In this blog post we will shortly explain the different types of collaborations with brands you may have as a blogger or influencer.
We will also give some advice on how to find brands to work with on Instagram, how to approach them and also will tell you some interesting platforms to find collaborations all in one place.
If you are interested in Hotel Collaborations, you might want to see our E-Book with guidance and exact pitch email, to land free hotel collaborations
HOW TO COLLABORATE WITH BRANDS
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLABORATIONS
GIFTING CAMPAIGNS
A gifting collaboration is when a brand offers you a free product in exchange for social media exposure on your Instagram or blog. This is an unpaid product exchange collaboration.
For example, a cosmetic company reaches out and sends you a box with their products and in return they expect you to create photos using it, styling it, making a video of your routine or to write a blog post with a review of these products.
Don´t forget to tag the brand in your post and specify that this has been a gift, so your followers know (by law).
Gifting campaigns are very common when you’re starting as a blogger or influencer and have not big enough audience. Yet even some bigger accounts accept these for a short shout out in their video - unboxing for example.
Gifting collaborations are a good way to start and build up your portfolio to then land a paid collaborations.
SPONSORED POSTS
A sponsored post can be anything from an Instagram post, stories, video or a blog post that’s sponsored by a brand, meaning the company is paying you to promote their products or services.
For example a brand send you a backpack and pays you certain amount of money to post a photo to your feed. As you already have a platform of followers who also love to hike or travel as backpackers it is for them more convenient type of "ad", because these people trust your opinion as an influencer and are more likely go and purchase this item.
You may also get a special link or a discount code, that would work as an affiliate, so you would make extra penny from each item sold.
SPONSORED HOTEL STAYS
A sponsored hotel stay is what many so called influencers want. A free 5star hotel night.
We have written a detailed E-Book with an exact pitching email we used to land our free hotel nights. Check it out here and stay for free.
Hotel essentially gives an influencer or blogger a free stay in exchange for some content, which could be social media posts, blog posts, videos or professional photos of their property.
Sponsored hotel stays can be both paid and unpaid - it depends on who contacted who and how large is your audience.
PRESS TRIPS
Press trips are offered by tourism boards, hotels or travel companies in exchange for positive social media exposure. These trips can be paid or unpaid, depending on the client’s budget.
Typically everything from airfare to food and entertainment is covered and they expect you to talk about this experience or products with your followers. It could be an individual trip for a single blogger, as well as a group trip for fashion bloggers for example.
CONTENT CREATION
This means, that you will create content, such as photos or videos for brand´s use on their social media and other channels. And this is something that should for sure be paid.
Here you do not need to post the photo to your social media, it might appear on hotels website for example and as such use they would essentially buy the rights to use your photos.
SHOULD YOU ACCEPT FREE PRODUCTS?
Are you just starting out? - then yes
Is it a brand you really love? - then yes
Do you see other potential in this cooperation? - then yes.
See for yourself case for case, just please do not be one of those bloggers, who take every free product and then land up "absolutely loving" three brands of shampoos in one month.
If your social media is solely about gifted things, bigger brands see it and you will never land a bigger, more exciting and paid collaboration.
More over, your followers will get tired from your content and they will unfollow.
HOW TO FIND BRANDS TO WORK WITH ON INSTAGRAM
Look for brands you love, for new things on the market or brands that other influencers collaborated with. Create a folder within Instagram, where you will save all this content and then take your time to introduce yourself to them.
Another way is to just look around yourself at home. What are the things you use and love? Have you bought a new rug? Write to the company you love it, show them how you presented to your followers on social and ask them, whether they would be open for a collaboration with you, to promote their items to your followers.
A third way to find brands to work with is by reaching out to PR companies.
Introducing yourself and your online brand to a PR company in your area is a great way to get into their radar for future collaborations. PR companies often have a long list of clients that work with influencers and the next time you might be the perfect fit for one of them. Reach out to them with introductory and media kit. They often times invite influencers for theme parties as well, which could get you further into the business by finding new contacts.
The last but not least way to find brands to work with you is through influencer platforms. These platforms allow influencers to apply for different brand campaigns online. Everything is on one spot and you can simply choose, what you want to do
INFLUENCER PLATFORMS act as a middleman between you and a company. They’re essentially tasked with finding influencers for both paid and unpaid campaigns.
Once accepted into the platforms, you can apply for these campaigns yourself.
For example:
Aspire IQ
Activate
Clever
Collectively
Fohr
Obviously
Popular Pays (an app)
Tribe (an app)
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