Influencer Marketing is becoming the dominant choice for brands and businesses looking to reach their target audiences. As an Instagram Influencer, you have a high amount of leverage when it comes to start-ups and small businesses. As long as you have a reasonably sized following, the attention you harness is something that is highly sought after. However, maybe you’re looking for bigger and better things. Maybe you want to use your influence to represent some of your favorite big brands like Nike, Adidas, BMW or even Instagram! Just below we are going to give you our Proven Method for Becoming a Brand Ambassador.
Not an Instagram Influencer? Check Out: How to Become an Instagram Influencer?
How Do I Get Started?
So you’re looking to start working for brands/businesses, using your social media to represent and promote their products or service? There are a few things we need to cover to ensure your Instagram account has the best chances for brand sponsorship. Let’s start with making your Instagram profile!
Professional Instagram Account Set Up
Like an Instagram Influencer, your IG account is your resume. Your Instagram account profile and feed should speak for itself when other users, brands or businesses visit. Having a professional and a quality Instagram account will attract more followers, but more importantly brands & businesses.
Profile Picture
This is the first exposure brands will have when you engage with their content or message them through Direct Messages. Your profile picture should be a clean, high quality, & professional looking headshot. Try having a positive facial expression such as a smile. This has been shown to have higher conversions when it comes to e-commerce. The same image psychology can be applied to your profile picture to increase your chances of brand sponsorship.
Account Bio
This is one of the most important pieces of content for your Instagram Account. Although the original intention of the Account Bio was to showcase a short description of the account owner and some Instagram Influencers do use it this way. However, a large percentage of the Instagram community write their Account Bio with a landing page mentality.
What does this mean exactly? Instead of showcasing personal information about your self. You can use the account bio space to showcase some of your major achievements or talents. A large portion of Instagram Influencers actually put “Influencer” in their Instagram Bio. This is so brands/businesses know that this account is an influencer looking to collaborate. You don’t have to stop there, you can add things like “Content Creator”, “DM for Promotion”, “Seeking Sponsorship”, etc.
Last but not least you should always include a Call to Action (CTA) in order to drive traffic off instagram or to get your audience to perform an action.
Instagram Story Highlights
This is something that can really drive a lot of business to your page. Since the introduction of Instagram Story Ads, brand/business have been using them like wildfire to promote awareness, traffic & sales. When it comes to your Instagram Account, showcasing high-quality Instagram Highlights can be extremely valuable for brands. The ability to create compelling and creative Instagram Story content is going to help immensely in finding brand sponsorships.
Note: Create professional looking icons to be cover photos for your Instagram Story Highlights. This will help keep your feed theme consistent as well as make your Instagram Account look more professional.
Account Feed Content Strategy
If you’re an Instagram Influencer looking to get sponsored by brands or businesses. It’s important that you bring a level of consistency to your account feed theme. The Instagram Account Feed Theme refers to the type of content you post, the overall “theme/niche” that people should interpret when they visit your page. It’s imperative that you are consistent in:
- The quality of your photos/videos. The only content you should be posting is high-quality content with value.
- Your account activity. You should be posting on your Instagram Account Feed at least 1-3 times a day, the same should be applied to your Instagram Stories.
- Your content type should be consistent. If you want to represent a particular niche or industry it’s important that you post content that aligns with that niche. This will allow you to build a more targeted audience which is more attractive to businesses & brands.
Check out these Full Explainer Video on Account Feeds!
How to Start Connecting With Brands
Now that you have changed your Instagram Account to be more professional, we can now begin to market your influence to brands/businesses. Check out how to find brand sponsorships down below.
Instagram Story Highlights
As we have already discussed before, Instagram Story Ads are becoming a strong asset in a Social Media Marketers toolbox. In addition, brands and businesses have been taking advantage of a media outlet. The importance of quality Instagram Story content is only going to become more prevalent as time goes on.
Finding Instagram Influencers that are able to create captivating Instagram Story content is a valuable asset. Like an Instagram Influencer, your Instagram Story Highlight reel should be full of breathtaking photos/videos that showcase your talent. Having high-quality & creative content is going to help sell your abilities to brands.
What Do I Post?
It’s our recommendation to be advantageous and create promotional content for brands in your niche. Even before they ask you to become a brand ambassador. The reasoning behind these decisions is that you need to stand out amongst the sea of Instagram Influencers. One of the best methods for getting brands to pay attention to your content is to tag them in your posts.
This method is huge is the fashion industry, especially in the streetwear scene. Streetwear influencers, or “Hypebeasts” as they are known in their niche, take constant pictures wearing some of the latest and greatest streetwear. Brands notice the attention these Hypebeast attract, that’s why many partners with these influencers; leaking information or products early to a select few to increase the hype.
Another great Instagram Story Highlight to post to increase brand sponsorships is reviews or past work. This will help build your credibility and influence on Instagram.
Networking in the DM’s
If you’re looking to jump-start your career in brand sponsorships try networking with brands through Instagram Direct Message. Start by creating a unique headline. Think of this like email marketing, a good subject line is going to be the difference between an open or close. For Instagram Direct Messages the first line of your message is what the user will see, make it count.
Don’t use generic headlines, try to call the reader to action. Some of the best emails engage the reader by using their first name or using some other style of the personalization. It’s important that your message does not come off as an automated message or spammy. The easiest way to get deleted from an inbox is to come off spammy.
When introducing yourself, try to connect with the brand. Talk about your past and how much you support their brand/business. It’s also important to showcase the value you bring to the table. Brands’ aren’t giving our sponsorships like candy to any Instagram Influencer that asks. In order to earn your spot as a sponsored Influencer on Instagram, you need to bring value. The way you do that is with the attention you garner from your following.
Want to Get Sponsored By Brands?
Check out the Your Charisma Influencer Marketing Platform! Where Instagram Influencers and Brands come together to conduct business professionally.
Next Steps…
Now that you know how to attract and connect with brands on Instagram. Let’s find out how to price your following so you can get the most out of every brand sponsorship!
Click Here: Top 5 Ways to Get Paid by Brands as an Instagram Influencer