Contacting sponsors to get brand deals for your brand is a must. There are great brand connection tools like CreatorLink.io and LinkedIn to help you get there, but before you even begin to try and reach out to sponsors, you need to be sure your brand has these three characteristics below. Without them, brands won’t even begin to consider you as an ambassador.
Characteristics You Need
1. Reach
The first thing companies are looking for in an influencer to get a brand deal is if they have “reach.” Reach is how many people follow you, and essentially, have influence over.
If you have less than 1,000 followers, brands will most likely not be interested in working with you. So, if you are looking to grow and engage your following, and therefore, have a higher chance of getting sponsored, then check out this article increasing your Instagram engagement.
2. Relevance
In order to be influential over an audience or community of niche followers, you need to be relevant.
Relevant not only in terms of today’s social, political, or economic climates but also relevant meaning in relation to the company’s business.
For example, if you have a travel blog and are contacted by a sustainable cleaning products company, then you may not want to partner together. Make sure the partnership has synergy.
3. Quality
Quality is in reference to how you maintain your aesthetic as an influencer, and your “ability to drive measurable engagement within your own and the company’s target market” says Mission.
If you only pay attention to what you want, and not what your followers crave, then brands will not be reaching out to you.
How To Reach Out To Get Brand Deals
Elaine Rau, the founder of LadyBossBlogger, has some great tips for choosing the right companies to reach out to:
1. Choose Companies With Products You Already Use
To start off, make a list of all the brands and their products that you use daily/weekly.
Once you have compiled your list, think about if you would recommend them to friends, family, or colleagues. If so, then these are the companies you should be contacting to get brand deals first!
You know these businesses are a good fit for your brand because you already use those products to market yourself regularly (even if you are not aware of it).
2. Be Sure To Have A Media Kit Ready
If you are looking for a company to work with and promote, it is essential that you are prepared with a media kit. Not sure what a media kit is?
It usually contains a page of statistics like follower numbers, engagement rates and number of views. Media kits can help you get brand deals because it makes you look very professional.
Like Elaine Rau has said, “With every post, you are branding yourself and in essence, showing brands what you can do to advertise their product or service.”
3. Utilize Your Apps To Get Brand Deals
There are a few of apps you definitely need when contacting companies for a brand deal.
One being LinkedIn, the other is Trello, and the third is Creator Link. You will need LinkedIn, because (once you have your product list and media kit finished) you will need to contact whoever is in charge of marketing in the companies you want to represent.
LinkedIn is the easiest way to find these individuals because when you invite to connect with any professional, you are to write a note explaining why you are connecting. Use this opportunity as an elevator pitch, so the brand and its employees know who you are and what your goal with them is.
Secondly, the app you are definitely going to need is Trello. Trello is a web-based list-making application where you can organize the process of outreaching to brands. With these apps, you will not only look professional, but detail-oriented.
Thirdly, Creator Link connects brands with creators to help organize each collaboration in the most effective and efficient way possible.
4. Email Companies To Get Brand Deals
Now that you know who to reach out to and are prepared to pitch yourself, you need to get to emailing brands.
The easiest way to do so is by organization. Make an email template for reaching out to brands and then organize them by who you haven’t reached yet, who you have already contacted, who you are talking with now, who hasn’t answered you yet, and who says no to your pitch.
By following these tips, you’ll have sponsors and get brand deals in no time!
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- How To Build Your Personal Brand
- How To Become a Full-Time Social Media Influencer
- 13 Ways To Increase Your Instagram Engagement
- How To Discover And Engage Your Target Audience
- How To Blog On Vacation Like A Boss
- 5 Ways To Use Social Media To Build Your Personal Brand
- How To Pitch A Collaboration With Brands
- 7 Productivity And Organizational Skills For Entrepreneurs
Claire Erickson is currently a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger.com. Claire has just returned from studying abroad at the London College of Fashion and will finish her senior year studying retail merchandising back at her home university – University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). She is looking forward to having a future in buying, trend research, or planning.
[…] influencers are faking sponsorships and brand deals in hopes of gaining superiority, a large following base, and real brand […]