No one can deny the crucial role of influencer marketing in the world of business anymore. Gone are the days when brands and businesses turned to TV commercials or newspapers to promote their products. Nowadays, social media influencers are the go-to place for these businesses to carry out a successful marketing campaign. Yet, if you’re an influencer, you might be wondering how to get brand deals, anyway?!
After all, there’s a multitude of influencers with different skills available for brands to partner with, and they only give a shot to the influencers who can actually increase their brand awareness. On top of that, brands often tend to miss your messages if you attempt to reach out to them on social media. So you need to do your best to make sure you get brand deals.
Luckily, if you’re an aspiring influencer looking to monetize your online presence, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll walk you through the essential strategies and insider tips on how to get a brand deal that can take your influencer career to the next level.
Now let’s get down to business, shall we?
How to Get Brand Deals as an Influencer
Generally speaking, forming partnerships with brands and businesses consists of two main parts: being qualified for sponsorship and knowing how to contact these brands. You should know that these two steps are equally important. In other words, one is ineffective without the other. So, we’ll get to each one of them in detail.
Let’s begin with the first part.
Improve Your Media Kit
If you really want to know how to get brand deals, the first step you need to take is establishing a strong social presence. Thus, improving your media kit as an influencer is paramount when seeking to establish partnerships with brands in today’s competitive digital landscape.
Your media kit serves as your professional resume, showcasing your online persona, reach, and potential value to potential collaborators. Therefore, it goes without saying that the stronger your media kit is, the higher your chances are for getting brand deals & sponsorships.
Here’s how you can increase the chances of finding brand deals for influencers:
#1. Discover Your Area of Expertise
Let’s face it. The influencer space is super crowded these days, with countless content creators vying for brand attention. Having a specific niche sets you apart and makes it easier for brands to remember you when seeking collaboration opportunities. It also allows you to position yourself as a unique and differentiated influencer.
In other words, having a specific niche is not just an advantage but a necessity when it comes to attracting brand collaborations, and the first step on how to get the best deals from brand names.
Here’s more on why you should have a specific niche when it comes to trying to get brands to collaborate with you:
- A specific niche helps influencers connect with brands’ target audiences, leading to better collaboration opportunities and favorable deals.
- Niche expertise builds influencer credibility, making them more attractive to brands looking for authoritative voices.
- Niche content often results in higher engagement, something brands value for genuine connections.
- Targeted niche campaigns let brands use their resources wisely, making collaborations cost-effective.
- Brands increasingly seek long-term partnerships with niche influencers, fostering ongoing, mutually beneficial collaborations.
- Niche specialization sets influencers apart, reducing competition and making them more memorable to brands.
#2. Be Consistent
Next up is consistency! Bear in mind that brands value influencers who can reliably engage and grow their audience over time. So, make sure you build a content calendar and stick to it. This way, you’ll show the brands that you are dedicated to your work and a good fit for their company.
#3. Build a Community
A lot of you might think that you need a large follower base to be able to form partnerships with brands. Well, that’s nothing but a myth! So put aside all the worries regarding how to get brand deals as a small influencer.
You don’t need to be a macro influencer and have millions of followers to get brand sponsorships. What really matters for brands is if you have been successful in building a loyal community.
In fact, survey findings reveal that 82% of people are more inclined to trust and act on recommendations from micro-influencers than from larger, more famous mega-influencers. That’s because these influencers have a more targeted audience, and can engage with them better.
So, form a bond with the followers you already have, and enjoy the brand deals offered by the multitude of brands that work with micro-influencers!
#4. Join an Influencer Marketplace
Now that you’re ready to collaborate with brands, it’s high time you learn the next step on how to get brand deals. Truth be told, influencers often face the challenge of finding suitable brand deals that align with their content and audience. This search can be time-consuming and uncertain, leading to frustration and missed opportunities.
Plus, even if you have found the perfect brand for collaboration, the chances of getting a response from them are very low since they might be receiving too many collaboration offers. So, the best solution here is to join influencer marketplaces.
Not only will these platforms help you get noticed by brands, but also they simplify things by making deals clear and secure. So you don’t have to stress about contracts and payment issues anymore.
