Working with companies as an influencer or content creator is a great way to build a brand and gain exposure. Collaborating with brands is not easy as there are expectations, rules and deliverables that you will have to decipher. The key is to work with companies that are already having success and are looking to expand their reach, which means you’ll get paid more money and have more opportunities to grow.
Some of the biggest brands in the world hire influencers to help them reach new customers. When getting started, you can find smaller brands that want to grow their audience by working with independent, creative people. You must focus on what value you give the brand you intend to work with.
Let’s delve into how working with a brand can be easy for you as an influencer.
Start by creating a media kit
A media kit is like a portfolio for influencers. It is the first contact point a brand will have with you. It is meant to be a compact and easy-to-read document you will send to brands to introduce yourself. The stronger you make your media kit, the more likely a brand will want to work with you. Some of the things you can add to your media kit include.
- Your bio
- Social media stats
- Your audience demographics
- Some of your previous work
One of the best tools you can use to create your media kit has got to be Canva, they offer a wide variety of templates to choose from that would make creating it very easy.
Know your worth
Being an influencer is like any freelancer role, you need to consider the time and the effort you put into your content and craft. You should not depend on brands to define that for you, if you do, you might unknowingly accept less than you should. Also, you must remember that influencer marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools worldwide.
Pitching for paid collaborations
After perfecting your media kit, you should start pitching to brands. But this is the hard part. You need to look for brands that often work with influencers.
Here are some tips that will help you when pitching to brands.
Introduce yourself
This is where your media kit will come in handy. A media kit is your chance to make a good first impression with the brand. And as with any type of pitch, whether you send an email or face to face, you want to come across as professional. Your media kit should be concise. you wouldn’t want to inundate the recipient with too much information at once. Remember that even when sending out a resume, decisions on whether someone will want to work with you will be made in the first ten lines of your CV. The rest of it would be supporting information. In your media kit, you can also show examples of your past work. By showing references, you give the brand more reasons to work with you. Do not just show that you worked with brand X. Demonstrate your value and what you did for them. What did you achieve from the liaison? Include stats and data to support your work.
Suggest collaborations opportunities
The next thing that you will want to do is to ask for future opportunities to work together. Show them what a campaign would look like.. Do not assume that there is a slot for you and that they will want to work with you immediately after getting your email. However, show your value, and if you are the right fit, they should reach out to you.
Show why you are a good match for the brand
Because this is a pitch, you would have to discuss why you would be perfect as the brand’s influencer. Some of the questions you should ask yourself are “Is my following what they are looking for?” or “Do I understand the industry well enough to talk about it comfortably?”. “What value do I bring?
Research the brand
Knowing the brand you want to work with is always a plus, it gives the impression that you genuinely want to work with them. Have a couple of reasons why you like the brand, why you find them useful, and why someone else would find them useful.
Questions to ask before working with a brand
Ultimately, you are the major deciding factor in brands you want to work with. There are some questions that you must ask yourself before working with a brand and creating content.
- Is this brand consistent with my style of content?
- Are they compensating me well?
- Will my target audience enjoy the brand I’m trying to promote?
- Do the ideals of the brand match my own?
- Do I have the time and resources to work with the brand?
- Can I give an objective and honest review of this brand? Would I use this brand?
We also did a video that breaks down Youtube sponsorships and how they work.
HOW YOUTUBE SPONSORSHIPS WORK IN 2021/ FOR BRAND, CREATORS & INFLUENCERS
Working with brands as an influencer is a learning curve You will be working in an ever-growing and ever-changing industry that will need you to keep up with it. Use these tips to guide you and keep you on top of everything as an influencer.
At Attisfire, our goal is to help you as either a creator or freelancer to use the internet creatively, effectively, and profitably. If you have any questions, contact us on our platforms.
