By Ryan Stern and Alexa Tonner of Collectively Photos by Brooke Dennis for Alt Summit
At Collectively, we believe partnerships between brands and collaborators (those creating awesome social media content) are most successful when there is a true win-win for both parties.
In the spirit of helping you collaborate successfully with brands, we’ve put together an informative and exhaustive “field guide” on how to approach getting paid for sponsored content.
Below are three top tips from our article. Enjoy, and be sure to check out the full post on our blog.
1. Identify the Stage of your Content Brand
When evaluating any partnership, it’s important to gut-check where your brand fits on the business stages spectrum. Are you just starting out or established with multiple revenue streams and more than 250,000 monthly unique visitors? Somewhere in between?
2. Be a Smart Negotiator by Knowing What You Want in Return
Great news! A brand you‘re aligned with wants you to do something to promote them. Now what? First, ask them what they have in mind and what they are offering in return. It’s as simple as that.
While waiting for a reply, consider a couple of things. First, what kind of value you’d ideally like in return. Second, an honest assessment of what you are providing them. Knowing where you stand on both of these points will help you hold your ground and get what you want out of the partnership or guide your decision on when to walk away.
3. Rates, Rates, Rates: Set Them, But Be Realistic
It’s a great idea for all collaborators to develop what we call a post rate. It should take into account total audience, your content quality, and any special skills you have (like being an amazing photographer).
This is the rate you’d like to be paid for a basic sponsored post, and what you’ll put on a media kit to kick-start a brand discussion. When setting a post rate, be realistic.
Everyone puts good old-fashioned elbow grease into his or her content—and while it may seem like a brand is buying your time and hard work, they are not.
This post was sponsored by Collectively.
