I’ve been trying to do a better job of answering your questions. Recently a lot of you have asked how to collaborate with brands as an influencer and monetize your content. There isn’t a right or wrong way. So I may not have the best advice. But in this post, I’ll share what’s worked for me.
How to Collaborate with Brands as an Influencer
Develop a Realistic Posting Schedule
Posting consistently is crucial. The most successful accounts are posting 2-3 times a day. But you’ll be golden if you can train yourself to post at least once a day. Quality is more important than quantity. So don’t feel obligated to post a crappy photo to stay consistent. It’d be better to skip a day. But push yourself to find a balance between quality and quantity.
Curate Your Feed Like a Magazine Editor
Treat your feed as your Portfolio. You don’t need a big following to partner with brands or get invited to events. Content is king! Focus on curating your feed with high-quality videos and photos. Sometimes brands don’t have the budget to work with big influencers. So if you’re producing content like the big guys, brands might want to hire you instead. Don’t feel obligated to buy any fancy equipment right off the bat. You can still produce editorial content with an iPhone or inexpensive camera. I’ve posted some editing tips here.
Grow an Authentic Following
Besides curating your feed, you also want to grow your following. As I mentioned before, numbers aren’t everything. But a bigger following does make you more valuable. A larger following means more potential customers. So brands will be more willing to pay for your influence and content. It can be tempting to purchase followers, but fake accounts aren’t beneficial to brands. Fake accounts can’t spend money on the products you advertise.
Make Yourself Discoverable
Tag brands and use hashtags to increase your visibility. Companies are always looking for brand-new influencers to reach new customers. Tagging the brand and using hashtags is the easiest way to get on their radar. Again, make sure that you’re curating your feed so that you stand out from the thousands of other accounts. Hashtags are another way for potential followers to discover your account, which will help you grow.
Join Influencer Marketing Platforms
It’s possible to pitch brands yourself, but I find this to be challenging and intimidating. Instead, I’d recommend joining an influencer marketing platform. These platforms are like middlemen that help match brands with the perfect influencer. Fohr and Influenster are two of my favorites. RewardStyle is a little exclusive. But it offers other ways to monetize your content without having to partner with a brand. Over time, brands will be coming straight to your inbox.
If you have any additional questions, comment below or send me an email at francis.baker4@yahoo.com. You can also send me a DM on Instagram.
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