How To get sponsored collaboration as a creator

In this post: Are you a blogger or content creator and you want to get paid by brands to create content for product that you love with all your heart? This post will teach you exactly what to do on how to get sponsored collaboration an be paid for your efforts as an online content creator.

Hi girls, how are you today?

In this post: Learn how to get sponsored collaboration as a blogger or as a social media influencer and how to be a brand ambassador for brands you genuinely love (yes, even as a small blogger and micro-influencer). Trust me, it is possible to get paid to post even when you don’t have a huge following.

Keep reading to know more (and join our NEW ‘Blogger & Brand Collaborations’ private Facebook community for even more amazing tips on getting brand partnerships).

Table of Contents

How to Get Sponsored Collaboration as a Blogger and/or Influencer

Are you a blogger/creator and you want to know how to get a sponsored collaboration and work with your favorite brands?

I get it.

Sponsored collaborations are seemingly the epitome of what gets people into blogging. Seriously, how awesome is to get paid to post on Instagram a product/place/service that you genuinely love?

I mean, I already talk so much about some brands to my friends that I might as well make some money out of it, am I right? (For e o, I am looking at you!).

If you’re just starting or you have a small following, the good news is that you don’t have to be a self-named “influencer” to get sponsored on Instagram or blog posts either (yayyy!).

Keep in mind that what differentiates you from other creators is, well, YOU!

This means that that brands will want to work with you because you have something of value to offer them, regardless of scope or follower count.

For more information on what you can offer brands in sponsored collaborations, be sure to read this post.

For now, let’s go over everything you ever wanted to know about sponsored posts. Be it if you want to know how to land sponsored posts, how to disclose sponsored Instagram and Blog posts, and how to find brands to work with.

Are you as excited as I am? Let’s start!

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How to Get a Sponsored Collaboration on Instagram

First off, what is a sponsored collaboration?

Before we start getting into the good stuff, let’s define what a “sponsored collaboration” is.

A sponsorship, or collaboration, is the process of a brand/company hiring you to promote their product or service. They’ll pay you to launch a campaign on your best platforms that highlight their benefits + their brand goals.

Different from traditional advertisements, a sponsored post is a lot more educational and it carries extra weight simply because they come directly from an influencer that the brand’s target audience esteems.

The collaborations are always mutually beneficial. The most common sort of mutual exchange is the brand/company getting exposure (and thus more sales), and you get paid to promote something you really love (such as my Fraicheur Paris Ice Globes collaboration).

When creating a sponsored post, there a few crucial things that you are technically complied to delivering:

Creating content that doesn’t look like it’s actually sponsored (this can be harder than it seems)
Promoting a quality item/service/destination that fits within your current feed seamlessly;
Be sure the post is something your followers and online community will engage with (and appreciate);
Showcase the product in the best way possible using the resources you have at hand;
Notifying your community that the post is sponsored in a way that won’t deter them from engaging or liking the post.

This might seem a bit overwhelming but fear not, my dear friend. We will go over everything you ever wanted to know regarding sponsored posts in this article.

How to Get Sponsored Collaboration | Different Types of Sponsored Content and Brand Partnerships

How to get a sponsored collaboration when you’re a micro-influencer?

In the small-business world, a local home decor shop might sponsor a home design video for a lifestyle blogger to show how their minimal furniture helps a home seem bigger.

Or, you might also see a small ingredient vendor similar sponsor a recipe video where a food blogger lists the ingredients used.

My Golden Tip for Getting Confidence When You Are a Micro-Influencer

As you know by now being a reader of La Belle Society, you don’t need a big audience to make money with sponsorships as a blogger/creator.

The tip is to start small. Know your audience and be realistic. If you have around 5k followers, you can still be paid, but you won’t charge the same rate as Kylie Jenner does, right? And trust me, it’s still fun to get paid even if $200 for a post.

My sponsored posts are paying my rent every month here in Barcelona, to the point where my boyfriend and I are considering moving to a bigger, better flat next year.

If you want to know more about influencer rates and what to charge brands, I have created a great post that covers all the nitty-gritty rate sheet questions and concerns.

How To Turn a Gifted Product Into A Paid Collaboration

If you have already accepted the gifted offer and you want to grow your relationship with the brand into a paid one.

If from the gifted offer you have created a blog post, be sure to deliver the best content you can, and I mean it. Aim for quality photography, quick response time in emails, be kind, and humble.

