If you’re new to the influencing world, you’re probably wondering how to find brands to work with online and get free stuff (or my favorite… GET PAID!) . If you’re looking for tips on how to work with brands, you’ve come to the right place!

Whether you’ve been at this for years or days, I want to share my top 5 favorite networks to find brands to work with and secure sponsorship opportunities!

Some of us are about our money (no shame… because that’s me!), and these are my favorite places to go to get PAID!

How to find brands to work with and the best websites for brand sponsorships

If you’re looking to find brands to work with and secure sponsorships, I recommend looking into influencer platforms that allow brands and influencers to connect!

What is an influencer platform?

An influencer platform is a website that enables influencers to connect with brands and businesses. It also allows brands and businesses to search for and book influencers for their marketing campaigns. Influencer platforms typically offer a variety of features, such as analytics, campaign management, and payment processing.

Websites to find brands to work with

Here are some of my favorite websites for influencers who want brand sponsorships!

1. Aspire IQ (Formerly Revfluence):

Aspire IQ is one of my favorite influencer marketing platforms! It’s easy to use, and they take into consideration ALL of your platforms (not just Instagram…. or YouTube… or your blog).

They give you a “suggested” rate for your engagement and following on the platform, but you can choose however high or low you want to go which means you get to negotiate!

2. Influence.co

One of my biggest paid sponsorships came from Influence.co. They offer paid collaborations, and you can also negotiate with brands on the platform.

3. Brandbacker

I know a lot of bloggers who have had a lot of success with Brandbacker. The great thing about this platform is there are a lot of brands you may not have even considered. There are free campaigns as well as paid and campaigns are not restricted to the US only.

4. Tapinfluence

Tapinfluence has raised over $8.3M to date for influencer marketing so it’s definitely a platform to consider. If you’re looking to work with bigger brands with bigger budgets, I recommend looking into tap influence. I’ve secured 4 figure deals from brands through the platform.

5. Famebit

Famebit is one of the first platforms I joined as a YouTuber. You can negotiate with brands and search through different opportunities. They have expanded into other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and even Tumblr. There are a lot of campaigns in specific categories and I’ve had great luck securing sponsorships on the platform.

6. HONORABLE MENTION: In-person (and events)

Seriously! Attend influencer and social events like create & cultivate, where you’ll be able to meet with brands directly. Go to local events in your area, where you can mingle with local business owners!

This is a GREAT way to find sponsorships because you’re able to connect directly with the person and build rapport. I recommend having business cards that address you’re a blogger/influencer and letting people know that’s what you do!

I have a friend who scored an awesome sponsorship with a local restaurant after striking up a conversation with the owner at an event. This led to over a $1000 brand deal (and she had less than a 1000 followers!).

Don’t be afraid to meet people IRL (In Real Life)! Yes, influencer network websites are awesome but in-person is absolutely one of the best ways to find brands to work with as an influencer.

Why Is Pitching important?

For the influencer community, pitching to brands seems like a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The traditional media world has always been “sponsor-driven,” but social media stars are just beginning to get their feet wet pitching brands for sponsorship deals.

If you’re one of the few people who is pitching brands, great job! If you’re an influencer who is interested in pitching brands, read on to find out why pitching is one of the most valuable assets you can offer. Yes, it’s important to find brands to work with but it’s also important to know WHY you’re looking for brands to work with!

1. You offer authenticity

Pitching editors and publicists requires a certain finesse. Often it requires pitching to multiple people at once (a producer, an editor, etc.) pitching over email , pitching a ton of different stories, pitching in specific formats for digital and print, pitching at certain times because of editorial calendars. It’s a lot!

Pitching brands is easier because you’re pitching one person: your contact at the brand. You’ll get to know that person and she’ll get to know you over time.

Pitching brands is easier because you’re pitching one person

2. You answer the question, “Who’s this influencer?”

There are so many influencers pitching editors these days that pitching is becoming its own separate industry (or maybe I’m just finding out about it). Brands follow editorial calendars too, but pitching is still a valuable service to them. When a brand auditions influencers for a digital campaign, pitching influencers to them saves time.

