Money tends to be a taboo topic. It's tacky to ask someone how much they earn, or refer to your own earnings in conversation. However the lack of openness around the subject allows for exploitation and irregularity - look at the gender pay gap, for example. In the world of blogging and social media in particular, people can be very secretive about how they make money. It's understandable - it's a competitive industry. And as there's no real industry standard, most of us are making it up as we go along.
I thought I'd sit down and outline some of the ways I make money and have forged a full-time career from Instagram, as well as provide a few tips for those of you looking to start monetising your channels. I see a lot of people starting out and making mistakes, purely because there's so little information out there (or they're not bothering to find it...). Hopefully this will help provide some transparency around the subject!
1. Sponsored Ads
The bulk of my revenue comes from sponsored ads on my Instagram channel. These will always be disclosed at the beginning of the post with the disclaimer {#AD}, fyi. I work with a range of brands spanning the fashion, travel and lifestyle industries on sponsored posts - this can be anything from being paid one off to feature a product, to a brand ambassador role with a long-term contract.
Most of these opportunities land in my inbox, either from the brand themselves or an agency representing them. I'll usually be given a brief, and will base my rates on the amount of work required. I have a base rate (from what I know most people calculate this as about 1% of their following, but this can alter depending on engagement), which I adjust depending on how much content the brand require, if I'm going to need to spend money on props, and how long it will take me.
I also occasionally take on work from apps like Takumi and Vamp - these will be briefs available to users of the app, who can apply and will be accepted or declined on a case by case basis. These can be good for a bit of extra work as they put you in front of different brands (I've done bits and pieces outside of my niche with alcohol and beauty brands, for instance), however they tend to pay less and you don't build a personal relationship with the brand.
READ MORE: The Ultimate Guide to Everything Instagram!
2. Content for Brand Use
Occasionally I create content specifically for brands to use on their channels, with no obligation on my side to post. I really enjoy doing this as it takes away the pressure to create something that works for my feed aesthetic, and I can experiment with more commercial content. For example, I regularly shoot content for Oasis, and I recently did a shoot featured in the window display at Dorothy Perkins (seeing my content in their Oxford Street store window was a proud moment!). Sometimes I will be invited to shoot with a brand more as an influencer/model - so I don't have to produce the content, just appear in it.
I think this is a real opportunity for smaller content creators who have a strong aesthetic but don't necessarily have a huge 'influence' - there are lots of brands out there who are interested in cultivating community-sourced content. Saves them hiring a stylist, photographer, model etc, and they get unique social-ready content. Find them and pitch to them as a content creator for their brand!
3. Affiliate Links
I have an account through affiliate linking programme Liketoknow.it, which allows me to easily link the clothes in all my posts. If you happen to click through one of the links and make a purchase, I get a small commission at no cost to you - sort of like a thank you for the sale from the brand. I tend to be a bit erratic at keeping all my looks up to date on there so I probably don't utilise it as much as I should, but I get occasional revenue through it. If your followers are always asking where your clothes are from, there's potential to make a lot of money through affiliate schemes.
4. My Blog
I popped this one in last as I do very little to monetise my blog. I mention it only because I know fellow bloggers who have successfully taken their blogs full-time by selling ads and creating sponsored content. Of course you need a steady stream of engaged readers, which can be tricky as blogs don't quite carry the weight they once did, particularly within fashion.
Personally I don't tend to offer sponsored posts as I prefer to keep my blog content as natural as possible - I'm focussed on sharing pieces which provide real value, rather than pushing products. However occasionally if something feels like a good fit and can be worked into a natural angle, I'll do a sponsored post.
My Tips for Monetising your Channels
First off, ambition is to be applauded, but take your time. I've seen and heard a lot of stories recently of 'influencers' pitching to brands here there and everywhere with cut and paste irrelevant emails, claiming to have real influence with 1000 followers. Honestly, it's something that really frustrates me as it devalues the industry as a whole, and makes us all look bad.
Don't just blindly try and get any work you can. I've actually received emails from influencers before offering to promote my products and listing their rates. I'm not even a brand! It's an extreme example, but that spammy blagger attitude isn't going to get you work. Pitch to brands you really love, and let your passion shine through.
Do you research, and ask yourself, what can I offer a brand that gives them real value? If you don't have many followers or an engaged audience, that doesn't mean you can't still make money, but realistically a brand won't be interested in working with you for your influence. Instead you can offer value through amazing content that they can then use. If you're a strong photographer, offer to take and edit a selection of images for them to use for their channels perhaps?
Likewise, if a brand reaches out to you, think about whether you receive value from the collaboration. Lord knows I made that mistake enough times when I was starting out. I'd accept every freebie that was offered to me - I once created a whole post for a couple of breath mints! So much of the stuff I would never use again, so it was giving these brands free press and content whilst I wasn't actually getting anything in return.
Oh, and my other pet peeve (yeah, I've got a lot), is people working for free when they have great content and could be charging. If a brand reaches out looking for a specific number of posts or with a specific brief, always ask for budget. If they can get the work done for free, obviously they'll try it! Though I occasionally accept gifting I generally won't if they have a brief, time frame, or want specific posts. That's going into campaign territory, which is something a brand usually has budget for. Again, just ask yourself how much you actually want the product on offer, and how long the work will take you.
I hope this helps shed a bit of light on what I do, how I make money, and some tips for those of you looking to build a career in content creation yourselves. If you have any questions at all, please do email me or leave a comment below!
Loved this!! So informative & useful 💗
Excellent article! Meaty information for beginners.
Really really insightful article! Super useful I’m sure to anyone looking to break out into that industry – especially with the lack of readily available information out there already, like you said!
Xoxo
Author
So glad you found it helpful, thanks for the feedback!
Such a useful blog post, Anoushka! Where is this beautiful place?
Author
Hi Lana, this is Kynance Mews near Gloucester Road!
This was really useful! Thank you for sharing xxx
Absolutely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this dear XoXo