So you have a blog or a social media account, and your audience is growing. Once in a while, you might post about products you love, and you begin to wonder: can I actually work with these brands to promote their products?
The answer is of course you can. But how? Before I share with you the ‘how’, I’ll share some tips if you’re considering starting working with brands for sponsorship:
Know your niche
What is your account about? Make sure to choose a niche that you’re truly passionate about and try to stick with it. Are you good with art, crafting or interior decoration? Are you a parent who shares parenting tips and awesome kid products? Do you like to read and would like to review books? Are you into fashion, makeup or perfumes? Whatever it is, it has to be something you enjoy… otherwise it will become a cumbersome chore after some time and you’ll be stuck with it due to collaboration obligations.
Be genuine
Only work with brands that you genuinely would recommend to others. In the beginning it might be tempting to just work with any willing brand, but don’t be afraid to say no to promoting products that you don’t believe in. In the long run, your reputation is more important – your audience has to know that they can trust your recommendations.
Be reliable
Not only the audience, brands also have to know that they can trust you if you want to keep growing. Once you’ve made an agreement with a brand, make sure to fulfill your obligations to the best of your abilities. Let them know in advance if they require something that you cannot fulfill – for example, I always let brands know in advance that I don’t show Nina’s face on our profile. It will always be her hands or her back. Only agree to make posts that you are actually able to make – and do make them in a timely fashion.
Now, how do we start?
Be proactive
Write to the brands you love, or think that you will love. You will get more nos than yeses, especially in the beginning, but don’t let that discourage you. Someone will bound to say yes! Some brands don’t care about the number of followers, as long as they see that you’re passionate about your profile. Keep on posting about what you love in the mean time so brands can see what your account is all about and if it suits their brand image. You never know, and don’t give up.
Use Brandbassador
Alternatively, the easiest way to start is to use an app that links brands to ambassadors: the one I use is Brandbassador. My favourite thing about it is that it completely skips the negotiation process, everything goes automatically through the app. Brands will post ‘missions’ with different rewards, it’s then up to you to choose which ones you’d be capable and willing to do. They work with a wide range of social media platforms so there’s certainly something for you. You’ll also get a code for your followers which will generate commission for you with each sale.
As you have probably guessed if you’ve been following my account for a while, my favourite brand to work on there is Wonderbly. They are very active in posting new missions, and they are always fun with wonderful rewards. Some missions will reward you with cash, gift card, or even straight up free books. I’ve tried other brands on there but from my experience none of them are as generous as Wonderbly. Their missions are also usually fun and easy to do!
So if you’re thinking about starting out repping for brands, working with Wonderbly is a good place to start: join here. You’ll get a taste of what it’s like to represent a brand, at your own pace, all while earning rewards and commissions. They are also quite easy to sell as their personalised books are high quality and for all ages. Give it a try!