Do you want to make money by finding an Instagram sponsorship?
This guide lists influencer programs.
There are many advantages to using Instagram and making money is one of them.
This article offers twelve ways to land an Instagram sponsorship.
Here you will find descriptions of the following agencies: Activate, Influence.co, Seeding Up, and Valued Voice. I have first-hand experience with all of them.
This guide also offers a description of other influencer agencies as well as two methods that result in an Instagram sponsorship for you.
It costs you nothing to join these agencies and try these methods; therefore, these are free strategies.
Get started making money by landing an Instagram sponsorship. Let’s dive in.
Consider these comments from an Instagram user:
“Hi Janice!
Do you have any ideas on how I can best monetize my page? I am a brand ambassador for Arbonne – however, have built my page as my own brand and don’t often plug Arbonne on it as really I would like to develop the page as a brand in its own right. Any help/ideas appreciated! It’s good to get an external view as I have developed the page quite organically.”
This post answers the question, “How do I make money on Instagram?”
By the time you’re done reading this post, you will know how to find an Instagram sponsorship with the following Influencer programs: Activate, Influence.co, SeedingUp, and Valued Voice. In addition, you receive additional ideas about how to get an Instagram sponsorship.
These agencies are free to join and the additional strategies are free as well.
Are you ready to get an Instagram sponsorship with little effort and no cost?
Before we start, I want to clear up a misconception about the number of followers you need to receive an Instagram sponsorship.
Don’t even worry about it! In today’s age, even before the Coronavirus struck, micro-influencers were in demand. Brands can’t afford the prices for influencers like Kim Kardashian.
Let’s define our terms
For the purpose of this guide, you need to know the following terms:
Micro-influencer: Micro-influencers with a fewer number of followers are affordable.
How many Instagram followers do you need to be considered a micro-influencer?
Between 1,000 and 100,000 according to the CMSwire blog qualifies you as a micro-influencer.
Agency – An agency is a company that works with brands and influencers to create an influencer marketing campaign.
This guide tells you how to find those agencies that will give you an Instagram sponsorship.
Influencer Programs
Activate
As my post about how to become an Instagram influencer explained, brands don’t always pay you in money.
Look:
If you are chosen for this Activate campaign, which would be ideal for a beauty blogger, your compensation is a brush set.
Yet, other campaigns do pay in lucrative compensation.
Look again:
When you sign up with Activate, you will bombarded with financial opportunities.
Look:
As you can see, I receive many financial opportunities from Activate. This is just an excerpt from my email inbox showing Activate’s campaigns.
The best part: They are often personalized for my niche.
When you sign up, Activate emails you campaigns.
There are criteria. Apply for any campaigns you feel you qualify for.
Here is the link to Activate: https://try.activate.social/.
Influence.co
This is what you see when you go into your Influence.co account.
At the time of this writing, I didn’t choose to make a banner graphic going across the top, but I could. This is the graphic Influence.co provided.
Next, you see my areas of expertise. On the right-side of the screen, you see my social media metrics. The brands that consider picking me can click Demographics to see the gender that follows me and their geographical locations.
Was I ever chosen for a campaign by an Influencer.co brand?
Yes!
Look:
Influence.co is a community. You can follow people, network, post content, and read other people’s content. Just like other social media sites, Influence recommends people for you to follow.
Look what you see when you go into your account:
Instagram sponsorship tip: As mentioned, I received an Instagram sponsorship from WinPro, but my success came after several rejections.
Let me explain what made the difference between acceptance and rejection, in my opinion.
Let’s reflect for a moment: Why would this brand pick me? I am not a pet blogger. I blog in the blogging tips niche.
However, when I applied to WinPro after previous rejections from other brands, I changed my tactics.
When I applied for the WinPro campaign, I included a link to the content I posted on Instagram which included my dog. This shows the brand you have experience with content in the niche they need. Show them you are what they need; don’t just tell them.
If you are interested in applying to Influence.co, click here: https://influence.co/.
SeedingUp
I am enjoying my tenure with the SeedingUp agency, and I believe you will enjoy your time there as well.
You make the decisions.
You decide if you will accept an Instagram sponsorship, a social media sponsorship on additional social media sites, and sponsored website content. You also decide how much money you’ll accept for each type of sponsorship.
Then, you wait. If a brand wants to work with you, you get contacted.
Have I ever been chosen by a brand at SeedingUp?
Yes! It’s true!
My post about royalty-free music came from SeedingUp.
One reason I highly recommend SeedingUp is you have an account manager. My account manager is the wonderful Melvin.
SeedingUp has a policy against claiming your payment all at once, but Melvin arranged for me to take the money in one lump sum.
The company prefers you take the money in installments to prevent people from taking the money and then taking down the sponsored content.
Melvin knew me for years when this occurred and knew I wouldn’t do that. Having a relationship with a human account manager is definitely one of the perks of this agency.
A word of advice when using SeedingUp: The account manager can’t help who brands pick. Contacting your account manager won’t hasten matters.
Strategy: Consider low-balling how much money you’ll accept. You have to give the brands reason to choose you over someone else who wants an Instagram sponsorship. If you accept less money for an Instagram sponsorship or any sponsorship, you’ll stand a better chance of getting chosen by a brand.
If you are interested in making a SeedingUp account, here is the link: https://www.seedingup.com/.
Valued Voice
Like with the other agencies, you receive notifications when Valued Voice has campaigns for you.
I received a notification for a brand campaign that wanted me to send a tweet on Twitter. The pay: $10.
Tweeting takes seconds, so I sent the tweet.
