I, too, got affected by the changes and couldn’t reach my audience like I used to. I had to think of new ways to reach my followers, who cannot see as much of my content as before.

We all can fix these problems by keeping on creating great content and engaging more with others to show your presence. You can also spend money on ads so you can reach more people or use different hashtags. The only issue with these is that you will need to take many trials and errors before knowing what the hashtag sets will drive you more traffic and what ads work best.

Yes, you can. But it will be just like you are creating another Instagram account or any other new social media account in which you won’t have control over their algorithms.

When a trendy channel gets introduced to people, you definitely can take advantage of the new channels and start from zero like other influencers. But I want to point out here is that you don’t know how long it will be popular for and if it will drop off or its algorithm will change. This is one of the risks you have to be aware of when building your influence on a newly launched platform.

Many people look at a blog as another platform to get collaborations, but they forget that you OWN this platform. There won’t be any algorithm changes unless you are changing how to navigate your blog yourself. Guys, you NEED a blog.

According to unverified sources, blog traffic across the internet is going down, and people are encouraging you NOT to start a blog. Wait…what?!?! In my opinion, this is a LIE. Think about it, you creating a blog is like creating another competitor for other people. And when to many competitors join in, it can scare some about what to do. Depending on who is talking, it’s all aimed to benefit someone’s business.  

But stats don’t lie as blogging has grown by 12% since 2015 and 77% of internet users read blogs, 2020. (optinmonster)

Here are the latest Blogging Statistics and Trends in 2020, you might want to take a look at.

If Blogging and having your own blog is bad, why do marketers focus more on blogging than ever before? Marketers who prioritize business blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI (Source: HubSpot)

I have been approached many times by different marketers and companies wanting me to write a blog post and link back to them. Why would they care so much about backlinks to their website if blogging is so-called ‘Dieing’?

They do this to drive more traffic to their website and create an authority in their expertise topics.

Blogging is helping people to find more information and support each other through linking to relevant articles. It creates a space for users to engage in and learn new things. 

Having an email list is a great way to expand your brand. Not only does it give you something that you can control, but it allows you to stay engaged with your audience. Your email list gives you direct access to your follower’s inbox where you have a better chance of being seen in then if posting on Instagram and hoping for all your followers to see your content. It’s the only place where you will get 100% reach every time you send out an email.     

Emailing content marketing pieces generates a 38x return for every 1$ spent (Source: Campaign Monitor)

By creating an email list, you are building a customer base that you can control and potentially sell a product. There is no other place where you have as much control of your content and how it gets sent to people than an email list. 

Although there are many brands out there with budgets to pay influencers and want you to help sell for them, working with every single brand is not a good idea. You will come off as wanting to make money and not making a meaningful impact on your followers’ lives. This will discourage your followers from wanting to see your content and might end up with them unfollowing you.

Below I have three tips to follow when reaching out to brands.

So let’s get started.

Three Tips When Reaching Out to Brands as an Instagram Influencer

First, you will need to find the contact info of the brands you would like to work with, which can be done by finding an email listed on their website or Instagram. Usually, there is a ‘contact us’ section at the bottom of a brand’s website, and there you will be able to find a brand’s contact info.

If you can’t find any information, you can DM them on Instagram and ask for a specific person to talk to and get in touch with. LinkedIn is also another way to connect with brands, but the quickest way is to get into their DM.

Once you have their contact, the next step is to send out the first email.

Your first email needs to include some basic information about you, such as your name, IG Handel, your stats, and why you think you would be the right person the brand should work with.

Include reasons for how you can add value to the brand and what partnering with you would do for their brand. You have to make sure you show your authority and connection you have with your audience to brands. This is the chance you get to let brands know why you would be a great asset to their campaigns.

You can mention that you have a media kit and are happy to send it over for review in this first email.

A media kit will show more in-depth detail about your brand, you, and your follower demographic. It is a good piece of document you should have ready before reaching out.

It’s good practice to follow up on an email after one week. Your email can be as simple as checking in to see if they got your last email as they might have missed it. After about two follow up emails with no response is a sign that the brands are either not interested or too busy to respond. Your email might get lost in their inbox as well, and that’s why it’s always good to send a follow up email.

If you don’t get the response, you can try two more times, but the last email you send out should be professional and let them know that you will be in touch in the next month or quarter. Don’t be rude and let your anger out as this is a professional job, and you might miss all the opportunities with one rude email.

People who don’t know about how influencers work will assume an easy, no-brainer job where you only take a selfie then get paid by brands, which in reality isn’t true at all. 

But today, we are not going to get into the process of how influencer work; instead, we are going to talk about how to get more booked deals by being an influencer through brand collaborations.

If you are ready, let’s dive right into today’s lesson: Getting Noticed by Brands. 

Five Steps to Getting Noticed by Brands as an Instagram Influencer

I discussed this in lesson two about making good first impressions. Check it out to see what you should do first.

When it comes to standing out and being noticed by brands, you need to get this part right, or else brands won’t take the time to look deeper into your account. 

Brands want great engagement and a connection you have with your followers, but they won’t be able to notice that if they get turned off by how your account looks and if your Instagram doesn’t represent that you are an influencer.  

Brands love it when you can show that you authentically love their products before working with them.

Using their products and naturally showing that on your feed is a huge selling point for getting noticed by the brands you already love. Also, having product shots of a brand’s product is an excellent way to showcase your content creation skills.

Posting about a product is good, but leaving a genuine review and tagging the brand in your post is better. Be sure you speak from your heart and not sound over the top that this is ‘The Best Serum of All Time’ unless you genuinely feel that way.

When you tag a brand, that’s a quick way for brands to notice you and might take a look at what type of account you have.

Stories are a great way to share with your followers that you love a specific brand and help you get noticed by brands. When you post a story, tagging a brand you love, a direct message is created. Being in the brands’ DM can help to spark a conversation and make you more noticeable.

Almost all brands have a hashtag(s) they use that speaks to the brand they are. When you use their hashtags, you have a high chance of brands getting in touch with you. Most brands will have a product showcase where they are showcasing a specific hashtag on their website, newsletters, or other channels. It is your chance to be discovered quickly, as the brands’ hashtags are not as popular as other hashtags on Instagram. 

Remember Lesson seven: Growing with Hashtags?

You will also be able to gain new followers who are loving the same brands as you do. 

When you show that you are using their products, that advise brands to consider you to promote their products in the future.  

You might have a chance to feature on their Instagram or website, which will get you to a good start of the brand partnership.