If content creation is in your future (or present), you want to protect and value your work as you collaborate with brands, make deals, and sign contracts. Content monetization is the name of the game. It’s how influencers are able to make an income. On the other side of that coin are content rights. They ensure no parties are being taken advantage of in the influencer economy.

Understanding content rights and monetization is essential to a successful influencing gig. That’s why we compiled this guide, to help you create with confidence as you level up your work while keeping it safe.  

So, What’s Content Monetization? 

The content you create gets consumed by viewers. Content monetization is the process by which you make money off that content and those views. Depending on your approach, your payments can come from third parties like brands or directly from the social platform your content lives on. 

For example, you can receive payment from YouTube when people watch your videos if you’re eligible for monetization. Or maybe you partner with a brand and post a sponsored reel on your Instagram that promotes their new product launch in exchange for a fee. 

Who Owns the Sponsored Content You Create? 

Lucky for you, the copyright goes to the creator in America when it comes to both user-generated content (UGC) and sponsored content. However, that’s not to say that people won’t try to use your work for their own benefit. 

This is why it helps to set clear guidelines and have both parties sign a contract that ensures everyone benefits while upholding your content rights and protecting your work. This way you can outline whether a brand can use your content on their website or in their marketing materials after you publish it on your account. 

What Does U.S. Copyright Law Say?

According to U.S. Copyright Law, ownership goes to the creator, even if the content was sponsored. Intellectual property may not be something we associate with social media, but your work deserves credit, protection, and compensation. 

Other countries like Japan have copyright laws that protect creative expressions without the creator having to register their work, making it illegal to share any copyrighted material that isn’t yours or without the rights holder’s permission. Places like Australia also require permission from the creator or a license to use it as their own. If you’re an international creator, be sure to check in with the copyright law in your country to make sure you can take the steps necessary to ensure your work is protected.

While the enforcement or punishment may vary from country to country, you have content rights that should be honored. If someone downloads your work and shares it as their own, with or without linking the original post, it can be copyright infringement if they don’t have your permission. 

You can transfer ownership rights in your contract, as well as explicitly describe the ways the brand can utilize your work. Be clear on your value and what you are and are not okay with when it comes to the usage of your content. 

Rules For You to Follow 

Cool, your work is protected. Now what? You may be wondering if there are any rules you need to follow. Along with avoiding copyright infringement in your own work, there are different rules and regulations that you’re going to want to abide by. 

First, make sure you understand the restrictions surrounding the platforms you use so you can avoid your work being taken down or flagged, which can lead to your account being suspended or removed. 

You also need to adhere to FTC guidelines. While they may not be regularly enforced, you can avoid potential complications by following rules like visibly tagging sponsored content as a paid partnership. 

Why Content Rights Matter 

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned veteran in content creation or an emerging micro-influencer, there are rules in place to protect your hard work. This maintains the value of your content without having to sacrifice the rights to your work. 

Content rights can also ensure transparency for consumers so content isn’t being presented as someone else’s when it’s not, or not being labeled as sponsored content if there was an exchange of money. 

Knowing your content rights and being clear with brands and consumers helps you advance your career without falling into common legal pitfalls. Now that you know the rules, how do you start maximizing your content monetization? 

The Top 5 Paid Creators 

Here are the top five TikTok influencers that figured out how to optimize their income as online creators, according to Influencer Marketing Hub in 2022. This can hopefully show you what’s possible and inspire your efforts as you continue to grow. 

Charli D’Amelio

Known globally for her dancing videos, Charlie D’Amelio’s estimated annual earnings are $17.5 million. Her income has surpassed many big-time CEOs, raising the possibilities for creators. 

Dixie D’Amelio

Charli’s sister, Dixie, is on a similar path making roughly $10 million a year. She’s moved into the music industry and continues to release songs and viral videos. 

Addison Rae

Addison gained popularity for her TikTok dances and now makes a yearly income of $8.5 million. Her efforts have garnered several brand partnerships along with Netflix and entrepreneurial opportunities. 

Bella Poarch

Bella first got her start with lip-syncing videos that now earn her $5 million a year. She’s partnered with eSports in live streams and gaming, along with releasing music. 

Josh Richards

Like many TikTok success stories, Josh uses a diverse range of the platform’s features such as dancing trends and lip-syncing to gain his following that had led him to make $5 million, yearly.

Kris Collins

Kris makes videos that make people all over the world laugh. The possibilities aren’t just endless, they’re profitable, especially for Kris who brings in an annual salary of $3 million.

No matter your niche or interests, there is money to be made in the creator economy. And it seems there will be for years to come. The options for content monetization continue to diversify as the influencer marketing industry grows to $21.1 billion this year. 

How to Make Money as a Creator 

So, how are the influencers monetizing their work and scaling their incomes? There isn’t just one way to do it. Everyone from bloggers to Twitch streamers can capitalize on their valuable content. 

Sponsored Content 

One of the main ways that influencers are able to leverage their work is through sponsored content. This approach involves partnering with a brand and determining expectations, deliverables, deadlines, and, of course, payment. Don’t forget your content rights and set clear, written guidelines about how your work can be used or repurposed.

There are few standards when it comes to brand payments. Rates depend on elements like your engagement, experience, or following. Business Apps shared a 2022 rate sheet for Instagram that lays out averages for nano-influencers as $10 – $100 while mega-influencers or celebrities with over 1 million followers are charging upwards of $10,000. That’s just a taste of how influencers are negotiating their fees. 

When it comes to setting rates, be sure you have a carefully-constructed influencer media kit. This should include a listing of your offerings and how much they cost to accompany your brand deal negotiations. 

Become an Affiliate 

Ambassadors or affiliates are typically influencers that are long-term supporters or advocates for a particular brand. Instead of receiving payment for posting a single piece of content in a campaign, you receive a percentage or lump sum for every time a consumer uses your link or code to purchase the brand’s product or service. 

This could look like using your fashion affiliate link in your bio and directing your followers to check out your favorite pieces, or posting an article or video with a trackable discount code so your community can save while you receive a portion from the sale. 

Leverage Platform Features 

Social media platforms are offering new and fun ways for content monetization. TikTok pays eligible creators through their Creator Fund. Plus, creators can receive live gifts that viewers can buy and send to you in real time. Instagram also utilizes lives as a way for watchers to send badges that are worth money. 

Sell Other Types of Content

As an influencer, you act as your own brand, which may mean you want to sell something beyond your content. This could mean an e-commerce business with your own merchandise or even online courses and coaching services that help people grow their own followings. Imagination is your only limit when it comes to content monetization. 

Now that you know how to make money as a creator, you can find the strategy that best serves you. 

The Best Platforms for Monetization 

The possibilities are endless when it comes to monetizing your social media accounts. Determining which platform will yield the biggest return can be tricky. We can help.

