So you’ve amassed a sizable Instagram following and believe you’re eligible to expand your Influencer portfolio with some brand collaborations? Congratulations on achieving the first, and also most difficult goal. You surely might be thinking that from here on out, everything should be a piece of cake. Right? Well, no, not at all. But let’s take a step further and guide you about your next destination: your first brand collaboration.

Some social networking platforms simplify this process; for example, YouTube has a well-defined marketing scheme in which Google and many YouTubers receive advertising revenues. Instagram, on the other hand, possesses no such policy. If a company desires to advertise its brand via Instagram, the entire payment stays within Instagram and its promotion algorithm. They do not share any information with social media influencers. Hence, the only way to collaborate with such well-recognized brands is to directly reach out to them, or just wait till they reach out to you!

How do you approach?

If you possess a decent follower base on Instagram, you should start your collaboration journey by approaching brands yourself. Yes, you need not wait for brands searching for influencers to come looking for you. Grab their attention right away and earn some simple proactivity points. Of course, it helps if the first brands you approach as a prospective influencer are ones you care deeply about. The brands whose products you enjoy and use on a regular basis.

It’s critical to maintain a good mindset when you take your first steps into working with brands on Instagram. There’s no need to be alarmed if nothing emerges out of the initial deal. You never know what changes may arise in the future if they have your contact information on file.

The very first stage

Emerging and small-scale brands, generally without a marketing budget, are where most beginning influencers begin their journey of brand collaborations. Expect to not become rich as a result of your initial partnerships. Take it as practice, and you’ll be growing your internet image with the corporate sector at the same time. You can start building an online portfolio of your work with these early collaborations. When it comes time to work with larger companies with deeper funds, you may leverage these early ties to your advantage. Your first collaborations will almost certainly be in exchange for free stuff.

These will most likely be simple setups. In exchange for their item getting highlighted and promoted in a post, a company will provide free product samples to that influencer. For a new influencer, these agreements might be extremely beneficial. You get a free product as well as pre-made material for your feed. Collaborations between brands are just something you don’t want to skip out on. You have a good probability of tripling your Instagram exposure while boosting your customer base with each cooperation without investing any more money in marketing.

So, what do you have to lose? Begin your research right now!