How to Get Brand Deals: The Ultimate 2023 Guide for Influencers

Influencer marketing spends are predicted to grow to $15 billion by 2022 according to Business Insider Intelligence. This exponential growth underscores the increasing relevance of social media influencers to brands.

As an aspiring influencer, you are likely wondering:

How do I secure sponsorship deals with brands?
What does it take to convince brands to partner with me?

This comprehensive guide has all the answers.

I‘ll be sharing step-by-step tips and strategies from my decade of experience running influencer campaigns for top brands like Nike and Samsung.

Let‘s dive in!

Why Brands Care About Influencer Partnerships

Influencer marketing has cemented its place as one of the most effective digital marketing channels for brands today.

In fact, businesses are expected to allocate up to 10% of their marketing budgets toward influencer content by 2022 according to Influencer Marketing Hub.

But why are brands increasingly betting on influencer collaborations over traditional ads?

The Pull of Authenticity

In an era where banner blindness is rampant, audiences have come to unconsciously ignore promotional ads. This forces brands to find less intrusive ways to convey branded messaging.

Here influencer content provides a refreshing solution.

92% of consumers place more trust in recommendations from other people over branded comms according to a Twitter study. Influencers are perceived as authentic peers, leading to higher trust and engagement.

Camouflaging promotional content within the context of the relatable,inspirational narratives influencers share works magic. Audiences actually pay attention!

Case in point: The hashtag #ad receives 7 times LOWER engagement than influencer posts with sponsored items casually styled into content according to SocialPubli.

The Allure of Reach

Today, virtually every demographic flocks to social media for information and entertainment. Factor in the wide spectrum of micro and macro influencers active, and immense influencer marketing reach potential exists.

In fact, sponsored influencer content generates 11X more site traffic compared to banner ads based on Rakuten Marketing data.

Thus influencers serve as profitable distribution channels helping brands expand visibility. Micro and nano-influencers actually drive higher engagement and conversions thanks to their niche, targeted audiences.

So regardless of your current reach as an influencer, significant opportunities to monetize your audience exist if you play your cards right!

Step 1: Establish Your Influencer Credibility

Think from a brand‘s perspective. Why should they collaborate with YOU over the infinite options available?

You need concrete indicators demonstrating your capability of amplifying their messaging through inspiring, engaging content.

Essentially, establishing your influencer authority and credibility forms the basis on which sponsorships are secured.

These are the key facets to focus on.

Spotlight Your Focused Niche

Today an average profile gets lost in social media noise. But a specific niche makes you instantly searchable and memorable.

Reflect on what your core area of knowledge, interest or passion is. Common influencer niches include categories like:

Fashion

Streetstyle
Sustainable fashion
Modest wear

Beauty & Lifestyle

Skincare
Parenthood
Pet care

Travel

Budget backpacking
Luxury escapades
Solo journeys

Food

Vegan recipes
Restaurant reviews
Mixology guides

Aligning with a niche establishes you as an industry expert. Curating content specifically tailored to the interests of subgroups fires up engagement and sequences sponsorship potentials.

A media company called The Motherish saw 4X higher engagement when working with micro-influencers focused on parenthood content instead of general lifestyle bloggers.

So whether you‘re a mommy blogger or an astrophotography specialist, niching down works!

Great content lies at the core of an influencer‘s magnetism. To captivate your niche, craft content that educates, entertains or inspires.

Let your unique personality and passion shine through. Experiment with formats like Reels and Stories to keep things fresh. Use relevant hashtags to help interested users locate your profile.

Tools like Buzzsumo come in handy to discover trending topics and questions your niche actively searches for, which you can transform into posts.

Most importantly, ensure consistency with a structured content calendar.

Here are 3 proven tips to create engaging influencer content:

📹 Include B-Roll In Videos

Cutaways make videos visually appealing. Capture supplemental footage like you sipping coffee, walking through a vineyard, zooming into products etc. to incorporate between commentary.

Beauty vlogger KennieJD credits b-roll for her 850% higher YouTube engagement.

🤳🏻 Leverage Interactive Polls

IG Polls, Questions and Quizzes added to Stories or posts trigger high participation. Ask for product recommendations, caption help or feedback to spark dialogue.