Some social media platforms pay you to post content on your account with them. TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest are some of the few that have funding or options where the company pays you as the influencer to create content or run ads. 

However, this is just one revenue stream as we’ve discussed. If you can easily find and grow your audience on Instagram, then this is your best platform and may be an opportunity for sponsored content. Or, maybe you’re an emerging gamer on Twitch who’s an affiliate for game companies and uses Patreon so your followers can monetarily support you. 

Carefully consider your talents and where your ideal community is spending time online to help you cultivate a content monetization strategy that’s specific to you and your strengths. 

The Best Type of Content to Make for Monetization 

High-quality, valuable content always wins. However, there are certain types that may make it easier to monetize and scale your work. 

If you excel at telling visual stories through your well-edited photography on Instagram, then capitalize on this content type. Or maybe you’re great at conducting interviews or using your voice to connect with your community. That would make podcasts or TikTok a better medium for content monetization. 

Consumer attention spans are rapidly shortening, and the world is moving further into visual consumption over reading long-form content. We’re already taking it to more experiential levels. Virtual reality’s estimated market size in 2020 was $4.42 billion. It’s projected to hit $84.09 billion in 2028. 

Try to play to your strengths and consider leveraging the increasing demand for visual and experiential content. 

It’s Time to Monetize and Value Your Work

You bring value to the world. Your content should be treated as such. Save and share this article for inspiration and guidance when it comes to protecting and leveraging your work. 

We also help you kick-start your content monetization journey while maintaining and protecting the value of your work. Our experience and brand connections make it easy to pair you with aligned campaigns so all parties win. Join our Influencer network today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lira Stone | Effective, Magnetic Strategist

For over a decade, my focus has been ensuring that professionals stay ahead of the curve in the most time-efficient, task-prioritized, and stress-free manner possible. My extensive experience has equipped me with the knowledge to design a concise, company-culture-relevant, methodical approach to internet sales and marketing.

The post What’s the Deal with Content Rights and Monetization? appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Crypto influencer marketing is just that — influencer marketing campaigns tailored specially to the crypto space. When done well, it can bring in the big bucks.

Benefits of Influencer Marketing for Crypto

If you’re a brand running a cryptocurrency project, chances are you can benefit from influencer marketing. Crypto is anything but traditional, so it makes sense to veer from traditional marketing strategy. Influencer marketing for crypto allows you to niche down to your specific target audience in an intentional, cost-effective way. Some benefits of crypto influencer marketing include:

• Increased brand awareness
• Authentic engagement with niche audiences
• Establishing credibility in the crypto space
• Enhancing trust with consumers
• Cost-effective campaigns with brag-worthy ROI

Is Crypto Influencer Marketing Profitable?

Influencer marketing is famously cost-effective when compared to traditional marketing. That remains true in the cryptocurrency space. Depending on the scope of your campaign and the audience size of your influencers, you can run a successful crypto marketing campaign at nearly any budget. 

In general, brands generate $6.50 in revenue for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. And the market is only growing. According to Statista, the influencer marketing industry is valued at 21.1 billion dollars today in 2023. 

How to Find Crypto Influencers

The first step to finding the right crypto influencers is to hone in on the appropriate channels. Unlike typical influencer marketing, your crypto audience may be more likely to frequent Reddit, Twitter, or Discord. Other big players in the crypto space include Youtube, Medium, and Telegram. That’s not to say you should skimp on the more popular social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. We always support a cross-functional approach to influencer marketing. But it’s important to hone in on where your target audience scrolls. 

Once you’ve established your desired channels, it’s time to find influencers. Look for influencers who create content relevant to your brand, project, and campaign. The best influencer partnerships are built on an alignment of values. Because the crypto space can get a bad rap for being scammy, it’s important to choose influencers who are credible and have a respected reputation in the space. You can look at their experience, previous collaborations, and reception from followers to determine an influencer’s credibility. 

Example from a Crypto Influencer

Here’s an example of influencer marketing for a crypto brand that looks a little different from what we typically see of influencer posts. Crypto influencer Kevin Mcoin, who runs Crypto Club on Youtube, posted this video plugging the crypto project Pokerfi. 

Unlike typical influencer posts, we never see Kevin’s face in the video. Instead, we hear his voice, a trusted, credible source in the crypto space, explaining the benefits and features of this project. 

Cash in on Crypto Influencer Marketing 

The best influencer marketing stays fresh and keeps up with the times. For your brand, that may mean dipping into the world of cryptocurrency. If you’d like to learn more about how to integrate crypto into your influencer marketing, schedule a strategy call with one of our experts today.

About This Author

Ariana Newhouse | B2B Writer

I am a freelance writer and comedian based in Los Angeles, and while making people laugh is my jam, it’s not always the company brand. So, I strive to make people feel something. My writing philosophy is collaborative, empathetic, and humanistic. At the end of the day, no matter the message, there are real people on both ends of the process.

The post What Is Crypto Influencer Marketing and Does it Work? appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

We scroll when we’re waiting in line or need a break from work. We laugh at memes and type “Congratulations! ” in the comment sections under our friends’ posts when they get engaged or have a baby or get promoted. We DM our friends and stalk our exes.

But how much do we really know about this platform we use every day? As users and as marketers, are we using the app to its fullest potential? After researching this post, I’m willing to bet you aren’t. Because I sure as heck wasn’t, and this is my literal job. So get ready to be surprised as you learn the ins and outs of this popular platform. 

Think of this post as the beginner’s guide to Instagram. We’re here to shed light on everything you need to know about Instagram such as user experience, content creation, and how brands can make the most of the app.

Let’s start with the basics.

What is Instagram?

Right? Because even though for many of us, that question is like asking, “what is water?” it’s still worth laying down some Instagram basics. So, what is Instagram?

According to Meta, Instagram’s parent company, Instagram is a free photo- and video-sharing app available to anyone 13 years of age or older. The app allows you to share images and videos with your followers, a small group of friends, or a larger audience. 

In 2023, there’s way more to Instagram than just pretty pictures (not to say we don’t love a perfectly-curated flat lay). This wouldn’t be much of a guide to Instagram if we didn’t include a few noteworthy Instagram stats.

Today, Instagram features include In-Feed (or Grid) Posts, Reels, Stories, Story Highlights, Live, Filters, Stickers, Quizzes, Interactive Bios, Professional Dashboards, Shops, the Creator Marketplace, a content scheduler, and more.  

Instagram is a social media site and eCommerce platform all in one. It has the ability to connect people all over the world with content, brands, products, and perhaps most importantly, each other. 

Instagram Statistics You Should Know 

We’ll let the numbers speak for themselves. 

