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7 Ways To Get Noticed By Brands On Instagram To Grow Your Blog

So you’re ready to take the next step on your Insta-journey and start earning a little side income hey? Or, maybe you’re just busting to try out new products & build relationships with people in the industry by working with brands.

But, despite what you wish was true, working with brands, let alone getting them to notice you, isn’t always the easiest task when it comes to Instagram.

Lucky for you, I’ve done all the groundwork for you & today I’m here to give you a one-way ticket to getting noticed by brands on Instagram.

Shall we?

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1. Create High-Quality Content

Although this might seem incredibly obvious, creating unique & high-quality content is the number one thing you need to focus on if you’re serious about working with brands.

Forget about stock photos, stealing images from Google & writing poor and un-engaging captions. If you really want to get brands to notice you, your content must be A+ quality. So, whether your skills on Instagram lie within your photography, your engaging & witty captions, or your expertise within your niche, show off those skills girlfriend!

Brands need to know why you are the perfect match for them – don’t be afraid to toot your own horn and show off whatever it is that makes YOU.

Embrace your skills & qualities and show brands that you are damn good at what you do!

And, once you’ve built a beautiful, cohesive Instagram theme, brands are bound to fall in love with your content & want to work with you.

2. Engage With Others In Your Niche

One of the best ways to get your name out there on Instagram is to engage with others. Now, I’m not talking just about anyone and everyone, I’m talking about others within your niche.

By focusing on engaging purely with accounts in the same niche as you, you will be getting in front of the right brand’s eyes.  For example, let’s say you’re a beauty blogger & you want to get the attention of Bobbi Brown.

Do you think Bobbi Brown would be checking out photos of poached eggs on toast at a pop-up cafe in Melbourne? I think not. So, engage with content that directly relates to the type of content that you create on your own feed and your chances of getting noticed by brands is even higher.

Using generic “this is cute” or “love your profile” comments won’t gain the attention of brands, so let’s just wipe them out of the equation altogether, shall we? So what type of comments should you be writing on these posts to spark the interest of brands?

It’s simple really! You could ask questions about the brand they’re talking about, why they believe it’s so good, or shows your interest in trying it also (without seeming needy). You’d be surprised how many Instagram brand partnerships have come about from me commenting on other ‘grammers posts!

 

3. Work With Brands

Say what?!  Yep, you read that right.

When you show brands that you are eager to work with brands, don’t be shy about working with other brands.   Chances are you’ve learned how to converse with their marketing team, commit to deadlines, meet posting requirements, etc.

Don’t be afraid to work with “competitor” brands – there is totally nothing wrong with working with multiple brands in the same industry. After all, just like how your content is unique in its own way compared to every other beauty/food/wellness Instagrammer ever, brands too have their own USP (unique selling point).

4. Be Honest

Whether you’re commenting on other people’s posts, drafting your captions or sharing a “behind-the-scenes” on your Insta-story, be honest in all you do. You see babe, brands appreciate honesty.  They don’t want to work with any old Instagrammer – they want to work with honest people who are going to give honest feedback on their products/services.

Talking up products that you really don’t like that much, just to gain the attention of brands will do two things. 1) Gain their attention and 2) Steer them in the direction of any other Instagrammer that’s not you. Yep, they’ll blacklist you.

5. Tag Your Favorite Brands

Where necessary, tagging brands in your content is one of the smartest ways to grab their attention. Each time you tag a brand in your post, whether that be in the caption or the photo itself, Instagram sends them a notification. 

Although tagging brands does get their attention, I highly advise against tagging brands purely just for the sake of getting their attention.  Only tag where necessary.

Don’t go tagging brands willy nilly – brands don’t appreciate being spammed with tags by Instagrammer’s desperate to grab their attention. Take notes from our last point – be honest & be sincere. Only tag them if it fits the post. So, if a brand does match your content and it’s the perfect fit, tag away girlfriend! Brands love to see customers sharing their products & tagging them in their photos! 

 Each time you post on Instagram, whether that’s a static post or Insta-story, always tag the brands that you are mentioning.

6. Maintain a personal and professional profile 

Just before, we touched on showing off your skills. Now, it’s time to show off your personality & your professionalism.

Posting derogative content will send brands running in the opposite direction so just avoid doing this altogether, okay? In everything, you do on Instagram, whether that be sharing content on your own feed or commenting on other people’s posts, be professional in all you do.

I like to think of working with brands a little like working for an employer. You gain their attention, hand them your resume (or in this case, media kit) and either get the job or don’t. So, each time you’re ready to hit publish, think to yourself “would my potential employer be okay with reading this?” If you answered yes, then post your life away! If you answered no, I’m thinking maybe it’s time to rethink what you’re writing & try again.

You want to show brands that you are a pro businesswoman and not just some broke gal trying to make a few bucks any old way she can.  Whilst maintaining a professional profile, it’s totally okay to still be personal. Actually, it’s highly recommended. Show your personality off, let brands get to know you better.  In fact, you can even begin building a relationship with brands before you’ve even spoken to each other!  With each comment, you write or post you publish, share a ‘lil spark of your personality.

Walk the line between professional & personal and you’ll grab the attention of brands no worries.

7. Reach Out To Them 

This one has got to be the most obvious of the bunch, I’m talking about actually reaching out to the brands you want to work with. You see, once you’ve followed all the previous steps, it’s actually quite likely that the brands you want to work with, are already keeping an eye on you. Now, you can either sit around & wait a while for these brands to reach out to you or, you could be the total #bossbabe that you are and reach out to them. I mean, what better way to show you’re eager to work with brands than to initiate the conversation first?!  Taking inspiration from one of my favorite sayings here – “If not now, then when?”

Reaching out to brands is as simple as a message on Instagram or a quick email to introduce yourself. And, if you’re not sure which way to reach out, I’d definitely go email. In fact, I always go to email. 

Why?— Because sometimes, whether we like it or not, Instagram has a mind of its own. I mean, I’ve actually had entire conversations disappear! And I’m just not about that life.

So, send your media kit & rates cards to the brand you’re reaching out to and show your determination to become a partner of theirs.  There is loads you can include in your cold emails to brands but that’s a whole new post in itself! And quite frankly, I’ve had you reading forever already.

So, now you’ve learned my 7-step system to grabbing the attention of brands – how was that?

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Author Bio: Elley is the owner of ElleyMae.com  When she’s not working on her next exciting eCourse, you can find her hanging out on the couch, binge-watching American Horror Story with her bunnies & a chai latte in hand. Follow along with Elley Mae: Instagram & Pinterest 

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