Venum (2.2 million subscribers) became the face of the Velvet the Lipstick advertising campaign. Again, a huge reach and multi-channel predetermined the choice, besides, the game proposed by the brand with the transformation into a Parisian was suitable for Alena.

View this post on Instagram

Post by Alena Venum (@alana_venum)

Alena Venum advertises Velvet the Lipstick

If your blog is not yet in the 5,000 largest in terms of reach in the world, as was the case with Alena, this does not mean that the brand will not notice you. The quality of the content and the presence of "feedback" from the audience decide. Now we are watching micro-influencers more and more closely, even 3 thousand subscribers are important and necessary when the account is in line with the spirit of the brand.

View this post on Instagram

Post by CREATIVE | MAKEUP | RETOUCH (@olgadann)

Micro-influencer for Rimmel

Briefly: how to offer your “friendship” to a brand

  1. Be proactive - don't wait for brand representatives to notice the blog themselves.
  2. Use hashtags. Brands are always subscribed to hashtags with the name of the company and products. Take an unusual photo, and the PR department will notice you.
  3. Buy products and post reviews on Instagram. Tag the brand.
  4. Attend industry events and get to know each other. The brand's PR specialist can be found on LinkedIn, contacted on Facebook or by work email.

Author: Anastasia Varetsa

How to Propose Collaboration to a Brand: 10 Steps from an Idea to Success

A trendsetter's success largely depends on whether he knows how to properly offer collaboration to a brand. Many letters remain unanswered just because the proposal does not correspond to a certain style or the blogger failed to convey his idea correctly. The letter should look like a balanced and capacious business proposal. Based on it, the brand representative decides whether to consider the blogger's candidacy for cooperation or not.

How to choose a brand for cooperation

First of all, you need to decide who to write to. Your best bet is to find a partner whose services you can sincerely recommend to your followers. The most obvious choice is your favorite brands, whose products you yourself have been using for a long time.

You can also apply to any brand that matches your account in terms of beliefs and target audience. Consider who would be interested in advertising on your account and what products your followers would be interested in.

Before writing a proposal for cooperation, make sure that the brand is right for you. To do this, just check a few key points:

  • The theme of the blog matches the brand. For example, a beauty blog can advertise cosmetic products and services. Advertising products that are very different in direction may not look organic.
  • CA Compliance. To make it interesting for the brand to cooperate with you, and advertising posts do not irritate subscribers, choose brands that match your target audience.
  • Similar values. Brands, like influencers, carry certain messages. And it is important that they match, otherwise the promotion may turn into a failure or even a scandal.

The algorithm of actions should be something like this:

  1. Carefully study the brand page on social networks.
  2. Think about the formats of cooperation you can offer.
  3. Create a unique offering that is brand specific and consistent with your blogging guidelines.

The advertiser's contact information can usually be found on the official website or social media profile. If such information could not be found, you can attract attention with tags mentioning the brand, or write to Direct.

How to propose partnership to your favorite brand


Brands are always interested in interesting cooperation. Meanwhile, 95% of all offers go to the trash before they are read to the end. The reason is the wrong writing of the letter.

In today's realities, it is very important to be able to correctly express your thoughts online, especially if you are trying to get ahead, enter into partnerships with brands and establish yourself as a guru in your business. Therefore, we have compiled a universal instruction on how to properly propose a partnership.

Step 1: Preparing an account

An influencer must have a perfect page a priori. Make sure your page matches this statement:

  • Your account has a well-chosen bright avatar.
  • Completed BIO, from which it is immediately clear what a blog is.
  • The page has high-quality interesting content, designed in the same style.
  • Hashtags are used correctly.
  • Publications come out regularly and are varied.
  • The account already has followers interested in the content.

Before you offer cooperation, be sure to put your profile in order. Then the brand at first glance will get the impression that you are really a professional in your field.

Step 2: Check Follower Quality and Engagement

Brands don't just look at looks, they look at numbers. Take a look at your profile from the side. To do this, you can use the trendHERO service. It provides over 90 account analytics metrics that brands look at when planning collaborations with a blogger.

The most important thing brands will pay attention to is engagement. Competent SMM specialists have long known that it is not the number of subscribers that matters, but their quality and activity. Accounts with a “dead” audience have long been of no interest to anyone.

