How To Get Brand Deals

With social media booming, influencers have become powerful marketing tools for multiple brands. Collaborating with them allows the brands to reach a specific target audience engagingly. 
According to statistics, almost 64% of marketers have worked with micro-influencers. Nowadays, nano or micro-influencers have multiple opportunities to get paid sponsorships and various brand deals. Potential influencer marketing is widespread and has grown significantly since 2019. 
 
Brand deals are an essential part of an influencer's journey. They allow you to generate income and build up a personal brand. They help you establish yourself as an influential entity in your niche. Brand deals are suitable for aspiring and experienced influencers who want to start their journey to get noticed.

If you are wondering how to get brand deals, keep reading this blog to learn more about the steps to be a successful influencer.

Reasons Why Brands Want To Work With Influencers

Influencer marketing has become a staple in the marketing strategies of many brands. The influencers offer a unique combination of credibility, reach, and engagement that conventional advertising cannot match. If you are thinking about how to get brand deals on YouTube or how to get brand deals on TikTok, know that some steps and strategies help to boost your growth.

What exactly drives the brands to partner with influencers? Is it viral content, exploring the niche audiences, or something else?

For example - Nano-influencers (creators with less than 15,000 followers) and micro-influencers (with 15,000 to 75,000 followers) help brands achieve their goals more effectively than influencers with larger audiences.

Here, we will discuss why brands are inclined to work with influencers. Understanding what brands are looking for will help you to better position yourself for successful partnerships.

Knowing why brands want to work with influencers will help you create content that resonates with your audience and brand partners.

Let's dive in –

1. Develop Your Niche and Content Style

Establishing yourself as a creator is essential to finding brand sponsorships. As a creator, you must experiment with several content formats and platforms to find your own content style. You must also be consistent about your content topics and establish your posting rhythm.

A good audience base starts with a strong creator voice, and followers learn what to expect from your posts.

As an influencer, you must be as specific as possible when defining your niche and ensure that most of your content fits within the chosen category. When you are particular about a specific niche, brands will know whether you fit well with them or not.

2. Learn About the Influencer Industry

It's essential to familiarize yourself with the terms used in influencer marketing and the different standards in the industry. An influencer needs to learn about usage rights, the significance of having a contract, and following the latest trends in content creation. This will be helpful enough once you seek brand deals as an influencer.

3. Organize your portfolio

Once your brand is established, the next step is to collect and organize your work in a proper portfolio or media kit to contact the brands.

You must create an organized portfolio of your content examples and a media kit or influencer rate sheet. The latter helps you list social media stats, services, pricing for sponsored content, and audience information.

An overview of your work enables brands to assess your creativity and decide whether you are suitable for a brand deal.

4. Start sharing products

As an influencer, you must share the brands you are passionate about on social media platforms.  One of the best ways to gather the brands is by tagging them and engaging with the brand's content.

It shows your potential partners that you are passionate about their products and will represent them authentically. Doing this increases the chances for the brands to even repost you on their profiles and stories. You can tag them directly or mention them in your caption against each post.

5. Reach out to brands

When you're ready, contact the brands directly via social media or their website contact forms if they have any. If you identify a brand's influencer marketing manager on LinkedIn, contact them to discuss a prospective cooperation.

Creating posts on some of your favorite products can be beneficial before getting sponsored by them. It allows campaign managers to see that you are engaged and better understand the type of material you can develop, assisting them in determining whether you are a good fit for their brand.  

It's also a good idea to have more than one social media channel where you're active, as this boosts your credibility and gives you more options for branding.

6. Attend influencer events

Brands and marketers support influencer and social media events. Don't hesitate to start a conversation if a favored brand partner has a booth at the event. Networking can help you succeed in influencer marketing.

What Brands Look For In Creator Sponsorships?

Most brands look for partnerships that resonate with their target audience and align with their values and marketing objectives. In the present technological age, social media is highly functional for those who utilize its power. It is about understanding what the brands prioritize and enhancing the creator's chances of securing sponsorship deals.

Brands with experience with creator marketing understand that authenticity is the key to a good sponsorship deal.

When different brands look for creators to partner with, they are mainly looking for certain key factors like- 

• Content quality: They check whether your photos and videos look professional enough. Consider whether you are portraying enough creativity in your feed.
• Brand fit and authenticity: Brands ensure that your interests and niche match them.
• Engagement rate: They see if you have a solid community of followers who share and comment on your posts. Also, balance your growing engagement rate so that it is as strong as your follower count grows. 
  By partnering with creators who meet these criteria, brands can effectively reach and engage their target audience, build brand loyalty, and drive business growth.

Ultimate Creator Guide To Landing Better Brand Deals

If you are wondering how to find influencer brand deals and sponsorships, one of the best ways is through brand collaborations. Having a steady income as a creator requires a lot of hard work. While content production has a creative side, there is also a business side.

Brand deals for influencers are based on solid partnerships, requiring proper planning and strategy. Influencer marketing is a core brand strategy, as influencers are considered powerful partners. It is based on their authentic and creative storytelling to build a brand image.

