How to Collaborate with Brands as a Blogger?

Many bloggers start their sites because they have a message or an interest that they want to share with others. However, as time goes on, some decide to start working with brands and getting working relationships set up. Knowing how to approach companies and seek collaborations isn’t straightforward, and some bloggers spend a lot of time with little results.

Here are some key tips for focusing on how to work with your favorite brands.

Why Work with Brands?

If you are a blogger and you love writing and engaging with your readers, then you might wonder why you would want to collaborate with brands.

Of course, there is no reason why you have to, but many bloggers find it a great way to build their readership as well as creating good working relationships with companies.

There are other benefits such as complimentary products or payment for your time and effort, but these won’t allow you to do blogging on its own, so you shouldn’t see it solely as a money-making opportunity. Working with brands can also help you to create a strong reputation as a brand influencer which is what many bloggers want to achieve.

Grow Your Blog

Although any blog can get a brand on board, it is far better to start when you have already been growing your blog.

You need an audience that is engaged with your site and interested in your content. Otherwise, brands won’t see any benefit. You don’t always need a huge following to get brands to collaborate, all you need is readers regularly commenting on your posts and you replying to them. That said, the average amount of readers you need to be successful as a brand collaborator is 5,000-10,000 views per month.

The same applies to many other ways to monetize your site, the more page views you get, the better.

Have an Engaging Website

Your website is the frontline for your blog and is also where potential brands will go. For that reason, you need to ensure that your website is engaging and has all the elements needed to draw your readers in.

There is no reason why any of the free website builders can’t be effective for your blog. Many have templates that are ready-made, all you need to do is add your content. However, having a dedicated domain name is essential to have a growing audience. It will help the search engines find you, making the site more professional.

If you feel the need, you can get a site professionally created by a web designer.

Create a Media Kit

In the same way that you need a resume when applying for jobs, so your website and blog need a media kit. The kit is a document where you can show potential brands what your site is about and how it can help them. You should include elements like collaboration options, site statistics, blog topics and anything else you feel is relevant.

These types of media kit help you to attract higher-paid collaborations and bigger brands. As well as sending your kit to brands, you should also have a copy on your blog site so companies that come across your blog can download it. If you are regularly asked a particular question about your kit, consider adding it to the document so others can see it.

See Which Brands Fit Your Blog Niche?

When you collaborate with a brand, you need to find companies that lend themselves easily to your usual blog topic.

For example, if your blog is about landscaping, then you want brands that produce landscaping tools or landscaping-related products. If you collaborate with a picture framing company, then this can be difficult for your readers to relate to your content.

That doesn’t mean no other companies might work; if you work with a clothing company, then there could be many items that would work when landscaping.

Getting Contact Information

Depending on the type of company you target, getting a reliable contact can take some work. For example, if it’s a big brand, then there will likely be a few layers of admin to filter through before you find the person you want. Smaller companies are usually easier and are also often more open to collaborations.

Try sending a message on social media asking if they can give you their contact details for a collaboration. It might give you the name of someone, which will be useful. Brands receive many emails from bloggers and media companies, so you need to stand out. One way is by using the person's name because that creates a relationship from the beginning.

What Should You Say?

The first thing to remember is that you won’t be successful all the time, and it will take a little time to get your pitch right, so don’t lose heart. When you have a company that you want to work with, send them an initial email, but keep it short.

You need to mention who you are and what your blog is trying to convey. You should then talk about what you like about their brand and how you think the two of you can work together. You then need a call to action, asking if they want to hear more from you about your ideas. It also helps to add a copy of your media kit and a link to your blog of course.

After a couple of weeks, chase them up if you haven’t heard anything. Remember to keep a list of who you email so that you don’t contact them twice by mistake.

If you keep doing these things, you will soon be able to attract the brands you want to your site. Once you have captured your first brand, the rest will be plain sailing.