After all, pitching brands is pitching them your most recent projects with the brand’s competitors, pitching projects you’ve worked on in the past with other brands they also work with, pitching photos of yourself wearing their products or using their services, and pitching pages from your engagements calendar where you have scheduled interactions with their target audience.

The pitching is certainly more work for influencers, but pitching brands also offer the chance to be vetted by a brand before they’re officially working together. Brands will know what you offer and how you’ve worked with the competition, so the “Who’s this influencer?” question gets answered pretty swiftly.

You can make a lot of money pitching to brands

What to charge as an influencer

One of the questions I get asked often when it comes to working with brands is what to charge as an influencer. You don’t want to price yourself too high and the brand runs away… but you also don’t want to undercharge either.

What’s an  to do? When it comes to what to charge, I don’t think there’s one set rate and I definitely think there are things you need to know prior to giving a rate (for example, if a brand needs content within a week… you should definitely charge more since its a quick turnaround).

You don’t need a large audience to make money with brands.

Should you charge a brand based on your subscriber size?

Personally, I say No. You should set your rates based on your value and not your subscriber count.

Why not?

Because setting your rate based purely on your audience count ignores the different values and returns you have. Just because you have the same number of subscribers as another YouTuber or Instagram influencer does not mean you will yield the same results.

Content creators provide very different returns for brands. Some creators have higher engagement than others, some are better at driving product sales, and others create high-quality content that can be repurposed and used by brands for their own marketing.

For example, I don’t have a large engagement rate on my YouTube channel. However, I create content that’s better at driving sales.

When I host an event, it generally sells out. I drive affiliate clicks. When I launch a product, I get sales on the first day. If a brand is looking for visibility & awareness, I may not be the best based solely on my reach or engagement numbers.

However, if they are trying to drive sales or receive high-quality content that they can repurpose, then I’m better at that. My rates SHOULD be different.

2. Your subscriber size is not as important as you think

While I can’t speak for every brand, I will say the ones I’ve worked with tend to care about more than your subscriber count.
They care about your engagement, they care about the quality of the content, they care about the creativity, they care about if your audience is their target market.

If you have an audience of 1000, and the majority of them are new mothers and a brand is trying to tap into the new mother audience… why wouldn’t they want to work with you? Your audience is their target market.

If you create amazing beautiful content, why wouldn’t a brand want to work with you? Especially if they can repurpose your content into their marketing campaign.

When it comes to what to charge as a smaller YouTuber or blogger, think about all the ways you can benefit that brand and not just the amount of followers you have.

When it comes to what to charge as a smaller YouTuber or blogger, think about all the ways you can benefit that brand and not just the amount of followers you have.

3. There’s a perk to being a smaller influencer

Generally, the smaller your account, the more intimate your connection is with your audience. As your influence grows, you’re not able to maintain that level of intimacy due to the sheer size of your growing audience.

Brands are well aware of the power of micro-influences. I know content creators with less than 1000 subscribers who have had paid sponsorships.

Your audience size is not the only thing that matters.

Frequently asked questions: How to find brands to work with

How do I find a brand to work with?

There are a few ways to go about finding brands to work with. You can start by thinking about the types of products or services you offer and which brands might be a good fit. Once you’ve identified some potential partners, reach out and introduce yourself.

If you’re not sure where to start, try searching online for industry-specific directories or networking events. You can also check out influencer platforms.

Once you’ve made a list of potential brands to work with, reach out and introduce yourself. Share your story and explain why you think partnering would be beneficial. Be prepared to answer any questions they have about your business, and be sure to follow up after your initial contact.

With a little effort and some creativity, you can find brands to work with that are a good fit for your business. By building relationships with these partners, you can help grow your business and reach new customers.

How do you get brands to collab with you?

There are a few ways to go about finding brands to collaborate with. The first is to simply reach out and ask! If you have a blog or social media platform that you think would be a good fit for a particular brand, send them an email or direct message and let them know.

