A paid post is a post that you create specifically to promote a product or company. The purpose of this paid post is to garner attention from your viewers or followers and direct toward the brand that’s paying you.

 

Most companies have a target audience. That means they have dialed into a specific niche and are looking for influencers within that niche. This means that the niche you choose will determine which brands you work with. For example, if you are in the pet niche, you may have a dog food company reach out to you.

 

You might think paid posts only come to those who have

an extremely high number of followers, but that’s not

always the case. It’s not just about the numbers that you

have. It’s about the relationship that you have with the

people who follow you. If you have a small but engaged

audience who regularly interacts with your posts, you can

still find plenty of brands that might be interested in

partnering with you.

 

Keep in mind that you want to show companies and

businesses that you’re an established leader within your

niche. Brands look for persuasive influencers who have

plenty of conversations, hashtags, and retweets pointing

back to them.

 

If you’re on a platform and a brand approaches you with

the offer of a paid post, they’ll usually offer you money in

exchange for you mentioning their products or showing

your followers that you’re using their items.

 

Sometimes, a brand may offer you a product instead of

money. For example, if you’re a fashion blogger, a clothing

company may send you a free sweater in exchange for

talking the brand up on social media.

 

The important thing to remember in this situation is that

you’re still being “compensated” even if it’s not in the

form of actual dollars. That means you need to be

transparent and reveal the relationship you have with the

third-party, such as being an affiliate, and explain that you received compensation for giving your honest review.

 

If you don’t disclose this information in your post, it may become public knowledge later. Once that happens, your brand will be damaged and your followers won’t trust your recommendations anymore. Always make it a point to be honest about what you received in exchange for your review.

 

One influencer that does a good job of tagging her posts is fashion and lifestyle user Cara Jourdan (@CaraJourdan). On a recent photo, there’s a quick note under her username that reads: “Paid partnership with dynamiteclothing.” She also tagged the Instagram photo with the hashtag #ad so her followers would understand she was promoting a specific brand.

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Because she’s being honest and open about this, Cara’s followers still respect her recommendations and trust her judgment. Note that while Cara’s following doesn’t number in the millions, her engagement rate is high. This makes brands want to use her for their promotions.

 

As an influencer, should you accept a paid post? Yes, if the brand is legitimate and it won’t hurt your reputation. If they have sleazy practices or have controversy surrounding them, then no amount of money offered could make up for possibly damaging your own reputation if you link with them.