Ainfluencer: The Best Platform to Get Brand Deals
Ainfluencer is a free influencer-brand partnership platform where brands and influencers can connect with each other. With its user-friendly and easy-to-use interface and its advanced AI-driven engine, influencers can see brand campaigns relevant to their niche and make an offer to the ones they’re interested in.
This way, micro and nano influencers don’t have to worry about how to get brand deals anymore as this DIY platform makes sure the brands see your offers. Moreover, we have implemented an advanced chatbox in our system. So, you don’t have to worry about one party breaching the terms of the agreement.
When initiating a chat, both parties can specify the terms of the partnership using ready-made boxes for clarity and convenience. If any changes are made to the existing terms, the other party will receive a notification and must confirm the changes before the chat can proceed. This ensures clear communication and mutual agreement.
What’s even more fascinating about Ainfluencer is that all of these services come at absolutely no cost. So, you don’t have to pay anything to be able to use it.
Feel free to download Ainfluencer’s app and get your desired brand deals in no time!
How to Reach Out to Brands as an Influencer (The Perfect Template)
Alright, fellows! Now that you know everything about building a good media kit to be qualified for brand sponsorships, it’s time you learned the next step. Without further ado, let’s get into the best reach-out template that you can possibly have in mind when contacting brands for sponsorships:
1. Personalized Greeting
Address the brand by its name. If you’re not sure who to contact, use a professional and friendly greeting like “Hello” or “Hi there.”
2. Introduction
Briefly introduce yourself as an Instagram influencer. Mention your niche or area of expertise. For example, “I’m a passionate fashion and lifestyle influencer with a focus on sustainable living.”
3. Compliment
Express genuine admiration for the brand’s products or values. Highlight something specific that resonates with you. For instance, “I’ve been a fan of [Brand Name] for a while, especially your commitment to eco-friendly products.”
4. Value Proposition
Clearly state how you can provide value to the brand. Highlight what sets you apart and why you’d be a great fit for their brand. For instance, “With my engaged follower base of [number of followers], I believe I can authentically showcase your products to a wider audience.”
5. Previous Work
Mention any successful collaborations you’ve had with other brands. Share links or screenshots of posts that have performed well. This demonstrates your experience and professionalism.
6. Engagement Metrics
Provide a snapshot of your engagement metrics, such as average likes, comments, and saves per post. Brands are interested in influencers who can create meaningful engagement.
7. Collaboration Idea
Present a brief and creative collaboration idea tailored to the brand. This shows that you’ve thought about how your content can align with their brand message.
8. Call to Action
Invite the brand to further discuss the collaboration or to explore ideas together. Provide your contact information or ask for theirs.
9. Gratitude and Professional Closing
Thank them for considering your proposal. Sign off professionally with your name.
Remember, clarity, authenticity, and professionalism are key. Craft a concise and compelling message that showcases your personality and enthusiasm for the brand. Make sure you personalize each message, demonstrating that you’ve done your research and are genuinely interested in working with them.
Over to You
There you go! Now you know everything about how to get a brand deal as an influencer. Remember that getting sponsored by brands is all about staying true to yourself, connecting with your audience, and putting in the effort. So, build your personal brand, grow your followers, and network smartly.
Then, write a well-crafted reach-out message to open the doors to exciting brand partnerships and pave your way to influencer success.
Don’t forget to sign up on Ainfluencer for free to get brands to work with you!
The number of followers needed to secure brand deals varies widely depending on factors like niche, engagement, and brand criteria. Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers can work with smaller businesses, while mid-tier influencers with 100,000 to 500,000 followers attract medium-sized companies.
Also, macro-influencers (500,000 to 1 million) and mega-influencers/celebrities (1 million+) can collaborate with major brands. However, follower count is just one factor; engagement, content quality, and alignment with the brand’s values are also crucial considerations.
So, you can try and get brand deals even when you have less than 10,000 followers if you’ve already built a community.
Brands find influencers through social media platforms, influencer marketing platforms, agencies, Google, and advocacy programs. They can also find them using simple methods like Google, searching with hashtags, etc.
There are two ways through which you can get brand deals with beauty companies; direct and indirect way. The former is reaching out to the brands you already love through social media platforms and emails, and the latter is joining an influencer marketing platform like Ainfluencer to search brand deals based on your desired niche.