Three New Ways To Show Brands You Care
Over the years, I have written a few articles about showing brands that you care. Caring is a simple ingredient that can lead to extraordinary, long-lasting relationships. There are countless ways to show brands you care, but here are three new ways I’ve observed in the last few months that I think all creators should consider.
Negotiate Standard Terms and Stick To Them:
Contract negotiations are never fun, but they are important for outlining the terms of a partnership. Without exception, every sponsorship you enter should have a contract. However, that doesn’t mean you need to negotiate new contract terms after every piece of content. Instead, tell a brand up front I would like to negotiate the first contract with you, and in turn, this contract can serve as the template we use for all future sponsored integrations. That way, you have created a clear vision for how you plan to engage with one another, and you are signaling to the brand that while this first round of contract edits may take some time, you are setting up the partnership for long-term success. The key here is sticking to your word. When future contracts are written, be sure to only ask for revisions that are vitally important to the success and safety of both parties.
Get On A Zoom Call To Learn The Brand / Product:
There are many benefits to entering into a Zoom call with a brand before creating content. This gives you time to ask important questions about the product, what makes a great ad read, how they measure success, etc. Secondly, it gives brands confidence that you will deliver on your promise of a great ad integration. Through that confidence, brands will likely be willing to pay you more, so the return on investment of a short video call can be high. The key is showing up on time, being professional, asking thoughtful questions, and conveying that you care.
Send a Script Before Filming
Edits and reshoots are not fun for creators or brands. It may feel like a brand is overbearing with its edit requests, but that can be avoided if you write a script and send it in for approval before filming. One important tip, make sure all of your communication around the script is documented in writing. If you cover a script with a brand over the phone, a lot can be lost, and there can be confusion come content creation time. Instead, get the script and any edits in writing to ensure you can point back to any direction from the brand if post-production edit requests are made. It will save both parties a ton of time!
