LET’S GET TO PITCHIN’
It’s never been a better time to enter the world of blogging. You can turn it from a side hustle into a full-time career within a few short years. While monetizing your blog with ads and affiliate links is important, this passive income can only go so far. Working with brands in your niche will grow your following and boost the credibility of your blog.
Even as a micro-blogger, you can pitch yourself to some of the biggest companies in the industry. We’re taking a look at how to pitch to brands and what you should consider with pricing.
MEDIA KITS
The first thing you need to create is a media kit. This document serves as an overview of your blog and what you stand for. You want to incorporate details about yourself and how you connect with your community. Don’t be afraid to make it unique and let your personality shine through. Brands want to work with content creators that they feel embody their brand’s aesthetic and philosophy.
Media kits look different depending on your niche, but you want to include some core statistics about your online engagement and social media profiles. You’ll want to add this media kit as part of your pitch to the brand. How to design one? Download Canva, it’s an amazing resource for all things graphics, template and more! And it’s free!
PITCHING TO BRANDS
If you’re reaching out to a brand, you want to make sure you’re hitting the right tone. Show the brand that you’re familiar with their work and how your blog can complement their aesthetic. You want to start by introducing who you are and what your brand stands for. The worst thing you can do is send a blanket message out to a dozen or more brands just asking to “collab”.
The marketing department for these brands will be getting hundreds of emails a week from bloggers, so you want to help yourself stand out from the crowd. If you’ve previously featured their brand on your content, make sure to mention this in your pitch. You could suggest a way to collaborate, whether on your blog or social media or open up the conversation to see how you can work together.
PRICING
The one thing that catches people out is deciding how to price their services. Blogging is still a relatively new career, and it takes a lot of hustling and working late nights to get your blog off the crowd. Don’t expect to be charging a four-figure rate right out the gate. As you start to collaborate with more brands and grow your following, you can change your pricing structure.
Even as a micro-blogger, brands will focus on your engagement and ability to reach a niche demographic they wouldn’t typically interact with. Keep in mind the professional services you offer, like styling, design or photography. Don’t be afraid to ask for your typical photography rate even if you’re a “micro”. Something to think about, if you took out the “influencer” part out of the equation, these brands would still have to pay you for your professional work delivered. Don’t devalue your expertise and talent just because your follower account may not be in the 50k+. You wouldn’t expect an amazing photographer who has 250 followers charge you $0 for a photo session, so why would a brand think the same?
DO SOME RESEARCH
A quick look around online will find you contradicting information. Some people claim to charge a few hundred dollars per Instagram post, while others charge thousands. As a new blogger, you’ll be charging a lower rate while still creating quality content to get you noticed. Do what makes you feel comfortable. You still want to make sure you’re paying yourself for your time and work.
The easiest way to work out your pricing is to set a rate for each type of content, whether it’s a Reel, TikTok video, blog post, or Instagram photo.
I hope these tips helped you get started, if you have anymore questions feel free to dig deeper and shoot me an email! I’d love to help you out!
