Why Sponsored Posts Matter (And Where to Start)

If it seems like every brand is working with influencers these days, it doesn’t seem to you – it is. In 2022, over 72% of US marketers have used influencer marketing, and that number continues to rise. In fact, the influencer market is valued at over $16 billion, and most of that money goes to sponsored posts.

Why do brands spend their marketing dollars this way? Because influencer marketing works. 61% of consumers trust recommendations from social platforms, including those from influencers.

If all these statistics have convinced you, read on – we’ve got everything you need to get started with sponsored posts.

What is a sponsored post?

A sponsored post is any social media post that you have paid to promote. When you create a sponsored post, you are spending money to help it reach a wider audience.

You can find sponsored posts on every social media platform including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and even LinkedIn.

There are two types of sponsored posts:

1. Promoted/Promoted Posts

This is the traditional style of paid advertising. Brands pay to publish native ads on a social platform like Instagram or Facebook. Paid advertising uses data such as location, age or gender to target specific audiences. Your advertising money goes directly to the social media platform.

Promoted posts are easy to spot because they have the word “sponsored”or “promoted”under the account username. Paid posts often have a call-to-action button to get results, such as “Buy Now”or “Download”.

Here are examples of sponsored posts across platforms:

Sponsored Instagram Post

Source: @crateandbarrel

Post sponsored by Facebook

Source: @AmericanTallClothing

Sponsored LinkedIn Post

Source: @StreetLight

2. Partner with influencers

In this type of sponsored post, advertisers pay a specific user, usually an influencer, to promote their brand in the post. These influencers offer access to their audience of active followers.

The opinions and endorsements of influencers matter to their followers, so these posts are a great way to get some social proof. Your brand can work with influencers to access a powerful source of word-of-mouth marketing.

Influencer ads can be hard to spot because they usually look like their regular content. To ensure transparency, most social media platforms require influencers to label their paid posts.

Here are examples of influencer partnerships across platforms:

Influential Ads on Instagram

Source: @angelarosehome

Facebook Influencer Ads

Source: @theteairawalker

Influential LinkedIn Ads

Source: @thatalliemason

Why should brands post sponsored posts?

Sponsored posts have a wide reach and an even greater impact on your bottom line.

According to a 2022 Oracle survey, 84% of Gen Z consumers purchased products in response to social media content. Moreover, nearly 30% of respondents say they learn about new products and brands through influencers.

But that’s not all. Here are five more reasons why your brand should invest in sponsored posts:

You can create an emotional connection

Consumers want to know how your product can help them live more fully. An influencer can use their strong emotional connection with their audience to showcase the benefits of your product.

Look at these two posts. Most social media users will scroll through the usual static ads from these brands. These influencers’ posts turn ordinary products into life-changing things:

You can attract a new audience

When choosing an influencer to collaborate with, make sure they fit your brand. If the partnership feels forced, your audience will notice.

But there’s also an advantage to working with influencers who aren’t necessarily the right fit. These influencers can help you reach people who might not otherwise see your ad and raise awareness to new audiences.

Source: @thesorrygirls

You can increase engagement

A promoted post can get you views, but views don’t necessarily lead to engagement. People tend to scroll through content that looks like ads, resulting in low engagement rates.

A promotional post that looks more like organic content will help you get and keep someone’s attention. Use the trust the influencer has built with their audience to follow your content.

You can show your product

Influencers can create video content that shows how your product looks or works. Unboxing and “get ready with me”videos are popular for one reason – they’re like old-school commercials reimagined for a new generation.

These videos look and feel like user-generated content, but they’re made specifically to showcase a product or brand. This content helps new customers imagine how they use your products.

You can make a fuss

Ready for more stats? 77% of consumers say social media helps them discover new brands they haven’t heard of before.

Giving influencers early access to new products can increase the success of your campaign. When they talk about the upcoming release, they create anticipation and FOMO.

Be sure to use tracking methods to see if the hype translates into sales (more on that later).

Why should creators make sponsored posts?

Brand partnerships enable content creators to make a living online. You can grow your brand and expand your creative possibilities through sponsorship income.

