How to Get Brand Deals on Instagram

Landing your first brand deal on Instagram is less about having a massive follower count and more about having a clear, professional strategy. Plenty of creators with smaller, highly engaged audiences are earning income because they've learned how to position themselves as valuable partners. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to build a standout profile, create content that attracts brands, and confidently pitch for partnerships.

Building Your Foundation: Your Profile Is Your Resume

Before you even think about pitching, your Instagram profile needs to look the part. Brands will scroll through your feed in seconds, making instant judgments about your professionalism, audience, and fit. This is your first impression, so make it count.

Nail Your Niche

Brands want to partner with creators who reach a specific audience. If you post about travel one day, gaming the next, and vegan recipes the day after, it’s unclear who your followers are. A defined niche shows brands exactly who they can reach through you. Your niche could be anything from "sustainable fashion for petite women" to "beginner-friendly home DIY projects."

Having a clear niche does three things:

• It attracts the right followers: People follow you because they know what to expect, leading to a more engaged and loyal community.
• It tells brands who your audience is: A brand selling eco-friendly travel gear instantly knows a "sustainable travel" creator is a perfect match.
• It makes content creation easier: When you know your topic, you’ll never run out of ideas.

Optimize Your Bio and Profile Settings

Your bio is your digital business card. It needs to communicate who you are and what you do - quickly and effectively. Make sure your account is set to a "Creator" or "Business" profile to access analytics and a contact button.

A powerful bio should include:

• Who You Are &, Your Value: Clearly state your niche. Example: "NYC Foodie | Sharing the best budget eats in the city."
• Audience Focus: Mention who you help or what you provide. Example: "Helping you style a minimalist wardrobe with thrifted finds."
• Credibility (Optional): If you’ve been featured somewhere or have a title, add it. Example: "As seen in Local Eats Magazine."
• A Clear Call to Action (CTA): Tell people what to do next. "👇 Shop my looks" or "📧 For collabs:"
• Contact Information: Don't make brands hunt for your email. Put it right in your bio or use the contact button. A professional email address (not a generic Gmail) is a nice touch.

Curate a Cohesive and Professional Feed

A messy, inconsistent feed can be a major red flag for brands. They are looking for visual storytellers who can present a product in an appealing way. Your feed aesthetic communicates your personal brand identity.

Content Pillars: Think about 3-5 recurring themes or types of posts you create. For a fitness creator, these could be 1) workout tutorials, 2) healthy recipes, and 3) motivational tips. This variety keeps your feed interesting while staying on-brand.

Visual Consistency: This doesn’t mean every photo must look identical. It just means using a consistent color palette, editing style, or type of photography. Using a preset in an editing app is an easy way to achieve a uniform look that feels polished and intentional.

Content Strategy: Creating What Brands Want to See

Your content is your portfolio. It's concrete proof that you can connect with an audience and produce high-quality work. Follower count matters, but what brands value even more is engagement.

Focus on Engagement Rate, Not Just Followers

A creator with 10,000 followers and 1,000 likes per post (a 10% engagement rate) is often more valuable to a brand than a creator with 100,000 followers and 2,000 likes per post (a 2% engagement rate). High engagement shows an active, trusting audience - the kind that listens to recommendations.

How to boost your engagement:

• Write compelling captions: Ask questions, tell stories, and invite your followers to share their own experiences.
• Post more Reels and motion content: Video content dominates right now. Create helpful tutorials, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or entertaining skits.
• Engage back: Respond to comments and DMs. Engagement is a two-way street. Building a community takes effort, and brands notice creators who are active participants.

Practice Posting "Brand-Worthy" Content First

You don't need a deal to show you can promote a product. Start showcasing products you already own and love. This demonstrates your ability to integrate items into your content naturally. For example, if you're a coffee enthusiast, create a stunning Reel of you making your morning latte with your favorite local beans.

Tag the brands you feature. It puts you on their radar, and they might even re-share your content, giving you free exposure. Think of this as building a spec portfolio - it shows potential partners what you can do for them before they even hire you.

