Sharing some tips for starting out with your first brand Collaborations and building a portfolio
I started out promoting local businesses and products that I was familiar with. I did this for free , I built a portfolio and gained so much experience , as far as what photos look best, learning my style, and timing what the process took….because…eventually we all want to be paid for our time and skills.
For some iPhone photography tips check out this post https://fearlessmermaid.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1342&action=edit&calypsoify=1
Brands will occasionally DM my instagram with a proposal to collaborate . Find out what they are looking for and set up an agreement. They may ask you for posts, reels, instagram stories…
It’s very helpful to have a rate sheet ready , with your prices for each deliverable. You can make a media kit which is basically a social media resume. It shows your prices, your social media platforms and your “reach” and “engagement” , which all dictate the price you can expect to be paid. Some times the brand is just looking for photos, which is the main part of my business, other times they are looking for YOU to promote them on you socials…and most commonly they are looking for UGC “user generated content”…they want to see THEIR product in YOUR life , pretty easy…..
Media kits can be made for free on Canva, a free software editing site with templates. There are also plenty of ETSY sellers that can make one for you , or you can purchase a template, add some photos and plug in your numbers .
My only issue with my media kit – is – life happens – my husband got cancer and although he is doing fine – it sucks the wind out of you – my social media went unattended for months and my numbers plummeted – so- I have my skills – but my engagement suffered and it’s almost like starting over – so, what I’m saying is the numbers are subject to change – the brands I work with hire me from building relationships with them , or I get hired from one of the platforms I mention below –
What if you are not comfortable working out the details on your own? Thats where working with an agency is great. There are so many, and I would suggest starting small, some just so product exchanges for posts or photos. Others will offer a flat rate…and many others have a pre determined price depending on the scope of the project.
My last bit of wisdom is keep excellent records – the platforms and companies you do work for will send you a 1099 at the end of the year – you will be getting lots of these from all over – so keep a file of expenses and payments – treat this as a job – that’s how the government sees it –
I have personally used these platforms to get most of my work…
Let me know if you have tried any of these and who you recommend ..
Heres my list of platforms for Brand Collaborations…
Some are app based, you need to download the APP and work from there….
https://www.apexdrop.com/creators/
https://www.theswaydashboard.com/user/login?destination=node/1
https://app.acorninfluence.com/influencers/signup
https://www.blogmeetsbrand.com/sign-up/influencer
https://studio.obvious.ly/influencers/signin
https://app.aspireiq.com/creators/login
https://www.mavrck.co/influencer-index/
I’ll show you a few examples of how I started out with free products to build up my confidence to get to the point where I felt like I could definitely ask for some money it’s opens up a whole new opportunity for a side job or a full-time job depending how much you want to work at it
Please let me know in the comments if you have used any of these platforms and if you recommend any others?
