How to get more brand deals as an Influencer
In this article, how to get more brand deals as an Influencer, I’m sharing my insider tips and strategies. I use them daily and they will help you start landing those dream partnerships. It doesn’t matter where you are in your content creator journey. Make today day 1 vs one day, okay?
Let’s be real—getting brand deals as an influencer isn’t just about having a ton of followers. With over hundreds of brand partnerships under my belt, I’ve learned a few things. Having more brand collabs is about knowing how to position yourself, pitch effectively, and build genuine relationships with brands.
As I write this article, I’ve closed over $6M in sponsored content on behalf of my clients. I’ve worked with small brands for $500 for a Twitter chat to upwards of six figure deals. Hear me speak on podcasts and at Influencer conferences about what I do, the creator economy and how to get started as either an Influencer or Influencer Talent Manager.
I invite you to poke around after reading this article to see all the helpful information and content I’ve written in my blog for you. If you’re searching high and low across the google for information on how to grow your Instagram organically, how to make money on Instagram and more, I’m here for you.
Aside from my mom who is my #1 fan, in 2020, Talking Influence included me on their list of Influencer Top 50. In 2024, Hello Partner recognized me as a top 30 Female Leaders in the Creator Economy. My Talent Management Agency also had the honor via Beacons to be recognized as a top Creator Agency in 2024.
1. Attend Influencer Marketing conferences
Going to Influencer Marketing Conferences such as the Influencer Marketing Show or Creator Economy Live are great ways to expand your network. You’ll meet people who work on behalf of Influencer Agencies and brands who partner with influencers. You get direct access to the decision makers who coordinate and cast for brand deals. Personally I always find that I get great creative inspiration & love the quality time I spend with people from attending conferences.
Attending Influencer Marketing conferences are great ways to get brand deals. You get to put a spotlight on your social media presence and your expertise. Make a point to take advantage of any speed networking the event offers, or after event parties to talk to industry people. When you engage with others and are part of the conversation about Instagram’s latest feature or a new transition trend for example, you can demonstrate that you’re an expert too.
Attend as many panel events as you can. Stand up, introduce yourself and ask a question to the panel or keynote speaker. Go up and introduce yourself to the speaker & get their contact information. Follow up afterwards with an email and a linkedin connection request.
2. Follow up on past agency outreach
When you’re looking to get more brand deals as an Influencer, most people overlook a list of warm leads already in their inbox. Anywho who works for an agency that has reached out to you in the past is someone you need to reconnect with. These people are familiar with your brand, you already have credibility with them.
When you circle back with someone who you’ve already connected with, it could be just the right timing for a campaign opportunity. Oftentimes when you first connect, the timing for a campaign collaboration doesn’t work out and that’s okay. But when you slide back into their inbox, it could be just the right divine timing for a new collaboration opportunity.
So many times when I drop a “hello, how are you and would love to reconnect” email to my network of influencer agency reps, it often results in work. That email gets my client’s name top of mind for a campaign.
3. Impress brands with a great media kit
Having an Influencer media kit is like your virtual calling card. It speaks for you in rooms that you can’t be in when brands are making lists of influencers they want to work with. Your media kit showcases your client portfolio, speaks to what your brand is all about and who your audience demographic is.
Honestly the popularity of media kits ebbs and flows but I’m a firm believer in having one. I have all my clients’ media kits linked out on their individual talent bio pages from my website. It’s a great way to get across information about each of them. Media kits also save me the time of having to always repeat myself. Believe me, it’s quite the time saver to say “attached is my media kit so you have all my important information handy”.
4. Have a “Work with Me” page on your website
A work with me page on your website is a great digital home base to tell anyone interested exactly how to work with you. Believe it or not, it’s a sales page, showcasing your expertise in your niche, giving important contact information and highlighting past brand campaigns. If you’ve ever had any media or PR opportunities, make sure to include those as well.
You can show and link out to your favorite brand collaborations that you’ve done on this page. It’s also where you talk about your audiences that you’ve built out across your social media pages. This page is also a clear, direct invite to brands to collaborate with you! You outline how you work with brands, the best way to get in touch with you and what type of content you enjoy creating.
Make sure to include testimonials from past brand partners as well as any screenshots of DMs or comments highlighting how your audience engages well with your content. My client Yvette Marquez of Muy Bueno Cooking has a great, robust Work with Me page you can see here.
5. Organically tag brands in your content
You have to flirt with the brands you want to work with. There’s no way around that in our world of Influencer Marketing. Brands have no shortage of creators who want to partner and they’re selecting collaboration partners from their converted fans and following. If you aren’t tagging brands in your organic content, you are missing opportunities to connect with brands.
