It's never fun being the "new girl" on any scene. Remember that feeling you had in high school when you wanted to be apart from the popular crowd but couldn't figure out a way to get in? Well, fast forward to being an adult and youve decided to enter the world of "blogging" and "influencing" and you're trying to get noticed by brands. Often times it may seem like an elite club that requires a membership to get access to in order to get noticed by the big boys. But the truth of the matter is, with research, networking and marketing yourself as a brand you can be well on your way to working with brands too!
Can you really call yourself a blogger if you don't have a platform that requires you to blog? I officially launched my blog's website in October of 2018. I recommend this to anyone who wants to work with brands and would like a way to be in control of the content you share. I love Instagram just as much as the next girl, but in 2016, after having an account for 4 years, Instagram DELETED my account! Oh the indignity! Also, when pitching to brands, I've been required to fill out forms that ask for my blog's website and information about my blog.
My very first brand partnership I landed was with Ford and it all came together due to me having a blog. The partnership was such a self-esteem booster as I only had one blog post published at the time but they still considered me to be a part of their blogging team. With Ford I get the opportunity to test drive and review their fleet of vehicles, have access to Ford sponsored venues and awarded gift cards for certain events. Not a bad deal! I found out about the opportunity with Ford through a Facebook blogging group which leads me to my first tip, join as many Facebook groups as you can. Facebook is an excellent networking tool and where most businesses and brands share information.
Testing out the new 2019 Ford Flex
As a newbie it's the key to learn from the pro and people that have a larger network than you. That's why I enjoy being a Mom's Meet Ambassador and learning the in and out of what they do as well as having the opportunity to work with larger brands that I wouldn't be able to do on my own. Yes, followers do count when dealing with large brands. They want to know that their marketing materials and information are reaching the masses. If you are a mother consider joining (www.momsmeet.com), as a member you review products with your group of mom friends and share your feedback. They even have solo campaigns for influencers where they offer Amazon gift cards in exchange for your review and high quality photos.
Review products with your mom friends and get paid!
If you're a food blogger, this next tip is for you. Do you have a Yelp account? If not, you should! Yelp is an awesome community where local foodies come together to share their detailed and honest reviews of (primarily) restaurants and any other business. If you are great at giving honest feedback, share great pictures and enjoy attending events then apply to be a member of the Yelp Elite Squad. Once accepted you will be able to attend exclusive events, network with business owners and other Yelp Elite Members. The best part is getting access to restaurants that you'll always want to try and get to sample an array of menu items all at little to no cost to you. Can we say content creation? I never miss out on an opportunity to network and get great content for my blog and social media sites!
Attending one of many Yelp Elite events!
My last and final tip for new bloggers who are wanting to work with brands is very simple - reach out to them! As I stated before, it takes time building your audience and larger brands do want to know what your follower count is. For those reasons I stick to networking and reach out to local brands because when I pitch to them I can add a personal touch to my pitch. I've found major success in sticking to local businesses and I'm excited about where these partnerships lead me. Remember it's a numbers game, you can't just reach out to one brand and stay lying in wait. My suggestion would be to write a professional pitch (make it personal to each brand), include a media kit to help you stand out from the crowd and reach out to them via social media (DM) or email.
Let me know if this blog post helped you or if you have any tips you would love to share regarding working with brands.
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