How to collaborate with travel brands
“How to collaborate with travel brands” – Hey there fellow travelers! Have you ever dreamt of collaborating with your favorite travel brands and turning your passion into a career? Well, buckle up and get ready for the ride of a lifetime, because I’m about to share some juicy insider tips on how to partner with travel brands and make your mark in this exciting new industry! Let’s dive in, shall we?
Establish your personal travel brand
As much as we all want to jump right into the deep end, you FIRST need to establish yourself as a credible and trustworthy influencer. Travel brands are looking for influencers who can offer a genuine, engaging, authentic experience for their followers. Perhaps more importantly, they’re also look for someone who can deliver measurable results for the brand.
So, wondering how can you be a Travel Influencer? I wrote that longer article for you. Figure out, what do you represent? What kind of traveler are you? Create a consistent and aesthetically pleasing feed that showcases your travels and lifestyle.
Check out my clients Jessica Serna and Ismail Mpiana below who have very defined travel and food brands.
Get noticed by brands
Flirt with brands by talking about them in your stories, or give them a shoutout when you see something cool that they’re trying. While you’re not getting paid for these mentions, consider these actions “paying it forward.” Brands want to collab with influencers who are familiar with and natural fans of what they have to offer!
Create a media kit
Your media kit is a resumé-meets-portfolio that you can give to brands. It should outline hard numbers like your audience demographics, engagement rates, and conversion rates on previous collaborations. It sells you when you’re not in the room.
Pitch yourself as an Influencer to brands
Once you have established yourself as an interesting, authentic, and reliable influencer, it’s time to start pitching yourself to travel brands.
Do your research. You want to make sure the travel destination aligns with both your values and your aesthetic. Check their socials, their website or blog, and research their past collaborations to make sure they’re the right brand for you.
It’s also important to consider whether the brand is a good fit for your audience — will your followers be interested in the brand and what they offer? By doing your due dilligence, you’ll be able to create authentic and successful partnerships that benefit you, your audience, and the brand.
How to email a brand for a collaboration
You can do this via email or by sliding into their DMs. You’ll want to introduce yourself and explain why you believe you would be a good fit for their brand and how you can offer value to their campaign.
Pro tip : When you’re pitching, be sure to highlight the benefits you’ll bring to the table. Share *some* creative ideas for how you can showcase their brand in an engaging and authentic way to your followers (but keep some of that good good for when they’ve signed on the dotted line). Offer statistics and previous results from other collaborations to show the brand that you have a track record of success.
Collaboration agreements
If the brand is interested in collaborating with you, great! Now’s the time to establish clear expectations and deliverables. I know you’re champing at the bit to get paid, but proceed with caution. Read through the ENTIRE contract, and use it as a jumping off point.
Contrary to what you might think, contracts aren’t just some complicated piece of legalese the companies throw in the puzzle to stump you. They’re actually where they outline important parts of the agreement, like what they are paying you for.
In addition to the contract, make sure to read through ALL the documents we send your way. They’re usually quite careful to include things like your itinerary, the hashtags you should be using, and the social account tags you should be referencing.
This is a non-negotiable. In fact, it’s considered the most basic form of preparation for your trip! The brand has already assembled the information, so do them the favor of giving it at least a once-over.
Negotiate brand offers
Also, remember, the first offer is just that: a FIRST offer. More often than not, you’re going to need to do some negotiating. Make sure you’re clear on what you are supposed to provide in terms of content, and when you will deliver it. You’ll also want to discuss compensation and any other logistical details upfront so that there are no surprises later on.
Pro tip : If you’ve loved this article, sign up for my weekly newsletter HERE. It’s full of industry insights, brand negotiation tips and scripts, events I’m attending, perspective on how to grow your Influencer business and more. I keep it pretty scrappy and real – would love you to join us over there! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
