So, you’ve reached a point with your Instagram where brands are sponsoring your posts, congratulations!
You’ve worked hard to gain your influence and to reach this point.
But then comes the tricky question, is this sponsorship right for you?
Here are 5 things to keep in mind when contemplating whether or not to accept a sponsorship.
Or if you’re striving to become an influencer, check out this 3-Day Become An Instagram Influencer course or this full course on how to Make Money As An Influencer.
How To Stay Authentic As An Influencer
1. Work With Brands Or Products You Already Use
Promoting brands and products you use every day are easy sponsorships to take to stay true to yourself as an influencer.
You recommend the products you use for your friends already, so do the same with your followers!
For example, @elainerau uses extension cords every day as a full-time blogger and was looking for a strip where the outlets were vertical instead of horizontal so that her apple charger didn’t take up 3 ports… and then this brand reached out to her, needless to say, it was an easy YES!
2. Make Sure The Brand Has Good Reviews
If the sponsorship request is from a brand you don’t know or regularly use, be sure to do your research.
Doing a little research into the brand’s history is essential before accepting an offer to work with them. You want to make sure the brand’s practices matches your values.
Some things you may want to know may include:
- If there were any recent scandals with the brand
- Where do they make their product
- What are other people saying about the product
For example, @elainerau didn’t know anything about Vivo Per Lei when they reached out to partner with her on a few projects, so she did her research and only found raving reviews, so she said yes! When she tried it out for herself, she wasn’t surprised how well it worked for her too!
3. Brands That Have Worked With Other Influencers
This is another part of doing your research on a brand… be sure to check out who else is talking about them!
This does two things:
- Gives you more information about what types of other influencers they are reaching out to.
- Gives you more perspectives on the brand or product to consider.
For example, @elainerau decided to work with Wyze when she saw the caliber of influencers they reached out to and how selective they were on who they chose to partner with.
4. Let The Brand Know The Results May Vary
Depending on the brand, they may send you the product to try out before you do the sponsored post or video.
Take your time with the product and figure out if it is something you can genuinely promote.
WARNING: Especially when you are first starting out, it can be tempting to take the first sponsorship that is offered to you. Make sure it is a brand or product you enjoy and can stand behind, otherwise your audience with pick up that you’re not and that can leave doubts about you as an influencer.
For example, before @elainerau promoted these masks, she tried them to make sure she liked them!
5. Make Sure The Product Is Relevant To Your Brand
Nothing comes across more strange than when an influencer endorses a product that seemingly doesn’t have a lot in common with their other content.
There is room to try new things, but sticking to a specific genre builds your authority on a subject, which builds a stronger influence.
The good thing about being an influencer is you decide which direction your business goes, so make sure to exercise that right!
For example, @elainerau‘s audience is almost 100% women, which makes sense why she would promote and talk about her favorite menstrual cup brand.
Remembering these five things will help you stay authentic as an influencer while choosing sponsorships.
If you haven’t created an influencer resume yet to attract brands, check out @elainerau‘s for inspiration.
Amanda Korz is a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger. When she is not working, she enjoys writing poetry, reading, and playing video games.