How to Get Sponsored in 2019: Instagram, YouTube, Gaming, and More!

You have a perfectly-crafted Insta with thousands of followers and think it’s about time you collected your dues. Or, perhaps you’re already making YouTube videos and gaming all the time – why not get paid for it?
That’s what getting sponsored is! Brands and companies will pay you to feature their product in a photo, video, or stream. Sometimes, you’ll get to keep the product too!

But it can’t be that easy to get sponsored on these platforms, can it? In fact, any Instagrammer, YouTuber, or gamer can get sponsored to do what you do. It’s just a matter of knowing how! In fact, you probably have a better chance at getting sponsored than a celebrity or mega-influencer. Read on to find out why!

Today, we’ll be going through the steps and methods of getting sponsored on Instagram, YouTube, or as a gamer.

How to get sponsored on IG: Influencer marketing with 1000 followers, brand ambassadors

So you’re thinking, ‘This is crazy. Why would anyone want to sponsor me when I only have 1000 followers?!’

Fair enough. When you think of Instagram influencer marketing, you think of big-name celebs like Selena Gomez or Kylie Jenner.

But if you actually think about it, who would influence your decision to purchase a product more? Kim Kardashian, or a trusted friend/expert who can give you a genuine recommendation?

Unless you’re a die-hard Keeping Up with the Kardashians fan, your answer is probably the latter.

Nielsen’s 2015 Global Trust in Advertising study showed that 80% of responders would trust the reviews of family and friends.

So, brands and influencer marketers look for what are called micro-influencers, Instagrammers with less than 100,000 followers (usually far less- around 10k and under!). These people are the ideal brand ambassadors, as they have smaller but more dedicated followings.

Now that you know you qualify to get sponsored on Instagram, let’s look at how exactly that is done!

1. Curate your Instagram’s theme

Make sure your Instagram has a theme! It could be anything, as long as you’re passionate about it. Fitness, travel, photography, fashion – the possibilities are endless!

2. Learn who your followers/audience are

Know your followers and engage with them! Follow them back, comment on and like their content, etc. Know what kind of products they might be interested in, were you to advertise them.

3. Use hashtags and location tags

Hashtags are the best way to boost your Instagram’s visibility. Use hashtags that are less popular to get more visibility using a tool like Keyword Tool, and use location tags so people and brands browsing those locations can find your posts.

4. Tag brands you want sponsorship from in your relevant posts

If you’re wearing a brand or using a product that you eventually want sponsorship from, post a video or photo of you and the product and tag the brand’s Instagram account! Hopefully they’ll see it, see how awesome your Instagram page is, and offer sponsorship.

5. Pitch paid sponsorships

Don’t be afraid to pitch a paid sponsorship! Find smaller brands, or brands that are already working with Instagram influencers, and pitch yourself and your Instagram account to them.

How to get sponsored on YouTube: Brands, influencer marketing

Getting sponsored on YouTube is a little different from Instagram, but follows the same idea. Brands sponsor you to show their products in your YouTube videos.

Like Instagram, brands prefer micro-influencers because they have smaller, more loyal followings. They’ll get more bang for their buck by sponsoring you, rather than PewDiePie.

The first few steps when getting YouTube sponsorship are similar to getting Instagram sponsorship. Start by deciding a theme for your YouTube account that you have some knowledge of. This could be anything from make-up to game reviews to vlogging! Then, research your subscribers a bit.

YouTube sponsorship is divided largely into three forms: affiliate sponsorship, product sponsorship, and paid sponsorship. In that order, they are difficult to obtain.

Let’s have a closer look at the three forms of sponsorship!

1. Affiliate sponsorship

This is the easiest form of YouTube sponsorship, but it’s also the least profitable. A brand will provide you with an affiliate link or code, which gives whoever you share said link or code to a discount for the product. You advertise this link or code in your video, and every time someone buys the product using your affiliate link or code you’ll get rewarded.

2. Product sponsorship

Product sponsorships are slightly harder to get than affiliate sponsorships. Brands send you their product, and you feature it somewhere in your videos. For example, if you’re a game review channel, a game developer could send you their newest game for free for you to try out and review on YouTube. Or, if you’re a make-up guru, cosmetic brands might send you some of their products to use in your next tutorial.

3. Paid sponsorship

This is the gold medal of YouTube sponsorships. Unlike the previous two forms of sponsorships, paid sponsorship will make you money directly and fast. Brands simply pay you an agreed-upon amount of money in exchange for you using or mentioning their product in your YouTube videos.

The two main ways to gain sponsorships are the same as Instagram. Either wait for them to come to you, or reach out to them!

How to get sponsored in gaming: Affiliate marketing, influencer sponsorship

This one’s quite different from Instagram and YouTube. There’s a good chance that you’ll either need to be a pro gamer on a team, or have a solid following on Twitch, to get a sponsorship as a gamer. If you’re not a pro gamer but you have a Twitch stream, get that follower count growing!

Once you do have that follower count (or you’re a pro gamer, lucky you), you’ll be looking at three different forms of gaming sponsorships. Let’s have a look at them!

1. Affiliate sponsorship (affiliate marketing)

This one is easier for smaller eSports teams and Twitch streamers with less followers to obtain. Affiliate sponsorship, also known as affiliate marketing, is great because it’s beneficial for you, your sponsor, and your followers. Your sponsor will give you an affiliate link or code, which acts as a discount code for your followers. Then, you advertise the sponsor’s products (whether directly in your stream, or on other platforms). You will then receive rewards every time someone purchases using your code!

2. Hybrid Sponsorship

Hybrid sponsorships are the next step up from affiliate sponsorships. These sponsorships are usually reserved for larger/more popular teams, and/or Twitch streamers with over 10,000 followers, either on Twitch or another platform like Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter. Like affiliate sponsorships, sponsors provide you with a discount code you can share with your followers and you get compensated every time someone purchases using your code. In addition, with a hybrid sponsorship you will get a discount code for yourself/your team for the sponsor’s products, often a very substantial discount. The sponsor may also provide you with free products. All this, of course, in exchange for promoting the products.

3. Paid Sponsorship

Only the best can get paid sponsorships in gaming. Like YouTube paid sponsorship, this form of sponsorship only requires you to promote the sponsor’s products. Regardless of sales, they will pay you either monthly, provide you with free products, promote you, or a combination of all the above. This is actually the most common form of sponsorship in the professional gaming world. If you’re a streamer, you need a solid and large following to snag one of these sponsorships.

In conclusion . . .

So, what did you think? Getting sponsored on Instagram, YouTuber, and as a gamer isn’t as hard as you thought, is it? Of course, you might be thinking, “Okay, TIT, you bombarded me with all of this info. But can you provide some actual examples?” Yes, we can! Just go through our Influencer database right here on The Influencer Times website. You’ll find tons of influencers and micro-influencers who have various forms of sponsorships. Some good categories to look through are the Mentor, YouTuber, and Gamer categories.

We hope you enjoyed this article! For similar articles, or just some more fun reads to pass the time, check out The Influencer Times’ other articles below.