Ethical Fashion sustainable

HOW TO WORK WITH BRANDS + REMAIN AUTHENTIC

October 1, 2019

Guest Post for Ethical Influencers !

Want to work with brands, but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you’ve already worked with a few businesses, but you feel like you’ve lost your way? It is so important to be authentic with the brands you work with not only for your reputation but for the planet!

Find out how to stay true to yourself – and work with brands whose values you share – in this week’s guide, kindly written by Sonya Vajifdar.

HOW TO WORK WITH ETHICAL BRANDS
It was a new space for me to work with ethical brands when I started and I think it’s one of the best career moves I’ve made so far! I own my own high fashion ethical brand so I know all the problems that come with dealing with influencers, bloggers and PR companies.Many things have been promised and not met expectations and with all that experience under my belt I decided to take the plunge.It is so important to work with brands and be as authentic as possible

It’s very important to be up-front and transparent with the brand as to what you are offering and how much you can do for them. Big expectations can lead to disappointment on both the brand and the blogger’s sides .  It is important to agree on a plan of action each time you work together.

Here’s my list of points for all those in the ethical blogging /PR game to keep things fair and make everyone happy.

4 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN WORKING WITH BRANDS
Working with brands is a big part of being an Ethical Influencer! We want to represent those brands that care and put time into making sure what they do is true to their own values. When these line up, it’s a perfect opportunity to collaborate. However, there a few things to consider before signing up to work with a brand…

1. CREATE A MEDIA KIT
Marketing yourself is very important – many bloggers use a media kit to highlight their best stats and collaboration opportunities.

It might be tempting to use a fancy media kit to promote yourself to brands and get them on board .However the more concise and to the point the media kit is, the better and faster the client will get an idea of what you stand for. They do not want to go through pages of which brands you have worked for.

A simple way of doing it is to provide brands with your key numbers (i.e. followers/readers) and your niche.

It is also extremely important to be absolutely authentic in your media kit, with maybe a great representative picture as well!

2. PITCH YOURSELF TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE
When it comes to pitching to brands, be extremely thoughtful that most ethical brands are small .Thus cannot ship all over the world just for you to have your picture taken in their outfit.

They need a bit more than that – slow fashion and beauty is harder to create and is a more expensive process as well  . So be mindful that your following should be one that appreciates and actually wants to buy the products.

I usually always do a test run with a brand I approach before I start formally working with them  . This way they know what I can do for them and then decide if they want to work with me.

3. SET YOUR PRICING ACCORDINGLY
Ethical brands understand how difficult it is to work on their passion project and make it into their career . This is very similar to bloggers and influencers. Your pricing may well be scrutinized more by ethical brands .  However, I definitely do not think influencers need to work for free. Fairtrade is as important for the brand as it is for the person making the effort to promote the brand as well!

One thing I recommend is to build up your reputation as an influencer before asking for payments. The brands do need to see some reach as well!

4. WORK ON CO-PROMOTIONS
You may find a brand that is open to providing free products or services in exchange for promotion. If you’re open to creating content in return for free items. You may wish to invite the brand to co-promote the content you create for them. Getting them to share your content and accredit it to you on their own platform provides greater exposure. Then their followers may start following you too.

You could also do this with fellow influencers to build your following – co-promote and create content together! The age of competition is behind us and the more we work together, the more we rise together!


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20 Comments

  • Reply Patricia M. October 2, 2019 at 3:03 am

    These are all great tips for someone that is just starting like me. I love when seasoned bloggers and influencers give the newbies some tips.

  • Reply Nate October 2, 2019 at 3:04 am

    I’ve always wondered about the brands because I am still looking for my first one. I will bookmark this and come back to it

  • Reply Art & Home October 2, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    It is a delicate balancing act between remaining authentic and making a living doing what you love. One thing I ALWAYS make clear (as you called out) is that you cannot buy a positive review from my. Even if it’s a sponsored post, the opinions are and will always be mine and mine alone.

    • Reply sonya vajifdar October 2, 2019 at 5:52 pm

      Yes exactly !

  • Reply Laura October 2, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    These tips are so useful. You gave few ideas to think about, so thank you x

    Laura
    https://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.com/

    • Reply sonya vajifdar October 2, 2019 at 5:52 pm

      Thank you !

  • Reply HilLesha October 2, 2019 at 11:38 pm

    These are tried and true tips, especially having a media kit. Having a media kit is so important!

  • Reply tweenselmom October 3, 2019 at 12:22 am

    The idea about the co-promotions is great. I didn’t think much of it until now. Thanks so much!

  • Reply Norma October 3, 2019 at 12:35 am

    Fantastic advise on how to work with brands. It’s not easy to be authentic and at the same time promote products. Great that the opinions are always your own.

  • Reply Celebrate Woman Today October 3, 2019 at 3:07 am

    A beautiful and powerful post. You spoke from your experience and reached the hearts of those who’ve read it.

  • Reply Shadrack biwot October 3, 2019 at 4:38 am

    This are great ideas. This can really help me as am starting on my blogging journey

  • Reply Olya AMANOVA October 3, 2019 at 5:52 am

    Making a living by doing something you love is a blessing. Everyone who starts on this journey deserves praise.

  • Reply Maartje van Sandwijk October 3, 2019 at 10:09 am

    These are great tips! My blog doesn’t have nearly enough followers yet but I love the tip about a media kit!

  • Reply Maud October 3, 2019 at 9:26 pm

    These are great tips, thanks! I should definitely create a media kit for my blog. 😊

  • Reply berlin October 4, 2019 at 1:21 am

    love the tips here. i also appreciate that you share your personal success story for us to try for ourselves

  • Reply mudpiefridays October 5, 2019 at 12:24 am

    Thanks for this great tips, Being authentic is the way to go, Brands should know that they are paying you for you for a made up image .

    • Reply sonya vajifdar October 5, 2019 at 7:42 am

      exactly! Never over-promise !!

  • Reply Hailey October 5, 2019 at 12:51 am

    These are all great tips! The point about pricing I feel is especially important. I think it’s hard for many influencers to ask for what they deserve, me included! Especially when we want to work with a special brand, it’s easy to undercut ourselves.

    • Reply sonya vajifdar October 5, 2019 at 7:42 am

      Totally agree !!!! We tend to give in to brands wants !

  • Reply here November 24, 2019 at 9:14 am

    I just want to say I am all new to blogging and definitely enjoyed your website. Most likely I’m planning to bookmark your website . You certainly have terrific writings. Regards for sharing with us your blog.

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