How to work with brands as an influencer in 2023

I’ve worked with some pretty big brands within the years including Covergirl, Sketchers, Cricut, Shoedazzle and more! Whether you’re a blogger, YouTuber, Instagram influencer or something in-between… you can work with brands and make money! Today I’m sharing how to work with brands as an influencer but first…

Can you work with brands with a small following?

Yes, as a microinfluencer!

A micro-influencer follower count is typically an audience between 1,000-50,000 followers on a platform. I’ve secured PAID sponsorships when my Instagram had less than 3,000 followers and continue to do so.

Why would a brand use a micro-influencer if they can work with macro-influencers with huge followings?

Because most of the time, unlike macro-influencers, they have an engaged audience within a specific niche, passion, or topic.

Micro-influencers are successful and drive ROI (Return on Investment) for brands because they possess a level of authenticity that is often hard for influencers to sustain as they grow larger audiences.

It’s the personal connections they have with their audience that enables them to build an engaged and intimate community that brands love to leverage.

So if you’re a micro-influencer, you got that clout!

First things first, you need to create awesome content consistently

Before you can get paid to work with brands, you have to show brands that you’re worth the money!

If you’re writing high-quality content on your blog and posting to it consistently then this is a great sign for brands because it shows you’re committed! Brands want to work with influencers who are giving their audience great information and quality content on a consistent basis!

Also, when I say consistency, I don’t just mean how often you post when it comes to time and frequency. It’s also the quality you post. If one post has beautiful images and then the next post has terrible choppy images then its inconsistent. Nobody likes inconsistency.

Make sure your content is both consistent in how it looks and how often its posted. This is super important when you’re trying to figure out how to work with brands as an influencer!

Join Influencer Networks to collaborate with brands

Influencer Networks allow you to see current opportunities available with brands and apply for them. It usually takes all the negotiating out because it tells you upfront if it’s paid or free. I know that a lot of people don’t like these networks because they’re usually within an agency and there are so many people on them that you may rarely get chosen but I, personally, like influencer networks.

Check out my top 5 influencer networks to work with brands!

Some influencer networks do require a certain number of followers to be approved.

With influencer networks, the opportunities are endless and you can reach out to the account team to find out if there are any opportunities available that are not showing up.

Pitch to brands

Create a list of all the brands you want to work with. If you’re a style blogger, create a list of your favorite clothing brands. If you’re a fitness YouTuber, write out all the health and fitness brands that align with you. Create a list of all the ideal brands you would like to work with that align with your personal brand that your audience will enjoy.

Once you have your list then research who is in control of influencer marketing! Go to LinkedIn and look up who is the head of influencer marketing/social media or visit the website to see if there’s a contact email for it. If nothing else, you can even hit the brand up on social media and ask for the email contact who is in charge of influencer marketing.

From there you want to email the brands and pitch to them. It may seem scary at first but if you do it enough, I promise you eventually get a YES back. Hey, your first pitch email might be that big YES you need! Pitching is one of the best ways to make money when it comes to how to work with brands as an influencer.

Make it easy for brands to contact you

Your email should be everywhere. Your bio, your website, every single social media platform you have with a large audience. Make it easy for brands to contact you. Ensure your contact box is working on your website. Ensure your email is easy to write out.

Your email should be on your Instagram bio, your contact info on your blog and your ‘about me’ section on your YouTube channel. If a brand can’t figure out how to contact you…. they simply won’t!

SO here are my tips when it comes to how to work with brands as an influencer. Questions? Share them below!

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