5 Ways to Turn Free Products Into Paid Partnerships

I’ve received many questions in my DM’s on Instagram on how I have turned FREE products into paid partnerships. As a blogger, there are many benefits, and one is receiving free products from brands. But what do you do when you’re tired of receiving free products? Well, I will share with you 5 ways you can turn free products into paid partnerships.

There is nothing wrong with receiving free products, but if you want to turn your love for blogging into a business, free products won’t pay the bills. As a nano-influencer, I turned gifted opportunities into paid partnerships. Before we go any further, I want to be very transparent. Not all opportunities will turn into paid partnerships. You might have to accept a few gifted opportunities, especially if it’s a brand that you absolutely love. You must know when, why, and what to accept as free products or when to turn the opportunity into paid partnerships.

Pitching TO A Brand after Free Product Offer

Pitching to a brand can initially seem daunting, but it’s easier than you think. What is pitching? Pitching is when you, as an influencer, reach out to brands wanting to work with them in exchange for payment. When pitching to a brand, you must know a little bit about the brand. Are you using their products currently? Do you have content showing their products? You don’t have to wait for a brand to reach out to you; you can reach out to them.

Give examples of how their products have worked for you, or if you’ve never used them, give a specific reason why you think their products would work for you and your audience. I won’t dive deep into pitching brands in this blog post, but if you’re interested in learning how you can pitch yourself to brands as an influencer, read this blog post- How to Pitch Yourself To Brands; please know that pitching is the way to go if you’re serious about turning your blog into a business.

Providing Real Data Will Help You With Paid Partnerships

The first time I was able to turn free products into a paid partnership, I gave the brand a real-life scenario. Here is what I did. I informed the brand how I surveyed my audience by completing a poll concerning their natural hair struggles. Based on my audience’s responses, I informed the brand of how their natural hair products would be great for me to demonstrate to my audience. Giving the brand real data allowed me to show the brand what my audience wanted to see and how their products would be a great fit to do so. When you give the brand hard evidence, they’re more likely to take you seriously.

Include Your Content

Do you share content that your audience love? If so, be sure to include this in your email. Even if the content isn’t of said brand, show them your work for other brands or your work in general. It’s important to show the brand your work and how well you did so that they will be willing to pay you. Not only pay you but pay you well. That’s why putting your best foot forward when creating non-sponsored content is important. When responding to a gifted or free partnership, always include your most favorable and high-quality images or blog post in your email.

show Your Excitement For The Partnership

I’ve been able to turn free products into paid partnerships just by being excited to work with the brand. I always include how I look forward to hearing how we can work together in my pitch. When you’re excited to work with the brand, it gives them an indication that you will produce great content. Using keywords or phrases to help you turn gifted opportunities into paid partnerships is important.

BE Professional With The Brand

This may seem like a no-brainer, but professionalism will get you far. Always remain professional even if the brand decides not to work with you. You don’t want to burn bridges just because a brand currently won’t or can’t work with you. If it doesn’t work this time, thank the brand and reach out to them later.

In conclusion, turning free products into paid partnerships is not difficult when you have great content. Remember, accepting free products can lead to open doors. Give yourself a set amount of free partnerships before declining or asking to be paid.