Later, I looked in my Valued Voice dashboard and saw a notification: I didn’t follow all the instructions so the brand wouldn’t pay me. Oh well. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
If you are interested in working with Valued Voice, here is the link to signup: https://www.valuedvoice.com/,
More Ways to Get an Instagram Sponsorship
More Agencies
I have no personal experience with the following agencies, so I can’t offer you first-hand information:
Since I have never used the following agencies to receive an Instagram sponsorship, I can’t tell you if they are free services like the agencies in the above section.
FameBit
FameBit (rebranded to YouTube BrandConnect last year) is the agency for YouTube influencers and brands that want to hire them.
#Paid
If you are interested in using #Paid, here is the link to the website: https://hashtagpaid.com/.
Tribe
If you are interested in checking out the Tribe agency, here is the link: https://www.tribegroup.co/.
Upfluence
This agency bills itself as “The Smartest Influencer Marketing Platform.”
Upfluence tells brands how to turn influencers into brand ambassadors. That could be you.
If you are interested in working with Upfluence, here is the signup link: https://www.upfluence.com/.
AspireIQ
As you see, this brand bills itself as “the community intelligence marketing platform built for advocacy.”
According to the agency, they “Leverage influencers to build authentic content that fuels [brands’] growth.” They tell brands they streamline influencer discovery.
If you are interested in working with Aspireiq, here is the link: https://www.aspireiq.com/.
Snips
As you see, you have two choices when you sign up. Click “I am an influencer.”
I have no recollection working with this agency, but clearly I signed up since I’m on the mailing list.
Snips sends me informative articles about social media you may enjoy.
According to the email, Snips has a mobile app and a campaign marketplace.
If you are interested in working with Snips, here is the sign up link: https://sni.ps/.
Pitch the Brands
This is the equivalent of cold calling. However, Tash and Viv, the Ace the Gram podcasters, offered this tip. I believe the strategy has monetization potential, and I have already experienced favorable results, so I’m sharing it with you.
Make an Instagram Story and tag the brand.
This has several purposes:
First, you extend your brand’s reach on Instagram.
Next, you engage with your followers through your Story.
Third, this strategy has monetization potential. This is the important part: In the Story, show an item people in your niche would use. Then, tag the brand that makes that item.
They may want to work with you and offer you an Instagram sponsorship. Tash and Viv recommend employing this strategy many times. After repeated tags, you will certainly get the brand’s attention.
Have I ever tried to pitch a brand this way in order to try to get an Instagram sponsorship?
Yes!
Look:
I pitched the Jenny Craig company in my Instagram Story.
Did they offer me an Instagram sponsorship to create content promoting their brand? No.
Something else happened, however.
Look again at the screenshot.
Jenny Craig shared my Instagram Story on their account. The brand has over 20,000 followers which means I extended my reach by pitching the brand.
This is a free strategy that has other benefits even if you don’t end up with an Instagram sponsorship.
Wouldn’t this Instagram Story be great for a food blogger or a fitness blogger?
If you are interested in trying this strategy, here is the link to the National Day Calendar.
Do Nothing: Let the Brands Find You
Earlier I quoted a famous expression, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” so how could doing nothing get you an Instagram sponsorship?
I find opportunities in my Instagram DM section and my emails from people telling me they found me on Instagram.
Most recently, the Inssist company wrote me and offered me an Instagram sponsorship, which I accepted. Exciting!
Instagram Sponsorship Warnings
Like with all decisions in life, you need to weigh your opportunities. Before you accept, understand what is being asked of you.
For instance, there is a fashion company that keeps writing to me. They tell me they found me on Instagram and love my account. They say I am perfect to represent their brand.
Immediately, I am red-flagged since I am not a fashion blogger.
They tell me they want me to go to New York, and the compensation for my participation is discounted plane tickets to get there.
I have also been offered other financial opportunities unrelated to Instagram as a freelance writer. I recall being asked to fill out W-2.forms and a lengthy contract that the minimal financial compensation didn’t warrant.
Next, you need patience. There are so many micro-influencers applying for an Instagram sponsorship, you could be waiting for years.
Wrapping Up: Instagram Sponsorship
In closing, this guide to finding an Instagram sponsorship described agencies you can sign up with so brands can find you.
This post also offered strategies to boost your chances of getting chosen and went over my personal experiences at four of the agencies.
There are many advantages to using social media and the potential to make money is definitely one of them.
Go to the agencies listed here. The agencies do the heavy lifting while you reap the rewards.
These are free tips; you don’t spend any money to try. Are you wondering how the influencer agencies make money? In most cases, the brands pay them.
Final words of warning: Be cautious. Evaluate offers before you accept. You also must be patient. Most of these tips entail making an account and then waiting for a brand to pick you.
Readers, please share. I often read on Quora and Twitter how happy people would be if they were offered an Instagram sponsorship. Sharing enables people who want to make money on Instagram and other social media sites to discover this list.
I look forward to your views in the comment section. Do you know of any other ways to find an Instagram sponsorship?
Related Reading: Social Pay: How to Get Paid Money to Post on 7 Websites
Janice Wald is the founder of MostlyBlogging.com and co-founder of the Mostly Blogging Academy. She is an ebook author, blogger, blogging coach, blogging judge, freelance writer, and speaker. She won the Best Internet Marketer Award and the Best Blogger Award at the 2021 Infinity Blog Awards. Wald was also nominated as 2019 Best Internet Marketer by the Infinity Blog Awards and in 2017 as the Most Informative Blogger by the London Bloggers Bash. She’s been featured on Small Business Trends, the Huffington Post, and Lifehack.
