Before you can begin earning money as an influencer, you need to keep in mind that there are several different types of sponsorships. You need to know what they are and understand how they work before you approach a brand.

 

The first type of sponsorship you might encounter is simple selling. The brand just wants to use your voice and your influence to persuade people to give their business a try. Typically, they’re looking for new customers who have never purchased a product from them before.

 

Often, the brand will give you a special coupon code that you pass onto your followers. When your fans go to make a purchase, they can use the code to get a special discount or another perk, like free shipping.

 

Lynn Terry (@lowcarbtraveler), an influencer who is in the ketogenic diet niche, did this in a recent post on Instagram. She posted a photo of keto granola that she enjoyed. Then in the caption, she invited followers to DM her for a special coupon code.

​

She also posted an Instagram Story that linked to the granola website. This made it easy for her followers to find her link and try these tasty new treats.

 

Keep in mind that it doesn’t always have to be a discount code that you share with your followers. Sometimes, a brand might give you a coupon code for “free shipping” on an order or a “buy one, get one” deal that you can let your followers know about.

 

Another type of sponsorship could be a special perk. This is something you can pass on to your followers that’s exclusive to them. It should be a specific item that appeals to your target market.

 

For example, a sponsor might offer your followers a gift for clicking through the link that they give you to share. This gift could be a set of makeup brushes to go along with the purchase of a makeup kit.

 

Keep in mind that perk can be anything and it doesn’t necessarily have to be something that’s tangible. If you’re a travel influencer, then a sponsor may offer a free night or two stay at an exclusive hotel if your followers click on a specific link.

 

Sometimes sponsors will use giveaway events. This is usually done to increase brand awareness. You’ll host the contest on your social media channels. Winners might be chosen randomly or picked because they completed a special step such as signing up for the company’s newsletter.

 

Tamanna Roashan (@DressYourFace) is a beauty influencer who partnered with Morphe Brushes (@MorpheBrushes) to do an exclusive giveaway.

​

To be entered to win, Participants had to complete three steps. First, they needed to be following both Tamanna and Morphe Brushes on Instagram. Next, participants had to tag three friends in the comments, and finally, they had to like the post.

 

The cool thing about this is that the likes and comments created more engagement on the post. As the engagement number rose, Instagram’s algorithms kicked in and began displaying the post to even more users. In six days, the giveaway received over 21,000+ hearts and 15,000+ comments.

 

Sometimes, a sponsorship may not involve a discount, special perk, or giveaway. In these cases, the sponsor may just want you to promote their content.

 

For example, a makeup company may want you to promote a link to their beauty quiz where your followers can discover their ideal makeup coloring. When your followers click on the link to take the quiz, it can create interest in the company’s products.

Now that you understand the different types of sponsorship, you’re ready to focus on the next step of becoming an influencer: understanding takeovers.