• Instagram has approximately 2 Billion users as of December 2021
• Instagram was the most downloaded app of Q4 2021
• 59 percent of Instagram users log in daily
• Over 70 percent of users are under 35 years old
• 55 percent of users are women
• The average engagement rate per post is 0.98 percent
• 91 percent of users watch video content weekly
• The average cost per click in the U.S. is $1.23
• 93 percent of marketers use Instagram for influencer marketing

Instagram Features for Business: 2023 Update

Instagram is constantly evolving. It feels like there’s a new update every week, and it can be hard to keep up. Here are some of the most exciting new Instagram features for business for now. Surely there will be more to come, and we’ll make sure to help you stay updated.

All In on Video

In May of 2022, Instagram rolled out the TikTok-esque full-screen vertical format for a more “immersive viewing experience on the Home feed,” according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri. The 9:16 ratio replaced the old square video format completely.

The change was one of several irons IG had in the fire last year as it moved from being a photo-sharing app to being a full-on video platform. One year later, 91 percent of Instagrammers are watching video on the platform on a weekly basis.  

Instagram Features to Help Creators Earn Money on the Platform

Creator Marketplace

Last summer, Instagram rolled out the Creator Marketplace, a feature that allows brands and creators to connect for branded content partnerships directly in the app. Creators can define their interests and niches within the marketplace. Brands are then able to select creators who align with their campaign goals and send them a message with all the project info (scope, usage, content details, payment, etc).

The selected creators will receive proposals in their partnerships folder. And if they accept, Instagram will process the payments through the app, so brands will pay creators on the same platform. Basically, it’s a one-stop shop for brands and influencers to work together on Instagram. If you’re brand new to the influencer marketing space, this could be a huge win.

The Creator Marketplace will make it easier to see which creators in your niche are available for partnerships and it will keep all your proposals, negotiations, and payments in one place for seamless brand-creator relationships. 

Remember, as of now, the Instagram Creator Marketplace is still in the testing phase, so it may not be available on your account yet. Don’t fret. With the success of TikTok’s Creator Marketplace, we’re fairly certain Instagram will roll out this feature soon.

Badges

Badges are designed to help followers provide a bit of financial love and support for their favorite creators. Eligible US-based creators who have at least 10k followers on the platform can go Live and supporters can purchase badges in increments of $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99. And yes, supporters can buy multiple badges, and spend up to $250 USD during that live session.

Make Your Posts Shoppable with Tags

Post. Tag. Sell. Product tags help make your Instagram feed shoppable, which shortens the path from scroll to purchase. Product tagging is available to all users in the U.S. Previously, only brands and creators had this capability. You might be asking yourself, why should I care that the average user can now tag products? Great question!

Product tagging can work wonders for UGC campaigns. Half of Instagram users say they have gone on to make a purchase from a brand’s website after seeing a Story.

Products that are tagged can also be purchased directly through the Instagram app. So tagging doesn’t just increase the number of eyeballs on your products, it could legitimately boost sales!

Subscriptions

Creators can develop a plan for creating premium content then monetize that content with Instagram’s subscription feature. Subscriptions allow creators to subscribe for immediate access to exclusive content that is only available to a creator’s paid subscribers.

RELATED POST.

An Actionable Guide to Instagram Influencer Marketing

Instagram Features for Connecting

Instagram frequently announces new features and developments with making existing features more robust. And as the platform’s become noisier and busier, the geniuses at Meta have been working to find ways to help creators stay connected with their communities.

Broadcast Channels

Interestingly enough, Instagrammers share more photos and videos in DMs than they do in Stories. And they share more photos and videos in Stories than they do into Feed. This is according to the Head of Instagram. In an effort to provide a formalized feature that addresses this particular behavior, IG launched Broadcast Channels earlier this year as a one-to-many communication feature that’s tied to your DMs. Creators can share text, images, video, and audio in the channel and even invite collaborators for live chats. Broadcasts do not expire.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

Notes

Also accessible via Instagram’s Direct Messaging feature, Notes enable users to create short status messages of 60 characters or less that expire after 24 hours. Think of it as a converation starter.

What’s the Deal with Reels?

We’ve talked a lot about the most recent Instagram updates, but what about Reels? If you still haven’t gotten the hang of the Instagram Reels feature, don’t fret. We’re going to break down everything you need to know. 

Instagram Reels are short-form videos in Instagram’s full-screen 9:16 format. They can range from 3 to 90 seconds on the average user’s page. And Reels ads can be as long as 60 seconds. The videos can be clipped, remixed, and edited together with licensed music available in the Instagram library. Reels can be shared on Stories, the Explore Feed, the Home Feed, and of course, the Reels tab.

The benefit of Reels being featured on the Explore Feed is that each video can be shared to an audience wider than your following. Like TikTok, the Reels algorithm pushes out videos based on mutual followers, content you interact with, and location. Which means more reach for your Reels. Yay!

It makes sense that Reels are the fastest-growing Instagram feature worldwide. Instagram Reels reach nearly 11 percent of the global population over 13 years old. That makes Instagram Reels ad reach net out at just over half Instagram’s total 1.45B users. Short-form videos are all the rage on social media right now as they deliver informal content that is visually appealing, engaging, and lasts more than 24 hours. 

Which has the Edge? Instagram Reels vs. TikTok

It’s no secret that Instagram Reels are basically a TikTok copycat, but there are some differences and advantages between the two platforms. Let’s break it down.

Audience

AGE

TikTok is king when it comes to Gen Z. This is the hot new social that all the kids are talking about, so if you’re marketing to a younger demographic, prioritize TikTok over Instagram Reels. TikTok’s largest age group is 10-19, while Instagram’s is 25-34. So market to the millennials on Instagram and the youngsters on TikTok.

GENDER

Instagram Reels take the cake when marketing to men. While only 43 percent of TikTok users identify as male, 45 percent of Instagram users are men. That may not seem like a big difference, but when it comes to using the Reels feature, men engage much more with video content on Instagram than women do. (Perhaps because women are getting more of their short-form video content on TikTok.) According to Meta, nearly 54 percent of the Instagram Reels ad reach is male.

VIDEO LENGTH

As we know, Instagram Reels can range from 3 to 90 seconds. And Reels ads can have a playtime of up to 60 seconds. TikToks, on the other hand, can now be up to 10 minutes for certain users. The longer 3 and 10-minute features do differentiate the two video-sharing platforms, but all in all, short-form content still performs better across the board.

AUDIO

Because TikTok evolved from Musical.ly, music has always been at the forefront of the app. That’s probably why it has such an expansive audio library when compared to Instagram Reels. Chances are if you’re looking for a particular song to soundtrack your video, you’ll have more luck finding it on TikTok than on Instagram Reels. Instagram business accounts are also not permitted to use copyrighted music in their Reels, so that is one downside of using Reels for brand ads.

