Four Creator Tools Instagram Built for Brand Partnerships

Instagram has become one of the biggest social networks for brands and influencers alike. So, are there still ways a newcomer can build a real creator presence on the platform? Absolutely. In the following, we'll walk through four built-in Instagram features creators use to grow brand partnerships and audience engagement.

With over one billion users, Instagram has come a long way from its beginnings as a photo sharing app. Now, it is not only a highly popular social media platform but also a large business network.

According to Instagram Business, 90% of users follow at least one brand, and 50% become more interested in a brand after they have seen it on Instagram.

Because Instagram brings shoppers and businesses together, the platform offers built-in tools for creators and brands to work together at scale.

How to get started as a creator on Instagram

There are several Instagram features built for creators, from affiliate-style links to direct brand partnerships. But before you start thinking about your best route, you need to build a solid foundation: pick a photogenic niche topic, and then grow a following.

Finding your niche

You won't connect with a steady audience on Instagram if you don't post content that people get excited about. So it's important to pick a topic that you are passionate about and focus on it. Why is it important to focus on a particular topic? Because it will help you to create a personal brand. If you talk about technology one day and about beauty the next, people won't be able to tell what you are about.

Are you a beauty expert, or can you teach them more about technology? It is possible that you are an expert in both, but to most people it will look like you don't know too much about either topic, and they won't have a clear idea of what to expect. And if users don't know what content they can expect from you, they most likely won't be interested in what you post.

If you actually are an expert in both fields, think about a creative way to combine both topics, such as talking about tech trends in the beauty industry.

No matter what topic you choose to post about, the idea is that people will know what to expect, and they will recognize your personal brand. The more specific and identifiable your brand is, the easier it will be to use it as a foundation for growing on Instagram.

Create appealing visual content

Since Instagram is a platform for visual content, keep in mind that your content should look good. Obviously, some topics, such as fashion and food, are more photogenic than others. However, there are many ways to visualize content.

The actor Reese Witherspoon, for instance, decided to start a book club on Instagram. Written content might not seem like an obvious choice for Instagram. However, Witherspoon cleverly decided to use the Stories format to post short videos giving her personal book recommendations, and her book club became a huge success.

So, if the topic you want to talk about doesn't seem photogenic at first, think about creative ways to turn it into appealing visual content.

Grow a following

Once you have chosen a niche topic and decided on how you want to present it, the next foundational step is to grow a following. The number of followers you have is, after all, one of the main factors brands consider when deciding who to work with on Instagram.

Almost as important, if not even more important than your number of followers, is the level of engagement your followers have. After all, if your followers are active and excited about your content, they are also more likely to engage with a brand's content that you post on your profile.

Especially if your following is a good fit for the brand's target audience, you can build very successful partnerships with companies even if you don't have a huge total number of followers. In fact, brands are taking more and more interest in nano-influencers, who have less than 10,000 followers.

Once you have gathered a decent number of engaged followers, you can start looking at ways to turn your Instagram presence into a creator practice. The following four Instagram tools offer a good starting point.

1. Affiliate links

With an affiliate program, you share a trackable link with your followers and the partner brand attributes the resulting traffic and activity back to your account.

The idea is that you create a post designed to get your followers to shop on a particular partner website. Companies can provide you with a traceable link, which can be used to track how many sales were generated from people tapping on it. Or, they can provide you with a trackable promo code.

Affiliate links work best when they fit naturally into your content rhythm. The more relevant the product is to what you usually post, the better your followers will respond.

There are several affiliate programs you can sign up with, such as Amazon, Rakuten, and CJ Affiliate. Some brands like Newchic and Sephora also have their own affiliate programs.

2. Brand partnerships through Branded Content tools

Another route is to partner directly with brands. If you live in the U.S. and fulfill certain criteria, you get access to the Brand Collabs Manager on Instagram, a service that brings brands and influencers together.

Even if you are not eligible for the Collabs Manager, you can still reach out to brands and ask them to work with you. Research the market to see which brands align with your niche topic, your target audience, and also your values. After all, you don't want to recommend products from a brand you don't like. The more genuine your partnership is, the more authentic and convincing your posts will be.

It takes some effort to find good brand partnerships, but it's worth it. Once you establish a good working relationship with a brand, chances are that they will keep working with you, and the partnership can become a steady part of your content schedule.

Jen Lauren, for example, is a nano-influencer who focuses on self-care and wellness. She regularly partners with the sustainable shoe brand Lane Eight to promote their workout shoes.

3. Live engagement features

Instagram Live includes a set of audience-interaction features built into the live broadcast experience. Viewers can support their favorite creators directly during a live video, and creators can see in real time who is participating most actively.

Live formats reward consistency. Creators who go live on a regular schedule tend to build a tighter community than those who broadcast occasionally, and Instagram's live features are designed to strengthen that real-time connection.

4. Video features for longer content

Instagram offers several video formats beyond the standard feed post, including Reels and longer-form video uploads. For creators who specialize in longer video content, these formats give more room to develop a story, demonstrate a product, or build a tutorial than a standard feed post would allow.

The format choice depends on your audience. A makeup tutorial may work better as a longer video; a product reveal may work better as a Reel. Mixing formats lets you reach different parts of your audience without committing to a single style.

Extra tip: Plan your sponsored content

As you can see, Instagram offers several creator features. Especially if you are just starting out, it's worth trying different formats to see what works best for you.

One thing holds true for any content strategy: the more interesting your content is, the more engagement you will generate, and the stronger your partnerships will become. So, make sure to put some time into creating content that is truly valuable for your followers.

When creating sponsored content or affiliate posts, but also for all of your other content, it can be very helpful to plan ahead. This will help you not to miss important dates and deadlines, and it is also useful for keeping a good balance between paid and unpaid content. After all, you don't want to post ten sponsored posts in a row. Too much sponsored content will seem spammy to your followers. Too little of it, on the other hand, won't build the partnership rhythm you need. Planning your posts and having an overview of the content will help you keep a good mix.

With a planning tool like Storrito, for example, you can schedule your Stories on Instagram, even in bulk. You can use Storrito from anywhere and on any device, even a desktop computer, which gives you a lot more options for creating engaging posts. Storrito is also a collaborative tool, so it's very useful when working with brands that want to pre-approve your content.

Check out how Storrito works, and see how it can help you create more engaging posts.