The Hidden World of Instagram Product Promotion

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM

Today social media is being used by many models and celebrities to promote their own products and brands that they wish to sponsor. Especially for models, using social media is a great way for them to build their digital portfolio and start making their brand. Instagram is an easy way for model managements to see if they fit the requirements for certain jobs. It’s no wonder so many models are using instagram; they are easily gaining jobs while simultaneously building their brand at the same time. Top models such as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid can make anywhere between $125,000 to $300,000 for a single post.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM

Aimee Song, the creator of the blog “Song of Style”, says that she regrets advertising designer’s clothes for free at first. She quickly realized how much money was involved in the industry. Her blog is viewed by over 72,000 readers and she has over 950 thousand followers on Instagram; meaning that when she posts a picture of her wearing a certain outfit, those same pieces are sold out within a day. Having such a high social media presence means that Song can charge designers and big brands over 50,000 dollars per collaboration; making her multimillionaire. Yet, she is not alone. Big time bloggers such as Jennifer Grace of The Native fox or Krystal Bick of This Time Tomorrow, make on average a million dollars per year.

Many times, sponsored posts can feel fake or too scripted, turning even the most hardcore of fans away. An example of an inside look into how specific sponsors are about their advertisements, is a failed attempt by Scott Disick in promoting a protein shake. The mistake lead to a full email being copied and pasted into the caption of a picture reading “Here you go, at 4pm est, write the below. ‘Keeping up with the summer workout routine with my morning @booteauk protein shake!’’’ Advertisers know exactly what they want their partner to say and even the time when most users are active. It’s no longer just a hashtag or mentioning of a brand for some of their products, Instagram has become a place for people to make millions of dollars for posting photos.

With all that being said, Instagram is still just a platform for people to post pictures and you are able to choose who to follow and see what you wish. However, today it’s difficult to not run into a few sponsorships while scrolling through your feed. There are many positives and negatives concerning advertising on social media, but ultimately it is up to you to form your own opinion.