When starting out as a content creator it can be challenging to get brand deals, especially with your favorite brands. Having the privilege of working with your favorite brands tends to be more difficult, since the competition can get fierce. If you are struggling to get noticed by brands, we have a few tips on how to change that.
It can be hard to keep track of the brand opportunities influencer platforms have available. We took the matter into our hands and released Klaia’s Brand Deals Directory. New opportunities will be added every week.
As an influencer or content creator, you know who you are, and you should know how people perceive you and your content. You should have a clear idea of what you want your social media accounts to look like. When making your posts, put yourself in a brand’s position and think about how you come off to them. These brands want a certain aesthetic and look from influencers that go along with what they’re trying to promote. You want to make sure that you are achieving that while not losing your own brand and while still showing your personality.
Having a consistent aesthetic could just mean making sure that you have good lighting, a minimal background, and quality content when you’re making posts about other products. It’s up to you what a consistent aesthetic looks like.
If you love a certain brand, such as Skims and want to get noticed by them, do some research and look at the type of content they post, at the people they already sponsor and think about how you can make your content more in-tune with them. At the same time, you should incorporate your usual brand and aesthetic to stay original. It can get confusing but the more you work on promoting brands while also being yourself, the easier it will get.
Related: 16 Must-Have Content Creation Tools Every Content Creator/Influencer Needs
Almost all brands and agencies use Instagram to scout for influencers. They do this by following certain hashtags. These could be branded hashtags, such as #showyourskims or could be more general hashtags. Getting noticed by all these brands is all about those hashtags and mentions. If you use the hashtags they follow and use, then the chances they see your content are higher.
As you can see on the screenshot, on Skim’s Instagram you can visit their following page and there you can see what hashtags they use. You can also see what aesthetic they tend to want when they choose people to promote their stuff in the tagged section. So, you want to make sure in your posts, that you use the same hashtags of whichever brand you want to get noticed by.
We’ll be releasing a blog post all about pitching brands and finding their contacts – leave your email below to get notified.
Nothing works better to get a brand’s attention, than featuring them in your content and mentioning them in your stories. When creating content, you want to be as original as possible. That’s what makes you stand out, but you always want to be yourself.
Try to mention the brands you use in your day-to-day life often. Mentioning them organically will show them that you want to work with them as an influencer and promote them in a good light without having already signed a contract or getting free products from them. In the future when you send them a pitch email, you can use this to show that you actually love their brand and that – depending on your audience’s engagement – the partnership might be a good fit.
Related: 10 Influencer Platforms to Find Paid Partnerships in 2022
Of course, creating content that pertains to these brands is a sure-fire way to make them notice you. But sometimes, you just need to get a little more direct in what you want. There is no harm in reaching out to specific brands that you want to work with. As an influencer, you’ll be shooting your shot a lot, especially in the beginning. Let these brands know who you are and why they should work with you.
Keep your email business as usual and show them what you can do! Most brands have a public relations email on their website you can use. However, a better way to reach out is by finding the person that leads influencer marketing on LinkedIn and getting their email. Another way of reaching out is via Instagram DM.
