Shoutout: Meaning, How to Create, and Charge

Creating viral content might have helped you gain a following, but now what? You didn’t do all this hard work for nothing. The real question on every newbie influencer’s mind is, “How do I monetize myself on social media?” The Influencer Market has grown to become worth over $21.1 Billion. Make sure you get a slice of that money pie! An easy way to break into the brand ambassador scene is to provide shoutouts. Read until the end because, in this quick essential guide, we’ll tell you what a shoutout is, how to do them, how much to charge, and how to get booked over and over again. 

What Is A Shoutout, And Why Are Brands Hungry For Them? 

It’s one thing for a brand to talk about how great their product is, but the real power is getting trusted niche influencers to recommend their product to their highly engaged fan base. This is why brands will pay influencers of various sizes for paid or sponsored content. The most simple paid content opportunity is a basic “shoutout.” A Shoutout is when the influencer posts a photo or video of themselves using the product with a caption that recommends the item and tags the brand. 

Why are brands willing to pay for these shoutouts? A Shopify report showed that 68% of consumers trust influencers’ recommendations and that they influence their buying decisions. Using influencer marketing also helps brands to increase their reach. 

How To Create A Dynamic Shoutout?

The most in-demand influencer content is on Instagram. Now, we can’t all be Selena Gomez, but she’s made it a habit to accept sponsorships for brands she values. Here is one of her shoutout posts that she did with a luxury beauty brand. In the photo, she’s wearing the eyeshadow. You can also have a photo or video of you holding or using the item. Unboxing videos also make great shoutouts. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

Don’t only focus on the product, your post will perform better if it’s also about you. So be authentic, give an opinion, or talk about how the item in question changed your life, improved your routine, or helped you solve a problem. 

If your best social platform is YouTube, brands might sponsor your videos. This means they will pay you to mention them in the video. Make sure that your promotional script is catchy, with an appealing hook and a clear call to action. It might look something like this:

“Hey everyone! Quick shoutout to our sponsor for today’s video – ABC Designer Toothbrushes. They’re not just brightening our smiles; they’re turning ocean waste into something amazing.

[Show the Product and SMILE]

These stylish toothbrushes are made from recycled plastic pulled from the oceans. So, every time you brush, you’re helping the planet. They’re eco-friendly, look great in your bathroom, and give you that clean-mouth feeling we all love.

Want to join the movement for a cleaner planet and a brighter smile? Tap the link in my description to check out ABC Designer Toothbrushes.”

TikTok is scooping up social media influencers at an astronomical pace. If you can build a trending TikTok account, you’ll have no trouble getting brands to pay you for content. Rather than a traditional shoutout, TikTok sponsored content tends to be videos that fit the influencer’s style but show the product on screen or might create a skit involving the brand or product being marketed. 

You can also get paid to do shoutouts or other promotional content on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook, but these are less popular platforms for today’s marketers. Brands are spending the most money on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok in 2023 and 2024. 

How Much Can I Charge For A Shoutout?

This is why you’re really here. Type “what should I charge for a shoutout” into Google, and you’ll get about a hundred different answers. There is no set amount or industry standard for paying influencers. You will have to figure out what to charge based on several factors. We’ll make this easier for you by explaining key metrics that should influence how much you charge during your negotiation. 

First, you must understand that influencers come in all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to be a mega-celebrity to get paid for your content! In fact, many small to medium-sized brands fully embrace small influencers because they are more affordable, often have a great personal relationship with their audience, and have a high engagement score. 

Here are the different classifications of influencers based on the size of their following:

Other factors a brand will look at when deciding how much to pay you are your engagement score, your niche content topics, and how creative your content is. Brands will also charge more for feed posts than stories since stories disappear in 24 hours. You can ask for an increased rate if you are willing to put their link in your bio for a specific amount of time. 

Here is a general overview of what you can expect to be paid per shoutout on the top social media sites for brand ambassadorship, like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok: 

How To Get Booked For Paid Content Partnerships?

Sometimes, brands will approach you first; this is ideal because it puts you in the power position in price negotiations. To get a brand to notice you, you can start promoting them or tagging them in relevant content on your own. 

You can also approach brands with your own pitch for a collaboration. If you do this, make sure you have a media kit ready to present. A media kit is like a portfolio and shows your metrics and why brands should want to work with you. 

Make 2024 your year for leaping into paid content creation. If you dream of quitting your day job and creating content full-time, you’ll need to start creating brand partnerships as soon as possible using the tactics we’ve shared with you today.