ANALYTICS

You know at The Shelf we love our analytics. Show me the numbers! When it comes down to it, TikTok has better analytics for short-form video content. Your TikTok dashboard includes big-picture metrics like geolocation, total playtime, and average watch time so you can get right into the nitty gritty on how each video is performing. Instagram Reels analytics provide helpful insights as well, but they’re limited to total plays, likes, comments, reach, etc. You know, the basics.

AVAILABILITY

Instagram Reels are widely available around the world, already streaming in more than 50 countries. Meanwhile, TikTok is banned in some regions due to privacy concerns and censorship laws. If you’re looking to go global with your video content, Reels is the safer bet. 

Psst… check out some of our other popular posts…

What Is Influencer Marketing?

The 2023 Guide to Influencer Marketing Strategy

Tips for Choosing the Right Influencer Marketing Agency

How to Launch a Product on Instagram

How To Do Blogger Outreach as Quickly and Painlessly as Possible

The Everything Guide to Partnering with Nano-Influencers

The Everything Guide to Partnering with TikTok Influencers!

Wrapping Up

I hope this post helped you get a little more familiar with the ins and outs of Instagram. We’ve got supercomputers in our pockets all day, and they have the ability to make our lives and jobs easier. You might as well know what you’re working with.

 If you’d like some guidance in wielding the power of Instagram to achieve your highest marketing potential, schedule a strategy call below. Our experts will help you get on the right track, boost likes, and maybe even go viral.

Happy scrolling!

About This Author

Ariana Newhouse | B2B Writer

I am a freelance writer and comedian based in Los Angeles, and while making people laugh is my jam, it’s not always the company brand. So, I strive to make people feel something. My writing philosophy is collaborative, empathetic, and humanistic. At the end of the day, no matter the message, there are real people on both ends of the process.

The post The Marketer’s Guide to Instagram Features appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

In just 10 years, Instagram has evolved from a mere photo-sharing app to become one of the most popular social media platforms for daily use, and one of the most lucrative platforms for creators. With over a billion monthly users, Instagram is now the go-to app for your daily dose of inspiration and in-app checkouts.

Instagram has also turned into a business platform to be reckoned with. Millions of entrepreneurs, and easily 70 percent of all brands, are taking advantage of Instagram’s selling power to launch new products and make more sales.

And it’s not just for unicorns or whatever. You could join the ranks of successful creators who earn money from Instagram if you’re willing to put in the work… and it’s gonna be tons of work, babe.

Cool.

Fine.

But how on earth do you even start? Can you even sell if all the followers you have now are your mom, your high school classmates , and best friend?

Don’t fret.

You don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to make money on IG, even though it’s pretty normal to think you do. You don’t need as many followers as you think. 

While top Instagrammers have hundreds of thousands (or millions) of followers, those with a small well-engaged following of just 1,000 fans can also make money on Instagram. If you’re still interested, keep reading for specific tactics to make money on Instagram.

Three Ways To Make Money On Instagram Creating Content

We’ll assume you’re here because you’re new to the influencer world. So before we get into the heavy-lifting, let’s just rehash the basics of becoming an influencer.

An influencer is someone who has trust with audiences concerning specific topics. To their audiences, influencers are trendsetters and trusted experts whose opinions about certain subjects are highly regarded. Brands rely on influencers to use their authority with their audiences to get people to take action.

Many brands can’t command this kind of influence, and so they partner with influencers who create content on behalf of the brand (aka sponsored posts) that help promote their products.

Becoming an Instagram influencer takes more than just having a decent number of followers and reach on your account (also known as vanity metrics). Brands also want to work with someone who can get engagement from their audience.

So, to the main point—how do you make money as an Instagram influencer?

1. Partner With Brands and Create Cool Content for Them

Typically, influencer deals involve influencers creating content such as Instagram ads, a post, a video, or a Story. You then get paid to post this content on your Instagram account.

The amount of money paid for such content depends on the scope of work you’re doing (IG Stories vs posts vs IGTV vs YouTube vs blogs, and on and on) to work with and the scope of the work you’re doing. In a survey by Shopify, 42 percent of influencers surveyed said they charged $200 to $400 per post. This gives you an idea of what some brands pay.

Here are a few important things you need to do to become a successful Instagram influencer and earn top dollar.

Choose a niche

Remember what we said brands are looking for most in an influencer? Trust. To earn trust from your followers you must live and breathe your brand. If you’re just starting out, the easiest way to do that is for you to focus on one or two topics that you consistently post about.

“Yeah, but I want to be a lifestyle influencer.”
Lifestyle influencers are mostly grown, not really made. If you post about just a few topics consistently when you start out, you create a cohesive brand, and it will be easier for both your audience and brands to figure out where your expertise and influence lies.

So…

Get into a niche that you can truly say is something you believe in and love. The more you niche down, the more authentic (and relatable) you become. Grow your audience

The other important thing that brands want from influencers is a large and engaged following. Do you still have your mom and bestie as your followers? Don’t panic just yet. There are plenty of well-researched strategies that will help you get more followers on Instagram.

For one, you can quickly grow your audience by committing to posting consistently. Studies show that audiences demand consistent content. 

An analysis by Tailwind found the more people post on Instagram, the more engagement they get.

In addition to posting frequently, you also need to boost your content visibility because the more people you manage to reach, the higher your chances of driving sales. 
Partner with brands who are about what you’re about

You can find brand partners by pitching them directly or just being ready when smaller brands approach you. Contact potential brands in your niche and pitch them what you can offer using your media kit. We wrote a post on what goes in an influencer media kit, just in case you want to know how to put one together.

Don’t forget to provide them with plenty of compelling details about your audience and approach. Make sure you include important metrics that add value to your partnership: such as engagement rate, audience size, etc. 

Here’s a tidbit you probably need to know: it’s okay to start with smaller brands because your glowing track record with previous campaigns is part of what will help bigger brands determine whether to hire you. Post transparently

When posting sponsored content, be sure to make it clear the post is sponsored. for. The usual practice is to tag the post as “Sponsored” or “Paid partnership with (brand)”. 

Trust me, you don’t want any problems with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Be sure to read up on their guidelines and continue to check up on them as they get updated regularly.

2. Become An Affiliate

The second best tactic for making money on Instagram is becoming an affiliate. With this kind of tactic you will be focusing more on making sales for the partner brand—not just generating awareness—in exchange for a commission.

Your brand partner will give you a trackable link or unique promo code to follow up on sales generated from your efforts.

Instagram affiliate marketing requires a more calculated strategy than influencer marketing. To make as many sales as possible, you need to have a solid plan going into it. Here’s how to successfully choose an affiliate network and use this tactic. Choose the best affiliate programs for your brand, otherwise…

Choose a product-focused niche that you feel most comfortable with or passionate about. You can start with the products that you use in your day-to-day life and create content centered around reviews and highlights of the product’s features. 

