If you’ve used Instagram recently, you’ve likely seen a sponsored post. But what is a sponsored post? Who gets sponsored on Instagram? And who’s sponsoring them? This article will answer any questions you might have about sponsored posts on Instagram. First, we’ll explain what a sponsored post is and who posts them. Then, we’ll cover sponsored content in general, including how influencers get paid.
What Is a Sponsored Post?
A sponsored post is exactly what it sounds like. It is a post from someone on Instagram that promotes a product or service. The person posting these receives payment from the business they’re promoting in exchange for the post. If they’re promoting a product, influencers will typically receive the product for free in addition to their payment for the post.
Usually, the people posting sponsored content are called influencers. An influencer is someone on social media with a lot of followers. Influencers are ranked by tiers based on the number of followers they have. The least amount of followers an “influencer” can have is 1,000. On the higher end of the spectrum are mega influencers who might have over one million followers. Many influencers rely on paid promotions as a source of income. As social media becomes an even more popular place to advertise, more and more businesses are using influencers to promote their brand. Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for influencers to produce sponsored content.
When Was Instagram Created?
Instagram officially launched on October 6th, 2010. What originally started as an app focused on bourbon and whiskey, eventually became one of the biggest social media sites in the world. Kevin Systrom was working at a startup company when he developed Bourbn, an app that allowed users to post photos, “like” other users’ posts, and “check in” at various locations. Systrom found new business partners and over time moved Bourbn in a different direction.
What was originally an app strictly dedicated to posting about bourbon, was now edited down to its simpler functions, like photo sharing. The app was changed to be more like other social media sites like Facebook, focusing on photo sharing in general as opposed to just alcohol related posts. Systrom also took inspiration from an app called “Hipstomatic” that allowed users to edit their photos with filters. After these changes, the app’s name was changed from “Bourbn” to “Instagram.” The new name was a combination of the words “instant” and “telegram.” Users could edit, share, like, and comment through the photo-sharing app.
Over time, Instagram became very popular, attracting many potential investors looking to purchase the photo sharing app. In 2012, only two years after its initial launch, Instagram was purchased by Facebook. Instagram has continued to grow as people use the app in different ways. Many people use Instagram for their business. Some people may operate profiles for their company. Others might make use of the app’s advertising space to promote their business. Many influencers use Instagram as a source of income, relying on the money they make from sponsored posts.
Does Instagram Pay You?
Even though Instagram can be a source of income for influencers, the app does not pay anyone directly. Some social media websites like YouTube and TikTok pay popular users for producing content. These influencers can expect payment for being a regular user with a lot of followers. Instagram however, does not pay any of its users.
Sponsored Posts
Sponsored content is the most popular way to make money on Instagram. Influencers receive payment from businesses in exchange for a post or posts that promote the company. The amount of money an influencer makes usually depends on the number of followers that they have. Influencers in the lower tiers might only make between $10 to $100 per post. Those with more followers are capable of making upwards of $5,000 depending on their following.
Affiliate Program
In addition to paid promotional posts, influencers can also make money on Instagram via affiliate programs. An affiliate program is when an influencer is paid based on the number of potential customers they can bring in for a business. Companies provide influencers with a unique link or discount code that keeps track of how many new customers use the link or code. The business can then track how many new customers they received because of that influencer. The influencer typically receives a portion of these profits or payments based on how many new customers they attract for the company. Affiliate programs are similar to promotional posts because they both involve brands paying influencers for sending followers their way.
How Much Do Sponsored Posts Cost?
For the most part, the cost of sponsored content depends on how likely it is to reach its target audience. The more followers someone has, the more valuable they are in terms of marketing. Influencers receive rankings based on the number of followers they have.
Influencers with more than 1,000 followers but less than 10,000 are considered “nano influencers.” This is the lowest ranking within the tiers of influencers. Users within this range can expect to make anywhere between $10 to $100 a post. Understandably, nano influencers don’t make as much as larger influencers since their post is less likely to reach a large audience. Users with over 10,000 followers are considered a micro-influencer. Micro-influencers could make as much as $500 for one post. The next level of influencer includes those with over 50,000 followers. These are called mid-tier influencers. Mid-tier influencers can make between $5,000 and $10,000 for a promotional post.
Above mid-tier influencers are macro-influencers. They have a following somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million users. Since mid-tier influencers have such a large following, they typically charge between $5,000 to $10,000. The highest-ranking of influencer is the mega influencer. Mega influencers have upwards of 1 million followers. Most mega influencers are celebrities. Because of their celebrity status, many mega influencers can charge a million dollars per post.
How Does Sponsored Content Work?
Instagram isn’t the only website where users can profit off of sponsored content. You can use most social media websites to produce sponsored posts. Sponsored content is typically similar to what someone might post on a regular basis. It differs, however, because its main purpose is to attract business to a company. Sponsored content posts are often accompanied by “#ad” to ensure that users understand that the opinions reflected in these posts might not be a true reflection of the poster’s feelings. Sponsored content can be found on virtually any platform that allows users to create posts. Additionally, sponsored content can extend beyond social media. It can take the form of articles, videos, infographics, and more. As long the content has the intention of attracting business, it is considered sponsored content.
Since sponsored content can take different forms, it is a very versatile form of advertising. On YouTube, many popular creators make videos promoting certain brands or products. Sometimes, they’ll include brief sponsored videos within longer videos. Companies may also partner with apps like Snapchat to produce specific features promoting their brand. These may include hashtags, certain emojis, and even filters. Some companies write articles promoting their business. One of the most popular forms of this is the listicle, an article that consists of a ranked list. For example, these lists may include the top ten reasons to use a company. Other times, sponsored posts may not be as obvious. They may be titled something like “Five Ways to Improve Your Hair Routine” with one of these ways involving a specific product.
Paid Promotions on Instagram
As online marketing becomes more popular, so does the prevalence of sponsored content. Sponsored posts are very common across all types of social media, but it is especially popular on Instagram. A sponsored post is a post on social media that someone was paid to upload. These posts typically promote a product or service to the poster’s followers. People who get paid to post sponsored content are called influencers because of their potential ability to influence their following.
Businesses take advantage of this influence by paying influencers to promote their brand. The more followers someone has, the more valuable they are as an influencer. While small influencers may not be able to make more than $100 per post, larger influencers stand to make a great deal of money through sponsored posts. Influencers may also make money through affiliate programs that track how many new customers they bring in. Instagram does not pay any of its users directly.
Sponsored content is everywhere and it can take many different forms. Even though Instagram is a popular site for sponsored content, apps like YouTube, Snapchat, and Buzzfeed all use sponsored content. Overall, sponsored content is an increasingly popular form of advertisement that often involves influencers sharing sponsored posts to their many followers.
FAQ:
- What is a sponsored post?
- Does Instagram pay users?
- How much do people charge for a sponsored post?
- What is an affiliate program?
- How do you identify a sponsored post?
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