My golden tip is to keep engaging with the brand on their social channels (i.e. I was gifted the Ice Globes but I genuinely liked them so much that every time I see a Fraicheur Paris Ice Globe ad in my Facebook or Instagram feed, I always like, comment and even share their content. This shows to the brand you are genuine and that you care about them and their products.

After a while building rapport, the idea is for you to go back to them and ask if they’d be interested in expanding this collaboration. Maybe this time you could go further and create a few videos or short IGTV stories for a fee this time.

As an example, an enthusiastic demonstration on how to use a certain product may be valuable to readers who enjoy learning about new brands and who need more authentic information before making a decision.

Its really all about you and how you sell your services.

I have written an entire post dedicated to this topic on how to turn a gifted product into a paid brand partnership here.

If you want to get more ideas on what to pitch, what to say, who to contact, be sure to join our new Facebook group that is growing more every day, and exchange ideas with like-minded people.

Next, we will go into sponsorships disclosures. Many people ask me if they are required to say if something is sponsored, even when it is gifted. This section of the post will cover all your questions regarding disclosing sponsored posts, be it for your blog, social media, or newsletter.

How to Properly Disclose a Sponsored Post on Instagram

As much as it’s frustrating to have to digitally yell “hey, I’m getting paid to post this,” it’s illegal not to, so like it or not, you must disclose all posts that are sponsored in any way.

Regardless of your audience size and if you feel as if no one will notice you didn’t disclose a sponsorship, if you’re not complying with legal rules and regulations for sponsored posts then you’re opening yourself up to liability. It’s pretty straightforward.

But a good reason to disclose a sponsored post, unlike what you may think, is that your audience will trust you more if you do.

Furthermore, it is important for your audience to be able to distinguish when a post is sponsored or when you’re simply talking about something you really love (such my huge love for Muji, the Japanese store. I talk about Muji often in my stories but I was never paid to do so. I am just really obsessed with everything they sell and I want people to know about it as well).

FTC Disclosure Requirments (US)

You probably heard of the Federal Trade Commission (also known as FTC, the US boss, and authority on this topic). Their goal is to regulate advertisements and endorsements in the US, with one of their main goals being to protect consumers. They keep advertisers at bay and make sure people are not misleading the public and cashing in on any sketchy business.

Moreover, the social media landscape has evolved over the past few years and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is starting to catch up. The FTC has A LOT to say about sponsored posts and endorsements on social media, so I’ll break down what you need to know and how it all applies to you.

In short words: If there is a “material connection” between you and the 3rd party in your Instagram/Blog/Youtube (etc) post, then you have to disclose it.

Below are the material scenarios in case you’re ever in doubt if you should disclose information.

Payment (Monetary Compensation)

Example: When you get paid by a beauty brand to post a picture of you using their new product on your social channel.

Family Relationship

Example: Your uncle Jerry opened a new trendy restaurant in London and you want to post a picture of it on your Instagram account while encouraging your followers to go.

Gift, Free Product and/or Substantial Discount

Example: The company offered a free hotel stay for your trip to Asia with the agreement you were going to post a picture of the hotel on your Instagram account.

FTC Guidelines on How to Disclose a Sponsored Post

1. Stands Out.

Sponsored posts need to be disclosed “clearly and conspicuously.” Basically, don’t be shady

2. Falls within the first 3 lines of the caption.

Since Instagram posts on mobile-only display the first 3 lines of the caption (unless the person clicks more which we know not everyone does), disclosures need to be made in the beginning

3. Is not be buried within a sea of hashtags.

Trying to hide disclosure language in a block of hashtags doesn’t work for the FTC. Also, trying to get creative with hashtags is a no go.

4. Makes sense to the average person (not the average blogger).

While you might be fluent in online slang, you have to create disclosures that would make sense to your grandma, not your favorite blogger.

A good tip is to put yourself in the viewer’s shoes to see if it would make sense to them. That’s what the FTC does when deciding if the disclosure is adequate.

The bottom line is no matter if you’re a Kardashian, Chiara Ferragni, or a small creator, disclosure rules apply to YOU.

As cliché as it sounds, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

That’s a wrap. These are my best tips on how to get sponsored collaboration as a blogger, content creator and even as a micro-influencer.

I hope this posts inspires you to go after your dreams and to have confidence in your value as a creator.

WAIT, DON’T GO JUST YET!

If you ever have any questions, let me know in the comments below or hit me an email at labellesociety@gmail.com Alternatively you can find me on Instagram and also be sure to join our NEW ‘Bloggers + Brands’ Facebook group!

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