Blog Talk: How To Score Brand Collaborations
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March 18, 2021
As someone relatively new to blogging, I still have a lot to learn, especially when it comes to financially benefitting from my blog. But one area I can talk about is brand collaborations. I work full time as the Online Marketing Coordinator for a new online fashion brand. I get several emails every single day from bloggers looking for complimentary items to style on their blog. I have to turn a lot of ladies down and I am here to share with you the most popular reasons why.
1. They don’t know what they want.
I can’t even tell you how many emails I get from bloggers saying they want to work with us, yet name no specific collaboration ideas. Do you want to style our jewelry? Do you want to write a guest post for our blog? It turns into a guessing game for me, and I use the term ‘game’ lightly. It’s not fun. Think of a specific way that both you as a blogger and the brand can mutually benefit before reaching out and make a case for yourself. Always be sure to present your idea in a detailed, professional way. Which brings me to my next point….
2. They have bad grammar.
Ok, it’s one thing if English isn’t your first language–I get that–but if you’re going to be writing about a brand, they want you to be able to spell and use punctuation correctly. Not all bloggers write because they have a love of the written word, but let’s be honest, writing (and proofreading) is a major part of blogging and if you can’t tackle that, then I can’t take you seriously.
3. They lie about stats.
Let me let you in on a little secret: I can pull the stats of any website you give me. In fact, anyone can. So why send me a media kit with not only inflated stats, but just plain made up numbers? It happens much more than you’d think and is a major no-no. It makes me want to email every brand marketing rep I know and warn them! Oh and media kits are da bomb. If you don’t have one, make one now!
4. They clearly don’t invest in their blog.
For the vast majority, blogging is a hobby. I understand that many people don’t have the time or money to hire a web designer and a professional photographer and that’s fine. But if I’m sending you free accessories, I want the photos to be pretty and I want to be proud to share your link on our brand page. If it’s between a pretty blog with high quality photos and 1000 followers and a standard WordPress themed blog where you take photos of yourself in the mirror with your iPhone, I’m picking the pretty blog–even if the boring-looking blog has more followers. Of course, stats and number of followers is always important, but when you care about your blog, it shows, and brands can see that.
When I first started blogging, I was lucky to have several brands reach out to me for collaborations, but I didn’t realize until I started working this job that brands love to hear from bloggers. I don’t have time to scour the web day and night to find bloggers. Sure, I come across some good ones and email them, but a lot of our collaborations come from bloggers reaching out to us. So don’t be afraid to reach out to brands! What do you have to lose?
Do you have any tips I didn’t mention? Share in the comments!
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July 15, 2013 @ 2:24 pm
These are all really great tips! One thing that I’ve also found to be a little bothersome are blasted brand collaboration emails – you know, where everyone is bcc’ed. A little personalization when reaching out goes a long way, and I’m much more inclined to reply if I’m addressed by name!
July 15, 2013 @ 2:56 pm
Agreed! Oftentimes, I don’t even respond to those. If a blogger really wants to work with us, then she can put in a little effort and email us separately. Thanks, Lindsay!
July 19, 2013 @ 10:37 am
I adore this post! I’m connected to you on the Riptide network, but I figured I’d link up to your actual blog, as well! I’m following you everywhere @thedailysavant!
: signe : the daily savant :
: blogspot
: bloglovin
: facebook
: twitter
: instagram
: pinterest
July 19, 2013 @ 10:57 am
Thanks so much! I’ll be sure to check yours out as well!
July 22, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
Love this post! Great tips and I completely agree!
December 21, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it! 🙂
July 22, 2013 @ 11:18 pm
Well said! I find a lot of bloggers just kind of put themselves out there, not really knowing what they want either (and some are just looking for free stuff).
December 21, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
Yeah, that’s not cool. It needs to be mutually beneficial!
August 1, 2013 @ 9:28 pm
Thank you for sharing these tips. They are very helpful. I’m pretty sure I have come across not knowing what I want.
August 6, 2013 @ 8:36 pm
Glad I could help! 😀
LEARN – How To Score Brand Collaborations : Southern Blog Society
September 3, 2013 @ 1:02 am
[…] Get all of Megan’s tips on how to score brand collaborations on her blog, Lush to Blush! […]
September 3, 2013 @ 8:22 am
I love this post! Thanks so much for putting it together! I’ve often wanted to reach out to brands, but I am one of the intimidated ones to which you alluded. Do brands ever collaborate with photographers? If so, are the tips you shared in your post the same ones you would share with photographers?
September 4, 2013 @ 3:52 pm
Thanks so much for the kind words! We definitely worked with photographers for product shots, lookbooks, etc., but they had to be local. We sometimes got emails from photographers asking us to send our products to them for a free lookbook/product shots, but we never ended up doing that. Some newer, small companies might be up for it though. I have borrowed items in the past for styled shoots, so people definitely do it!
September 5, 2013 @ 3:36 am
Thanks, Megan, for your reply! That’s very encouraging to hear. Shooting a lookbook is on my list of goals, so I will definitely look into smaller companies or independent designers with whom I can collaborate.
September 3, 2013 @ 12:57 pm
This was a great post!! Thanks!