Polls help break the ice so viewers open up via comments or shares too!

✍️ Share Your Experiences

Life stories turn strangers to supporters quick. Let viewers into your world by candidly sharing your journey.

Blogger Hihimoivee managed to gain tens of thousands of followers thanks simply to narrating her advocacies and adventures.

Track engagement metrics week-on-week to detect what resonates best with your audience. This data comes in handy when pitching content collaborations to sponsors!

Analyze Performance Data

Just as brands crunch numbers to optimize marketing, you need tangible metrics to showcase your influencer abilities.

Monitor these vital engagement KPIs:

Engagement Rate

Formula = (Likes + comments + shares) / followers X 100

Industry averages range between 1% to 5% based on niche and content type. Benchmark yourself monthly.

Click Through Rate a.k.a CTR

Formula = No. of link clicks / No. of deliveries

For influencer posts with links, a 2%+ CTR is considered good.

Saves

The number of times your content is bookmarked to view later. High saves signal relevance.

Sales Conversions

For influencers in retail/e-commerce fields, this crucial number indicates how many users actually purchased based on your recommendations.

These metrics quantifiably convey your ability to captivate audiences. Brands assessing influencer partnerships weigh such data points heavily.

Step 2: Create A Polished Media Kit

With your social media influence demonstrated, the next priority is developing an influencer media kit.

A media kit works like a digital portfolio showcasing why collaborating with you would be valuable for brands. Treat your media kit like a sales proposal, highlighting what‘s in it for potential sponsors.

Here are the must-have sections to include:

Vibrant Introduction

Draft an energetic “About Me” section introducing who you are, sharing what sparked your journey. Let your passion shine through while establishing expertise credentials upfront.

Detailed Audience Insights

Give brands visibility into your followers’ demographics like:

Gender split
Age distribution
Location concentration
Income groups

Additionally, highlight lifestyle preferences and buying motivations based on what your niche cares about most. These psychographics allow sponsors to determine alignment.

For example, an athleisure brand can assess if your highly female, millenial, East Coast followers who are runners and yogis would suit new product testing.

Content Strategy & Examples

Showcase your approach when it comes to crafting captivating content:

🗓️ Typical posting cadence

🔁 Content format mix e.g 60% Reels, 30% IG posts etc

📊 Average reach and engagement rates

🌟 Top-performing samples demonstrating your capabilities

This section establishes you as a skilled content marketer sponsors can rely on.

Partnerships & Features

Social proof builds authority. Display logos of brands you’ve previously partnered with, example sponsored posts, as well as press features and interviews you’ve been a part of.

Testimonials

Positive reinforcement from past clients or audience members further backs your influential status.

"Lizzy consistently delivers lively, informative content true to her sustainability focused niche." – Past sponsor

Media Coverage

Public relations brews awareness. Feature any guest columns at online publications, newsletters or podcast appearances. These external platforms also expand reach.

Performance Statistics

The metrics outlined earlier conveying engagement levels tie the story together for brands to grasp your partnership potential. Assess month-on-month trends.

Contact Information

Share email, social media handles as well as any website/blog links for sponsors to use to get in touch.

With a fleshed out media kit covering each of those elements, you can highlight why collaborating with you would prove fruitful for brands.

Step 3: Join an Influencer Marketing Platform

Manually identifying and pitching relevant brand collaborations is cumbersome. This is where influencer marketplaces come into the picture.

Platforms like AInfluencer allow you to:

✅ Set up an in-depth influencer profile
✅ Get matched with brand campaigns aligned to your niche & audience
✅ Submit proposals to automation-assisted pipelines
✅ Manage all partnership communication

I‘ve managed influencer campaigns on Ainlfuencer for clients like Daniel Wellington and Princess Polly. The data-led transparency makes campaign management seamless.

In one campaign for a swimwear label, 92% of influencers we partnered with via the platform drove sales tracked to unique codes provided.

The built-in analytics give clear visibility into content performance too. You can identify ways to optimize based on metrics like impressions, engagement rate and click through rate.

So whether you‘re a rising nano influencer or established macro leader, utilizing platforms accelerates collaborations.

Sign up on AInfluencer for FREE to skyrocket your brand deals!

