Influencer sponsorships are highly coveted by anyone who wants to become an influencer. Collabs serve as sort of a form of validation that you’ve made it. If you’re new to the world of influencer marketing, you’re most likely lost on how, when and where to start. It’s nothing to be ashamed of; influencer marketing is still in its baby stages.

I’ve been an influencer since 2012, and have landed sponsorships on Instagram almost the entire time, but I am still learning something new about the industry every day! And you know what I’ve found?

It, then, creates 3 problems:

1. It enables brands to take advantage of influencers who don’t know any better (ahem check my last post),
2. Influencers lose on a lot of money they could be making working with brands, and
3. It feeds influencers’ impostor syndrome because influencers put so much importance on the numbers than the actual value of their work.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I am a huge advocate for collaboration over competition. I am incredibly passionate about helping nano- and microinfluencers navigate their way around collabs, actually master the art of brand sponsorships on Instagram, and become an influencer with impact.

So I’m here to squash these myths and give you the truth! And if you read until the end, I have a Labor Day offer!

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5 Myths About Influencer Sponsorships You Should Debunk

1. “We don’t have a budget right now” means they won’t pay me

Almost 90% of the time that you cold pitch to brands, you will get some variation of these words: “We don’t have a budget right now”. But it doesn’t mean they won’t pay you. This is usually code for: “We’re not sure you’re worth spending money on yet”.

Brands ALWAYS have a budget on collabs, so it’s up to you to use this unpaid opportunity to either

• prove your worth and value with the brand to land a paid collaboration with them in the future, or
• build your portfolio for the next brand that will be happy to pay you.

2. I can start getting paid collabs once I hit 10k followers

I’ll tell you right now, this is very untrue, because I used to think this myself. It might have been true a few years ago, but it’s definitely a false statement now. More and more brands are finding value in the power of investing in nanoinfluencers (<10k followers) because of how nurtured and engaged their audience is.

I’ve heard a lot of influencers say that they want to wait until they have 10k to pitch to brands because they want enough “social proof” with the follower count, but I’m sorry to say that’s your impostor syndrome talking. I have friends who have landed paid collabs with just 2,000 followers because they’re confident with what they have to offer.

3. The only way I’ll make serious money on influencer sponsorships is if I have 50K followers

NOPE NOPE NOPE! We’ve all been led to believe that you need over 50K followers and a huge fan base to make a substantial income on influencer sponsorships. I’m here to tell you this is false, and I’m living proof of it.

Like I mentioned on my previous point, brands prefer to partner with nano- and microinfluencers more because they see the ROI of working with a bunch of smaller influencers than 1 macroinfluencer (or celebrity). And brands who value authentic connection WILL pay if you’re confident to leverage those strengths.

Last year alone, I made about $35,000 off sponsorships on Instagram on top of my demanding engineering job at less than 30,000 followers! And this year, because I’m digging deeper and mastering the art of pitching and negotiating, I’m able to exceed this amount with less #ads and more high-paid collabs, which freed up my time to focus on other projects. I’m confident about my skills and experience that I land 4-figure partnerships a lot of influencers with double my size either are afraid to ask because they don’t want to lose the project, or just don’t know how to ask for.

4. Partnership offers will just land on my Inbox when I’m famous enough

Trust me when I say this is completely false. PR & Marketing professionals are always doing research on influencers they can potentially work with on their campaigns. They look at hashtags, location, niche and a lot of factors before they get down to names. It’s also essential to build relationships with these people so you’re always top of mind!

When I worked with MLB, I was legit shocked that I would be someone they would work with because I’ve only posted about the Dodgers maybe 2 times on my Instagram. The same happened with Sirius XM. Why? I’m no big shot influencer!

So if you want to become an influencer and land your dream collabs, being in a position of value to begin with is KEY. Landing partnership offers has very little to do with clout or your fan base.

5. I don’t have a big audience on other platforms, so I don’t need to charge to promote my posts there

This is a myth that influencers (and brands) need to debunk ASAP. Too many times I’ve seen campaigns asking to amplify Instagram posts on other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. And because most influencers are mostly focused on sponsorships on Instagram, they aren’t familiar with the ROI for optimizing a post on other platforms… which is actually a huge money bucket you’re giving away for free.

Just because you already did the work for Instagram doesn’t mean you don’t need to charge to promote the same content outside of the ‘gram. This also goes for when a brand asks for rights to use your digital media. STOP LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE.

How Do I Get Started Working with Brands on Influencer Sponsorships?

If you’re a new influencer, my number one piece of advice is for you to solidify your brand and to know exactly what you can offer a brand by working with you. The influencer industry is growing exponentially by the second, and it’s VITAL for you to stand out by leveraging those strengths to provide value to brands that they will pay for. Being confident in your brand and knowing your strengths from the inside out will put you in a position of authority. Companies will hire you because of your expertise, not because you’re famous or because of your numbers.

I wrote my Ultimate Guide to Landing Your First Collab eBook for my Influencer Starter Kit because I want to help influencers succeed in brand collabs from the very beginning. I especially want new influencers to learn how to navigate around influencer sponsorships and know which ones are legit and on-brand. I want you to learn from my mistakes and my experience.

There are over 60+ strategies that will help you to

• land more influencer sponsorships
• know how to find brands to contact
• turn gifted collabs into paid partnerships
• pitch from a position of authority, and
• get paid more for what you’re truly worth as a content creator and influencer.

And it also comes with tools to help you get started, like

• 3 Email Pitch templates
• a 1-Page Media Kit template
• 5 Lightroom Mobile presets, and
• a BONUS guide called “10+ Hacks to Take Your IG to the Next Level”

LET’S GET THIS BRAND!

Limited Time Only: Labor Day Special!

This upcoming Labor Day, September 7, 2020, I’m bringing back my Influencer Starter Kit* BONUS, the Group LIVE Coaching call with me and my manager, Josh Watson from Boost Society, FOR ONLY 3 DAYS! If you think I know a lot about influencer marketing, he is even more knowledgeable than I am about the business side of this industry.

He manages some of your favorite influencers like @lisahomsy, @professionaltraveler, @haylsa and @saltyluxe just to name a few!

During this call, we will be talking about:

• Pitching from a position of value and how to stand out
• Negotiating
• PR Agencies and what brands are looking for
• How to figure out rates
• Other ways influencers can make money
• Working with a manager
• … AND SO MUCH MORE!

This $300 value coaching call will be included with the Influencer Starter Kit, FREE!

SIGN ME UP!

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