How to get sponsored on Instagram

To get sponsored on Instagram, switch to a creator account, post consistently in one niche, and make it easy for companies to see your audience and contact you. Then pitch the companies you'd love to work with, or join Meta Creator Marketplace once you have 1,000 followers.

You don't have to wait for your first deal to start earning from companies, either. With Sponsored Links, you add offers from companies to your Linktree and get paid when your audience redeems them (US only). Below is the full path: the account, the profile, the pitch and the label Instagram asks you to use on every paid post.

What counts as a sponsored post on Instagram?

Instagram calls sponsored posts branded content. Its help page defines branded content as content a creator has been paid for, with money or something else of value, by a company. That includes products you were gifted for free.

Instagram also says all branded content must be disclosed using the paid partnership label. In the US, the FTC's guide for social media influencers asks you to disclose any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a company, and to place the disclosure so it's hard to miss, with the post itself rather than only in your bio. The label and a clear line in your caption do both.

Sponsored posts are different from ads. An ad is a post a company pays Instagram to show to more people. A sponsored post is content you make and share from your own account because a company paid you, sent you something or asked you to.

Do you need a lot of followers to get sponsored?

No. Companies can work with any creator they like, and many look for a small, engaged audience in the right niche rather than a big number. If your followers comment, save and share, that's what a company is paying for.

There is one place where follower count matters. Instagram's eligibility rules for Creator Marketplace ask for at least 1,000 followers, a public professional account and an age of 18 or over. If you're under 1,000 followers, you can still pitch directly to companies. For a closer look at the numbers, see how many followers you need to make money on Instagram.

How to get sponsored on Instagram in seven steps

1. Switch to a creator account

Sponsorship tools live in professional accounts. Instagram says creator accounts are best for public figures, content producers, artists and influencers. Here are Instagram's steps to set up a professional account:

1. Go to your profile and tap More to open Settings and activity.
2. Below For professionals, tap Account type and tools.
3. Select Switch to professional account, then choose a category that describes what you do.
4. Choose Creator, then tap Next and finish the setup.

One thing to know first: if your account is private, switching to a professional account makes it public, and Instagram accepts any pending follow requests.

2. Pick a niche and post consistently

Companies look for creators whose content fits their customers. Pick the topics you can post about every week, like skincare, home cooking or running, and stick to them long enough that someone landing on your profile knows what you're about in three posts.

Consistency is easier with a plan. Social Planner lets you plan and schedule Instagram posts ahead of time, so your feed stays active on the weeks you're busy. Business coach Suz Chadwick uses Social Planner to keep her Instagram community engaged.

3. Get to know your audience in insights

Before a company pays you, it'll want to know who you reach. With a public account, Instagram gives you free insights on your followers and on how each post, story, reel and live video performed. The overview shows Views, Interactions, New followers and the content you shared.

Note which posts get the most interactions and which topics bring in new followers. Those are the numbers to put in your pitch.

4. Make your profile easy to contact

A company that likes your content needs a fast way to reach you. Instagram lets you add up to five links to your profile. Put your Linktree in that section so one tap shows a company your other platforms, your best work and a way to get in touch.

5. Join Meta Creator Marketplace

Creator Marketplace is Instagram's place for companies to find creators for branded content and partnership ads. Once you meet the eligibility rules, here's how to join Creator Marketplace:

1. On your profile, tap Professional dashboard.
2. Tap Branded content, then tap Join creator marketplace.
3. Tap Accept to let companies see information about you and your insights, and message you in a Partnership messages folder.
4. Tap Accept changes, then review and accept the Terms.

If you don't see Join creator marketplace, Instagram says the feature isn't available to you yet. Once you're in, set up your creator portfolio and choose the companies you'd like to work with, so the right ones find you first.

6. Pitch companies directly

You don't need to wait to be found. Make a short list of companies whose products you already use, then send a message that's about them, not you:

• Say why you. Name the product you use and the post of yours that shows it.
• Show your audience. Share your follower count, your best performing posts and who your followers are, from your insights.
• Suggest an idea. Offer one specific post, reel or story idea they could say yes to today.
• Make it easy to reply. Link your Linktree so they can see your other platforms and contact you.

Keep a one-page media kit ready with the same numbers. If a company says not now, ask whether you can check in next season.

