How I Land Better Blog Partnerships

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If you follow me on IG Stories or Snapchat, you probably saw that I was in Chicago this past weekend for The Blog Societies 5th Annual Conference — AKA #TBScon. This is the third year I’ve attended the conference, and it did not disappoint: there was incredible networking, I got to chat with some of my favorite brands IRL, and I learned so, so much (my new to-do list is now super long!)

While I was at the conference, I had a lot of bloggers ask me: how the heck do you land so many brand partnerships? In the past, I’ve written how to land sponsored opportunities, and I’ve also chatted about how to make yourself look attractive to brands. However, today, I wanted to share a bit more insight on how to make your dream partnerships a reality!
 

Dress: Milly ℅ Rent the Runway | Sandals: LOFT | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Hat: Nordstrom | Necklace: ℅ Taudrey

 

Hire a Photographer

Y’all. Seriously. I get that your mom/friends/other bloggers might shoot for you, but one of the things that have helped me most is strong visuals. When I spoke to brands at the conference, they even said that they specifically look for high-quality content when they partner with bloggers. I get it — we all see that blogger on Instagram with 100K followers who can get away with taking selfies. Unless you have a ridiculously high reach like that, your selfies aren’t gonna cut it. Investing in a good photographer was one of the best things I’ve ever done as a blogger, and something that has paid off in the long run!

Learn What Content Engages Your Audience the Most

What do your readers react best to? Outfit posts? Travel content? Recipes? For example, I learned that on Instagram, my audience pretty much hates whenever I post a flat lay — so I cut those out. However, for the blog, flat lays work well for me. I’ve learned what type of content my readers respond to best over the years by a lot of trial and error and by hosting a couple of blog surveys. The brands at the conference said they’d much rather work with a smaller influencer with a high engagement rate rather than a bigger influencer with a very low engagement rate, so work on producing content that will engage your audience.

Learn to Negotiate & Don’t Be Afraid to Say No

Not every collab is going to be a fit. You really have to think: is this partnership mutually beneficial for both parties? Also, really take the time to think of how much time and money it will cost you to produce content for a particular campaign. At the end of the day, is it worth it? It’s okay to (politely!) turn down a collab from time to time. Right now I try to be super strategic about the partnerships I take on, and I only accept campaigns that I love. By accepting campaigns that I’m passionate about, I end up producing better work. 

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Now…it’s time for a fabulous giveaway!
I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers
to give YOU a chance to win:
a $550 Nordstrom Gift Card, just in time for some spring shopping!

Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 8/21.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Photos by Tom McGovern