As an influencer, working with brands can be an awesome and rewarding experience, but it isn’t always easy.
We have tons of experience working with content creators and brands so in this article, we’re going to share the best tips for content creators working with brands.
We’ll cover everything you need to know about making brand collaborations as smooth as possible!
The 6 Best Tips for Working With Brands
Here they are in no particular order...
1. Ask Questions
It’s super exciting when you get an opportunity to work with a brand, but it can be nerve wracking too. Sometimes influencers are afraid to ask questions because they don’t want to do anything to ruin their opportunity to collaborate.
We’re here to tell you that it’s extremely important to ask questions. Anything you’re unsure about should be clarified before you sign an agreement to collaborate with a brand. How much are you getting paid, and how long will the payment take to clear? What’s their deadline for the content? How are they going to re-use the content (e.g., on social media, on their website, etc.)?
Those are a few common questions to ask, but you should ask anything on your mind that hasn’t been made clear by the brand representative or the content brief. You can even ask questions to make sure that the brand’s values are in line with your own so you can make sure they’re someone you want to work with.
The gist is to make sure the details are crystal clear before you accept the collaboration offer.
2. Understand the Brand’s Goals
A brand may be very upfront with what their goals are, but if they aren’t, you can ask them. They may be looking to build more brand awareness, get more sales straight up, or anything between the two.
Here’s why this info is helpful for influencers… knowing the brand’s goals can help you cater the content to suit their needs.
For example, a video that’s announcing a new line of products should have a different vibe than a video that’s reviewing or trying to sell products.
If you’re talking to a brand about a potential collaboration opportunity, ask them about their goals around the collab.
3. Read the Creative Brief
When you get offered a brand collaboration and you say you’re interested in it, you should get a creative brief that has all the details of the content they want.
Briefs can be kind of general or super specific so it’s important to read them all the way through so you know exactly what’s expected of you. In the brief, you might find details that say exactly how a product should be shot, what the lighting should look like, etc.
Paying attention to the details upfront will prevent you from having to do re-shoots later!
4. Be Punctual
Just like most other work opportunities in life, brand collaborations have a final deadline and sometimes they have smaller deadlines along the way.
For some influencers, this is a simple concept, but it’s not obvious to everyone. Believe it or not, there are content creators out there who need to be contacted several times about late content they agreed to make! You don’t want to be one of those influencers. Your reputation and your career are on the line.
Be punctual and do what you say you’re going to do.
Sometimes unexpected things come up in life and we need more time to get things done. That’s okay! Just make sure to communicate that with the brand, and let them know when you’ll be able to submit the content.
5. Prevent Burnout
When the brand collabs really start rolling in, it can be tempting to accept as many as possible. While brand collaborations are how you can make money and further your career as an influencer, you really shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew.
Accepting too many projects at once will probably lead to burnout which will lead to lower-quality content, and that will lead to a bad reputation. Don’t try to juggle more jobs than you can handle, and take a break when you need to.
6. Be Open to Feedback
Getting feedback on their work can sometimes hurt an influencer’s pride, but it’s actually a positive opportunity for growth. Your content may have not been exactly what a brand was looking for, and that’s okay!
If a brand representative is being very critical about your work, that’s not cool or professional of them, but when they’re providing honest feedback, it can be helpful for you to note what they’re saying and keep it in mind during future collaborations with any brand.
Bonus Wisdom: Communication Is Key
You may have noticed that a lot of the tips we mentioned involve communication. Creating content for brands is a very detail-oriented job, and it’s super important to communicate if there’s anything that’s unclear or if you need more time.
Communication is a two-way street so make sure that you listen to the brand’s ideas, goals and feedback. Letting a brand know that you hear and understand what they’re saying will build trust and open the door to further collaboration opportunities.
Time To Use What You’ve Learned
Now that you know how to work with brands, it’s time to find some collaborations! Our platform is designed to help content creators and brands partner up for collaborations.
We’re always looking for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube content creators to add to our network, so if you live in the US, Canada or the UK and have more than 1,500 followers, give our platform a try!