When you tag brands organically it’s also a first step in building an authentic relationship. You’re building trust with your audience by showing that you do truly use and/or like the product. It used to be that you wouldn’t give anyway anything ie any content, free to the brands but that mindset has drastically changed.
If you refuse to mention brands unless they are paying you, guaranteed you’re missing out on collaborations. You have to take the first step and create content, that’s organic, with the brand. Showcase the company to your engaged audience first. Doesn’t matter if you’re a micro influencer, a small influencer or a mid-tier Influencer with a huge audience. Tag those brands and put their products into your content!
6. Engage on social with brands you want to work with
Right after organically tagging brands in your content, on the list above, engage with brands’ content online. Yes, I’m talking about you commenting on their posts and resharing to your Instagram stories with commentary. Those brands that you love and want to work with? Go knock on their (digital) door by showing up in their feeds and hanging out in their comments.
Don’t do it just once or twice. I recommend having a list of your top 15 brands and commit to regularly engaging with them on socials. Show that you’re paying attention, supporting them and are a true fan of their brand.
7. Unlock opportunities by pitching brands
Ask for what you want, right? If you want to land more brand deals as an Influencer, you can’t just sit and wait for them to come to you. You must get after them by pitching brands on collaboration opportunities.
This means sliding into a brand’s DM and asking for the contact information on who runs their influencer marketing campaigns. This means using google to find influencer marketing agencies and emailing them about who you want to work with on their client list.
Make the case for why you as a brand partner, including client testimonials and past examples of brand work. Highlight what’s in it for the brand and why partnering with you would be a boost for their sales.
Need help on how to reach out to brands? I’ve written two articles, How do I reach out to a brand for a collab and How do I approach brands for a paid collaboration that will help you.
8. Have the correct email address visible in your social media bio
This is the #1 pet peeve of people who cast for Influencer campaigns. They’ve identified an Influencer they want to work with but there’s no contact info such as an email or phone number readily visible. Worse than that, is that the email address they Influencer has listed is wrong or goes to an inbox they don’t check.
Make it easy for people to hire you for campaigns by making your email visible. I recommend putting it directly into your Instagram bio because the email button doesn’t exist (currently) for desktop users. Also worth noting, triple check you spell it correctly AND it’s an email address you check regularly. Make sure important emails aren’t going into your spam folder.
9. Have your location easily visible in your social media bio
The #2 pet peeve of people who cast for Influencer campaigns is not knowing where you’re located. Yes, I realize we all live online which has no geographic boundaries so you may be wondering, does this really matter? Yes, it absolutely does. If you don’t have your location in your bio, you are being overlooked for campaigns.
It matters when brands are expanding their store locations and want to work with a local influencer. How do they know that’s your? For travel influencers, destinations will want to partner with an Influencer in one of their top 3 origin markets (meaning where most of that destination’s tourists originate from). Put your location into your Instagram and Titkok bio.
10. Hire an Influencer Talent Manager
Working with an Influencer Talent Manager like myself is another way to get more brand deals. A successful, established Influencer Talent Manager will have a network of agency contacts and be known in the industry. I often receive casting requests from my network searching for a certain profile of Influencer(s). At times those casting calls are a fit for my roster, other times they aren’t. I always forward along those emails to my network of other Influencer Talent Managers.
Managers can also help you find more brand deals because we do a lot of networking, speaking at conferences and on podcasts within the Influencer Marketing industry. For my clients, I always make sure I’m following up with warm leads, past collaboration partners and anyone who has expressed interest in working with them.
I want to be very clear as not everyone is ready for an Influencer Talent Manager.
A manager doesn’t make you an Influencer. If you haven’t yet done any, or many, paid brand collabs you aren’t yet ready for a manager.
Perhaps you’re wondering if you’re ready for a manager? I wrote this article, Do you need an Influencer Manager or Agent? which is a great read to figure out if the time is right for you to seek management.
Securing more brand deals as an influencer requires a proactive and strategic approach. This is going to take some work as you can see by the list above. But I believe in you and your commitment to wanting to get more brand deals. By leveraging your unique strengths, actively networking, and consistently showcasing your value, you can attract the partnerships you desire.
The list above covers everything from attending conferences and crafting an impressive media kit to following up on past outreach and pitching brands directly. Each step you take brings you closer to getting more brand deals. Not everyone will be willing to put in the work to make their dreams come true. Will you?
Persistence and authenticity are key—stay true to your brand and your audience, and the right opportunities will follow. You’ve got this.
Once you’ve done the steps above and have brand deals in your inbox, I think you’ll want to read about how to reply when a brand asks for your rates.
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