As a creator, here are a few reasons why you should include sponsored posts in your business model:

Get paid for creating content you already make

You probably already mention brands in your posts, even if they don’t pay for it.

Just check out this Instagram video from @thekwendyhome which is incredibly NOT sponsored by a vacuum cleaner brand:

With sponsored posts, you get paid to create content that highlights the brands you love.

Work with brands that match your content and voice so you can post paid posts without alienating your audience.

To learn more about this, check out our guide to making money with social media.

Become a leader in your niche

According to Hootsuite’s 2022 Digital Report, less than 20% of working-age internet users feel represented in ads. This gives creators a fantastic opportunity to grow their niche and build loyal fans who see themselves reflected in the content.

Osob Mohamud is an influential Muslim beauty blogger who has collaborated with national brands such as Estée Lauder and Reitmans. These brands may not reach the Mohamud audience through traditional advertising mediums, but they can connect with a new customer base by partnering with them to create content.

Get #gifted products to help grow your business

Whether you’re a DIY artist completing projects with your preferred brand of tools or a makeup influencer showcasing your favorite lip product, gift products can help you achieve your business goals.

Gifting products make it easy to create your content without spending money, so you can channel your resources into creating more content and expanding your reach.

Influential home decor designer Makenna Lee is currently renovating her home inside and out. Many of her paid posts focus on products that help with this repair:

How to get started with sponsored posts

Like a brand

Clients tend to notice if your influencer partnerships seem forced. Finding the right partner is key, so start by researching.

Make a list of influencers whose audience and tone are aligned with your business goals.

Then check what type of sponsored content they post. How often do they have paid posts? Do their paid posts get likes and positive comments? Are their followers interested in this content?

Once you’ve partnered with the right influencer, focus on collaborating with them to develop content. They know their audience best, so don’t try to dictate every aspect of the campaign. Work with your influencer to create content that will help you achieve your goals while staying true to their existing brand.

To learn more about partnering with influencers, check out our influencer marketing guide.

Like a creator

If you think you need a million followers to close a brand deal, think again! Influencers come in all shapes and sizes, and nano-influencers are on the rise.

A nano-influencer is anyone on social media who has less than 10,000 followers. Their smaller audience is usually highly engaged, which is incredibly valuable for brands.

If you are a creator with a small audience, start by posting authentic and engaging content. Consistency is key when building your audience.

Once you have an active audience and great content, work on perfecting the art of presenting your brand. Other influencers are vying for the same sponsorship dollars, so make sure you are clear about what makes you different.

How to measure the success of your sponsored post

It’s tempting to rely on likes and comments to measure success, but these vanity metrics only tell part of the story.

Here are a few methods you can use to track the performance of your campaign:

Use UTM parameters

UTM parameters are short snippets of tracking code that you can add to links you share anywhere, such as social media posts. They make it easy to tag your content and monitor the ROI of your sponsored posts.

You can create separate campaigns for each influencer. You can also try putting their efforts into the same campaign and differentiate their content with a content tag. Whatever you decide, be sure to follow it!

You can use Hootsuite Composer to easily create UTM links. Ow.ly, Hootsuite’s built-in link shortener, even allows you to reduce the number of characters in long UTM-tagged URLs.

Create special discount codes

Generate unique discount codes for each influencer to see how their sponsored posts drive sales. After your campaign ends, review your sales reports to see how often your customers used the code and what they bought.

Use each platform’s own tools

The business management tool of each social media platform allows you to view post and account analytics. Facebook and Instagram use the Meta Business Suite, while TikTok has a Business Center. These platforms already centralize your marketing and promotional activities, so use them!

Ask an influencer for reports

Influencers can use their business dashboards to see the reach and engagement levels of their posts. Be sure to ask them for regular detailed reports so you can track the performance of your campaign.

Measuring success as a creator

As a creator, you should be able to back up your initial pitch with numbers that prove you’re worth the investment.

To get this information, make sure you use a business account on all your social networks. (And of course, we recommend connecting these accounts to your own Hootsuite control panel.)

Once your content is live, you can use your Hootsuite account to get data such as the engagement rate for each sponsored post.

Brands will be asking for these numbers, so learn how to interpret the data and create reports. Put a sample report in your presentation to show you’re good at it!