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If you have an established audience on Instagram getting brand deals on Instagram might be a strategy worth pursuing. But how do you go about that?
This article covers:
What are brand deals on Instagram?
Brand deals on Instagram are partnerships between creators and companies. That can include the creator:
- demonstrating a product in a post or Reel
- discussing a topic related to the company
The best brand deals are the ones where the creator’s audience truly overlays with the brand’s target customer. In addition, the specific content that is being shared also makes a difference. It can work nicely if it’s in line with the typical style and content the creator posts.
The worst brand deals are when the brand’s and creator’s audiences aren’t similar. In addition, if the content is entirely off-brand compared to what the creator usually posts, that can be pretty off-putting to the audience.
Read next: How to run sponsored content successfully and correctly
How to get brand deals on Instagram
Before you can probably think about looking for a brand deal, the basics need to be covered:
- Have an Instagram content strategy
- What are you sharing?
- How often?
- Is that a topic people care about?
- Can it be monetized through brand deals at some point?
- Start posting, using hashtags, and build your audience on Instagram. Respond to people.
Then, there are several ways you can get partnerships.
The brand finds you
Being active in a niche can lead to brands reaching out. But, brands emailing or direct messaging can be an overwhelming experience without a plan. I discuss how to be ready in a later section of this article.
On Instagram, you can also save standard replies to those inquiries. In Gmail, you can use automated responders.
You find the brand
You can start running outreach by contacting the brands you want to work with. The biggest downfall of this might be that any outreach strategy takes time, and if you are creating Instagram content on the side, it can take away from what is making you successful as a creator.
Instagram partnership program
I have a professional Instagram account and recently got a popup in the app to invite me to share with brands I’m interested in working with. Here’s how that process looked once I clicked on the popup notification.
Joining this program allows brands to see your metrics and reach out to you directly. If nothing else, this could get you in front of more brands while taking care of the metrics questions. You don’t have to pull numbers for them, they have access already.
How to be ready for brand deals
The first time a brand reaches out to you, it will likely feel great. So exciting. They want to work with you and pay you some money. But, not all brand deals on Instagram or any platform are worth entering into. To know which deals are worth pursuing, know your rules, goals, and even prices.
For example, I have minimum pricing for all products. Pricing that will keep the project profitable. Here’s how I think about that:
- What’s a number that isn’t too high but high enough to get me there?
- How long will it take me to create the content?
- If the brand wants to send me a “free” product, there might be taxes that you have to pay for it. Check with a tax professional. In general, I don’t do deals that pay in free product.
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Consider creating a media kit that you can share with brands.
When it comes to payment. Personally, for smaller deals, I prefer payment upfront. After all, once your content is published, you don’t have much leverage if companies don’t pay. For more significant deals, at the minimum, it should be half up front and half immediately at the competition of the project.
Overall, working with brands on projects on Instagram can be worthwhile. Ensure your project parameters are in place, and response templates help with the pre-partnership conversations.