December 21, 2013 @ 12:41 pm
Yay, glad I could help! 🙂
September 3, 2013 @ 5:32 pm
This is so helpful! Thanks for using your expertise to give us some insight! I’m fairly new to blogging, myself. What is required in a media kit?
-Sydney
http://aresplendentresurgence.com/
September 4, 2013 @ 3:53 pm
Thanks for reading! I like to see view stats, reader demographics, testimonials, and a short little about/how being on your blog can benefit me. For a typical blog, I think one to two pages should suffice. 🙂
September 5, 2013 @ 2:05 pm
Speaking from the brand side of things, I know we LOVE to work with bloggers. It is such a great way to have a more organic, targeted reach so don’t be shy about reaching out! Great post! Thanks!!
September 6, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
Glad to hear you agree! I think it’s a perfect match! 🙂
September 12, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
Thanks for the great info! My lifestyle blog is a bit new however I have a food blog that I’ve had for years. I need to get working on the media kit. I’m wondering if there’s a minimum that you look for in terms of followers and traffic in order to work with someone?
September 13, 2013 @ 12:06 pm
So glad I could help! Every company is different in terms of minimums. We did have set numbers in mind, but there were some exceptions. I don’t think it’s fair to set minimums because although exposure is important, it’s more about quality than quantity.
October 30, 2013 @ 4:41 pm
This is awesome so helpful! I was wondering if you had any suggestions for companies to reach out to?
xoxo
Kristin
crumbsandcurls.blogspot.com
October 30, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
The companies you reach out to really depends on your blog aesthetic. Definitely stick to brands that you genuinely like. Another great way to find out what brands like working with bloggers is to read other blogs (the more similar to yours, the better) and see what kind of sponsorships they get. If a brand works with another blogger with stats similar to yours, it’s likely they’d be interested in working with you as well!
October 30, 2013 @ 7:31 pm
Thank you so much!!
Kristin
crumbsandcurls.blogspot.com
October 30, 2013 @ 11:45 pm
No problem!
November 6, 2013 @ 9:36 pm
Love these tips, thank you! I’m not planning on reaching out for brand collaboration anytime soon, but when I do, I’m coming back here! Do you have any tips on media kits, by the way? Or a place to find good examples? I’ve never seen one from a blog and am quite curious.
November 6, 2013 @ 10:05 pm
Thanks and I’m glad I could help! For media kits, just make sure the aesthetics match with your blog and include info like traffic, demographics and social following. You should also include your current rates and if you’ve worked with notable brands in the past, be sure to include a list of past collaborations. Good luck! 🙂
March 9, 2014 @ 1:32 pm
Such a useful article. Thanks so much, Megan. I am new to blogging, but I would love collaborating with brands in the near future. I guess it boosts your confidence and gives you assurance that you’re doing a great job. And as you said, I truly believe that people need to invest in their blog. At the end of the day, that e-destination represents who we are. Thanks again.
March 10, 2014 @ 1:40 pm
Thank you so much!! You don’t know how happy it makes me that I am able to help out new bloggers! I’m so glad I could be a help to you. Please feel free to reach out anytime for more tips! 🙂
March 10, 2014 @ 3:37 pm
Loved this post! Great info. Thank you for sharing 🙂
March 10, 2014 @ 3:54 pm
Yay! So glad you like it!
April 23, 2014 @ 5:23 pm
Thank you so much for the inside scoop! It’s daunting to reach out via social media and e-mail when the vast majority of e-mails will not be read, but this post has renewed my faith in good, old-fashioned networking. All the best!
Katharine
http://www.paytington.com
May 11, 2014 @ 12:03 pm
It really is helpful! Just go for it – you never know what could come of it!
May 8, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
thank you very much for sharing! it’s a great help 🙂
have a nice day!
May 11, 2014 @ 12:03 pm
Yay! So glad I could help 🙂
September 25, 2014 @ 12:55 am
I love this post. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of the basics! I do have two questions, though…
1) Is there anything you did or did not like seeing in bloggers’ emails? I always try to be specific about my idea and personalize the email to the company. I always worry that I might be missing something, or (on the other hand) that I’m feeding right into a common pet peeve among PR/Marketing Directors.
2) Do you know which stats companies commonly cross check with? Or do you have a recommended stats platform for bloggers to use? I know form talking to other bloggers that everyone seems to interpret their stats differently (often based on how well they understand them) and/or gets them from different places (Google Analytics, Alexa, Worth of Web, etc.).
Sending tons of blog love from Florida!
♥Emma, or It’s Emma Elise
October 28, 2014 @ 2:13 pm
This is great info! I’m a blogger but also work with bloggers for my company, and it drives me crazy when I get emails that are so terribly written (and even worse when it’s not a mistake and their blog is full of errors and spelling mistakes, too). Do you have any resources for building a media kit?
Alyssa
http://www.feathersandstripes.com
October 28, 2014 @ 3:38 pm
Yep, I can so relate! I don’t know any good resources for building a media kit, but I do make them. That’s a great idea for another post in this series!
February 3, 2015 @ 9:56 pm
Great post full of great information, I am curious to know what you suggest our page views be before we reach out to brands or is it even page views that count the most or something else? I appreciate any help on this subject as I am very new. Thanks so much for sharing.
January 12, 2018 @ 4:03 pm
How do you find the contact information from brands you think you would be a good fit for?