if you think you might be ready to start pitching, but aren't quite sure, check these three things before you waste time trying to reach out to brands!
The next few weeks we are talking about pitching because that is always a hot topic that people want to know about! It’s one of my most FAQ and I’m always happy to talk about it but i think some people are surprised at how it works and how to be successful. SO we are dishing the dirt today and I know it’s going to help you!
I’ve been pitching brands to work with my personal blog, The Skinny Arm, and with me on events for years! AND I get paid....yes, even under 10k followers!
It’s not about the numbers! it’s about the value you’re offering to a brand and how you communicate that with them. I have friends with double and triple my following who don't know how to talk to brands and they often work for free.
Now, We talked last week about mindset and the words that you are saying to yourself and how those are reflected in how you run your business and what you expect from your business. Your life follows the direction of your thoughts, so what are you telling yourself in regard to your business growth and success! I loved last week’s episode. If you missed it, it's definitely worth a listen!
After you've addressed mindset, you might be thinking: "How do I know when I’m ready to work with brands and get paid?"
It’s a great question.
There are Two things you reach out to brands for:
OK LET’S TALK PITCHING. It's important to look at yourself like a brand will look at you. Do they like what they see?
First things first: do you look like a brand?
- email address in your bio,
- clear description of what your share on your page,
- is your page fairly cohesive?
- are you showing up consistently?
- have you partnered with other brands?
Brands are businesses. They want to work with other business that they can take seriously. There are THREE ways to show a brand that you are ready to have a successful brand partnership.
The first one is: Professionalism
Are you professional enough to work with a brand? They want to know that you’re not going to ghost them when they email you, and that you’re going to post on time, adhere to deadlines, etc.
The way you can show your professionalism is through your communication with that brand. That is the only real indicator that a brand will be able to use. So if you can’t manage to respond to an email or deliver a campaign on time, then no a brand isn’t going to want to work with you and you’re probably not ready to work with them.
The second way you can show a brand you’re ready to work with them: Quality
Are you producing quality content?
This doesn’t mean you have to work with a professional photographer for every single photo, BUT would a brand be able to reshare your content? Is it high enough resolution? Are you sharing consistent quality content? That might mean you need to check your lighting, use a preset filter, invest in a good tripod and remote. But if a brand looks at your page and sees blurry inconsistent photos, it’s a no.
If you’re not sure about your content, you need to ask an honest friend, or book a session with me to do a brand audit so there is no question in your mind that you're ready to show up in front of a brand.
Next up? The third thing to show a brand is: Confidence.
Are you confident in what you can offer to a brand! Can you provide value to them?
When girls ask me when can i reach out to a brand, I tell them: “when you can provide value to them.” So you need to be able to confidently share what you can do for the brand. Because remember, a brand is a business and they are looking at you like a business. Think about any other form of advertising a brand spends money on: before they fork over money for a tv commercial, they want to see stats and hear what kind of return on investment they can expect for their commercial. So what kind of return are you able to offer to a brand? You need to be able to communicate that confidently!
If you can say yes I’m professional in communication, I have a cohesive brand with quality content, and I’m confident that I can provide value to a brand, then you are ready to pitch pitch pitch! And brands will say yes!
If something is not quite where it needs to be, I would challenge you to make adjustments before moving forward and pursuing brand partnerships. Or else you'll be leaving money on the table and wasting your time! Get your foundation set and solid before moving on. Next week, we'll continue our pitching series, and I know it's going to help you!