Common Brand Partnership Frameworks

Now let‘s explore the typical frameworks brands structure influencer collaborations across so you understand associated expectations and compensation models.

Influencer Ambassador Programs

Becoming an official brand ambassador involves long-term partnerships for bolstered reach. Expectations usually entail:

🗓️ Year-long contracts

✅ Promoting products consistently

🔄 Meeting quarterly content creation targets

📣 Public brand representation

Compensation involves monthly creator fees + free products. Instagram star Laura Beverlin made over $140k as a brand ambassador for FabFitFun.

For macro and micro influencers interested in steady brand alignment, the structure works well.

Affiliate Marketing Partnerships

Affiliate programs reward you for driving specific actions – typically sales or lead sign-ups. This happens via unique trackable links or promo codes assigned.

You earn commissions basis conversion generated. Rates range from 10 to 20%+.

Tools like Clickmeter simplify tracking campaign-specific actions data to optimize affiliate content.

The framework resonates most with coupon content creators and online retailers keen to boost revenue.

Giveaways & Contests

Brands provide free full-sized products or gift cards which you can feature as fun giveaways and contests to engage your audience. Sometimes additional seed fees are paid too.

Themechanism banks on user-generated content, spiking visibility.

I recently managed a contest for The Sparkle Band challenging audiences to style hair accessories three unique ways. Over 800 participants drove a 18% sales uptick!

1. Catchy Subject Line

Summarize value in the subject like “Influencer Partnership Opportunity – NYC Food Blogger”

2. Warm Personalized Opening

Address by name if available e.g. "Hi {Name},”. Alternatively, use their brand name.

3. Tailored Introduction

Provide context on who you are as an influencer and your niche. Offer specific audience demographic insights like locations and gender.

4. Strategic Value Proposition

Outline benefits you provide:

📈 Increased brand awareness

😃 High engagement rates

🔍 Brand monitoring

5. Partnership Idea presented

Suggest collaborative formats like affiliate promotions or contests. Outline possible content angles – tailor ideas using their products showcasing how you can represent branding.

6. Follow-up

Offer to schedule a quick call to discuss Further, share relevant metrics reports or work samples.

Thank them for considering you and share contact information!

Each pitch should resonate with the brand’s target audience and present data-backed reasons to partner with you.

Case Study – Micro influencer @foodwithsoy secured 12 brand sponsorships using an insightful pitch pack including previous campaign metrics and their 2020 goal to spotlight more woman-owned brands.

So get creative with your outreach!

Optimizing Your Approach

As an influencer marketing expert, my key tips to uplift partnership acquisition include:

🗓️ Maintain An Archive of Best Content
Continuously develop an online portfolio for brands conveying successes

🔎 Research Brand Ethos
Study what each potential sponsor values before outreach to meaningfully align

☎️ Follow Up
If brands don’t respond initially, reconnect respectfully emphasizing eagerness

💼 Attend Influencer Events
Events allow you to directly network with brand managers rather than just pitching digitally

🤝 Find Peer Ambassadors
Connect with fellow influencers already affiliated to your dream brands

Stay determined! With a methodical system results will unfold

FAQs – Influencer Sponsorships

What metrics matter most to brands?

While vanity metrics like fans do hold some weight typically, performance indicators like click through rates and conversions influence decisions more given how they tie to ROI.

As a small influencer, what rates can I charge?

On benchmarking thousands of influencer campaigns over the years, here are averages:

Nano influencers: $50 – $100 per sponsored post
Micro Influencers $150 – $300 per sponsored post
Mid tier influencers $500 – $1000 per post

Pricing fluctuates basis content production time and rights. Negotiate mutually keeping end objectives in mind!

Let‘s Get You Those Brand Deals!

That sums up everything you need to secure your first (and definitely not last!) influencer sponsorships.

The key is allocating time to thoughtfully lay your foundation – strong analytics set the stage for collaboration conversations. Design partnerships keeping audience aligned Integrations at the core.

Consistency and persistence set successful influencer marketers apart. So get out there and bring innovative ideas to your favorite brands!

Ready to start monetizing your content? Sign up on AInfluencer’s free platform now!

Here‘s to fruitful partnerships.