How to Slay Your First PAID Brand Partnership

Whether you are pitching to a brand or if a brand reaches out to you, it is important to know the do’s of landing your first brand partnership. 

For my first paid brand collaboration, the brand’s agency reached out to me. To say that I was excited is an understatement. I worked hard on presenting myself as a blogger and created a platform that would attract brands. Interested in how you can get brands to notice you, check out my previous blog post here. 

In this blog post, I am going to share with you five do’s of landing your first PAID brand partnership.

#1 Do Create a Media Kit

A media kit is your influencer’s (blogger) resume. Most brands will ask you for this, so it is important to have it ready. Your media kit should show who you are as a brand and all your valuable social media stats. You can purchase a media kit from Etsy or create your own through Canva for free. Canva is a great tool that I use faithfully, and that is where I created my media kit. Include the following in your media kit:

A Short Bio– This is the section where you tell a little bit about yourself. You want to inform the brand as much about who you are, your brand’s mission, and your target audience. 

Social Media Analytics (Stats)– It’s important to include your analytics from your social media platforms. If you’re only on a couple of platforms that is ok, it’s not a requirement to be on all social media platforms. I am on all social platforms, except YouTube. In my opinion, one of the biggest platform that you should be on is Instagram. If your stats are low in numbers, combine all your social stats.

Blog Stats– If you have a blog, it is important to include this in your media kit. Having a blog is an exceptional platform to have. Your blog stats should consist of your monthly unique views and your subscriber count. Creating a Google Analytics account will provide you with this.

Service Offered– Here is where you will list what you are willing to do for a brand. Blog post, Instagram post, Instagram video, Pinterest pin, etc. Just make sure that the content that you are willing to create on these platforms has a great target audience.

High-Quality Images– It is a good idea to include 2 or 3 high-quality images in your media kit. Including high-quality images in your media kit will give a brand an idea of what type of content you can produce. 

Previous Collaborations– Since you are reading this blog post, you won’t have previous collaborations. Not to worry, if you’ve ever been a brand ambassador or been featured on any Instagram pages, you can always include that in place of paid collaborations.

#2 Do Work on Your Social Media Engagement 

Having an engaging social media platform is very important. You don’t have to have a large following to have an engaging audience. I landed my first paid partnership with 1,200 Instagram followers! Your platform can consist of Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube. Whatever platform you are on, make sure to ENGAGE with your audience. Brands are looking for real people who are honest and have built a trusting audience.  

#3 Do Work With Brands That Fit Your Brand’s Mission

A natural hair brand contacted me for a paid collaboration, and regretfully had to decline their offer. After taking a look at their Instagram feed, I noticed that their products were geared to looser textured natural hair. This would not have been a good fit for my audience nor my brand. I can never promote a brand that doesn’t align with my mission. Never force a collaboration; trust me, the paid partnerships will come.

#4 Do Read Over Your Contract Thoroughly

If a brand doesn’t offer you a written contract, beware. A contract is a binding document that should include: payment terms, the scope of work (deliverables), deadlines, and usage of the content. You want to ensure that you get paid for the work that you are doing for the brand. Don’t be afraid to cross out anything that wasn’t discussed originally. Or anything that you don’t agree with. Brands are looking out for themselves, and you should too. Once you’ve signed a contract, you are required to fulfill the terms that are listed. 

#5 Do Send A Thank You Email/Note

When my first brand partnership was fulfilled, I sent the brand agency a thank you email. I wanted to show the brand that I was appreciative of the opportunity as well as being rememberable. A thank you email doesn’t have to be lengthy, just be sure to thank them for the opportunity and to consider you for any upcoming collaborations. This shows your professionalism as an influencer.

Landing your first paid brand partnership is exciting, and with the help of these tips, you are well on your way!

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