Instagram Promotions: A Guide for Smart Users

I am writing this to raise the standards which are oh too low right now. Some brands are sweeping away teens with thousands of followers and exploiting their user base. It's not their fault as there is no 101 guide for how to go about it. So here are some crystallised thoughts after a  few years of Instagram and brand promotions.

The following blog is in relation to creating photographic and textual content to be published on Instagram.

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Its simple, find the brand or organisation you like and send them your work over a simple e-mail...

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Approaching Brands

So you have this amazing way to create content for yourself and believe that you could do it for someone else too, in return of some remuneration. Brilliant! But how do we really go about that?
Its simple, find the brand or organisation you like and send them your work over a simple email or contact form from official website. One message could land you a great deal with your favourite brand.
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Mention some important information while sending these emails such as:

• Your work portfolio (website or attached documents)
• Your Instagram user base, stats and reach
• How your work is unique
• How the brand's ethos can make an impact on your follower base.

If you don't know how much to charge for a post, you can always search new posts about price calculations online or just price yourself according to your area and peers. 

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They are obviously interested in working with you but might actually not.

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When Brands Approach You

"I just got an email from a brand for a collaboration, but how do I take the conversation further and make a deal?" Many of us have been here, including myself on a very regular basis and this is what one may do.

When a brand approaches you, it means they are obviously interested in working with you but might actually not. With brands and companies, its 90% of the time about what they want and how they will benefit from a social media promotion deal. So think wisely and work through the following two most important factors of all:​

Promotions in Exchange of Products or Cash?

A standard email form a new brand looks something like this which I received about 2 weeks ago.

• They want me to Upload a photo of me in their clothing line.
• Then Tag their Instagram.
• Use specific hastags (#)

And in return I will get on piece of garment from there collection.

Now lets observe and evaluate the situation. Again this is my perspective and it will depend on person to person so be smart about it. As of now, here are some facts.

1. I don't know the brand at all and never heard of it.
2. I am a travel account so should I even do it all?
3. If I find out a way to do this, should I do it only for the garment or cash?

Things to do after your first observation:

1. Search upon the brand first, it might seem unknown at but could be making waves in it's sector already.
2. Look at how both the parties could benefit from this deal. 
3. Does the brand message relate to your audience? (In my case, as a travel account, it definitely won't)
4. And if at all you decide to do it, calculate upon what they offer you in ratio to your reach, followers and impressions (this can be found in your stats tab on top of your Instagram profile) 

So in this case I decided I don't want to do it for product trade but I can still offer my services at a price. Which brings us to our next important factor:

Be Clear

Be very very clear about what you want and how it will help both the parties. Negotiate if necessary but at the end, know your value and what it's being priced at. 

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You should realise that your gallery is an asset.

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​Season your Gallery

By now, you should realise that your gallery is an asset. Not just in terms of branding but your own identify and messages you send as a creator. Save that gallery from death: If you have a seasoned gallery, with a specific genre, then don’t let a brand post ruin it for peanut payments or products. But if you really want to do it, then try to sync in with your style while delivering the message softly.

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If they are a genuine company and value your work, they will never ask your time and energy for free.

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Final Thoughts

The time and effort you put in your gallery was not free so don't let brands sweep you away with a product or payment worth $5.
Don’t get trapped by dodgy and fabricated promises new brands/apps/website make to you.
NEVER fall for “ we have 100000 of users and we will credit your name for using the content”. Instead get your images licensed, sell the copyright and be smart about it. If they are a genuine company and value your work, they will never ask your time and energy for free. Just don’t do it. Ignore such emails and spend time creating more unique stuff.
Start saying, NO! Always be clear of what you want in return, and be open for negotiations. Finally be creative upon what you deliver, here are some of my brand collaborations in the past and how I did them.

Simple and fun, just cut some fresh fruits, lay flat and snap. Best thing is that you can eat the setup later.

A post shared by Chris Rathore ? ? (@traveller.chris) on Jun 20, 2017 at 10:20pm PDT

This one is clicked from iPhone 5s.

A post shared by Chris Rathore ? ? (@traveller.chris) on Dec 14, 2016 at 1:35am PST

Here is another fun collaboration with Kingfisher. Again, super easy, call some friends get some food go on a ride and snap away.

A post shared by Chris Rathore □ □ (@traveller.chris) on Dec 31, 2016 at 1:18am PST

A post shared by Chris Rathore ? ? (@traveller.chris) on Feb 12, 2017 at 4:49am PST

You can see many more on my Instagram here. Thank you for reading and I hope it will help you in some way. Still have a question or a comment then please drop it below. 

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