Anyone starting out on their Instagram journey dreams of a day when they can start charging for their posts. While that time is ultimately different for every influencer, many agree that you can start charging for your posts with 1,000 followers (and sometimes even less!).

Paid sponsorships are not only great for some extra cash in your pocket (and can even turn into a full-time job), they’re also a great external validation and motivator to put more work into your Instagram, creating higher-quality content and being able to purchase more tools of the trade to scale your page. At any other time, I would absolutely say, “Know your worth, then add tax.” But as this is being written, times are not normal. And that is why I think it’s really important to be building relationships, not transactions, with brands right now as we rebuild from COVID-19.

A Cautionary Tale

I was recently made aware of a blogger with a not-insignificant number of followers (in the tens of thousands), who posted in an influencer discussion group that they were tired of posting restaurant photos for free, and were seeking advice on how to go about asking restaurants to pay them for posting their food on Instagram. Most US-based restaurants, especially the ones in big cities like New York, are struggling to keep their doors open and are operating on razor thin budgets – or even taking losses – in this new environment. Many don’t even have the overhead to do an in-kind media collaboration, much less pay for something.

While group members quickly explained circumstances to the blogger, it was already too late. In the Internet world, when you post something – even in a closed message group – that message can get out. A restaurant owner found out about the message, shared it with a group of 50 reputable restaurants in the blogger’s area, and the blogger was blacklisted.

So, What Should We Do Instead?

It’s absolutely understandable to want to be compensated for your work, especially when sponsorships are (part of) your livelihood. Here are some thoughts I have about reaching out to brands for partnerships right now:

  • Be willing to invest in the relationship at the beginning. Just like brands remember when someone bad-mouths them or is difficult to work with, they also remember when someone goes above and beyond, especially in a time of need. If you’re at the beginning of the relationship, throw in some extra promotion for free. There is no out-of-pocket cost for posting another photo on Instagram. While you should do it without expecting reciprocity, that extra effort could be the difference in the client choosing you over another influencer when business picks up or it might even mean larger projects in the future.
  • Shoutout brands that you already use and love! A quick way to get accepted into an ambassador or sponsorship position is to already be a loyal user of that company’s product. By showing them some authentic love, un-prompted, you up the chances of them discovering you and turning it into something more.
  • Be willing to take “No” for an answer. Another recent story involved an influencer arguing with a small business, demanding they send free product in exchange for posting. Not only is actively arguing disrespectful, it can also kill opportunities for collaboration later on, because you’ve shown that you don’t respect boundaries. Just like the restaurant example, this type of incident can also make the rounds and kill your prospects. Just do a quick web search of “influencer free wedding photos.” Showing respect and a little patience can go a long way. I’ve politely accepted a “no” on initial contact, only to have the brand reach out later, asking me to work with them because they were now ready to proceed. Don’t burn your bridges.

If You Must Take Paid Partnerships

If you cannot afford to do anything but paid partnerships for the time being, that’s okay, but you definitely need to be careful. Here are some ideas for what to do if you’re still looking for paid partnerships:

  • Check out influencer marketplaces. Brands pay good money to have their influencer campaigns featured on marketplaces, and the benefit of finding companies on influencer marketplaces is that you know they are actively searching for influencers! Some of my favorite influencer marketplaces to get collaborations from are: influence.co, Popular Pays, and Heartbeat.
  • If you must reach out to brands outside of marketplaces, do your research. Make sure that the brands you reach out to aren’t significantly hurting at this time. For example, mom and pop bakeries may not be the best idea right now, but a franchised fast food joint may be more likely to do an influencer partnership with you, simply because they have more earning power. Now is also a great time to look at what kinds of brands are doing well. Tech companies specializing in work-from-home, non-perishable goods, and delivery services are booming right now, meaning the likelihood of them having partnership availability is much higher.

If you’re a blogger or influencer, are you reaching out to brands for paid partnerships right now? Why or why not? I’d love to hear from you.

All of us have lived through economic downturns before (unless you were born in 2010), but none of us have lived through a global pandemic. Some economists have said that not only were we overdue for an economic recession, but with COVID-19 being a “black swan” event, they have no idea exactly how the rest of the year – or the years to come – will unfold.

Studies have shown that brands (and thereby influencers) who continue advertising during tough times end up faring significantly better than companies who withdraw and cut their marketing budget. For example, during the Great Depression, there were two main cereal brands: Kellogg’s and Post. They each had very different strategies: Post cut their advertising budget significantly and Kellogg’s doubled their ad budget. By the late 30’s, Kellogg’s profits had grown 30% and they became the industry leader they are today.

This is why remaining relevant as a brand is more important than ever – and if you’re an influencer, consider yourself a brand as well. Many social media accounts, whether they are businesses or creators, are taking hiatuses from their Instagram accounts at this time. This can be for a lot of different reasons – lack of content, the need to detox from social media, needing to prioritize other things, or simply lacking the motivation to post at all. All of these reasons are valid, but they come at a cost – you potentially lose your social media market share.

I recently took a week-long break from Instagram to focus on myself and other professional pursuits, as well as to see if people would still follow me and engage if I wasn’t posting new content. I went from gaining an average of 40 followers a day to actually losing followers. And that was after just 48 hours of not posting and engaging with other accounts. After the week was up, I went back to engaging and posting as before, but my engagement took a significant hit – my impressions were significantly lower, mostly due to a decrease in hashtag views.

