As influencer marketing continues to evolve, brands are starting to spread their attention over a broader range of metrics to measure influencers' value.
While reach and engagement are still important, it’s now not so much about the size and span of your audience, but the legitimacy of your content and following. Which means – for passionate, authentic content creators and micro-influencers like you – the best of influencer marketing is still yet to come.
You heard it here first: Brands now consider authenticity their highest priority.
They want to know that your content is keeping it real, that your recommendations are authentic, and that your following is legit. But, they don’t want to be just another sponsored post among a sea of advertisements.
We help you get paid to recommend brands you already rate, rather than recommending a product just to get paid.
At TRIBE, we suggest a ratio of 3:1 organic posts to sponsored posts. To put your mind at ease, we don’t mean post less sponsored posts - in fact, we mean the opposite!
By amping up how often you post organic content to spread out your sponsored posts, you can stay true to your style AND keep earning the big bucks!
“Naturally, brands are lining up and outbidding each other because there’s only so many sponsored posts an account can produce, before the followers feel exploited. For every sponsored post, there has to be non-sponsored content.”
- Jules Lund, TRIBE Founder
There are a variety of reasons to feature a healthy balanced feed, but brand confidence and audience satisfaction are probably the most important. Your followers fell in love with you and your content – not your influence – so they’re more likely to switch off if they’re not getting content they connect with.
Here’s how having a healthy balance of sponsored and organic posts can massively increase your value to brands…
1. Brands view your profile before they approve you
Before approving your content, most brands will first check your feed to ensure that your vibe and tribe aligns with theirs.
While they’re usually just checking to see if you’re a good fit, they will also take note of how many sponsored posts are in your feed and the brands you’ve most recently worked with. By keeping your feed fresh and organic, it will highlight your value and integrity as both an influencer and a creator.
2. Brands care about authenticity
Brands come to TRIBE because they want beautiful, branded content crafted by creators that already use and love their products.
They want real recommendations from real people, and genuine content communicating the value of their brand to your followers. If your feed is full to the brim with sponsored posts, brands may begin to question the authenticity of your recommendations.
3. They don't want to fight for attention
Brands don’t like to share! They don’t want to be sandwiched between other sponsored posts or competing with similar brands for the spotlight. By giving your sponsored content a bit of breathing space, brands will be more confident approving your post, knowing it will get the attention it deserves.
4. Your followers care about your content, not your influence
Remember why your audience followed you in the first place? Your content of course! While we suggest a ratio of 3 organic posts to every sponsored post, this doesn’t necessarily mean earning less. It might mean earning more!
The thing is, most audiences don’t mind sponsored content. In fact, 67% say they have no negative reaction to sponsored posts whatsoever, and 37% feel that, if influencer content is authentic and high-quality, it negates the fact that it’s sponsored.
“What the followers of these accounts demand is simply that the content is relevant to their non-sponsored content, and it is aligned to that influencer’s own values. As soon as they step outside of that, there’s backlash,” says Jules.
So rather than cutting back on sponsored content and losing out on $$$, just get busy doing what you do best and create more of that stunning, authentic, organic content your followers love!
5. It makes your feed more aesthetic
The key to an on-point feed? Plan, plan, plan! Consider the composition of your posts, the variety of shots, your creative direction and purpose – if you know exactly what you want to share with your audience and why, you’ll be guaranteed to create stunning content that really connects.
Posting organic content more regularly creates more variety by breaking up your product shots with other content styles - flat lays, landscapes, videos, you name it!
This will ensure your sponsored posts don’t affect your overall style, and that the brands and products you work with sit naturally in your feed.
You can even download apps like Snug to help you plan your Insta feed and keep your aesthetic on point!