You can join a brand’s affiliate program directly or join an affiliate network. To be on the safe side, do both, it won’t hurt your chances!

Some popular affiliate networks include: 

• Amazon Associates
• ClickBank
• RewardStyle
• CJ Affiliates
• Rakuten

Post about the product

Once you find the product(s) you want to promote, and you’ve got your tracking codes or links, create outstanding posts promoting them on Instagram. Remember to use gorgeous images and videos that just want to make people buy, buy, buy. 

3. Sell Your Own Products

The third strategy for making money on Instagram throws you into the e-commerce world. The Shelf has a really cool running tally of influencers who have their own merch and products. So, the

If you have your own products, you can use your time and influence to make money by selling them on Instagram, instead of selling other people’s products. If you already own a business, selling on Instagram could be an important addition to your marketing strategy. (Besides, it’s always a good idea to add a new income stream.)

Set up a shoppable account

Instagram has been making huge strides in making the platform more business-friendly. From shopping-focused features like the Explore tab to product tags to shoppable posts to shoppable Stories. 

The most recent layout update and Instagram Checkout, make it even easier for people to shop right from the Instagram app.

Turn your Instagram account into a business account and take advantage of these features. And don’t forget to create a product catalog to make your products stand out more!Post your products

Hype up your products through regular Instagram posts and Stories. Use Instagram analytics tools to measure your success so that you can see what’s working and what is not. Also, be sure to engage with your audience.

It’s that easy!

Three Tips on Using Instagram for Business

Instagram is growing by the day. More and more people are getting interested in making money on this popular platform. So, how do you ensure that you remain at the top of your game? Always stay in the loop on new trends and rules that are necessary to make money on Instagram.1) Know the ins and outs of Instagram for business

Understand how the Instagram business account works and the features that are only available to business accounts. Make sure you also understand how you can leverage the business account to make more money on Instagram. 2) Launch an Instagram Shop

The biggest advantage of having an Instagram shop is that you can integrate your product catalog with your Instagram profile. With this feature, you can promote your products directly to Instagram users through a special Shop tab on your profile, Stories, posts, and in the Explore tab.3) Learn the Do’s and Don’ts of selling on Instagram

Instagram has detailed rules on how you should post, the types of images or videos you should post, and how many times per day you can post. There’s also a limit to the number of hashtags to include. 

Make sure you follow these rules to improve your chances of making money on Instagram.

Let’s Get That Money!

Instagram is growing exponentially and brands are investing a significant sum of their marketing budgets on the platform.

Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned IG user, you can learn to make money using the platform’s new features. And now there’s a ton of info out there (including this post!) on how to do just that.

So go on and turn that thought of making money on Instagram into reality by implementing these Instagram money-making tactics.

Happy influencing!

We accurately measure real-time and historical social media data, illustrating information in easy-to-read graphs and layouts that simplify reporting and strategizing. Our product helps you effortlessly track #hashtags, keywords, @accounts and URLs on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook. Use us for real-time campaign monitoring and optimization, brand monitoring and optimization, and data-driven market and competitor research. https://keyhole.co

The post How to Make Money as a Content Creator on Instagram appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

When we talk about monetizing fashion content, we often come back to affiliate marketing. Why? Because it’s one of the easiest ways to earn money blogging about the items you already share with your readers. In fact, many bloggers are becoming brands themselves and are transforming their musings on fashion into full-blown businesses. Props!

Brands are also reaping the rewards of affiliate marketing programs. Whereas fashion brands used to be notoriously shy of pursuing them, you’re now far more likely to find them on the likes of ShopStyle Collective and rewardStyle, among others, in favor of billboards and other traditional advertisements.

How To Choose A Fashion Affiliate Network For Bloggers And Brands

With a recent diversification in publisher types, new technologies, and a rise in visual content marketing, brands have found confidence in this sector. National shopping habits have steadily changed over the past five years and brands recognize that the customer journey is a multi-faceted one.

Tom Woodhouse, who served as the affiliate manager at iPropsect once said, “Fashion aggregators such as Shopstyle, Polyvore and Lyst are able to place even the most premium brand in a luxury environment. There is a definite opportunity for high-end brands who would have traditionally never entered a space dominated by incentivised sites, which could damage brand credibility.”

Fashion affiliate networks now offer a strong brand-led environment AND great shopping experience for customers.

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Depending on which affiliate network you go with, costs and levels of support vary for brands. Most charge a setup fee, monthly fee, and percentage around the commission being paid. Commissions paid to affiliates generally vary from 4 percent to 15 percent depending on how well established and well known your brand is. The blogger, on the other hand, doesn’t pay a dime to join.

So, how do YOU get started with affiliate marketing? There are plenty of programs out there but a few in particular have gained serious fashion blogger and brand momentum and so sharing the affiliate love with you only seems necessary. 

Retail Fashion Affiliate Networks

For fashion bloggers, each network generally works the same way. Apply directly with the retailers you’re interested in and you will get redirected to whatever affiliate network they use. If you’re accepted into the program, you will gain access to banners, links, and other tools.

LINKSHARE

Participating brands on Rakuten (yes, the same company that does those rebate commercials) include: Nordstrom, Saks, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Net-a-Porter, The Outnet, ASOS, Alexander Wang, Topshop, J.Crew, Sephora, Forever21, Clinique.

COMMISSION JUNCTION

Participating brands on CJ Affiliate include: Shopbop, Luisa via Roma, Ferragamo, Zappos, Brooks Borthers, Bluefly, Banana Republic, Gap, Free People, Old Navy, Ann Taylor, Nasty Gal.

Other retail fashion affiliate networks include Shareasale.com and eBay enterprise.

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Aggregator Fashion Affiliate Networks 

As a fashion blogger, the retailers you want to promote are more than likely part of different networks. Aggregators can save you a lot of time since they bring multiple programs from multiple networks together in one place. The best part? Once the aggregator accepts your application, you have access to all of the programs for which they’ve been pre-approved. This means you don’t have to go through a long approval process with multiple networks. 

 

The benefit for brands is you can reap the rewards of their existing partnerships with diverse fashion and lifestyle publishers.

REWARDSTYLE

RewardStyle is undeniably the preferred aggregator among fashion bloggers. Almost every style blogger is drinking the rewardStyle Kool-Aid, and for good reason; the top bloggers can make a whopping $80,000 a month from affiliate sales alone. 

Launched in 2010, rewardStyle works with more than one million brands and 45,000 influencers in more than 100 countries and drive more than $1 billion in annual retail sales, according to Fast Company.

Participating publishers include: Vogue.com, WhoWhatWear, The Blonde Salad, Man Repeller, Fashionista.

