How to land (and nail) your first paid brand collaboration

For many influencers and content creators, brand collaborations (or collabs) remain their go-to income source.

This is where a brand pays you – in cash or free products – to promote their services to your followers. This could be in content on your blog, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or wherever else you’ve built an audience.

But if you’re never collaborated with a brand before, you’ve probably got a few questions. Like, how exactly do you find brands to collaborate with? And how do you make sure your first collab is a success?

Luckily for you, we’re going to walk you through how to land – and nail – your first collab in 6 simple steps on SoSpoilt.

  1. Make yourself visible to brands.

On SoSpoilt, we have 100s of verified brands in our network, all actively seeking creators to collaborate with. These include start-ups, independent labels, and retail giants.

To get seen by them, you first need to create your free SoSpoilt profile.

Incomplete profiles are much less likely to attract attention from brands. So make sure you upload a profile picture, header image, and bio, which tells brands who you are and what kind of content you create.

Next, in your Edit Your Profile section, scroll down and tick the Show me as available for collabs box (see the image below).

You’ll then be prompted to:

 

  • Select the categories you want to be listed under, so the right brands can find you faster
  • Add your social media handles, so brands know where you’re available to collaborate

Brands can then discover you by searching our Creator Network via category, social media platform, or both (see below).

And if they like your profile, they can then request a collab in just a click.

2. Share examples of your content.

Before brands decide whether to request a collab, they’ll likely want to see examples of your content.

Obviously, they can click the links to your Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or other social channels from your SoSpoilt profile. But to save them this step, we recommend reposting content from your socials on your SoSpoilt page as Public Posts, too.

The better your content, the longer brands will stay on your SoSpoilt page. And the longer you keep them there, the more likely they are to hit that Request a Collab button.

So make sure you choose content that best represents your tone, style, and creative talent.

And once you’ve got a few successful collabs under your belt, repost the content from these partnerships on your SoSpoilt page, too. That way, other brands can see you’re a reliable, experienced collaborator.

3. Show off your relationship with your audience.

Ask any brand and we think they’ll agree that – when it comes to finding the right creator to collab with – it’s all about engagement.

Brands care less about how many followers you have. And more about whether your audience hears, values, and engages with what you post. Because they want to know that, if they pay you to post about their products, it’s actually going to boost sales.

So, as well as bringing your content to your SoSpoilt page, it’s important to drive your online audience there, too. That way, brands can quickly see for themselves how your fans engage with your Public Posts in likes and comments.

Plus, with your fans on SoSpoilt, you can create additional income streams for yourself (rather than just relying on collab revenue alone). This is because SoSpoilt allows you to charge fans to see more of your content or interact with you. Learn more about all our Earning Tools here.

4. Respond promptly to all collab requests.

The great thing about SoSpoilt is that we let you decide how you respond to collab requests from brands. You can accept the offer, decline, or ask for more info.

But to build a reputation as a polite, professional collaborator, it’s important to respond to all requests quickly. 

And if you do choose to decline, tell the brand why. Perhaps you feel the brand isn’t a good fit with your style and/or audience. Or maybe you just don’t have time to commit to what the brand is asking from you right now.

Explaining yourself will stop them pitching the wrong requests to you at the wrong time again. And could lead to a more suitable collaboration opportunity in future.

5. Be clear on the terms of the collab.

When you do choose to accept a collaboration request on SoSpoilt, you’ll be asked to type your Acceptance Message.

Your Acceptance Message works like a contract.

So it’s important to summarize all the details of the deal, including:

  • What ad content you’ll be sharing
  • Where and when you’ll be sharing it
  • How long the content will remain live
  • Whether the brand can post the content elsewhere

How much you’ll be paid

6. Build a partnership, not just a business transaction.

Finally, once you’ve landed and agreed a collaboration, don’t just treat it as a one-off chance to get paid.

Instead, see it as a chance to build a valuable, ongoing partnership with a brand. Because if a brand is happy with you and the results of your first collaboration, they’re likely to present you with more paid opportunities in future. 

So during the collaboration process, make sure you:

  • Deliver content on time and as agreed
  • Stay polite and professional
  • Keep the brand in the loop (let them know when you’ve posted the content, etc.)

And when it’s done, send them a quick, friendly message to:

  • Thank the brand for the opportunity
  • Let them know you’d love to collaborate again

Ready to land your first collaboration?

Now you know how it works, we bet you’re itching to make yourself available to the brands in our network.

Create your free SoSpoilt profile here.

And remember, if you need any help getting started, our Support Team are on hand 24/7.