Sponsored Instagram posts have also caught the eyes and ears of many small businesses looking to take advantage of the influencer culture that just came about. 

However, sponsoring on Instagram is not just for the businesses or wanna-be influencers, it is, in fact, good for all the parties involved and can be a good marketing tool.

To understand sponsored posts or how Instagram sponsored posts work, one needs to understand the environment and the people involved to get the best of it. 

If you are someone looking to find out how to get a sponsored Instagram post, Instagram paid post, and perhaps just looking to sponsor some posts, you are on the right path.

In this article, we answer everything involving sponsoring posts on Instagram along with ways to get sponsored posts on Instagram. 

Thus, this article is useful regardless of which side of the business spectrum you reside on. With that being said. 

We will structure this piece into two parts, or sections where we explain how do Instagram sponsored posts work from the point of view of a small business or entrepreneur. 

Then, where we discuss how sponsored posts work from the point of view of an influencer. 

What Is A Sponsored Post On Instagram 

Before we move forward, however, it is important to find out what sponsored posts on Instagram are. 

Although it sounds simple, understanding that is not quite as simple as it sounds. Sure, it is obvious that there is money involved.

But how and which sides received and what one should expect is probably not quite as clear. 

So let us just get that straight. 

How Do Instagram Posts Work For Small Business

If you are an entrepreneur and looking to sponsor someone on Instagram, you need to pay attention to just a few things:

First, identify what you expect from the promotion. This is easy if you know what you need. If you are also another influencer or somebody who wants to become an influencer. 

This can get tricky, but it is still possible. So, the best practice is to first identify what you need, then move on forwards. 

However, in this piece, we are placing the focus on the question of how do Instagram sponsored posts work, which means you identifying what you need for your business is not part of it.  

We will have to skip over that part of the question and continue with the main one. 

So, to explain what branded content Instagram is, we will need to assume a situation where you are the business that is looking for sponsoring on Instagram. 

Sponsored Posts On Instagram 

If you are a business and looking to sponsor a post, there are a number of things you need to do after you identify what you need. 

Those include choosing the type of post that matches your desired outcome. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness then sponsoring a post with an influencer who has a high number of followers will be better compared to someone with less.

But what if you want to increase conversions? 

Then, you would have to buy a sponsored post with a higher engagement.  While this is simple to understand when you read about it. 

It is harder to understand it if you have not done your homework and know what you are looking for. 

That is why, we have decided to help you with that as well, and create a list of possible topics or things you may need sponsored posts on Instagram for. 

• Brand awareness 
• Engagement
• Lead generation 
• Traffic 
• Conversions 

These are just some of the most popular business needs. But as we mentioned, your business might need something that is totally different or all of them at the same time. 

So, depending on the needs of your business you should proceed. Additionally, if these were the specific things you may need from an influencer, there were also two ways to go about sponsoring a post. 

Branded posts vs Sponsored posts

Branded posts are the ones when you ask a certain influencer to create a specific post dedicated to promoting your business. 

These posts are usually more expensive but also bring better results and are in fact good to drive traffic and increase awareness. 

Branded posts include not just photo shoots or videos. It can take the shape of anything that the platform allows the users to create and share, things like Stories, videos, Reel, IGTV long-format videos, carousel posts, and everything else. 

You can also advertise your own post from your own page, which would also be considered as a sponsored post on Instagram. 

These are also called somewhat branded posts but not always. They are more on the sponsored site.  It doesn’t make sense when you think about it, but it is what it is.

The idea is that you post a picture or Story that is advertised directly with the platform.

This way of promoting is also very popular among small business owners and entrepreneurs. 

Now that we know about how do Instagram sponsored posts work, from the business point of view, let us talk a little bit about why you should want to sponsor a post or promote on your account. 

The first and the most obvious answer that comes to one’s mind is that to improve the business environment for sure but also for a few other reasons we will discuss next. 

Why To Sponsor Posts On Instagram

We have already quickly mentioned the types of business needs that may arise in regards to sponsoring the posts. 

Although those are true. We will uncover some of the tips that you need to know that will help you get high returns on your investment.

Sponsoring posts on Instagram for the purposes of increasing sales won’t give you the best results. Because if you are a small business, you certainly can’t afford one of the Kardashians. 

So, that will leave you with micro-influencers who are good at driving awareness and engagement but most likely not sales. 

Although the data to prove otherwise exists, the data that proves the buying habits of people have changed and it is more often on social media now doesn’t exist. 

What that simply means is that we just recommend using any kind of sponsorships on Instagram with one purpose only and that is to increase engagement or brand awareness.

In fact, any social media is greatly suited for boosting your popularity and promoting your page, reaching more people from your specific area or outside, and in short to increase brand awareness.

Thus, sponsored posts on Instagram should focus on such things.

How Do Instagram Posts Work For Influencer

We have discussed how do Instagram posts work if you are a business. Now, let us turn to you as an influencer. 

Being an influencer means you not only get quite an attention for being on the platform but get money for diverting that attention to certain pages, sites, businesses. 

This is a win-win for both the business and the influencer. Yet how to get a sponsored Instagram post if you are just beginning?

To get Instagram-paid posts, an influencer needs to have at least 1000 followers and a stable rate of engagement. 

As an influencer depending on how much you want to make, if at all, you need to be always on the lookout for opportunities. 

Because the way Instagram sponsored posts work is that sometimes they message you or you reach out to them. 

Either way, these are some of the things you want to do to make sure you get sponsored Instagram posts. 

DM bussinesses

When you gain a certain number of followers, you should not wait for the sponsored Instagram posts to appear at your doorstep and ask you to share them.

Sometimes, you should be the one reaching out to them. However, this should also be done with a few things in mind. 

You can’t just contact the Coca-Cola company,  because you drink their product, and want to advertise them.

The companies or the businesses you reach out to must be somewhat of a company that has a higher chance of accepting your request. 

Also, it is a good idea to talk to companies that align with your values and your interests. If you are in a certain niche, then choosing a business in that niche is suggested. 

Let them know publicly 

If you don’t feel like directly reaching out to them, it is also a good idea to just let them know you are interested publicly by tagging them or mentioning them.

However, this also should not be blatant and make you seem like you are asking. Simply by mentioning them, you already show interest. 

Mentioning them should also be with a few words of positivity and appreciation. Then again, be careful when picking a company. 

You can show your appreciation to a company that won’t listen. For example, Pepsi or Cola, are way too big companies that aren’t looking for everyone who wants to advertise. 

But you get the logic. It is that you need to let people know you could be interested in sponsorship. 

Share your contacts 

One of the best ways to get sponsors on Instagram is to actually be easily available. Because when you start gaining popularity, you will also be getting a lot of emails asking you to post a branded deal.

This cannot, however, happen if you don’t have your contacts displayed on your screen.   however, if they really want to contact you they will find a way. There is always the possibility of DMing you. 

But the email address or a website for formal inquiries should be present in the bio.

These are again just some of the basics of how Instagram paid posts work and how you may get sponsored on Instagram. 

To Wrap Up 

Sponsoring on Instagram or getting sponsored on the platform doesn’t work in mysterious ways. It is simply one party asking the other to post certain content for a certain reward. 

Sponsored Instagram posts to look and act the same way as other posts from a follower’s standpoint. But it is different between the sponsor and the poster. 

Those differences have been explained here, and we hope it is all clear for you at this stage. 

If you are interested in reading about social media how-tos, check out our Instagram category on our blog to learn more.