If you don’t know about the amazing community that is Collectively, you should hop on over to their site and get to know them! They work with a network of bloggers to create the best brand collaborations across all platforms. 

Join the Alt community + Collectively (@CollectivelyInc) on Twitter Wednesday morning (tomorrow), February 24th at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST for an hour-long chat all about brand collaborations. We would love to have each of you there, to hear what has and has not worked for you! Better yet, they are giving away a $100 gift card to Framebridge – eligible to anyone who participates using both @Altsummit @Collectively and #AltChat. 

At Collectively, we’ve worked with hundreds of brands to execute a wide variety of influencer collaborations. We’ve seen what works, and what doesn’t. We also understand that it can be frustrating when you work hard to build a personal brand but find yourself struggling to find or make the most of brand partnerships. Many collaborators ask us, “What do brands want?”  We’re excited to be on the Alt Blog today to help answer that question! 

When a brand chooses to partner with you, they are putting their trust in you and aligning their brand with your voice and readership. But, like in all areas of life, trust is always earned. In order to gain that trust, you’ll need to be thoughtful about how you present yourself and your content. 

Before coming to Alt, we asked the Collectively community to share their approach to being considered for brand partnerships. We’ve taken some of their tips and added our own to share with you 5 great tips for appealing to brand partners. 

Be Consistent:

Keep your blog’s voice in mind when you create content. Are you funny? Thoughtful? Glamorous? Creative? Whatever your point of view, make sure it’s present in every post—brands are looking for partners that align with their own identity, and you have a better chance of standing out (regardless of your audience size!) if you’ve got an established tone. 

Amanda Holstein // Advice From a Twenty Something

Be Professional:

Remember that you represent your personal brand across all social media channels, so don’t say or post anything that you wouldn’t want a potential brand partner to see!

Shaheen Khan // Lows to Luxe

 

Be Friendly:

Use an about page or bio to introduce yourself to new visitors. Give information that your readers or brands both want to know: your location, the type of content you create, and anything else that defines who you are! Again, present this information in a way that aligns with your personal voice so both fans and brands can quickly understand what you’re all about. 

Ashley Rose // Sugar & Cloth

 

Be Original:

Go beyond curating content and products and focus on creating your own original content—words, photos, videos, art, and more! Think of yourself as a creator and make what you love.

Alicia Chew // Alicia Tenise

Be Polished:

Blogs and social media are extremely visual platforms and high quality photography has become the expectation. Even if your main camera is an iPhone, make sure your images are sharp and in focus with consistent image sizing across posts. Review content for spelling, punctuation and typos before positing.  

Chelsea Foy // Lovely Indeed

Want more brand collaboration tips? Join our Twitter chat with @AltSummit on Wednesday, February 24th at 9AM PST. We hope to see you there!