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The world of Instagram influencers is growing like never before. Brands are actively looking for micro-influencers to collaborate with for content creation, marketing, and brand/ product awareness. It will also be safe to say that large organizations depend on such Instagram bloggers with a high audience following. However, there are still some of you- influencers still struggling to find brands to work with you on Instagram, and that’s quite understandable. Given the growing demand and reciprocating influencer availability, it could be difficult for suitable brands to find you or vice versa.
Some brands are willing to work with influencers even with 1000 followers, but you need to find them. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to land a paid partnership and how to pitch to a brand. Remember, it’s never easy, but dedication and being on the trend loop gets you a long way.
1. Build a Niche:
Your success as an influencer largely depends on having a specialized niche and not being a Jack or Jill who deals with almost everything. Brands look for bloggers to have a focused group and if it matches their product or service. To start with, you need to build a brand for yourself that best defines you.
We do not mean you need to restrict yourself to one niche, but you can always combine two or more relative ones if that interests you. It could be lifestyle and fitness, fashion and travel, or real estate and marketing. It helps you better target the audience under your chosen niche(s) and gives brands an idea of where you hold a place and identify if you are a perfect match.
2. Joining an Influencer Marketplace:
Various platforms enable you to showcase your talent and capabilities to brands actively searching for influencers. Such marketplaces are a great way to connect with brands making it a win-win situation. You can effortlessly get a gifted or paid partnership through influencer marketing platforms.
Some of the popular platforms and influencer networks we suggest are Cohley, AmbassadHer, Influenster, Octoly, and Collabstr. They are a great option that does not require you to have many followers. Collabstr is an excellent passive channel that allows you to create a ‘Creator’ profile and lets the brand approach you.
Having a marketplace profile is a must-have for anybody looking to gain Instagram brand deals.
3. Direct Brand Pitching:
The most effective way to get a brand to work with you is to approach them directly. You can look for brands that highly engage with influencers or someone you are a true fan of and directly contact them with your pitch.
Start with making a list of all the brands that interest you and reach out to them through an email with a clear pitch stating Who you are, What interests you in collaborating with them, What is your work as your previous achievements, and how you will be the best match for them.
Note: Your subject line should mention that you are an influencer looking to collaborate with them on Instagram.
4. Check other blogger’s feed:
Another great way to find brands to work with is by researching other Instagram influencers with a similar niche and number of followers. Doing so, you can get inspiration by checking out who they’ve previously collaborated with or who sponsors them. Also, check influencers with 5000+ and 5000- followers to get an idea of brands working with bloggers similar to you.
This technique is the simplest way to find potential collaborators, get a glimpse of their requirements, and reach out to them.
5. Tag brands on your Instagram posts:
It would help if you had brands to find and recognize you. A creative and easy way to do so is by tagging the brands on your most trending posts and getting a place in their notification list. But do not tag any brand. Instead, learn about your audience and shortlist brands that benefit the most from your partnership.
It helps the brand notice you and encourages them to reach out to you directly. If you haven’t heard from them, you can write an email with a link to the post and mention the impact of your hashtag and use this as your selling point.
6. Look out for Brands already following you:
We keep hunting for opportunities on different influencers’ feeds and often forget to check out our followers and audience. You will be amazed to discover the number of small businesses, labels, and boutiques that already follow you. Also, another vital point to note here is that they follow you only because they already enjoy your content and value what you share. You will get to know brands you never knew of but the potential ones you might be looking for are possible.
Note: These brands have kept an eye on your metrics and likes. A little bit of effort and an excellent conversation showing interest will get them working with you quickly.
7. Create an Appealing Bio:
Your bio is the place for you to message that you are a growing influencer and actively looking for paid promotions and collaborations. Use this space smartly and add links to your other platforms, website, or youtube. Brands like to engage with influencers who have an active presence on multiple platforms. A unified social media presence leads to a larger audience that brands appreciate when working with an influencer. Your bio is an easy way to share information about you which brands find helpful when learning about you as a potential partner. Lastly, it is the perfect place to stand out in a few words and sentences and attract businesses with similar values.
To Conclude:
Finding brands to work with maybe a vital task, but you should not forget to maintain high-quality content and keep your audience well engaged. Your relationship with your followers and other influencers is what brands value the most. Continue listening to your audience and stay consistent. Because in the end, you need to launch yourself, have fun in what you do, and only collaborate with brands you trust 100%.
Also, read, How to get a quality blogger for outreach?
