FALSE.
Tagging brands is a very smart way to grab their attention. Contrary to popular belief, tagging brands in non-sponsored content does not set the expectation that you’re willing to work for free. In fact, organically tagging brands is beneficial for a number of reasons:
Tagging brands in your posts builds a relationship based on recognition, which could lead to future paid opportunities. When you tag a brand, Instagram sends them a notification through DM. Your post will also show up on their “tagged” tab on their profile (and possibly on their stories or main feed if they choose to repost your content). Check to see if the brand you’re tagging has specific hashtags and use those too! Pitching yourself for partnerships is going to be a lot easier if you already have a positive rapport with the brand. If you’ve got a management team (shameless plug for #TeamCookIt), make sure to let them know when an organic post with brand tags performs well. They will be able to use those metrics to create reports and pitch to the tagged brands on your behalf.
As an influencer, working with brands that you actually like not only makes your life easier, but it also makes any future paid posts likely to be more accepted by your audience. Case in point: SPAM Brand’s partnership with Jess of Plays Well With Butter. Jess is widely known to be a big fan of SPAM due to her Hawaiian heritage, so when she announced that she would be partnering with them, her followers already knew how much she loved the brand. As a result, they embraced the partnership instead of scrolling through the sponsored content. They were actually excited for her!
If you love a brand, tell them! Brands want to work with influencers who legitimately love their product. Your audience wants to know what products you’re reaching for on a daily basis, not just what products you get paid to promote. HubSpot says if you tag a brand and engage with your audience by responding to comments about the product, “the brand will soon see you’ve proven yourself a suitable sales partner”.
Our advice? Start tagging brands in your non-sponsored posts! Be strategic about it though – don’t tag a million brands in one post, and don’t tag brands that are competitors (especially if you are already working with one of those competitors!). Tag with intent, keep it classy, and keep it consistent.
Happy Birthday to us! 🎉 CookIt is celebrating 10 years in business. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and look back at some highlights from the past decade! 📖
From NYC to LA, @creatoriq’s coast-to-coast events gave us a front-row seat to where influencer marketing is headed.
In New York, the message was clear: influencer marketing is maturing. It’s no longer about one-off posts or quick conversions. Brands are building full-funnel strategies — awareness at the top, education in the middle, and conversion at the bottom — and creators are being brought in at every step to make it all feel seamless.
But maybe the most important takeaway? Don’t forget the brand story. In a world chasing ROI, it was a much-needed reminder that marketing isn’t a math problem. It’s about people, connection, and choosing the right voice to tell your story.
In LA, we heard echoes of the same. Creators aren’t just content machines — they’re collaborators. Co-strategists. And platforms like TikTok are leaning into that, building tools to make it easier for brands and creators to build something together, moving beyond even the sponsored post.
Across both cities, one thing was clear: influencer marketing is evolving — from transactional posts to long-term, strategic partnerships. It’s no longer just part of the plan — for many brands, it’s the foundation of how they tell their story, build trust, and drive real results.
And that’s exactly the kind of shift we’re here for!
The other week, Carly and Molly were in Chicago for the @nationalrestaurantshow — their first time attending, but definitely not their last! 🙌 They connected with incredible chefs and brands leading the way in restaurant innovation, exploring everything from front-of-house experiences to back-of-house operations. Days full of learning, inspiring conversations, and big takeaways they’ll be able to carry into any future talent convos! 💛
Our friends at @odysseyentertainmentgroup recently hosted an incredible team + creator retreat in Los Angeles and brought together several industry friends for a night out in West Hollywood. 🌴 Our VP of Partnerships @molls.benton joined Jess of @shinetalentgroup, Molly of @vraiofficial, and Paige from Odyssey to celebrate the amazing work each team is doing and the growth still to come!
In a space that can often feel competitive, this night was a reminder that collaboration is where the real magic happens. There’s so much to gain when we come together to learn from one another, support each other, and share what we’ve built. 🤝
We are incredibly proud of @grillin_with_dad, who was invited to speak at a corporate conference for a legacy media agency with Fortune 500 clients. Hosted by @google at their Chicago office, @lauriebuck had the good fortune to join him and watch as he entertained the crowd (ask him about the grilled alligator incident!) and enlightened them about what it’s really like to be a creator, from his early days in social media to now, with more than 3.5M followers across all platforms! 🙌
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