Can you still get booked for sponsored gigs as a blogger or influencer?
YES.
Can you still make a good income with paid content?
YES!
It is harder than it used to be, but I am finding there is still plenty of sponsored campaigns to go around. Most of them are for more short-form content (like Instagram and IG stories). For sponsored blog posts, there are less opportunities, but they are paying more and booking influencers and bloggers for more long-term contracts (6 mos. to a year).
How can you use this to your advantage? One way to land more sponsored and paid work to really rock the sponsored campaigns that you already have.
Most PR companies and brands want to work with content creators whom they’ve already built a relationship with. You can make more money by exceeding the expectations of work you’ve already booked.
I’ve been landing a nice amount of paid work even through the pandemic, and I want to show you how you can, too.
Here’s how to rock your sponsored content (and keep brands coming back):
Go above and beyond
When working with brands, something I’ve always done is to under-promise and over-deliver. If the brand wants a blog post with a minimum of 500 words, then I craft a well-written post with 750+ words. If they mentioned a minimum of 3-4 original high quality photos, I always add 5 to 6.
Is it more work? YES! But it can pay off by them offering you more paid work in the future. PR people and brand folk talk to one another and recommend content creators for other jobs, so the more you do for them, the more they will do for you.
Play up the details
The details are what really make your post stand out from the rest. For sponsored posts, I like to shoot really high quality well-lit photos. It’s a detail that can make your post POP and brands love amazing photography. While I am not an expert photographer, I do have a good DSLR camera and a eye for capturing a story, so I try to play up that angle well.
Flat-lays are great but play up the details much more. Do an in focus/out of focus shot featuring the product or brand in the background. Focus in on one thing, and make that be the center of your post and frame everything around that.
Playing up those kinds of details will rally them to book you for more paid work.
Throw in extras
I always try to throw in extras when it comes to campaigns (especially if they are paying well, and I want to work with them again). For instance, if the scope of work includes a Instagram post, story, and Facebook post, I will also throw in a Twitter post too and add the link to my robust newsletter. I also send screenshots of the extras to my contact so they can see what I’ve done, and if the metrics are good, I will send those too.
The more ROI you can give them, the better.
Study the brand and their messaging
What a lot of bloggers and influencers get wrong is that they are using the talking points sent in the brief for the content to craft a story and/or post. But talking points are just that—they are an appetizer, they are not a full meal.
When working on a campaign, study it. Look at the messaging. Go to the brand’s website and social media and see what the messaging pillars are. Ask questions if you need to to get a true understanding of the brand and what they are trying to convey.
Always stay as authentic as possible and craft your messaging around your real life and how that brand fits into your life. Dive deeper. Take your time to create your story and understand your audience so that it can resonate with them.
Get your colleagues involved
Blogging is a village, so get your village involved. You want your posts and content to do well, so ask your village to share, like, and comment on your sponsored work. There is a group of us who regularly repost, like, and comment on each other’s content to make help spread the message and the views.
This is no time for ego. I know there are some who don’t like to ask for help, but in this business, it’s necessary. Tap into your village, and if you don’t have one, it’s time to assemble it now. Let’s say you have 85,000 followers total. But your friend and colleague as 100,000. So now, there’s a possible 185,000 eyeballs on your content. Get five people to share it and WOW!
Look at what’s already out there
Whenever I am beginning a campaign, I always try to see who else is participating. Since oftentimes, our content is due on different days, I will scope out what other content creators are doing. This helps me see what’s already out there so I can try to do something different.
The moral of this story? There’s still money to be made as an influencer, content creator, and blogger, BUT you have to work smarter. Implementing the things I mentioned above will help you land more gigs and rock the ones that are already coming your way.
What do you think of my suggestions? How will you be using them in your next sponsored or paid campaign?