With trendHERO you can also check your page for bots and inactive followers. If necessary, clean them up. With the same service, you will receive statistical data about your subscribers, their interests, location, age, gender. This will help you understand who might be interested in working with you, and succinctly formulate your proposal.

Step 3: Stick to your topic

Of course, there are influencers who position their blogs as lifestyle. That is, they can find everything about everything. Such profiles are also popular with brands. But if a blogger has a single topic that he constantly writes about, and this topic is related to the brand, then such cooperation is doubly attractive.

Find your subject and work on it. Write about what you are best at, find your thing and stick to it.

Step 4: Write!

Write first or wait to be noticed? Write! There is nothing wrong with being the first to write and offer cooperation. But you need to do it wisely. Remember that the word "collaboration" implies working together for good. Meanwhile, the vast majority of proposals include only the praise of the blogger, and what he wants to get from cooperation.

Don't get discouraged if things don't work out. You may fail and be rejected for reasons beyond your control. But if your proposal was drawn up correctly, you can at least be sure that you will be heard to the end. Give yourself the opportunity to try again and leave a good impression of you.

How to write a proposal for cooperation

It is important to write a proposal for cooperation in such a way as to really interest the brand. In this matter, several rules can be distinguished, which can be conditionally called the “Rule of five Cs”.

1. Structure of the text

It is considered optimal that the entire proposal for cooperation fits in 1 message in Direct if the correspondence is conducted on Instagram. At the same time, it must necessarily include the following items:

  • Greeting.
  • A short story about myself. No need to draw up long canvases of self-praise. Just briefly state what your blog is about.
  • The essence of the proposal. Describe what exactly you offer. At the same time, first of all, try to interest the interlocutor by telling what he can get from cooperation. Only after that, specify what you would like to receive in return.
  • End. Say goodbye, wish you a good day. You can specify that it is important for you to get an answer, even if it is a refusal.

2. Subordination

Do not forget about good manners. Show respect for your interlocutor and his time. Try to express your thoughts and what you want as succinctly as possible. Be sure to include a link to the account in question.

3. Abbreviations

Do not use abbreviations. Messages in the style: "Barter for advertising" are not conducive to communication, unpleasant and ineffective. If you do not have time, or you are tired, then it is better to postpone writing a message.

4. Interlocutors

Do not use the same message for all brands. SMMs communicate with each other and quickly learn that you are “exclusively” collaborating with dozens of brands. It is better to choose several companies with which you would really like to work, and for each write a letter taking into account its characteristics.

5. Emoticons

Use emoji in moderation and do not replace words with them.

Example: “Hello, Margarita. My name is Anna, and I am developing an insta-blog dedicated to tourism - (link). I would like to offer you cooperation on mutually beneficial terms. For example, you can hold a joint marathon / competition, post a post indicating your brand. In return, you can provide me with examples of your products or a discount on products for my subscribers.

Please, tell us, is this format of cooperation interesting for you?

Thank you in advance for your reply. Have a nice day!?️”.

Step 5: Negotiate

Naturally, one letter will not be enough to agree on cooperation. If you receive an interested response, describe in detail what you offer the brand and what you want in return. This will help close many important questions at the start.

Please specify:

  • What advertising formats can you offer.
  • When you can advertise.
  • In what order will the coordination take place.
  • What exactly do you want in return.

Be open to dialogue. It is likely that the brand already has its own model of working with influencers, or they will want to offer you another more interesting collaboration.

Step 6: Show statistics

It is important for a company to know who your subscribers are - their gender, age, city. Be sure to show the brand your trendHERO account statistics, because no one likes to buy a pig in a poke.

The brand itself can see your statistics, but your openness will add +100 to your karma.

Step 7: Sign an agreement

Today, most companies seek to enter into a formal agreement with an influencer that would guarantee that advertising will be carried out taking into account all the agreed nuances. For a blogger, an official contract is a guarantee that he will receive payment for his work. Moreover, you can sign the contract online.

If you decide to do without a contract, then at least there should be a correspondence between you and the brand, in which the requirements and obligations of both parties will be clearly stated. In this case, in the event of any incomprehensible situation, you can refer to the correspondence and point out inconsistencies.

Step 8: Prepare the content

Most companies today are in the mood for creative collaboration. The “post-gift” format is already pretty boring. Therefore, do not be afraid to connect a creative and offer a non-standard ad format.

