Hi everyone! Today on the blog I wanted to share a much asked for post. If you’ve been wondering How to Get Brands to Notice You on Instagram, then this is the post for you! I have been working with brands for a little over two years now, so I feel pretty confident that I can give you all the best insight into this topic! Whether you’re brand new to the “influencer” world, or a seasoned veteran, this post will help you out!
Shop The Post
Create Consistent Content on Instagram
Alright so you’re wondering how to get brands to notice you on instagram right? The #1 way to do so is by creating consistent content on Instagram! Now you’re probably thinking, “how do I even do this?” Well there are a few simple things to do that will start making brands notice you on social media. These include: using consistent theme colors, speaking in the same “voice” in all of your posts, and utilizing ALL forms of content creation.
Even if you aren’t using a photographer for your images, you can still create consistent imagery! By shooting in the same type of lighting (indirect, but bright), you can create a cohesive feed by barely trying. When I first started blogging I only shot with my iPhone and a tripod (read about how I did that here). I created all content completely by myself. That’s why I know you can too! Using a preset can help with cohesion too.
Another tip is to use the same “voice” in all of your content! The one thing I am consistently told is that I’m authentic. It’s easy to see that represented because I “sound” the same in everything I do! I always try to infuse my voice into captions by phrasing them in the same way that I would talk. I’m also really open and just ramble on stories sometimes which people seem to LOVE!
The last tip for creating consistent content is by utilizing EVERY form of content creation. I have a full-time job on top of blogging (basically full-time too), so I don’t have tons of time to create content! I try to bulk film any videos I want to share on the weekend so that I can post throughout the week without worrying about it. I’m currently trying to post (at least) 5 IG posts a week, 2-3 Reels, and 1 IGTV in order to create consistency.
Interact With the Brand on Social Media
The second way to get a brand’s attention is to INTERACT with them! I have been reached out to by at least five brands in less than a day after I’ve tagged them on Instagram. Some of these brands include LOFT, Olay, Target, and so many more! Tagging brands means that you’ll show up on their tagged photos which I know for a fact is a way they scout talent.
Another tip for Instagram is to use the brand’s hashtag. For example, H&M’s is #hmxme and Target’s is #targetstyle! Each brand likely has a hashtag they use in order to see user generated content and it’s an easy way to get on their radar. I want to urge you to NEVER opt into the comments where they ask to use your images across their platforms. If you do you’ll end up seeing yourself in ads years later (it’s happened to me personally).
Sign Up For Campaign Platforms
Another way to get instagram sponsorships and get brands to notice you is by signing up for campaign platforms! There are dozens of these sites that can connect you with brands and get you noticed. I would say roughly 35% of my collaborations last year came from campaign platforms! Some of them even paid really well. You can also always negotiate your rates with a brand too!
With these sites, they can be great but also have pitfalls. Half the time there’s a TON of information you have to input. You also have to periodically update your built in Media Kit that can be tedious when starting on a new platform. It’s sort of like creating a cover letter for your content creation. It’ll take an hour or so, but the payoff will be well worth it!
10 Influencer Platforms You Need to Join Today!
Make Sure to Have a Concise Instagram Bio
Think of your Instagram bio as your elevator pitch to brands. The first thing a brand will see once they go to your page is your bio! If you don’t have all the information you need readily available, they are NOT going to go searching for it and will find someone else. That’s just how it is! PR and social media reps are busy and they do not have time to go hunting for your email.
In my personal opinion, it’s helpful to have your location (I just have “ATL”), a brief sentence about your blog/account (I have “Fashion + Lifestyle tips for women on-the-go!”), a little bit about you (I have “Social Media Strategist”) and then your email address! Yes, there’s an email button, but I promise you that no one uses it. Add that sucker to your bio too.
Have An Engaged, Authentic Audience
It doesn’t matter how many followers you have if you don’t have an engaged audience. Point blank! Brands want you to generally have at least a 2% engagement rate. I hover between 3% and 5% depending on the post (and algorithm haha). This all said, having followers that actually care about what you have to say is the biggest things that brands look for! Pro tip: pin comments relevant to what you’re styling so brands can immediately see it.ย
A tip that I often share in my consultation calls about getting your audience engaged is by asking questions! I generally ask an easy to answer question in the first line of my caption. I’ll then share my response to the question in the second section of the caption, and follow that up talking about the image in the third section. This seems to be a foolproof caption idea!
Utilize Hashtags + Geotags
Hashtags are still something I haven’t completely mastered, but when you get them right it PAYS OFF! When I posted this tee, I got almost 5,000 likes from just using 3 hashtags. It was obviously a rare occurrence, but made me start to use less hashtags rather than all 30 hashtags in captions. If you want even more inspo, I have a post that you can read (here) that gives you 120+ Hashtag Ideas to use on Instagram!
Let’s chat geotags next! This is literally just a fancy term for tagging the location of your photos. The benefit to this? Brands that are looking for influencers in specific areas are able to find you and your content! PayByPhone actually found me by my geotag and I booked (this) paid campaign with them last year. I doubt this will get you a large amount of campaigns, but it for sure helps!
10 Tools Every Blogger Needs for Success
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! These are all my best tips on How to Get Brands to Notice You on Instagram! If you’re a newer influencer, these tips will help you up your Instagram game sooo much. I wish I had known these when I started out!
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe below! I send out a weekly newsletter every Tuesday with fashion tips, lifestyle hacks, post recaps, and so much more. It’s also where you’ll get exclusive content not featured on my blog or in my social channels. If this sounds interesting to you, sign up below!
Photos byย Hannah Lozano
Instagram // Pinterest // Facebook // Bloglovin’ // Twitter
Leave a Reply