What’s more difficult? Navigating through the peaks and valleys of 2020 or landing a long-term partnership? The answer is obviously 2020 but we’re here to talk about the latter. Paid campaigns are definitely out there but the trick to acquiring one can be a long and often trying journey. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing how to turn a one-time collaboration into a long-term partnership and the pros and cons of doing so.

Why do brands come to Creator.co?

Our Campaign Hub is a place where Creators come to connect with brands that align with their niche. As you know, there are brands available for different regions, age groups, interests, and reach. The reason why brands sign up to our platform is that finding quality Creators can be both difficult and time-consuming. That’s where we (and you) come in! After a brand registers to Creator.co, we promote these new campaigns through social media and of course, our weekly newsletter. You opt-in and when the brand approves you, the collaboration begins. Have you ever wondered how to turn a one-time collaboration into a long-term and meaningful partnership? Here are some tips to consider:

Develop your niche but don’t forget about your voice.

When you opt-in to a campaign, the brand now has the chance to view your deep analytics and Instagram profile. While your follower count and engagement rate is crucial, brands are looking for Creators with a clearly defined voice. Your niche might be food & beverage but make sure there are posts that feature you! If a brand stops by your profile and sees delicious meals that you have prepared but a lack of content that features your smiling face as well as captions full of personality, they may choose to move on. Showcasing your personality in content also resonates with your audience who are looking to you as a trusted source of information. The more you incorporate your raw realness, the more followers you will attract as well as brand deals!

See value in gifted campaigns. 

Creator.co offers a variety of campaigns to opt in to, whether they’re gifted, paid or ambassador programs. Brands that are offering free products for ShoutOuts may be trying out influencer marketing for the first time. After brands see the value in user generated content, they typically extend their relationship with Creator.co for a longer period of time and upgrade to paid campaigns. Content Creators that go above and beyond for gifted campaigns are more likely to be contacted by the brand for a longer partnership outside of our platform (we’ve seen it happen)!

Going above and beyond.

We work closely with brands to develop the ShoutOut and caption requirements before launching a new campaign. Although, these are simple guidelines for Creators to incorporate into their content. What we (and brands) love to see is a Creator going outside of the box. When ShoutOuts require a static feed post but the Creator comes back with a gorgeous carousel, video, story, or reel, the brand is elated! A good way to stand out from the crowd is making memorable content for the brand to repurpose. Showing the brand that you’re passionate about their product can definitely lead to a long term relationship in the future, especially if you follow up later!

Allow brands to amplify your post.

When posting your content, add the brand as a business partner and toggle on the button that says “Allow Business Partner to Promote”. This will allow the brand to put some money behind your content and run it as an ad, targeting their ideal customer demographic. The brand will be able to see real-time metrics including reach, impressions, conversions, etc. This isn’t just beneficial to the brand though. If your content is run as an ad, it has the potential to reach tens if not hundreds of thousands potential new followers for you! If your content runs successfully as an ad, it’s likely the brand will reach out to you to continue the partnership. 

Prepare your media kit. 

Now that you’ve learned some tips on developing a paid partnerships with brands, try putting them into practice. Be prepared to negotiate and don’t be afraid to send your media kit to brands whom you have worked with in the past! As a gift to our beloved Creator Community, we have introduced a new feature that allows you to create and download your media kit for free!

Are you ready to start turning one time collaborations into long term partnerships? Create and download your media kit right now!