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The Do’s and Don’ts for Influencers Who Want to Secure Brand Work
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The Do’s and Don’ts for Influencers Who Want to Secure Brand Work

One of the most frequently asked questions influencers pose is ‘how do I get more brand work?’ which is not surprising. If you want to start making your hobby more lucrative or indeed want to pull the plug on your full-time job completely, you need to ensure you’re doing everything you can in order to be recognised by brands. And while there is no secret ingredient in the recipe that is influencer marketing there are certainly things you can do, and indeed avoid doing, in order to help you secure more brand work.

We chat to Leona McCaul, Head of Influencer Partnerships at Found who gives us the heads up on how influencers can find more brand work.

Do: Work on your unique selling point

One of the mistakes influencers commonly make is trying to be ‘everything to everyone’. Instead, focus your attention on what makes you different and try to establish your own tone of voice, online presence, and content style. When brands are selecting influencers, one of the main factors they look for is influencers who embody their brand’s personality and values. By working on fine-tuning your own online personality, you will in turn be putting yourself on a brand’s radar with a similar ethos, making you the perfect candidate for their next campaign. So, find your niche. Not only will brands take note, so will your audience!

Do: Educate yourself on industry regulations

Being an influencer comes with a responsibility, just like any other job, which is why the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) and the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) have created an updated guide to disclosing sponsored content. Brands are becoming more and more cautious about the content creators they on-board, and so, by showcasing that you are familiar and abide by industry guidelines will make you a safe bet, so don’t forget your clearly visible #ad.

Do: Purchase products from brands you’d love to collaborate with

In today’s online society, it’s refreshing to see people share products that they’ve purchased with their own money, just for the love of the product. It’s not just your followers that will respect this but also brands. If an influencer is already sharing your product they are then viewed as a genuine fan of the brand. This will then allow for a highly credible and respected collaboration between the influencer and the brand – it’s a win-win so don’t be afraid to spend your own money!

Do: Create a rate card which contains your insights

Be clear about who your audience is so brands can quickly identify if it is in line with the target audience they are trying to reach. By having these details to hand on an easily shareable PDF not only are you showing an understanding of why brands want to work with influencers, you’re viewed as professional.

influencer marketing

Don’t: Try to force a partnership      

Introducing yourself to brands that are aligned with you and your content is a great way to expand your partnership portfolio but believe me, don’t send countless emails to a brand who may not feel you’re the right fit. It’s all about finding that happy medium.

Don’t: Make it hard for a brand to contact you 

In 2019 it has never been easier to share your contact details with potential clients. Thanks to Instagram and other social platforms making it possible for brands to contact you in just one tap there’s no reason why you shouldn’t avail of these functions. However, if a brand or an agency has retrieved your details and sent you an email regarding collaborating, ensure you respond, even if the opportunity on offer isn’t of particular interest. Trust me, brands will respect you even if the answer is no – it’s all about being credible and knowing your audience and what content they will want to engage with.

Don’t: Be afraid to share creative ideas from the outset 

While brands and agencies will provide you with a brief outlining key talking points etc, they equally love nothing more than when an influencer wants to put their own creative spin on things. An influencer collaboration is just that, a collaboration, so don’t be afraid to share how you’d like to do things and what you believe would work best for your channel.

Don’t: Get bogged down by numbers

It’s easy to become obsessive by numbers. Whether that’s comparing your follower growth to fellow influencers or the amount of content you create. Instead try to focus on the numbers that matter. Take note of your engagement and how many people are taking-action based on your posts – these are the figures that count. I firmly believe that more and more brands will move towards micro-influencers due to high engagement rates so whether you’re a social superstar or a novice content creator, look to your insights not your home page for the stuff that matters.

In summary, focus on you. Whether that be finding your niche topic, creating your rate card, educating yourself on industry regulations or working on increasing your engagement. The rest should then just follow suit.