You never know unless you try, and even if a brand says no, they may be open to working with you in the future.

Another way to find brands to collaborate with is to attend industry events. These can be trade shows, conferences, or even just meetups related to your niche.

This is a great way to network and get your name out there. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to follow brands you love on social media and engage with their content. Who knows, they may just reach out to you!

How to find brands that collaborate with small influencers

There are a few ways to find brands that collaborate with small influencers. One way is to search for relevant hashtags on social media, such as #sponsored or #ad. Finally, you can reach out to brands directly and inquire about partnering opportunities.

When searching for brands to work with, keep in mind that it’s important to find a good fit for your personal brand. Consider the brands that you already use and love, and see if they have any opportunities for influencer partnerships.

It’s also a good idea to look for brands that align with your personal interests and values. Remember to be professional and polite when reaching out to brands, as you want to make a good impression!

How to get collaborations with brands on Instagram?

There are a few ways that you can go about finding brands to collaborate with on Instagram. The first is to simply search for relevant hashtags and see who is using them.

For example, if you’re a fashion blogger, you could search for hashtags like #ootd (outfit of the day) or #fashionblogger. This will give you a good idea of who the popular brands are in your niche.

Another way to find brands to collaborate with is to use social media monitoring tools like Hootsuite Insights or Mention. These tools allow you to track mentions of your brand or keywords across all social media platforms.

This is a great way to see which brands are being talked about the most, and it also allows you to reach out to them directly.

Finally, you can also use influencer marketing platforms like the ones I mentioned above to find relevant brands in your niche. These platforms allow you to search for influencers by topic or industry, and they also provide contact information for the brands they work with. This is a great way to get in touch with brands that you may not be able to find through other methods.

Once you’ve found a few brands that you’d like to collaborate with, the next step is to reach out to them and pitch your idea. The best way to do this is to create a short, professional-looking video or email that outlines your proposal.

Be sure to include information about your audience, your reach, and why you think the collaboration would be beneficial for both parties.

Once you’ve made contact with the brands you’re interested in working with, it’s important to follow up and keep the conversation going. The best way to do this is to send them regular updates about your progress and any new developments in your niche. This will show them that you’re still interested in working together, and it will keep the door open for future collaborations.

How to find brands to work with on TikTok?

As a TikTok user, you have the opportunity to work with some of the biggest brands in the world. But how do you find them?

Here are a few tips:

1. Use hashtags to search for brands that might be a good fit for you. For example, if you’re a fashion influencer, you could search for hashtags like #fashionbrand or #clothingbrand.

2. Check out the accounts of brands that you already love and see if they’re doing any partnerships with TikTok users.

3. Use TikTok’s “Explore” page to find popular videos from brands that you might be interested in working with.

4. Search Google for “TikTok brand partnerships” or “TikTok influencer marketing” to find articles and blog posts about brands that are working with TikTok users.

5. Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out to brands directly and inquire about opportunities to work together. The worst they can say is no!

Following these tips should help you find some great brands to work with on TikTok. Good luck!

How to collaborate with brands on YouTube?

As a YouTuber, you have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the biggest brands in the world. But how do you go about finding these brands and getting them to work with you? There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of working with top brands.

First, make sure your YouTube channel is high-quality and has a consistent theme. This will show brands that you are professional and that you have an audience that is interested in what you have to say.

Secondly, reach out to brands directly and let them know that you would like to work with them. Many brands are always on the lookout for new influencers to work with, so don’t be afraid to reach out and introduce yourself.

Finally, consider working with an influencer marketing platform that can help you connect with top brands in your niche and make it easy for you to collaborate on sponsored content.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to collaborating with some of the biggest brands in the world.

So I hope this post has helped you when it comes to how to find brands to work with and where to find brands to work with!

If you’re ready to start working with brands, I created a FREE influencer guide for you! Just let me know your email so you can get the deets!

In my next blog post, I’m sharing How to become a social media influencer