Please note that there are brands that require the post to be approved. If you do not want to agree on the post, then at the time of negotiations, let the brand know about it. When agreeing, you do not need to try in every possible way to please the brand, agreeing to all the changes. Don't turn your post into a press release as it won't benefit you or the company.

If there is any disagreement, try to politely explain that you know your subscribers and what content they like, and reach a compromise.

Step 9: Stay in touch

Imagine that somewhere on the other side of the country there is an SMM-man who is waiting and will not wait for your answer. The management pulls him, threatens him with a fine, and you simply do not answer, believing that he can wait.

Don't forget ordinary human relationships. Try to make cooperation with you as comfortable as possible and make adjustments in a timely manner.

Step 10: Get Feedback

Many influencers don't care about results. Posted a post, received a fee - and that's it. But being a trendsetter is a profession. And in order to achieve professionalism in it, it is important to get feedback.

Feedback can be a good impetus to improve the quality of work, as well as show the brand that you are really interested in the result and that you are a professional in your field.

Checklist: Can I already write to brands?

Marketers know that one post from a good influencer can provide many times more touches with the target audience than advertising on TV. Therefore, they are always interested in productive cooperation with influencers. At the same time, brands are not ready to enter into a partnership agreement with every blogger.

Before you start working with brands, make sure that you meet the minimum requirements for a good blogger:

  • Your account already has several thousand regular followers who are active. You don't have to have an audience of millions. Today, brands are ready to collaborate with influencers who have over 1,000 followers.
  • Your account says who you are and what your blog is about. First of all, the brand's SMM manager will go to your page, and based on what is indicated on it, he will make the first impression of your adequacy, literacy, and experience.
  • You have been blogging for more than a month now. It is not recommended to run ads earlier than half a year after the page was created. First you need to develop a loyal audience and accustom your subscribers to receive high-quality expert content from you, and only then add advertising.
  • You know exactly on what conditions you are ready to cooperate. If you yourself do not know what you want, whether you need photos or post only your own, how much time you need, then it will be difficult for the brand to work with you.
  • Analyze your posts. Make sure that the blog topic matches at least a third of all posts, you have a unique style developed, and you have worked out the visuals well.
  • There are no “slippery” topics in your profile. Provocative posts on politics, religion, medicine, minorities can scare away brand representatives who, among other things, also take into account reputational risks.
  • Check your statistics. Knowing your statistics and demographics of the target audience will help you in negotiations with brand representatives, as well as in compiling a content plan and promoting your account.
  • Make sure you have a high engagement rate. This is one of the key parameters that a brand pays attention to when choosing a blogger. If your engagement score isn't good, work on it.

Brand partnerships are always built on an individual basis. Sometimes bloggers with millions of followers get rejected, and micro-influencers sign lucrative contracts. But in any case, it is important that your account looks attractive to both readers and advertisers.

Tips and tricks

For both a blogger and a brand, entering into a partnership is a long and laborious process. First of all, it is important to remember that on the other side of the screen is the same living person, and not a faceless company. Therefore, in communication it is worth adhering to the elementary rules of politeness. Respect your and other people's time. Be brief, to the point, and only during business hours.

Each brand has its own criteria by which they select bloggers for cooperation. You don't have to match all of them. But there are some aspects that every influencer should definitely pay attention to:

  • Be selective in advertising. You should not chase after momentary profit, grabbing cooperation with everyone. So, you may miss the opportunity to get an offer from a really worthy brand.
  • Be honest with your brand and your audience. Brands do not forgive cheating likes and comments, and subscribers - false information.
  • Follow the brief. Try to discuss all the nuances in advance and do not deviate from the agreed conditions. Otherwise, you will create the impression of at least an inexperienced blogger.
  • Work on bugs. If the brand was not satisfied with the cooperation, try to find out what is the reason, analyze where the mistakes were made and how they can be corrected.
  • Strive for quality, not quantity. Today, no one cares how many subscribers an account has. What matters is how active and loyal they are. Work with your audience, build relationships, build your reputation as an expert.

Collaboration with bloggers today plays an important role in the marketing strategy of any company. But it is obvious that a self-respecting brand will not cooperate with just anyone, risking its own reputation. Brands choose their influencers responsibly.

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