Imagine you've worked with several brands but want to take your partnerships to the next level. You must know that landing better brand deals requires a strategic approach, a solid understanding, and a clear collaboration vision.

In this ultimate guide, we will walk you through the steps to secure the best brand deals that align with your content style and audience. From identifying your niche to negotiating contracts, you will learn the key factors to succeed in highly competitive influencer marketing.

Let's explore the guide to landing more brand deals – 

How Brands Find Creators To Sponsor?

Brands constantly seek talented creators who can promote their products and services to an engaged audience. Optimize your social media profile, engage with your audience, and create high-quality content that showcases your expertise and value.  

There are multiple ways through which the brands find creators:

• Directly Through Social Media – If you receive a message for collaboration, you can directly work with a brand.
• Creator Agencies – Some brands work with creator agencies while scaling their creator marketing efforts and outsourcing their search.
• Creator Platforms – Like hiring an agency, brands use creator platforms to conduct searches based on category, niche, engagement, and follower count.
• Hashtag Research – Brands research relevant hashtags to find the creators using them. It helps them identify influencers already creating content with their brand or niche.
• Creator Directories – Brands use creator directories to find influencers who have worked with similar brands or have a successful track record of successful collaborations. 
• Referrals – Brands often seek referrals from other established creators, agencies, or industry partners. Word-of-mouth recommendations can be a powerful way to discover new talent.
• Creator Outreach – Brands actively reach out to the creators who have caught their attention. It can be through email, social media, or by attending creator events. 

Examples Of Creators With Crystal-Clear Niches

Focusing on a niche is a strategic business strategy that allows you to better service a specialized consumer base than competitors that aim for a larger market. Businesses that compete in a specific niche may narrow their focus even further to define their brand.

For example, businesses that sell running equipment may specialize in a specific subset of that specialty, such as marathon runners' gear. It allows them to assist customers looking for a particular type of running gear that other businesses may not have.

It is possible to start a business centered on popular products. However, a robust alternative path to online success is identifying a niche market and locating niche products with a good market.

Health and wellness

Analysts say the global health and wellness market will reach $4.5 trillion by 2028. It is about caring for your mind, body, and spirit. Niche markets in this field include nutrition, personal care, yoga, and other alternative therapies.

One of the health and wellness niches that increased in popularity over the years is mindfulness apps. "Headspace," the meditation app, attracts more than a million downloads per quarter, and a similar app, "Calm," generates more than $20 million per quarter from in-app purchases.

The popularity and success of these apps describe the potential for small businesses to find a niche for their wellness-based digital products.

Travelers

The trends include experiential travel, where travelers enjoy mesmerizing trips rather than traditional sightseeing. The rise of remote work lately has given rise to digital nomads, who manage their careers while traveling.

"Nomatic" is a luggage brand suitable for the digital nomad niche. It prioritizes efficiency and functionality and helps pack light items. The app's e-commerce website represents the audience's focus, from its product to copywriting. 

Pet owners

Although cats and dogs are the most popular pets, there are birds and small mammals that come with their own needs and present niche opportunities.  

One example of a niche pet market business is "Only Natural Pet." It specializes in natural foods, cold-weather gear, toys, and flea repellents. Consumers interested in natural pet products can visit its online store and find everything they need.

Pitching Brands for Sponsorship Deals

Crafting the correct pitch is one of the most essential steps to getting brand deals as a small influencer. Understanding how to pitch brands for sponsorships is critical in today's marketing landscape. It suits anyone who wants to obtain or improve their brand influencer status. 
It necessitates a thorough understanding of various topics, including social media optimization, brand recognition, and effective negotiation methods.

A strong pitch might help you gain credibility as a brand influencer in front of potential sponsors. It is not only about expressing passion; it's about demonstrating why they should be concerned with your proposal.  

You can personalize your pitch to align with the brand's goals and explain how you can provide value. Highlight how your audience aligns with their target market and how your content can help them to achieve their marketing objectives.

Crafting a good pitch is a two-step process:
   • Choosing the right brands
   • Creating a customized pitch

Choosing the right brands will be easy if you put effort into defining and building your niche. If you want to make your community work in the right direction, brands will approach you with great sponsorship opportunities. But initially, before getting brand approaches, you must hustle and pitch the brands you want to work with.

How to Craft Your Pitch?

Your pitch is the first impression you make on a potential brand partner. It can either make or break your chances of landing collaboration. A well-crafted pitch showcases your unique value proposition, highlights your audience's relevance, and demonstrates your enthusiasm for the brand.

Many influencers struggle to convey their message effectively and create concise pitches. Here, we will discuss essential tips for creating a successful pitch.

Let's find out how to tailor your message to the brands for better deals.

Introduce Yourself

If you want to know how to get brand deals as a small influencer, it is essential to build a strong foundation. The brand you want to work with doesn't know your whole story; hence, it is necessary to briefly introduce yourself. You must mention your niche, audience, and other relevant background information.

Highlight What You Love About the Brand 

Brands generally tend to work with creators who have previously used their products. Working with a brand you know makes creating content and speaking to your community more accessible.

Create and Attach a Media Kit

Think of it as your business card, CV, and portfolio of work all in one document, and define what you can offer the brands.

