Spring

According to recent data, about 70% of influencers in the U.S. report collaborations with brands as their top income stream. On Instagram, partnering with a brand can bring in anywhere from $10 to $5,000+ per post. Sounds great, right?

The most successful influencers are those who consistently collaborate with other brands, but the current landscape is changing how to go about it. It wasn’t too long ago that an influencer had to have millions of followers and celebrity status to partner with brands. However, the gates of opportunity are widening. 

Content creators with smaller followings have a chance to land brand deals and paid sponsorships. Instagram, for example, has categorized smaller influencers into groups: nano-influencers (up to 10,000 followers), micro-influencers (up to 100,000 followers), and macro-influencers (up to 1 million). This explains why the global influencer/creator market size more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, and is only continuing to grow! 

You want to get in on brand deals, right? Now’s the time! But how do you start? What do you need to do to get noticed by brands? 

Here are 5 actions creators can take to get the attention of brands. Let’s go!

Identify your niche & research brands that are a fit

Finding your niche is an absolute must in order to create a personal brand that will easily align with other brands. Don’t go in a “general” direction or frequently bounce back and forth between topics and styles. You will be competing with too many people and brands won’t see how you fit into their marketing campaigns. So, if you’re a health nut and all you live for is physical fitness, dedicate your socials to that –– obviously you can interweave pieces of your life here and there, but you will be defined in the minds of your fans as the “fitness girl” or however you brand yourself. Then you have a niche of brands you can approach to collaborate.

Start tagging branded products

Okay, you now have a solid following and industries to target. Now what? There are multiple ways to grab the attention of brands. Some examples are: 

• Make videos where you rate products and share your results with the company
• Include branded items in your content more than once to establish yourself as a consistent user
• Tag the brand’s account in your videos and posts and use brand-related hashtags. 

What you’ll find over time is that these companies will begin to notice your content.

Send out media kits & pitch emails

You can reach out to brands directly. But you’ll want to have all of your marketing materials ready to go. First up is a media kit that you can send out to showcase your content. It is a summary of all your best content in one place to show off what you can do. 

Second, you’ll craft a pitch email. A lot can go into a pitch email, but here are some quick bullets on the basics: 

• A brief intro about yourself
• What you love about the product/brand
• Verified analytics report (this example is Instagram)
• Media kit
• Rate card
• Any relevant brand partnerships you already have or have had in the past

Pitch emails should be no more than 2-3 paragraphs. Try to give an overview of how successful at building brand awareness you’ve been and how you are driving conversion (meaning browsers who have become buyers). Even if you don’t plan to send out many pitch emails, it’s a good tool to have at the ready just in case.

Use influencer marketing platforms

An effective way to grab attention is to sign up on influencer marketing platforms whose purpose is to help creators connect with brands that are relevant to their audience. Creators are then able to set up profiles, preferences, and even submit price quotes for brands to see. Some popular platforms are Captiv8, Grin, CreatorIQ and #paid (just to name a few). 

Ask other creators or brands for referrals 

Have you ever had a great experience working with a brand in the past? Do you have relationships with other creators who actively collaborate with brands? Consider asking for a referral. Referrals demonstrate knowledge and expertise. They boost trust between you and the brands you will potentially work with, and it shows you are proactive and willing to put in the work to build your audience. 

Hopefully the above tips have helped. It may seem complicated, but don’t overthink it. Once you have built a following, you have built the foundation. Now it’s time to grow!

In an era where an innocuous TikTok video blows up in a day, finding the recipe for viral success seems like searching for the Holy Grail, but equipped with the right information, your next product launch could be viral in no time.

Merchandise has become a powerful tool for creators to engage with their fans and generate additional revenue streams. 

In this blog, we will explore two key points on how creators can design viral merch: leveraging trending topics and what’s popular, and considering what’s important to their fans. By understanding these aspects, creators can create merch that resonates with their audience and spreads like wildfire.

While going viral isn’t necessarily something that can be controlled, believe it or not, there are some steps you can take to give you (and your merch) the best shot at going viral.

Step 1 – Put Your Spin on What’s Trending:

One effective strategy to create viral merch is by tapping into trending topics, memes, and what’s currently popular. This approach allows creators to ride the wave of existing buzz and capture the attention of a wider audience. Once you find a trending topic, add your own spin to it. Your fans will recognize the trend while feeling tightly connected to your reference that only your fans will understand. 

Here are a few steps to consider:

• Stay in tune with popular culture: Keep a close eye on social media trends, viral challenges, popular memes, and current events. This knowledge will help creators identify relevant topics and themes that can be incorporated into their merch designs.
• Seamlessly blend trends with your brand: It’s crucial to find a balance between incorporating trends and maintaining the essence of your brand. Adapt trending elements to align with your creative style, logo, or catchphrases, ensuring a cohesive and authentic representation.
• Timing is key: Act swiftly when it comes to leveraging trends. Monitor emerging topics and capitalize on them while they’re still at their peak. By staying ahead of the curve, creators can create timely merch that strikes a chord with their fans.

Step 2 Considering What’s Important to Your Fans:

While leveraging trends is important, it’s equally crucial to understand what truly matters to your fans. By creating merch that resonates with their interests, values, and aspirations, creators can foster a deeper connection with their audience. Here are some key points to consider:

• Conduct fan surveys and engage in conversations: Interact with your fans through social media polls, surveys, or direct messages. Ask them about their preferences, favorite moments, or what they’d like to see in your merch. Their input will provide invaluable insights into what will resonate with them.
• Perform social listening: What are fans saying in the comments, are there particular phrases from your content they are going crazy over? Are they directly shouting out for specific merch designs or products? We see this a lot. Responding to community driven merch ideas is a one way ticket to success. Especially if you react quickly, it’s almost like magic for the fans. They asked for it. You delivered. 
• Offer limited editions and exclusivity: Fans appreciate feeling special and part of an exclusive community. Consider releasing limited edition or exclusive merch items that are only available for a short time or to a select group. This creates a sense of urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out), driving fans to grab your merch quickly.

