3 Ways to Make a Brand Want to Work with You

Mar 31 • 2022

Allow me to paint you a picture… 

You finally get one of your dream partnerships — a sponsored post with a brand you lurv. Yay! Confetti! 

The whole thing goes super well and afterwards you think to yourself, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if I could work with them again?” 

Um… YEAH! But… how?

In the world of sponsored posts, it’s no secret that doing a long-term partnership (multiple sponsored posts over a period of time) with a brand is SO much better than just doing a one-off post. Long-term partnerships mean consistent work with a team who values what you do, which means — heyo! — consistent income.

That’s why I want to share with you some of my top tips for turning those one-off posts into long-term partnerships. Ready? Let’s do this!

UNDERSTAND THE VALUE YOU BRING TO BRANDS

Before you get into ANY partnership with a brand, you need to understand the value you bring to the table. 

For example, are you amazing at visuals? Do you have a large, engaged audience? Are you an incredible writer? Do you have insane affiliate conversions? In Foodtography School and Influence, I call this special something your Unique Selling Proposition (USP for short).

Getting a handle on your USP helps you position yourself strategically as you enter into your partnership. 

Uhhhh…WTH does that mean? Basically, if you know your USP you can clarify to the company exactly what it is you can do for them AND it gives you a way to measure how successful the partnership is by the end of it. 

For example, let’s say you’ve got super engaged IG Reels. When you start working with a brand, make it clear to them that your USP is a high Reels reach. Essentially, you’re setting the benchmark for success. And, by the end of the partnership, you’ll be able to show off all the amazing engagement their post got!

FOLLOW UP WITH THE BRAND

One of the BEST ways I convert one-off posts into long-term partnerships? Simply by following up with the brand after the partnership is over. It really is that easy.

When I follow up I make sure to:

  1. · Express how grateful I was for getting to work together
  2. · Send screenshots of the brand’s post analytics
  3. · If the post was on my page, I include 2-3 comments/DMs from my audience that showed how engaged and interested they were in the partnership·
  4. · If the post was on the company’s page, I take note of how well it performed in relation to other posts on their page (👉👉👉 STEAL THIS LINE: “I even noticed this post had roughly 2X the engagement of your other posts!”)

 CREATE A DECK THAT HIGHLIGHTS PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

OK, so this step definitely takes a bit of work, but in my experience, it has landed me countless 5-figure deals. 

If you’ve had a successful partnership with a brand, and you want to work together again, you’re going to want to reach out about 2 weeks after your follow-up email with a DECK.

This 4-6 page pitch deck outlines what it would look like if you worked together for the rest of the year. 

Here’s what goes inside my own pitch deck every time: 

  1. · Reiterate my USP + what I bring to the table
  2. · Recap our previous partnership stats
  3. · Show other notable partnerships I’ve done
  4. · Create 2 tiers of possible long-term partnerships (I like offering a 1-post per month option or a 1-post every-other-month option. This gives the brand the ability to consider a higher and lower price point!)

When creating your pitch, also offer some specific ideas for posts to show how dedicated you are. For example, if I were pitching a jam company, I might suggest a Mother’s Day brunch post using their orange marmalade and a holiday post around fig jam. You know, seasonally-appropriate things! 

And that, friend, is how it’s done. 

Simply make sure the brand knows what makes working with you so special, follow up after the one-off post, and then actually give them the opportunity to work more with you.  

Follow these steps and soon you’ll be ROLLING in so many long-term partnerships, you might just have to raise your rates. 😉