Six Simple Tricks To Increase Your Chances of Getting Sponsored

When you share products you love with your subscribers, because you use and love these items, you are adding value to their life. You’re doing the dirty work of trying and testing out tons of foundations, wedge sandals, cutting boards, gaming keyboards, etc, and giving them your honest opinion on what works.

So… Why shouldn’t you get paid for that? Here are our best tips for getting sponsored by brands.

PUT TOGETHER A KILLER MEDIA KIT AND PRESS PAGE

Your media kit should be concise, professional, show your personality, and include:

A current, professional photo of you
A brief biography of you
A brief summary of what your channel(s) is about, and what makes it unique
Your subscriber counts and engagement rates/page views/media reach
Your subscriber demographics
Testimonials from brands and/or media companies you’ve worked with before
Services offered: Twitter parties? Giveaways? Sponsored posts? Include it all.
Contact information (sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how often this is left out)

If you’re not a graphic designer, consider hiring one to help you design your kit. It’s an investment that will pay off.

Maintain a press page on your personal website that includes links to sites you’ve been featured on, brands you’ve worked with, and where you can be reached regarding promotional opportunities.

ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS YOU ACTUALLY, TRULY LOVE
It’s NOT hard to suss out when an influencer is promoting a product they’re not actually a fan of. The writing is wooden (or clearly has been provided by the sponsoring company), there’s no spark of joy in their eyes in the photo, and it just falls flat. It feels like what it is: Advertising.

Promoting products you’ve mentioned before, and clearly use often & are passionate about? Your copy will shine, your photos will be genuinely enthusiastic, and your subscribers will know you love it.

USE HASHTAGS AND LOCATION TAGS TO ATTRACT BRANDS
Love a particular cosmetic company’s mascara? Tag them and use their fave hashtags when you review it on Instagram. Love a restaurant’s tapas menu? Every time you’re there, post on social media and tag the location. Brands will use hashtags and location tags to track down potential new brand partners.

POST CONSISTENT CONTENT & STAY TRUE TO YOUR BRAND
Brands will, if they’re interested in you, look at most of your posts on your channels. Maintaining your aesthetic, including fonts, color palettes, filters, etc, will help show them that you’ve got a strong sense of style and have the creative moxie to craft something unique to promote them.

Also, don’t forget to sit down and decide what your personal brand IS… And what it is NOT. This will help you refine your brand’s aesthetic, audience, and goals.

ENGAGE WITH FOLLOWINGS
These days, brands are more likely to partner with micro-influencers who have a strong engagement rate, than with million-plus-follower influencers who barely respond to their fans at all. It ends up having a higher ROI (Return On Investment) for the brand, at a lower cost.

So… Comment back! Like your followers’ photos!

DON’T BE AFRAID TO PITCH TO BRANDS
We’ve all got to start somewhere, so don’t neglect smaller indie brands as a potential first sponsorship opportunity. Developing your media kit and an ask letter will get you in the door with PR firms, brands, and more, and getting seen is the first step to getting hired.

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