If you do regular outfit posts, feature or review items you love, or talk about shopping, rewardStyle is likely a good fit for you blog. It offers higher commission rates than many of its competitors and brings together almost all of the fashion/lifestyle-related programs in one place. This is much easier than applying to each affiliate program separately based on the brands you want to work with. Payments are based on CPS, meaning bloggers are paid only if the visitor purchases something after clicking the affiliate link. They are also known for making Instagram posts shoppable before shoppability was an actual feature within the app through their game-changing app, LIKEtoKNOW:IT.  

SHOPSTYLE COLLECTIVE (FORMERLY SHOPSENSE BY SHOPSTYLE)

ShopStyle Collective (formerly known as ShopSense by ShopStyle) commissions are based on a CPC model, meaning you get paid whenever your links are clicked, not only when you convert a sale. This model is great if your readers are more inclined to browse as opposed to buy and is therefore best for high-traffic, low sales-generating sites. This is often the case with blogs that offer their readers inspiration as opposed to shopping advice.  

Participating publishers include: Popsugar group of sites, The Fashion Bomb.

SKIMLINKS

Many different publishers in the tech, food and fashion space use Skimlinks. The network is best known for its ease of use, as bloggers are only required to drop a line of javascript into their site’s coding. The program then automatically generates relevant links on the fly. The program allows you to automatically link products, brands, colors, and clothing or accessories mentioned in posts to relevant affiliate links. While the program isn’t specific to fashion, their tools narrow the possibilities by topic making it a great choice for fashion bloggers.

Participating publishers include: Luckymag.com, Gawker sites (including Jezebel), The Cut (New York Magazine).

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Get Started With Influencer Marketing

Ready to make your content shoppable but still have blogger questions about using affiliate links? We’ve got your back. Are you a brand wanting to get started with influencer marketing or kick it into high gear? Get in touch with us and we’ll help you out. 

The post How to Choose a Fashion Affiliate Network appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Part of what The Shelf team has seen is that there are typically two big elements to consider with every “Traffic/Clicks” campaign.

 The First Element…

Is a combination of having a sticky concept + amazing content from great storytellers + being able to sort of “Houdini” the logistics of running an influencer campaign. (You really do have to be kinda magical to pull off a great campaign if you’re a really small team.) 

The Second Element…

Is making sure your website supports your influencer campaign by being well-designed AND by being set up to monitor and measure exactly what people are doing when they come to your site. 

When customers use your website, they leave a TRAIL of data. This is data you can use to help you increase customer engagement, create better products, and capitalize on (and optimize) the strategies that are working so you’re not spinning your wheels and blowing through your budget on an influencer campaign that has stalled. 

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The challenge for a lot of businesses – especially those running influencer campaigns – is knowing what to track and how to interpret that data to improve your campaign’s performance. After all, the most meaningful data is actionable data. Yes, you need to track what happens in your influencer campaign and that means getting data on your influencer partners and their followers.

So, I compiled this list of the top user actions marketers should track and what they mean for your campaign, your next marketing meeting, and your organization overall.

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7 Key Metrics Google Analytics Tracks That’ll Help You Get Site Traffic and Clicks During Influencer Campaigns

Track Destinations

Destination refers to the page a follower comes to your site in search of. And that will typically be the page on which he/she spends the most time. It will often take them several clicks to access or find the desired page, but it’s important to pay close attention to your destination page so you can make sure users are getting out of it what they were expecting when they clicked through from social media. 

Track Logins

Tracking when a user logs in may seem like a no-brainer. Duh. We should all know when somebody new is in our house. But tracking logins can help you figure out:

• when people are accessing your site (so you know when to have new content available)
• how people are accessing your site (so you know how to tailor your messaging and promotions for desktop or mobile), and 
• where people are accessing your site (which is great for apps that have geofencing capabilities (like shopping apps, rebate apps, and coupon apps)).

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Track Bounce Rate

Get a handle on your ego, here. Your bounce rate measures how many times a potential customer visits one page on your site, and then leaves the site entirely, without visiting another page. Although a high bounce rate may seem like an indicator something’s wrong, that’s not always the case. 

If your website is a blog or article-based, a high bounce rate may not be that bad. However, if your bounce rate is high on pages significant to conversions like your homepage or product pages, that may signify something is wrong that requires your team to tweak things a bit. 

Track Session Time

When it comes to those article-based websites, session time can be a much stronger barometer of success than click-through rates (discussed next). Session time is the length of time customers spend on your site, even if it’s only on one page. Though it’s a simple metric, it can be one of the earliest signs of customers’ opinions of your site. 

If users aren’t spending enough time on your site to understand your product or make a purchase, that may be an indication that your content isn’t clear or that it lacks the ability to compel a user to take further action, from a copywriting perspective.

So, keep that in mind that if your influencer was able to drive traffic to your site, your influencer campaign was actually a success… your funnel may be the weak link here. Either way, evaluating session time can be a major asset for interpreting customers’ understanding of what you do.

Track Click-Through Rate

The click-through rate (CTR) is the frequency of clicks on calls-to-action (CTA) compared to the number of people who actually see the CTA. Typically a button or link that says something like “Schedule a Demo” or “Sign Up Here” or “Buy Now” is what we’re talking about. 

CTAs are different from shares, likes, or comments. CTAs are actually meant to direct people deeper into your funnel. 

This metric is extremely important, especially when it comes to assessing how effective your CTAs are. If your site has a low CTR, that can indicate your CTAs aren’t strategically placed or compelling enough for users to click on and can signify a need for optimization.

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Track Cart Abandonments

Cart abandonments are when customers have items added to their carts but fail to follow through to actually purchasing them. Oftentimes, users will make it all the way to the checkout page before changing their minds. 

By tracking when this happens, with which customers, and what products are being left, you can start to understand why customers aren’t completing purchases. In many cases, the checkout process is too long or customers haven’t been fully convinced to buy. Sometimes, they are just time-pressed and planning to come back to finish shopping or complete the purchase later, but don’t want the hassle of starting over the research process. Monitoring this can help your business make the necessary changes to secure those sales. 

Track Conversion Rate

Your conversion rate refers to the percentage of customers who visit your site and actually end up making a purchase. Most of the time, conversion is the ultimate goal of every single influencer campaign ever.  But there are, of course, steps along the path to purchase where brands have to meet customers first in order to get the conversion. Conversions turn directly into money earned for the company and drive the business forward. 

A high conversion rate indicates you’re doing something right. Maybe everything right. Flip side, a low conversion rate may signify a need to evaluate your CTAs, products, and marketing efforts in order to secure more buyers. 

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So How Do You Track User Actions?

For insights on things like vanity metrics, influencer fraud, and everything that’s happening with your influencer campaign, The Shelf platform delivers the goods and also helps agencies and brands streamline the often overwhelming process of planning, launching and measuring an influencer campaign. And campaigns are always much better when we have the info we need to optimize campaigns on both ends. 

