What Brands are Looking For BECOMING A PRO AT WORKING WITH BRANDS BECOMING A PRO AT WORKING WITH BRANDS Do’s and Don’ts What Brands are Looking For Do: Share a specific blog post idea. Include the images you would create and the story you would tell.  Follow up with brands after a post is published. Ask for feedback and share stats and success stories.  Put your all into sponsored posts.  Only work with brands who are a great fit.  Stay authentic Be professional and creative = winning combination! Don't: Expect that all brands have budget to work with bloggers. Charge more than you are worth when starting out.  Be afraid of talking money even when it's uncomfortable. Work with brands because of the money. The product and brand should be a great fit.  Don’t use slang, hashtags or acronyms in emails to brands Be discourage by your numbers- they aren’t always the determining factor. Total Reach (Site Uniques + Social Footprint) Whose Voice + What’s the POV? Audience Photography Homepage SOV Post Regularity + Quality Your Offline Presence How To Stand Out Be consistent Find your niche and stick to it A clean and polished blog A Pitch-Perfect email Photography Media kit and numbers Your creative voice Your creative angle and ideas The audience you attract Your aesthetic – the look and feel of your blog The quality of your work We’re Here to Help @nomadluxuries @livethefancylife @sweetcsdesigns @Chairish

Responding to a Brand Checklist BECOMING A PRO AT WORKING WITH BRANDS Responding to a Brand Checklist Pitch-Perfect Email Action Steps Thank them for the email. Tell them why their product or service is a good fit on your site.  Insert your value proposition. What makes your blog fabulous? Be specific with numbers and information. Don’t make them up. Use google analytics or a reliable tool to help keep track of your stats.  Show your value with past examples or photos. For example, I’ve attached a before and after photo of a room makeover I recently did with another (noncompeting) brand.  Ask questions. What are your client’s goals? What is the timing of the project? Who is the client? The magic question might fit here too. What is your budget for working with bloggers?  Share how much you want them to reach their client’s goals and how you’d help them achieve that in a brief way. Include your specific blog post idea.  Share your sponsored post package you believe would best serve them and tell them the rate you charge to work with them on this package. Let them know you have other packages available as well. If you aren’t comfortable with doing this, you can also use the magic question here to get a sense for their budget before responding. Offer to answer any questions they might have.  Sign off respectfully and professionally.  Keep it short and sweet Introduce yourself and your blog | ‘elevator speech’ What are your goals? Do your research | know the brand and their audience Offer 2-3 unique and creative ideas What can you offer to the brand? Mutually beneficial relationship Media kit Finding your value. What is your strength? Amazing high quality content Large beautiful images Blog pageviews, unique visitors and other stats Social media following Engagement More Resources Pollinate Media Group Weave Made Social Fabric Clever Girls Collective TapInfluence The SITS Girls/Massive Sway Linqia Mode Media Popsugar Select One2One Blogger Meets Brand Find Your Influence Some ad networks (mediavine, adthrive)