An ideal influencer media kit includes –

• Personal Bio and contact information
• Your community's demographics — including where your followers are located, their gender, age, and language.
• A breakdown of your blog or website statistics
• Previous partnerships and testimonials  
• Examples of how you've built brand awareness or traffic in former partnerships 
• Ensure the media kit is well-designed and aligned with your social media aesthetic.

Call-to-action (CTA)

The call to action clearly states what you are asking for and provides the next steps for the brands. You can suggest them for a meeting or a call to discuss the collaboration further. 
If your rates are included in the media kit, it helps the brands to check whether they have enough budgets for the partnership and proceed accordingly. 
However you choose to pitch yourself to a brand, the critical points that you can't miss are –

• Do not miss any opportunity to show the brands you are the right fit rather than just telling them.
• Never give a brand the scope to find out who you are. Instead, create a perfectly curated portfolio with small pieces to make everyone's life easier.

How to Negotiate Compensation with Brands?

Brand deals account for a significant portion of many creators' income. Thus, every creator should understand the fundamentals of negotiating. Negotiation ensures that both sides receive the best possible bargain.

Most of the time, there may be a better bargain for you as the creator and a better deal for the brand to ensure they get the best return on investment.  

The negotiation process is different for every brand, but there are standard items that you need to consider – 

Multi-channel use: 

Suppose you publish one piece of information on your feed on behalf of the brand. It is considered to be essential. If a company wants other posts for their feeds, emails, and website, these are additional pieces of content, and they will change the rates from your basic ones.

Exclusivity:

If a brand doesn't want to work with its competitors, it eliminates specific potential opportunities for you. In this case, you can charge more from the brands. 

Long-term use of your likeness: 

If a brand asks you to be their spokesperson long-term or they want to reserve your likes for a long time, your rates should increase accordingly.

Content packages: 

Working on multiple pieces of content will cost more. Your rates should also reflect additional tasks like storyboarding or collaborating with the creators. 

Audience sharing: 

If a massive brand like Nike or Adidas offers to tag you on their accounts, you might consider asking for a lower rate in exchange for more engaged followers. However, you need to ensure that the brand fits your content style.

Expensive products: 

You can consider this option if a brand is not offering a payment but a high-range product. Just ensure that the product's value is worthy of your time.

How to Increase Your Value to Brands When You Want To Level Up?

Influencers already have a following that trusts their recommendations and looks to them for advice on new products based on their personal experiences. If you want to increase your value to brands when you want to level up, specific ways can help you grow and charge more for your services.

When an influencer introduces a new brand, their target audience will likely accept it.

Let us look into the practical ways that will help you enhance your value for different brands. 
–

Upskilling: 

You can enroll in photography, videography, and video editing classes to improve your content creation skills. Even if you're familiar with these areas, you can opt for advanced courses to enhance your abilities.

Learning new skills: 

You can learn new skills to help you reach your goals and progress in your career. For example, if you want to become a video jockey or a television host, you can opt for broadcast journalism courses. 

Affiliate marketing: 

Consider establishing an affiliate channel for product reviews to develop long-term brand partnerships.

Stay updated on trends:

Keep up with the latest trends in your interest zone and incorporate them into your content. Being at the forefront of the trends can make your content relevant and increase the scope of brand partnerships.

Consider these investments as extra chances to negotiate in brand partnerships. It is a way to show clear actions that prove your expertise and increase your chances of getting higher rates.

Make Your Brand Deals A Success

Once you have secured your first brand deal. Great brand partnerships help to build solid relationships and develop your portfolio. You need to ensure that your content meets the brand's expectations and that the brand keeps working with you.

Pay attention to detail and adhere to brand guidelines, maintaining style and high-quality content. Here, we will discuss critical factors that lead to repeat collaborations and make your brand deals successful.

• Prioritize driving results—Almost 42% of brands commit to long-term bonds with the creators who help them achieve their campaign KPIs. 
• Post-campaign reports—As an influencer, you can help brands check the results you drive and mention the successes in your media kit. This will help you land future brand deals. 
• Keep the bonds going—You can pitch fresh ideas based on how the audience is responding. You can even inquire if the brand has any upcoming sales programs, campaigns, or product launches that you can help them with. 

Create Impactful Influence and Know How to Get Brand Deals with Privy Reviews

As we deal with the changing world of influencer marketing in 2024, it's evident that there are plenty of opportunities for influencers at all levels.

Creativity, constant involvement, and a solid personal brand are the keys to unlocking successful brand collaborations, whether you're new or experienced.

Concentrating on these basic concepts and constantly working to deliver value to your audience and brand partners can help you achieve long-term success and have a huge impact in the world of influencer marketing.

Following these strategies will improve your content, help you target your audience more effectively, and get you better brand deals. As you become familiar with communicating with potential brands, you'll figure out the best prices and partnerships.

Reach out to us at Privy Reviews, and we are here to guide you on how to get brand deals and boost your career as a successful influencer. We will help you to attract brands and make a mark in the rapidly growing influencer market.

Make a difference with the top-notch brands!