Arielle Has 1.1 Million Instagram Followers — This Is How She Gets Paid to Do Beauty Ads

Arielle worked with Nexxus on a sponsored post. She also did an Instagram Story to go with this ad, and it got people talking. Some were angered, while others were just curious about how these types of influencer-advertiser partnerships work.

Does this offend you? Or are you excited to see her recommendations, even if she was paid to promote the product?

There are two sides to this story. On one hand, when influencers work with brands on sponsored posts, followers question how authentic that person's endorsement of the product is. If you're getting paid, should you use your "influence" to sell products?

But Arielle points out, it is her job to share with her fans what products are working for her. Also, it's a job! She's an influencer, and part of that sweet deal (if you make it!) is to get paid by brands to create ads for their products. If not, how would influencers make money?

She pointed out that haters miss out on her recommendations, sponsored or not. And by the way, she is damn proud to be an #influencer.

Arielle confirmed that she generally uses a product about two weeks before deciding whether to work with the brand on sponsored content, but for Nexxus hair care, she has been using it for over a month.

Arielle explained how brands contact her, the Something Navy team, and her agency. Most major influencers are represented by agencies, just like models and actors are!

Often Arielle contacts brands she loves, requesting to work with them. That is likely the most organic way to use her "influence."

So if you are an influencer who tons of brands want to work with, do you "sell out" and focus mainly on sponsored posts? Or do you be super selective but make less money? The savvy Instagrammers keep it balanced. If they recommend great products — even sponsored ones — their fans will trust them. Arielle also pointed out that she is a mom, so her time and energy are spread between family and work.

Just like any job, she can either get paid to work with a brand for a period of time or do a one-off deal (such as a sponsored post or story). She brings up that it is a negotiation, so if you want to do this with your career, you need to be a hustler.

When an influencer agrees to work with a brand, they can't promote a similar competitive product while the campaign is running. This is true for most fields in media — even magazines.

No matter how the messaging comes across, an #ad is an ad.

No, they don't. And to be transparent, it is the same for most beauty editors. We would never be able to sift through thousands of lipsticks to find the perfect red or the skin serum that actually helps hormonal acne if we had to pay for everything. It is our job to get to see it all and "edit" down what is the best of the best. So yes, many editors, influencers, bloggers, vloggers, and the like do get free products. It's a perk of the gig.

Arielle discussed "micro bloggers" who have smaller followings — say a few thousand vs. one million. Brands do want to work with these people, as well, since their followings can have high engagement. If you are building an Instagram brand, this is encouraging news!

Arielle does! Here, she admitted that while she is no longer being paid to work with First Aid Beauty, she still uses the brand's products. Same with Drunk Elephant Skincare. Does this make you trust her sponsored posts more?

Though for Arielle, her husband is saying no for now.

Arielle works with DBA, an agency known for repping influencers when they first came onto the scene.