Do you run a makeup artist business and want to get big makeup brands as sponsor? If YES, here are 7 sure tips on how to get makeup sponsors on Instagram. Getting sponsored on Instagram is in form of promoting a brand or product to your vast or growing fan base. Particularly on Instagram, accounts with a lot of followers accept payments to have other people’s contents featured on their page for the sake of promotion to a larger audience.
This idea grew with the advancement in technology but is done in private through direct transactions rather than through a legitimized medium like Instagram where it can be legally documented. As such, the content being marketed is not being regulated very well.
In recent years, Instagram has been trying to change the transparency of this method of advertising and is launching a new tool for that purpose. Upon the submission of a sponsored post, there will be a visible tag at the top “Paid Partnership with Sponsor Name”. They believe this will allow a more legitimized form of promotion between the influential users of Instagram and the brands willing to get their names out.
What Does It Mean to Get Sponsored on Instagram by Big Brands?
Being sponsored as a makeup artist on Instagram simply means that a company believes in you and what you’re doing and wants to help. It can also mean that you have something a company wants: lots of exposure. For instance, Company A may have a product they believe best fits the audience you have. You have a fairly good-sized following, so they approach you and offer to sponsor you in exchange for promotion – a video, a link in an article or even a social media status.
The benefit you receive could be money or product(s) – it depends on the company and your needs. Also Company B may see that you’re hosting a meetup or conference in the near future. The person there may completely believe in the message you’re trying to bring to your audience, and so the company decides to partner with you.
They give money to the event in exchange for branding of some type. The company wants to be associated with whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. So how do you attract sponsors for your makeup skills on Instagram? Read on as we present a step by step method to grow your brand and attract sponsors.
7 Sure Tips on How to Get Makeup Sponsors on Instagram
1. Getting Makeup Sponsors on Instagram
Instagram is a great place to show off your makeup skills and build a following that appreciates your unique style. It can be difficult to stand out when there are so many other makeup Instagrammers. To succeed in this competitive hustle, you need to bring something unique into the industry and also post clean and polished pictures. With such great content, you’ve started racking up followers and now you’re considering how to take it to the next level with Instagram collaborations and sponsored posts.
2. Know who you are and learn from experts
At the first instance, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge to grow your brand to attract sponsors, especially with so many influencers in the market. But it’s important to realize that if you have a strong visual identity, post regularly and have organically gained a loyal and engaged following, you have precisely what brands are looking for.
Also have it in mind that successful Instagrammers are popular for a reason, so break their accounts down and find out why. It’s advisable that you find people whose accounts you want to emulate and learn from them by examining which of their posts are most successful and see if you can identify what makes them popular.
The goal is not to rip them apart or emulate them totally, but to locate the essence of how they’re connecting with their audience. Is it because of fantastic Instagram stories? Is it because of their clever use of hashtags? Is it because of the way they interact in their comments?
Is it because of their posting schedule? Find the secret sauce to their success and emulate it in your own profile. You should also consider looking for Instagram inspiration in makeup or cosmetic companies. They often hold contests and giveaways that you can engage with and learn from.
3. Know your audience and connect to your community
Knowing your audience is very important if you want to convince a brand to work with you. If you understand your audience, you’re able to correctly identify which brands will see the most success from using you as their sponsor.
You can begin by gathering the basics — what are the gender, age, and geographical location of your core demographic? Which of your posts do they like the best? What times of day do they respond best to content, and what can you infer from this?
The demographic information you gather will help you pitch partnerships with brands. Brands want to know who they can reach if they work with you. Also note that the way you engage with your community can have a big impact on how well your profile performs.
One way to do this would be to utilize Instagram stories to share some of your favourite posts and images from other people to highlight the cool things they are doing. Always make sure you tag them so they see it. This is a great way to make Insta-friends. Another way you can get involved is by interacting with other influencers on the platform. Comment on their posts about looks of theirs that you love, ask them for tips, or give some advice of your own.
4. Establish a media kit
A media kit is an influencer’s business card. A great influencer media kit gives you a professional appearance and helps you to present your influencer potential quickly and effectively to potential brand partners. Have it in mind that when done very well, brands can easily visualise a potential collaboration with you.
Also you won’t need to write long emails to introduce yourself when pitching brands for potential collaborations and campaigns. Take photos that are about the same thing and that maintain a similar visual style. This clarifies to followers and brands what your image is and what they can expect from your posts.
