Learn how to become an influencer and how to make money on YouTube & Instagram on the new MagicLinks YouTube channel!

For top-tier influencers, brand campaigns and ambassadorships are a huge portion of their influence and cachet. Want in on that sponsorship action? Of course you do. We get asked, “How do I get sponsored?” multiple times a day, and we’re here to tell you how. Read on for five of the key factors brands look at when casting influencers!

1. Passion

Nothing’s more obvious than someone just in it for the cash. Fame is fun, we won’t lie – but brands will return to you again and again if it’s clear you’re passionate about what you’re creating.

2. A Proven Body of Original Work

Some influencers do get famous overnight, but it’s rare. Hardly anyone gets brand deals right after starting their channels. Build your channels & subscriber community first, by focusing on your unique take on your content vertical. Develop your aesthetic and brand, learn photo & video editing, refine your voice, and learn what makes you special & marketable.

You can start reaching out to brands to ask to be put on their PR list or work with them at any time, but don’t expect a five-figure endorsement deal after only having been on YouTube for two months.

3. Content About That Brand

If you’ve never organically talked about a brand in a post or video before, don’t expect them to want to work with you. You need to demonstrate that you’re a genuine fan of their product, over time. Building relationships with brands over time – tagging them organically in posts, accepting PR gifts, going to their events, accepting small paid posts, etc – will lead to more lucrative, long-term relationships & contracts.

4. Engagement Rate

What IS your engagement rate? Divide your total number of likes & comments on a post by your follower count, then multiply the result by 100 to get your percentage rate.

A high engagement rate, even if you have fewer subscribers, is more appealing to brands (especially smaller brands), because you’ll often be giving them more exposure, and a fan base that’s more likely to purchase from that brand.

5. Conversion Rate

Your conversion rate is how many of your clicks turn into sales: The number of clicks, divided by the number of sales for a particular link, gives you the conversion rate.

For example: If one of your MagicLinks received 10,000 clicks, and generated 800 sales, divide 10,000 by 800 to get a 12.5% conversion rate for that link.

Your overall conversion rate can be calculated by averaging your conversion rate for all your links. Brands want to work with influencers who have a demonstrated record of sales, because it means their investment in that influencer is more likely to have a high ROI (Return On Investment).