Designing viral merch requires a careful blend of leveraging trends and understanding your fans’ preferences. By incorporating trending topics while maintaining your brand’s identity, and by considering what truly matters to your fans, you can create merch that not only becomes a viral sensation but also strengthens the connection between you and your audience. Remember, the key lies in staying aware of the ever-evolving trends, engaging with your fans, and infusing your unique brand essence into every design. So, go ahead and unleash your creativity to design merch that goes beyond merchandise and becomes a statement of your brand’s impact.

In today’s climate, it’s becoming increasingly more important for creators to collaborate with other brands, influencers and content creators. Why go it alone when working with others might be more fun? And more than that, it’s definitely more effective. But first…

What is content collaboration and what are the benefits?

When two or more people get together and produce content, that’s what we’re referring to as content collaboration. Many content creators work with other brands and creators outside of their circle as a way to mutually build business.

Your collaboration can be an ongoing project, a single post or video, or a series (see more examples below). Doing this is beneficial because it helps your brand get in front of a new audience to expand on the reach you already have.

If the idea of collaboration is new to you, no worries, we’ve got tips on how to pursue it.

Find the best partners for your brand

There are a few important actions you can take here:

• Set goals. Don’t just start asking people if they want to partner up. Really analyze what it is you want to get out of the partnership. What are you trying to accomplish with joint content? Is it increasing your following? Selling more merch? Getting a foothold into a new niche? Once you know your goals, you are at an excellent starting point for finding the best collaborators. 
• Make a list. Think of any and all creators who may be a good fit for those goals you just set. Think of people within your own circle, subject matter experts (inside or outside your niche), influencers you admire, or a company you like to use. 
• Reach out to potential partners. Once you have your list of people, it’s time to reach out. In your initial communication, introduce yourself and your brand and then lay out your goals (be sure to state why these goals are also beneficial to them). Also explain how they can contribute (be clear in your expectations). This initial contact is to gauge their interest in collaborating. Be patient. This step can take time. Here some extra tips:
  • Attend events. Find places where you can network with other creators. These can be influencer-focused events or events within your niche (expos, fan conventions, fitness conventions, the list is endless). 
  • Network locally. Don’t have the time or money to travel? Search for creators in or around where you live. Maybe a creator in your area is looking to grow their channel. Even if this is on a smaller scale, you are creating a network. 
  • Become a fan. Being a content creator can be time-intensive. But don’t let that keep you from being a fan of other creators. Start following other channels. Comment on other creators’ posts. Being a true fan is the best first step in finding someone you want to work with.

Ways to successfully work with others

As we said, there are many types of content you create with a collaborator. Here are just a few broad examples:

• Guest posts. Ideal for creators who post frequently as it gives you twice the firepower when it comes to coming up with new content ideas. Guest posts also bring traffic from the other creator’s audience, too! 
• Guest appearances. For creators that do videos, having another creator make an appearance, either as an interviewee or to participate in your video, is a quick and easy way to collaborate and shake up your routine. 
• Roundups. These are larger gatherings of like-minded people and can help push your reach outside your niche. It helps to include people who are considered by your audience as an authority on a specific topic. 
• Social media takeovers. Let one of your social media platforms get taken over by another creator who then posts from your account on an agreed length of time. This brings their audience over to your account for longer than just one post. Obviously you would only do this with a trusted partner that is aligned with your brand and following a set of predetermined expectations. 
• Giveaways. Definitely a way to get engagement for your brand, but giveaways are also a great opportunity for content collaborations. There are numerous methods of doing this, but two common ways are asking for donations or co-hosting a contest. 
• Podcasts. They’ve grown a lot in popularity in recent years. Find podcasters with small but growing audiences and then reach out to set up appearances. You can promote the podcast on your channels to in turn help grow the podcast’s reach.

How to successfully collaborate 

Once you have found the right partners and decided what types of content you will be collaborating on, it’s best to follow a step-by-step guide through the collaborative process, especially if your partnership will be long term.

• Write a brief. Outline the scope of your partnership, what you’re going for, and what you want to accomplish. By documenting all this, you make it easier for everyone to stay on target. 
• Map out a timeline. What are the tasks required to achieve your goals? We recommend using a collaboration tool (we don’t want to be biased, so google it) to list out the tasks that must be completed before you can execute your content collab successfully. 
• Set deadlines and assign tasks. Once everything is mapped out, start from your launch date (when the content will go live) and work backwards. Set due dates for each task and make sure all participants know what they are responsible for. 
• Remember to balance your focus. Don’t forget to maintain your brand and attend to your current audience. Working with other creators is a balancing act between your collaboration and your regular posting schedule. 
• Stay loyal to your current fans. As you continue to grow your base with new partners, continue to nurture your current audience. If you rebrand just because you’re trying to please a new partner(s), it will be seen as a cash grab by your audience and will have the opposite effect you’re aiming for. You can’t please everyone, but you already know what pleases your base. 

We know this may seem overwhelming as there are many partnership possibilities. But the main goal, regardless of your method, is to cut your efforts in half and double your reach. That’s exciting, isn’t it? Start with a goal and get started!