How to reach out to brands for collaborations.
If you are following me on Instagram you will know that I’ve been in Bali and Singapore and would you believe me if I told you that the best part of the trip was all thanks to my Instagram account
While I was on my holiday I got invited to hotels, spas, and a restaurant for free in exchange for an Instagram post. Sounds surreal right?
But this too could be your reality! Let me tell you how.
How to reach out to brands for collaborations and get paid
I never thought I would have this amazing opportunity all thanks to a social network.
Don’t worry my boyfriend was skeptical too (as you probably are now), he was in shock each time we left the hotel without paying anything.
And they weren’t just your usual cheap hotels, they were beautiful villas. Only then did my boyfriend finally understand the power of Instagram and collaborations 🙂
Collaborating with brands is one source of my income, but they can take a lot of work and time to get started. But once you’ve got started they are a good way to earn money, get exposure, and get freebies.
Another effective way to pitch brands is to do giveaways and contests for them. This way they can give their brands exposure.
So, today I want to talk to you about getting collaborations and focusing on brand pitching.
Maybe you’re hoping to get a free hotel stay, or perhaps you love a product and you’d really like to get it. Or you would like to use the brand’s name in exchange for exposure.
How?
But how exactly do you go about this?
Unless you are an established fashion blogger or influencer, you shouldn’t be waiting around for an opportunity to come to you. It’s up to you to contact brands and convince them to partner up with you.
They might turn you down or just ignore you. You need to keep going.
Before hitting up your dream brand, you can start by looking for smaller brands where you think there may be a mutually beneficial partnership. Remember that the brand you are pitching must have similar interests to you and you must be able to relate to the brand.
Although smaller brands may have smaller budgets, they are usually open to collaborations to get word of their brand out.
So, to get your brand to say ‘Yes’ and collaborate with you, you need to create a killer outreach email.
Just a note to remember, brands are wanting you to sell their products, so having a loyal and trusting audience is a must.
TIPS
How you can collaborate with brands even if you don’t have a lot of followers.
You can easily start working with a brand with only 1000 followers!
Yes, you can, but it is important to have a clear niche, a really nice looking feed, and you have to pitch a brand in the right way.
Check this post for apps to improve your photos.
A lot of bloggers are lost when it comes to pitching to brands. They see other people doing paid collaborations with brands, but figuring out how to land those collaborations is where things get tricky.
Lucky for you, I’ve been doing brand collaborations for well over two years now and have learned a thing or two in that time.
DISCOVERING BRANDS FOR COLLABORATIONS
If you’re a new blogger or influencer, try looking at brand accounts in your local area with less than 100K followers. Look for brands that have the same niche as you.
These companies would make great partners, as they have a large enough following that they will definitely be looking to invest in sponsorships. In other words, they are seeking YOU out.
The fact that they are not such a well-known brand means that they do not have an overwhelming amount of requests, which makes your chance of landing a brand deal with them even better.
Another way to discover brands is to follow influencers you aspire and that have the same niche as you. When you see that they’ve partnered with a brand, save these posts for future reference.
Keep your pitch as clear and concise as you can. Keep the tone warm, casual, but professional.
Use a distinctive title or phrase that makes people think “This sounds interesting” or “This is what I’m looking for.”
After introducing yourself, introduce what you’ve got to offer.
This is what you should include in your pitch letter:
- Who you are
- What you do
- What industry/niche you operate in
- Mention the fact that you’d like to collaborate and why you would be a good fit for the brand
- A call to action, such as “would you be interested in a potential collaboration?”
Don’t beat around the bush, be concise, and include a link to your blog and Instagram. You should also attach your media kit if you have one. It gives your email more credibility.
Are you feeling overwhelmed after reading this?
Well, the answer is hell YES !!! You can do anything you put your mind to.
But there’s more!
To help you create your killer email, I want to share the EXACT email templates I’ve personally used to get sponsored.
This starter pack will give you EVERYTHING you need to land a brand deal.
Check it out here :
This Influencer Starter Pack is a guide that not only tells you how to start collaborating with brands but it also provides you with all the essentials you NEED to get an engaged following and get started as a social media influencer.
This includes media kit templates to easily present yourself to brands, lists of agencies that you can contact plus you can get access to the EXACT email templates I used that resulted in my first $1,000 month in brand sponsorships.
This is just about a STEAL, so why not make the most of it?
This is a guide to find brands to collaborate with. It explains how to directly pitch them a partnership opportunity.