7. Build a track record while you wait

Your first deal is easier to land when you can show you've promoted products before. It can also be steadier income. In Linktree's Creator Commerce Report, creators named affiliate revenue as their top income driver, and said larger brand partnerships were harder to rely on for consistent revenue. Two ways to start now:

• Sponsored Links. Browse offers in the Earn tab, add the ones your audience will like to your Linktree, and get paid when your audience redeems them. Available in the US only.
• Linktree Shop. Share products you already use and earn commission when your audience buys. It's a natural fit for the reviews you're already making. Here's how to create affiliate links.

Ways to find sponsorships on Instagram

Each route suits a different stage. Here's how they compare:

How to turn on branded content tools

Before you can add the paid partnership label, Instagram asks you to enable branded content tools:

1. In the Instagram app, go to your profile and tap Menu.
2. Tap Creator tools and controls, then tap Branded content.
3. Tap Set up branded content tools.
4. If you're eligible, tap Enable. If you're not, you can request a review.

To stay eligible, Instagram asks you to follow its Branded Content Policies, Community Standards and Content Monetization Policies.

How to add a paid partnership label on Instagram

The paid partnership label only works in the Instagram app. The first time you tag a company, Instagram sends it a request. Until the company approves, your post shows the label without its name.

On a post

1. After you add your caption, effects and filters, tap Next.
2. Tap More options. Below Ads and monetization, select Partnership label & ads.
3. Turn on Add paid partnership label.
4. Tap Add brands manually or Add a brand from a project, and add up to two companies.
5. To let the company run ads with your post, turn on Allow brand partner to boost, then tap Done.

On a story

1. After you choose your photo or video, tap the tag icon at the top of the screen.
2. Turn on Add paid partnership label.
3. Add up to two companies, then tap Done.

On a reel

1. After you add your caption, effects and filters, tap Next.
2. Tap More options, then Add paid partnership label, and turn the toggle on.
3. Add up to two companies, then tap the name of each one you want on your reel.

On a live video

Tagging only works before you go live. Tap Details, then Add brand partner, and choose the company. Instagram says you can only tag companies that have approved you.

What to check before you say yes

A deal is only good if it suits you and your audience. Before you sign, get clear answers on these:

• Fit. Would you recommend this product if you weren't paid? Your followers can tell. In Linktree's Creator Commerce Report, 63% of creators who'd been offered a brand partnership said they wouldn't accept one if they didn't believe in the company or product.
• Deliverables. How many posts, stories or reels, by when, and who approves them.
• Usage. Whether the company can boost your post as an ad, and for how long. On Instagram, that's the Allow brand partner to boost toggle.
• Payment. The fee or product, when you're paid and what happens if the post is late.
• Creative freedom. Room to say it in your own words, so it still sounds like you.
• Disclosure. Agree up front that you'll use the paid partnership label and say it's sponsored in your caption.

Why can't I add a paid partnership label?

If the label isn't working, check these first:

• You have a personal account. Branded content tools need a professional account. Switch in Account type and tools.
• Branded content tools aren't on. Enable them in Creator tools and controls. If you're not eligible, request a review.
• The company hasn't approved you. Your post shows the label without the company's name until it does. If the company denies the request, Instagram removes the label.
• You're trying it on desktop. The label is only available in the Instagram app.
• You're already live. On live video, add the company before you go live.
• You tagged two companies and want a boost. Instagram says a post with more than one brand partner can't be boosted.

How creators turn their influence into income on Linktree

Sponsorships are one part of a creator business. Here's how three creators bring brand work and recommendations together on Linktree:

• Amber Lewis uses her Linktree to point followers to her brand partnerships, collaborations and product recommendations from one place. Read how Amber Lewis built her digital influence.
• Katie shares the exact products from her ASMR self-care videos with Linktree Shops and earns affiliate commission from the companies she loves. Read how Katie built her beauty and wellness business.
• Emily Polner of The Emsider uses Linktree Shops so her readers can shop her favorite finds. Read how Emily Polner built her fashion community.

Make it easy for the right company to say yes

A sponsorship is a trade. A company borrows the trust your followers have in you, and your followers trust that you'd only share something you'd use yourself. Protect that and the deals get easier, because your audience keeps listening.

So keep your niche clear, your insights handy and your profile one tap from a conversation. Label every paid post. Then earn while you build: add offers to your Linktree today and browse sponsored offers. Making videos too? Here's how to get sponsored on TikTok.