It happened within less than 24 hours of each other. I had one potential collaboration get back to me and say that they would love to work with me. And another one who basically told me that after looking at my blog they couldn’t accommodate my request. Ouch. That doesn’t even take into account all the brands that never got back to me at all from my monthly batch of pitch emails. Collaborating with brands as a blogger can be a tricky business. I’m definitely no expert but today I’m sharing some tips that have helped me over the years.

collaborating with brands

everyone starts somewhere 

I’m going to share a pet peeve with you. And it’s something that gives bloggers and influencers a bad name. It’s the “gimme” attitude that some in this profession seem to have when collaborating with brands. I’m in Facebook groups where people are obviously just trying to do as little work for as much gain as possible. They’ve been blogging for 3 months and want to know when they’ll start making money. They have 100 followers on Instagram and want to know what brands to reach out to. Build you content and quality first, then your audience will come, and so will partnerships with brands. Everyone has value and the ability to influence regardless of numbers. But you also have to realize that most brands aren’t going to want to spend the marketing dollars on someone with a minuscule reach. 

keep a list

I keep a list of potential collaborations on my phone. As I think of companies I like and would love to work with I write them down. I also include a month if there’s a specific time frame (like if it’s holiday or seasonal specific). Then I make sure and check them off once I’ve emailed them so that, (A) I don’t forget that I’ve emailed them, and (B) I know to follow up if I don’t hear back right away.

finding the PR contact

When you know who you want to collaborate with then you need to find the right contact. Don’t rely on someone else having that for you! AKA, don’t ask your blogging friends for contact info unless you’ve already done everything you can to find it yourself (and that’s the type of relationshipyou have). Look on a company’s page for links that say something like “CONTACT”, “PRESS ROOM”, or “MEDIA”. When all else fails, try running an online search for “PR contact for Company XYZ”. Nine times out of ten I’m able to find the PR contact I’m looking for. I’ve even had success from emailing the general help email with a company before when I could not find the proper PR email.

You know what I don’t recommend? Going to your blogging Facebook group and asking “I’m in my first trimester, what baby brands are blogger friendly?” Or— “I’m going on a trip in June, what companies should I be reaching out to?” Ugh, it drives me crazy when I see posts like that. Just refer back to my first point about the “gimme” attitude. Be authentic, do your research. Then if you want to reach out to blogging friends and ask something like— “I’m 20 weeks pregnant with my second baby and have always loved Brand X but I can’t seem to find a PR contact anywhere. Does anyone know if they even work with bloggers?”—that’s much better.

stay humble

I’m just going to say it—I hate the expression, “know your worth, then add tax”. You hear it a lot in the blogging world when people are talking about collaborating with brands. The problem is that it’s human nature to inflate what your worth actually is. You absolutely should know your worth and avoid being taken advantage of. However, be honest with yourself about what you’re really bringing to the table. Is the partnership really going to be beneficial to both parties? Rather than saying to “add tax”, how about we try something else? How about, “know your worth, and stay humble”? It’s okay to counter offer and it’s okay to walk away from a potential collaboration. But I also caution you to be realistic. Most importantly, know what your worth is without letting someone else define it for you or guilt you into something you’re not comfortable with.

introduce yourself (but keep it simple) 

Brands want to know a little bit about you because it will help them realize why they should work with you. If I’m a fancy resort that you’re reaching out to asking for a comped stay I’m probably going to do my research. How often do you post about travel content? How often do you post at all? Are you pitching me a blog post idea but you haven’t even posted to your blog in 3 months? Does you brand align with our brand? Do you get good engagement from your followers?

I’ve been fortunate to work with a good amount of hotels and travel brands. And my readers love seeing my travel content! So when I pitch a travel brand I mention that. I’ll talk about my angle as a large family traveling together. I’ll even share a link or two to a previous travel post so they can check it out if they want to. I also will always attach my media kit or mention that it’s available upon request.

be specific

Again, I don’t think you have to give a million details that will bore the reader before they finish, but be specific. Brands want to know that you have a clear vision and that it aligns with theirs. Or, they might not be familiar with working with bloggers and influencers. In those cases being very clear and specific about what you can deliver for them is helpful. This means that you can’t just send out a form email to twenty different brands every month. They need to be able to tell that you have put thought into working with them specifically.

I also highly suggest having a rate sheet with packages ready for when you’re collaborating with brands. I never give this out unless asked and I always let people know that packages can be tailored and rates are negotiable. However, I think that having a rate sheet with packages makes brands more aware that you know what you’re talking about and that you have experience.

try not take it personally

Let’s be honest, when you put yourself and your family on social media and then someone doesn’t want to work with you it stings. You assume it’s because of you. And I guess in a way that’s true. But try to look at it this way–they are trying to choose the influencers that best represent their brands. They’re trying to get the most bang for their buck, but so are you. After all, you don’t want to break the trust of your audience by working with every company out there, right? No, you want to give your audience content that they’ll care about so that they stick around. So when a company respectfully turns you down it probably just means it wasn’t going to be the best fit for either of you. And remember that for everyone who says no, there’s someone else who would love to work with you.

Main points to remember:

• Know your worth but be humble about it. Have a realistic idea of what you’re bringing to the table. And let the brand know what that is!
• Don’t be afraid to (respectfully) say no if something doesn’t work for you or counter offer.
• Have a specific vision when pitching a brand so they can see that you really care about them and have a clear message to share.
• Building lasting, recurring relationships with brands is always better than doing a one-off collaboration.
• Being professional and self-assured goes a long way with small and big brands alike.
• Try not to take it personally when a brand turns you down for a collaboration. You have better things on the horizon.

Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram to see more collaborations there!

Have you ever wondered about collaborating with brands?