Now that you know which on-page actions you need to monitor to get the best results from your influencer campaign, the question becomes: how do you even begin to sort through each of these metrics? Manually sifting through all of that data can be taxing and time-consuming. 

We positioned this post around Google Analytics because it’s free, super-simple to access, and you can easily find someone on your team or on a gig platform like Fiverr or Upwork who knows how to properly set up Google Analytics for your website.  

But I would venture a bet that most businesses are using Google Analytics and at least one other piece of tracking software like Hubspot, or a more fully-integrated business-management solution like Oracle Applications. But whether from one big, suped-up data engine or from martech you’ve integrated to work seamlessly, you need to get your hands on these key metrics so you have a more accurate picture of what’s happening with your influencer campaign. 

I’ll Close With This…

Tracking user actions is an important piece of the marketing puzzle. You absolutely need to know which actions are significant and how a user’s decision to take them or not take them affect your business. In the end, user actions will help you better evaluate your customers’ actions and understand how they drive revenue for your business. 

Marie Johnson is a contributor to Enlightened Digital, UX Designer and technology writer from New York City. If she’s not writing her latest blog post in her kitchen, you’ll likely find her strolling through Central Park, cappuccino in hand.

The post THE 7 METRICS YOUR SITE SHOULD TRACK IN TRAFFIC/CLICKS INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

We’ve written extensively on the best ways for brands to identify the right influencers for different types of campaigns. We even published a post on blogger outreach that’s pretty popular. This time around, we want to focus on what you can do as a blogger to make it easier for you to forge mutually-beneficial relationships with brands.

Fun Fact: Some Brands Already Know You

t’s often the case that by the time someone reaches out to you, either the influencer agency or the brand already knows who you are. You just need to be able to close on the contracts you want, the ones that are a good fit for both you and the brand. And your best shot at doing that is going to be with data.

(We marketers are all about that data, babe!)

So, you need a well-designed pitch deck that you can present to potential collaborators that will absolutely quantify your value and highlight why you are a good choice to partner with the brand. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Shoot, I need that!?!”, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In this handy, little guide, you’ll find pretty much everything you need to know to put together a killer influencer media kit so you don’t have to miss out on any more cool collaborations.

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What the Heck is an Influencer Media Kit?

Okay – for starters, let’s go over what an influencer media kit really is. In boring language, an influencer media kit is a digital portfolio that tells brands what they need to know about you. More specifically, it’s your pitch, your chance to sell yourself and actually validate your influence.

Influencer kits are a nice, tidy way to showcase your work, highlight your achievements, and impress people who are interested in collaborating with you. If you’re serious about earning money as an influencer, you NEED an influencer media kit.

Actually, you will need a media kit for just about any business proposition, whether it’s a brand reaching out to you or you reaching out to a brand. Your media kit is going to be the most concise and organized way to highlight how AWESOME you are!

What Goes in a Good Influencer Media Kit?

Now, there are plenty of media kit templates floating around out on the web to help you dream up a pretty snazzy package. And half the fun in making one of these things is in injecting your personality into the design of your kit! But that means very little if your influencer media kit doesn’t include the info brands want to know.

So, in this section, I’m going to tell you what actually goes in your kit. Be warned: it may seem a little overwhelming at first, but I promise you it’s worth it.

And this isn’t just coming from us (although we do like to think we’re pretty well-versed in influencer marketing). The information we outline below is all based on stuff brands have asked us to secure from the influencers during the influencer selection process. And we’ve worked with some pretty big brands. Brands that are in your fridge right now. Or your bathroom. Or on your weekend list of places to visit.

If a brand partners with you, it does so to get the attention of a targeted pool of people who are following you AND also likely to be interested in what that brand has to offer. When influencers buy followers and engagement, they have no idea if any of the followers they bought are gonna turn out to be valuable leads for the brand. And that’s what’s so sucky about having fake followers.

Now, let’s dive into some of these sections a little bit more and see how you can format all this information in your influencer media kit.

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#1 Key Info About You

Start by telling brands who you are and what you’re about. Consider this introduction your “About Me” section or your cover letter.

An About Me section is a good place to show off your personality and establish an instant connection with brands that would align well with your own brand and your audience. Talk about what makes you different and why you’re a person of influence. Think about what you could tell someone about you in just 10 seconds that would help them decide if they want to learn more about you.

It’s a little like speed dating because you have to find a smart way to visually communicate a lot about yourself in as little time as possible.

• What country you’re located in
• Your age and the age ranges of those in your household
• Relationship/Marital status
• Female/Male/Non-Binary
• What you do for a living
• What your interests are
• What type of photos you typically receive the most engagement on

For most brands, the goal is to use as few resources and as little time as possible weeding out candidates who aren’t a good match for a particular campaign. There will always be other campaigns. So, focus on helping brands figure out which campaigns to use you for.

And be careful not to agree to work a campaign that you know isn’t a good fit just for the money. Doing so will cancel any further opportunities with that brand if you fall short of meeting campaign goals. And future brands will want to know your performance history on past campaigns before partnering with you.

#2 Audiences Size (Channel-Specific)

Audience Size and Audience Demographics are tied together, but I want to keep them separate because each is an important part of the decision-making process for brands.

We’ve talked extensively on The Shelf Blog about the differences between nano vs micro vs macro vs mega influencers and which types of campaigns work best for each one. Most campaigns aren’t run with macro and mega influencers, and there are times when micro-influencers and nano-influencers are really the best choice for a campaign based on the campaign goals.

So, audience size is important, but not nearly as important as brands originally thought two or three years ago when fast food chicken restaurant chains were trying to get pictures of Kardashians eating drumsticks on their private plane home.

Here is the basic information brands will want to know about the size of your audience:

• Location of main target audience
• Number of followers
• Followers per country

#3 Audience Demographics

Speaking of selling fast food chicken to the private plane demographic… or the fast food chicken demographic…

WHO FOLLOWS YOU is as important as HOW MANY people are following you on social media. Brands may reach out to you because they like your content and think your audience is the right size, but ultimately they’re interested in partnering with you because of the influence you wield with a segment of their target audience.

And if you bought large swathes of followers, you really don’t know who your followers are OR if the brand’s target audience is mixed in with yours or not.

You also want to make sure the data you present is relevant to the channel or channels on which you will be collaborating. Most influencers focus their attention on one or two social media platforms. So, master influencing your audience on those platforms. It’s unlikely, but if a brand is approaching you for a campaign running on a platform other than the one(s) on which you have influence, say no.

We harp on the fact that bloggers and social media influencers need to grow their audiences organically. When bloggers buy followers and engagement, they don’t actually know who they’re getting or if “bought” followers are adding any real value to their brand or their communities.