It all comes back to staying relevant in tough economic times. With more people on social media for longer periods of time, NOW is the time to amp up your digital advertising strategy! How can you provide value to your followers during this time? Can you keep them informed about what your brand is doing to help out during the crisis? Can you distract them with funny or entertaining content? Can you inspire them to try a new recipe or hobby? Consumers and businesses will remember how you responded during the COVID-19 crisis. What do you want them to think of when they hear or read your name?

Are you going to be a brand that brings your community together and engages, or are you going to stay silent, potentially facing the consequences of not posting during this hour of need?

If you’re interested in upping your Instagram game, feel free to shoot me an email and we can set up a time to chat!

I’ve written before about how important it is to support local restaurants at this time. Some restaurants have experienced as much as a 75% reduction in sales simply because they cannot serve dining room customers, and that has had a drastic impact on our economy. I’ve been ordering delivery at least once a week, and so far, here are my top places for each cuisine:

Mexican: Taqueria Gloria

Taqueria Gloria is my absolute #1 go-to for any kind of Mexican food cravings. After living in Los Angles for 5 years, I’ve become extremely picky about Hispanic food and have tried all of the Jersey City recommendations that the East Coast natives swear by. Nothing comes close to Taqueria Gloria for price, authenticity, and taste. I’ve never had a dish there that I disliked, but my go-to is always their nachos, whether they’re with carne asada or carnitas. To drink, I always get a jamaica, which is a beloved hibiscus drink that very few east coast restaurants get right. If I could pick only one restaurant from which to order for the duration of quarantine, it would be this Taqueria Gloria.

Pizza: Prince of Pizza

If you’re looking for the best NY slice on this side of the Hudson, Prince of Pizza has to be it. I fell in love with them for their vodka margherita pizza, but stayed for their supreme slice, which tastes even better reheated the day after. With a perfect chewy crust, and an extremely flavorful sauce, Prince of Pizza is always in our delivery rotation.

Chinese: King Szechuan Palace

King Szechuan Palace is a recent addition to my list, but they quickly climbed the ranks with every delicious bite. Both the Americanized Chinese classics, as well as the authentic dishes, are big hits. Pictured here is their General Tso’s chicken, which was perfectly crisp, saucy, with just the right amount of heat from the chili peppers.

Healthy Eats: Shaka Bowl

While technically not in Jersey City, Shaka Bowl holds a special place in my heart for their delicious breakfast and lunch options. Their build-your-own poke bowls are to die for, and their customer service is excellent. I highly recommend their Pineapple-A-Day bowl, with delicious ahi tuna, fresh pineapple, avocado, crispy onions, and much, much more.

Weekly Meal Plans: Whealth Kitchen

I’ve already written about how amazing Whealth’s cafe is, but because of COVID-19, Whealth has pivoted to affordable, delicious, farm-to-table meal delivery service. Not only are the portions in their delivery meals generous enough to last a week, but they’re incredibly versatile and can be either eaten by themselves or with other pantry staples from your home. Whealth also donates two meals to families in need for every meal plan purchased, meaning you’re giving back to the community, supporting local farms and supporting small business.

If you’re local to Jersey City and Hoboken, where are you ordering delivery from right now? Let me know in the comments!

An image of a phone with the instagram app open over a notepad with a pen.

In the past 3.5 years that I’ve been on Instagram, and the 2.5 that I’ve spent aggressively growing it, Instagram has drastically changed. Many of the strategies used in the past, like follow/unfollow, have become increasingly difficult to do, with the platform cracking down on bots, as well as the number of actions you can do every hour. Nobody has completely cracked the Instagram algorithm, and it seems to be changing all the time.

So how do people grow their account and get more likes and follows right now? It seems pretty elusive, but here are some quick and easy tricks to get your account seen by more people!

  1. Want more people to engage on your post? Engage on theirs! This seems like a really simple idea in theory, but many people look at Instagram as something that you can just set and forget. Accounts, especially larger ones, remember people who consistently like and comment on their posts, especially when it’s more than just a “Nice pic!” I’ve noticed that when I write 4+ words on their post, especially a question, people are more likely to check out my recent posts as well.
  2. In that same vein, don’t forget to reply to comments on your posts! An easy way to double your comment count? Respond to every single comment that you have on your posts. Even better? Respond to all the comments after you have a new post up. The people who commented will then see that you have a new post up, and they’ll be more likely to engage!
  3. Check out relevant hashtags to your blog and click “recent.” Then, from the recents page, give a like and a thoughtful comment to the most recent photos. This is the most effective with hashtags that have at least 1 million hits (which means you have a large variety of accounts to choose from). For example, my go-to hashtag for this is #foodblogger.
  4. Check out blogs with similar follower counts to you, and see who follows them. Easiest way to figure out the types of people who would be interested in following you? Find lookalike blogs (hint: check out blogs that are famous in the hashtags you use) and then click their “followers” list. From there, engage on those accounts – a like, a comment, or a follow could result in the same (or even more) for you. A trick for this also is to go to repost pages like @bestfoodfeed and find followers with similar locations to you and engage on those pages.

And one thing to NOT to do: Don’t make following and engaging feel like a transaction. I cannot tell you the amount of times I get messages in my inbox saying “follow for follow?” or comments that say “You should check out my account!” Writing these types of things automatically sends the message of “I am desperate and I am only in this to build my following.” The only way to really build an authentic following is to engage authentically. That means no caveats, no favor asking (unless you know the account well), and no shameless self-promotion on other people’s accounts.