Welcome to Part One of our Instagram Paid Partnership series. In this segment, we’ll discuss the significance of paid partnerships.
At Branding & Buzzing, we have been collaborating with influencers since 2011, back when they were known as “tweeters.” Now, our influencer marketing program emphasizes compensating partners for their unique content, making paid partnerships a crucial component of our promotional strategy. But what exactly qualifies as a paid partnership? According to Instagram’s Branded Content Policies, influencers are required to use the Paid Partnership tag when they post content for which they have received payment, free products, or services.
Why should you prioritize paid partnerships? While influencers often drive the creative process, brands typically contribute by providing input on the concept and messaging. Your team may offer valuable talking points, suggest hashtags, promo codes, and unique URLs for influencers to incorporate into their campaign content. In other words, this form of partnership is likely to result in content that aligns closely with your business goals, making it ideal for an advertising campaign.
It’s worth noting that the ability to utilize paid partnerships in Instagram ads is not new. However, now that Instagram permits brands to boost various types of content (as outlined below), you might want to reconsider your mix of user-generated content for your ads.