I can’t emphasize enough that valuable leads is what brands are after when they look to partner with influencers. It may tamper with your ego a little to think that you’re a means to an end, but that’s the truth. If a cute puppy would deliver the same crowd to a brand and the audience would convert better, the pup would probably win, babe.

Just saying…

Brands need to be able to get a feel for your audience, so here is some of the info they will be really interested in knowing:

• Age range of your audience
• Are most married or single (ballpark it if you have to)
• How many are female/male/nonbinary?
• What do they do for a living?
• What are their interests?
• Breakdown of female-to-male ratio

#4 Analytics Data

Time for some jargon and graphs.

At the end of the day, you can say what you want, but the proof is always in the data (we LOVE data). So, you really do need to know how to communicate your value using the data housed in your social media dashboards.

GETTING TO YOUR INSTAGRAM DATA

According to Mobile Marketer, 93 percent of influencer campaigns happen on Instagram. You can find a breakdown of your Instagram audience size and demographic data in the Insights section of the Instagram app.

BLOG TRAFFIC DATA

Another big one for brands is your blog. For brands, influencer campaigns can support SEO efforts and help them to get eyes on their products for years to come. The key, of course, is to work with influencers who are also avid bloggers with popular, well-trafficked blogs.

A lot of times, there will be a tie-in between influencers who are popular on platforms like Pinterest and those who have lots of traffic going to their blogs. Beyond just traffic to your blog, brands will want to know:

• How many site visits you get per month
• What type of content is driving your traffic
• Where your traffic is coming from (social, organic, paid)
• Who is visiting your site
• How many different people visit per month
• How long they stay on your site
• Do they browse around or just visit a single page?
• Most popular types of posts you publish

All of this information, you can find in your Google Analytics dashboard.

So, if you happen to be a [traditional] blogger, you’ll also need to have your Google Analytics data on-hand, which tells brands about your monthly traffic. Plan to show them an average of your monthly traffic over the past three to six months. They may also be interested in your bounce rate, where the traffic is coming from, how long people are staying on your site.

But the good stuff is still to come. Google Analytics produces interest reports, kind of like what Facebook does with ad targeting, where you can target audiences based on their interests.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL VIEWERSHIP

Video marketing is one of the most effective forms of influencer marketing, especially for brands targeting the under-35 crowd. YouTube offers some pretty keen insights for its creators. From the YouTube analytics dashboard, you have easy access to viewer stats includingwhat they watched, device type, geography or location, how long they watched, date or time frame, and subscriber status.

If you’re worried about ruining the design of your media kit with ho-hum bar graphs, YouTube actually provides a few different types of charts like pie charts, line graphs, bubble charts, interactive maps, and stacked area charts.

Actually, you can take a look at some of those different types in Google’s page of YouTube analytics.

COMBATTING THE UGLY

I know. I know. Unless you’re a numbers geek, none of those charts look particularly appealing. If you want to skip the dashboard charts altogether and fully design your own media kit, you can do something like what’s pictured below. Lifestyle bloggers A Beautiful Mess highlight their website readership and demographics in their media kit with these cute little icons shaded (or partially shaded) millennial pink. But be warned, larger brands are going to want actual screenshots, so be prepared to hand them over when requested.

#5 Engagement Ratios

The connection between your audience size and your audience demographics can be seen in your engagement ratios. Brands reach out to influencers whose audiences are interested in, and respond well to, what an influencer posts. Your engagement ratio measures the relationship between your total audience size and the number of followers who like, comment on, or share your posts. The better the engagement, the higher your value as an influencer.

#6 Brands Mentions and Affinity

An equally telling aspect of your online personality has to do with the brands you mention in your posts. The audience of an influencer who frequently talks about brands like Michael Kors, Coach, and Williams Sonoma (high-end fashion and lifestyle brands) will differ from the audience of an influencer who talks about Ruger, Arcus, and Rothco (brands that are popular among hunters and wilderness enthusiasts).

Giving potential partner brands some indication of the types of brands you actually mention and shop will help them determine if your AUDIENCE is a good fit for their product. Remember, brands are trying to determine the value of your audience, so while you may think stepping up your Instagram feed to attract luxury brands after five years of being the queen of thrift and deals will land you cooler partnerships, it’s actually going to be a while before your audience will add much value to a luxury brand because in addition to your feed changing, your audience has to change as well… and that’s gonna take some time.

#7 Previous Campaigns

Talk about your previous successful campaigns. You do have them, don’t you? You almost have to think like a consultant because what brands really want to know about your previous campaigns are the results you delivered for the brands that paid you to work with them.

Highlight some of the brands you’ve worked with, as well as some of the paid content you’ve created. It would be helpful to show some examples of particularly engaging conversations that have started as a result of your sponsored posts. Brands are particularly fond of seeing that you’ve had long-standing relationships with other brands – repeat customers. The assumption is that if a company worked with you more than once, the first campaign must have reached pre-determined goals. So, if you have repeat customers, mention them.

We Know Design is a Big Deal

I didn’t talk much about design in this post, and there’s a good reason for that. Usually, influencers are pretty good at presenting content that is visually appealing. What you may not know is how to sell marketing services to other brands, so I zeroed in on that for this post.

But it’s true that finding the right information to include in your media kit is only half the battle. The design and presentation of your media kit is a big part of what will sell brands interested in collaborating.

The design of your influencer media kit is an example of your aesthetic and creative abilities, and brands are hiring you to create AMAZING content for their campaigns. That said, now is definitely the time to show off.

There are templates you can use to create your media kit. But come on – you want to stand out. It’s more work, but we suggest working to create your own. If graphic design isn’t your forte, consider hiring a freelancer to design it for you!

If you decide to tackle it on your own, you can use free resources like Canva to create a stylized media kit all your own. Canva has over 3,000 media kit templates to choose from.

I think most influencers understand the importance of creating visually appealing content. It plays a huge role in how brands perceive you as an influencer. Of course, we have a couple of tips to help you get your head in the game.

• Try playing with different fonts for headers, body text, and graphics. Serif fonts (ones that have little “feet” on the bottom) tend to look more traditional and conservative. Sans Serifs don’t have the little “feet,” and are usually more modern and easier to read.
• Pay attention to the images and graphics you use. Because you’re essentially being hired to create gorgeous content, you definitely want your content to be gorgeous as well.
• Pick portfolio content that is not only aesthetically-pleasing, but also performed well on the platform your potential brand partner is targeting.
• For your data graphics, make them clean, fun, and easy to understand.

Conclusion

Your influencer media kit will get your foot in the door for collaborations you’re interested in. It should introduce them to who you are, your platform demographics and information, and appeal to them visually. Once you get the conversation started, it’s on you to seal the deal!

The post The 7 Things Brands Want to See in An Influencer Media Kit appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.