Get Business-Ready: Media Kits and Pricing

Once your profile is polished, you need the tools to handle business inquiries professionally. "How much do you charge?" is a question you should be prepared to answer.

Create a Professional Media Kit

A media kit is a one- or two-page PDF that acts as your creator resume. It gives brands a snapshot of who you are, who your audience is, and what you offer. It elevates you from a casual creator to a serious business owner.

Your media kit should include:

• A short bio and a professional headshot.
• Key statistics: Follower count, average likes, comments, shares, video views, and reach. Grab these from your Instagram insights.
• Audience demographics: Age, gender, and top locations of your followers. This is what brands really care about.
• Examples of past work: Include screenshots of your best-performing content, especially if you featured other products.
• Services you offer: List out your packages (e.g., 1 Reel + 3 Stories, 1 Static Post, etc.).
• Your contact information.

You can create a beautiful media kit for free using a tool like Canva.

How to Price Your Services

Pricing is one of the trickiest parts, but don't undervalue your work. You are offering a brand access to your audience, your content creation skills, and your influence.

While there are no hard-and-fast rules, here are some things to consider:

• Number of followers: A common (but very rough) starting point is 1% of your follower count. For 10,000 followers, that’s $100 for a static post. This is a baseline and should be adjusted based on the factors below.
• Engagement rate: If your engagement is exceptionally high for your audience size, charge more.
• Scope of work: One static post takes less time than a highly edited Reel. Price your services according to the effort and time involved.
• Usage rights: If the brand wants to use your content in their ads, that costs extra. You're now licensing them a creative asset.
• Exclusivity: If a brand requests that you don't work with any of their competitors for a set period, that should also increase the price.

Taking Action: How to Pitch Brands for Deals

The best brand deals often come from proactive outreach, not from waiting around. Reaching out shows initiative and lets you target brands you genuinely admire.

Find the Right Brands to Pitch

The most successful collaborations happen when you truly align with a brand. Create a dream list of 10-20 companies you want to work with.

• Start with products you already use and love. The partnership will feel authentic and you'll already have ideas.
• Look at who other creators in your niche are partnering with. This gives you a list of brands that are already investing in influencer marketing.
• Explore creator marketplaces like Fohr or AspireIQ. These platforms connect creators with brands looking for partnerships.

Once you have a target, find the right contact email. Look for a PR or marketing manager on LinkedIn, or search for "brand name media email" online. A generic `info@` address is a last resort.

How to Write the Perfect Pitch Email

Your email should be short, personalized, and value-driven. Brands get hundreds of generic pitches, so make yours stand out.

Pitch Email Template:

Subject: IG Creator Collaboration Idea: [Your Name] x [Brand Name]

Hi [Contact Person's Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I'm the creator behind [@YourInstagramHandle], where I share [your niche content] with my community of [describe your audience]. I've been a huge fan of [Brand Name] for years - your [mention a specific product you love] is my go-to!

I know my audience of [target demographic, e.g., young professionals, new moms] aligns perfectly with your customers. My content consistently gets around [your average engagement statistic], particularly my Reels which focus on [a specific type of content relevant to them].

I have an idea for a short Reel showcasing how I use [their product] in my [daily routine/a project]. This would not only highlight its [key feature] but also show my audience how it works in a real-world setting, sparking conversation and driving interest.

I've attached my media kit for more details on my audience and past work. Are you open to discussing a potential partnership this quarter?

Thank you for your time!

Best,

[Your Name]

Personalize every email. Never send a generic copy-paste pitch. Follow up once a week later if you don’t hear back, and then move on. Rejection is part of the process, so don’t get discouraged!

Final Thoughts

Securing brand deals on Instagram is about treating your creative outlet like a business. It requires building a strong foundation with a clear niche, creating valuable content that resonates, knowing your worth, and professionally pitching brands you genuinely believe in. The process takes patience and consistency, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Part of that consistency is showing brands you have a professional, well-planned content calendar. That's one of the main reasons we designed Postbase with a clean, visual planner. It lets you schedule everything - your Reels, Stories, and posts - in one place, ensuring your feed always looks polished and you're ready when a dream brand comes knocking.