3 Key Factors to Consider in Sponsorship Opportunities
Social media sponsorship opportunities can be and are extremely exciting for both the brand and the creator. But with that being said, it is extremely easy to get caught up in the numbers aspect of sponsorships, constantly thinking: How much can I charge? What is the increase from last time? How much time will it take to do this sponsorship? How many pieces of content do I need?
All are very valid questions that are integral to closing a fair sponsorship deal. But there is another question that many influencers should keep in mind: How does this brand resonate with me and my audience?
Nobody likes to be overtly sold to; there is something to be said about a good quality, well-placed, and well-thought out sponsorship and a major contributing factor to creating one is authenticity.
This is why it is imperative that content creators pick and choose brands that they feel resonate with their personal interests, their audience’s interests, and their existing unique branding.
So, you’re a creator looking to pursue more sponsorships, handle sponsorship inquiries, and/or looking to enhance your existing sponsorships, here are a few steps to follow:
1. Research.
The key is to understand the brand, their mission, and their goals with your content.
The brand, in most circumstances, has done their research on you, the creator. They know the vertical they would like to target, they know how you fit into it, they know what type of content they are looking to be included in. It falls onto the creator to vet the brand just as much as the brand vetted them.
Creators should look at the website of the brand in question, their reviews, their mission, and other content that they have released with other creators.
This is the first checkpoint of deciding whether or not to move forward with this brand. You, as the creator, should ask yourself: Could I see myself using and benefiting from this product or service? Do I see this product or service fitting into my existing content and branding?
If all checks out, the next step is to begin a conversation with the brand. Which brings us to Step 2.
2. Begin a conversation:
Beginning a dialogue with a brand is very important as it provides the opportunity to both connect with the brand representatives and learn some more insider knowledge about how the brand operates. Plus, this is where all the number negotiation happens and where deliverables can be discussed.
Schedule a meeting or call, outline questions via email, discuss precisely what the brand is looking for and how it could fit within the existing content of your channel.
If you like the brand, you like the representative, and If terms are able to be agreed upon, the next step is to try the product or service personally. Always try to do some negotiating before trying the product
3. Experience the brand from a customer perspective.
This step serves many purposes. The first being to ensure that the product or service meets expectations and is an overall positive experience. The second is to use the product or service and be able to show audience members what is being sold in action.
Experiencing the brand as a customer will provide the third and final checkpoint in deciding whether or not to move forward. This is how the creator experiences what is being sold from their audience’s perspective.
It also allows creators to speak from a true place of experience when discussing the brand on their channel, leading to a more authentic and digestible experience for their audience. Audience members can sense when a creator is just reading a script versus when you truly immersed yourself in what you are speaking about.
If the overall experience is positive in all respects, sign the contract and move forward with the sponsorship. I recommend doing so in that order too: general or specific negotiation of rate and deliverables, then product trial, then sign the contract and finalize the sponsorship.
It is imperative that creators vet their brands prior to accepting sponsorships. Vetting brands and trying products can and will ensure an authentic experience and integration for both the creator, brand, and audience. Brands do their own research to ensure that a creator is a fit, it is time for creators to begin and continue doing the same to the brands.
See more about promoting Authenticity in your integrations with the article “Brand Integrations: The art of promoting authenticity through alignment”.
If you are a creator and looking to work with great brands, apply to be a creator on the InfluenceLogic website.