You can also maintain a visual style by creating a colour palette. This means, for instance, that most of your photos may feature a lot of pinks, oranges and yellows. You would then not include an image with a lot of shadows and dark browns and greys on your profile.
5. Choose brands that fit and tag them when you post
Before you try to gain a brand sponsorship, it’s advisable that you make a list of your favourite brands that you would enjoy promoting. Note that choosing brands and companies that flow with your interests or beliefs is a good start. Smaller brands are recommended to start with, as there will be fewer fellow influencers vying for a sponsorship and it is a good way to eventually be noticed by much larger brands.
You can also think about products you use or maybe stores you shop in regularly and enjoy. If you know of local companies, that’s even better. Research and find out if the brand is already using influencers. Some brands are not employing influencers, and you don’t want to waste your time trying to convince them to.
You can look at Instagram accounts of other influencers similar to you and see who is sponsoring them. After you must have found the brand you want to partner with, do not be shy to tag them.
This increases the chance that they will see it, as will the brand’s fans and followers. Always make sure that the image and message you are posting is something the brand would like to be associated with, which means: high image quality, nothing offensive, and nothing negative about the brand or its fans.
6. Reach out to the brand or pitch your idea to them
After you must have interacted with the brand’s posts, you can send a direct message on Instagram explaining why you think this partnership would be a good idea. You can also search for the email address of the company’s Social Media Manager and reach out directly to that address. Once you have an email address, you should compose a concise, clearly-written pitch letter. Note that your pitch letter will expand upon what you already said in your first message.
Always ensure that your letter communicates all the important information they will want to know: who you are, what you do, what industry or Instagram niche you are a part of, what makes you qualified to promote their brand, your number of followers and engagement rate, and your pitch for how you and the brand could collaborate. Experts suggest that you personalize the pitch letter. You don’t want them reading a generic letter that could have been sent to 50 brands in exactly the same way. Everyone wants to feel special and wanted.
7. Be Authentic and Original
This is one of the most important steps in getting Instagram sponsors especially for a makeup artist. Getting Instagram sponsors and working with brands on Instagram collaborations is great, but it’s important to remember that your followers come first.
Note that staying authentic and maintaining your visual identity and voice is very crucial to keeping a loyal follower base. You wouldn’t want to lose followers by littering your Instagram with posts that no longer fit your personal brand.
It’s important for you to have inspiration for your Instagram content, but your account also needs to be uniquely you. Think about what makes your look special and why other people find your unique twist interesting. Build on the niche that you set aside for yourself and grow your audience from there.
8. Always review your products and use key hash tags and captions
It will be very bad to keep using your favourite foundation when your followers don’t really like it. Recommendations show that you know what you are talking about and try to open a discussion with people who have either tried the product before or are grateful for the information you are providing.
Have it in mind that people love to offer their opinions, so a post that features your own opinion can open the door for a greater discussion with the community. Indeed a picture is worth a thousand words, but the rest of your story is told in the caption and tags. You have to understand that a good description can give your images context and elevate the way people enjoy your content, and thoughtful hashtags can help your work land in front of new audiences.
Always note that your hashtag game will make or break your endeavours in this business because of the message it sends your viewers. Tags like “#follow4follow” can look unprofessional and will probably tell visitors that people don’t actually follow you for the content you produce.
You can hashtag products you use in your look, brands you are wearing, and things that describe the picture. Look at hashtags before using them, to see what kind of engagement they get, how popular they are, and if it is the right audience for your photo.
Conclusion
Most Instagram make up artists work with brands based on how well those brands fit with their niche or will appeal to their audience. It’s important that you do the same and go for a brand that has something to do with the cosmetics or beauty industry.
Also take your time to consider what you’re trying to accomplish. Good Instagrammers think of how their image will look in the feed, but great Instagrammers think about how their image will fit in their profile page. Strive to create a consistent pattern or theme on your profile so that your posts can work together to create a tapestry of your creations. Also have it in mind that people don’t follow amateur makeup artists, they want to see the work of a professional.
Note that you can become a professional makeup artist in many ways, and one of the most common ways is by attending beauty school. Completing a makeup artistry program can allow you to learn new things and sharpen the skills you might already have. It can also give you some pedigree amongst your followers to be able to say that you’re a licensed makeup artist.