Can I get paid to post on Insta, too?!

A recent article in AdAge caught my attention due to its linkage with our last class on Thrillist. We talked about the challenges of combining e-commerce with editorial content, and now we’re starting to see publishers putting sponsored content on Instagram and Snapchat, and also paying other influencers to feature their products on social media.

The article first talks about Wired Magazine and Victorinox. A recent ad campaign the magazine was doing with Victorinox was done in partnership with Bethany Olson and Cory Staudacher, a recently engaged couple known for chronicling their adventures on Instagram . “What you're seeing is publishers embracing the broader media ecosystem and finding ways to create new and innovative ways to capture people's attention and retain it over time," said Adam Shlachter, chief investment officer at DigitasLBi.

Victorinox gave the couple clothes for their recent travels, including a trip to Victorinox's headquarters in Ibach, Switzerland. The couple posted content on their Instagram accounts, tagging the Victorinox brand. Some of these images will also appear in print ads in the December issue of Wired. In addition to the free gear, the couple was also paid for doing these posts. The program has generated more than 65,000 "likes" on Instagram and about 500 comments since its October 6^th launch.

InStyle magazine is also planning on doing something similar. The magazine will run custom ad campaigns on its main Instagram and Snapchat accounts. Beginning on December 8^th on InStyle’s Instagram feed (which has more than 671,000 followers), the magazine will share one post each day for five days highlighting a luxury accessories company's product. In addition, “Style in Snap” will be a campaign that InStyle will launch on Snapchat. This campaign will feature short videos for 20 days featuring 20 advertisers, including Jimmy Choo Fragrance, Chantecaille, Sisley and Aeffe. The magazine will then give these 20 items away as prizes. Along the same lines, Teen Vogue partnered with Keds to launch an Instagram contest where fans would post pictures of their outfits.

While I think these campaigns and contests drive engagement and allow brands to interact with publishers’ reader base, there are definitely risks similar to what we talked about in class. Some readers might be upset about the promotional nature of these posts, so publishers will have to be careful about maintaining their voice and brand image.