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Creator's Academy

How to pitch a brand as a content creator

Pitching yourself to other brands can be intimidating, especially if you’re just starting your #PawjourrCreator journey. As a new face, you may be wondering “How do I secure partnerships?”, “Am I good enough for the job?” Well, all you have to do is ask!

How do you ask? Through pitch emails and even decks! While creators with larger profiles are commonly approached by these brands for partnerships, partnerships can form the other way round.

What is a brand pitch?

A brand pitch is designed to convince a brand to work with you. It should include:

  • A brief introduction of yourself including statistics of your profile audience 
  • What you love about their brand/product 
  • Media kit with your own rates
  • Past partnerships/experience

How do you pitch to brands as a creator?

The importance of these pitches is to convey what you can offer and why you’re the perfect influencer for the job. Less on how badly you want the job. Remember to keep the pitch brief – within 2 to 3 paragraphs – as an overview of your performance in achieving various campaign objectives; building awareness or increasing conversions.

While 2 to 3 paragraphs might seem very short, a proper structure can help make the most of your “word count”:

  1. The perfect hook
  2. Introduce yourself 
  3. Why you love the brand/product 
  4. Include your media kits and quote your rates
  5. Call-to-action (CTA)

#1: The perfect hook

Whenever you’re applying for the campaign, remember that the person receiving it is probably receiving hundreds of applications too. So make sure yours stands out among hundreds by keeping it short, direct, and memorable.

It should also include the benefits to the brand, and including emojis or small greetings helps to grab attention. 

The goal here is to convince the reader to read the entirety of your pitch. 

#2: Introduce yourself

This section can be kept as short as possible! The quickest way is to direct them to your profile. So don’t forget to add in links straight away. Highlight and showcase your personal brand by focusing on information that really matters – what makes you stand out from the crowd. 

#3: Why you love the brand/product

Brands gravitate towards influencers who have used their products, and loving them is a bonus! Working with a brand that you love makes the partnership a lot more genuine, allowing you to come up with content easily.

While writing your pitch, use these prompts to get the ball rolling:

  • What about their product/service that stands out to you?
  • Has the brand done anything specific that resonated with you?
  • Does the brand value and mission align with yours?

Show them that there’s a reason you’re reaching out to them, and you’ve done your research. Give them an outline on how you want to work together within a sentence or two.

Pro-tip: by focusing on shared values, brands are more likely to view you as a perfect fit. 

#4: Include a media kit and quote your rates

When pitching to brands, having a media kit helps to highlight your work. Think of it like a CV or portfolio! Important information to include:

  • Your bio and contact information
  • Your audience’s demographic – age, country, gender, and interests
  • Previous partnerships and testimonies (optional but appreciated)
  • Overview of your rates

By including your rates, brands are able to save time by gauging whether they have enough budget to partner with you. 

With Pawjourr, you can save the hassle with the Creator Dashboard. As a #PawjourrCreator, your details are automatically saved in your profile where brands can view them in an instant. While applying for campaigns, you can also  quote your own rates depending on the job!

#5: Call-to-action (CTA)

You may think that your write-up has ended here, but remember what you want your reader to do, after reading your pitch. Don’t forget to let them know how to contact you in the future, especially if they plan to continue the conversation.  And always give your pitch a second read, to avoid any spelling mistakes which can form a bad impression.

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Brand's Resources

Instagram scheduling – and what it means for brands

If you haven’t already heard, Instagram has just released a brand new function for creators. So, buckle up ‘cause you’re in for a treat!

What’s new on Instagram?

Wait for it… an in-app scheduling tool!

This new update comes in after weeks of testing with selected users, and it’s officially available for professional accounts on the platform. With this new tool, creators can schedule Photo and Carousel posts, and Reels up to 75 days in advance — doesn’t that sound sick?

And that’s not all! Instagram has also launched “Achievements” celebrating the efforts Instagram creators have put into their Reels. 

How does the in-app scheduling work?

Looking to schedule your first Instagram Reel? Head over to “Advanced Settings”, where you can find “Schedule this post”. Select the time and date that you want the post to go live, click “Schedule” and there, you’re set!

There are three ways you can unlock various “Achievements”:

  1. Collaborate with other creators on the platform using Add Yours stickers, or collab tools 
  2. Interact with the community by making your Reels more interactive (with stickers like Polls, Quizzes, etc.)
  3. Join conversations by using trending audio or effects

How does it change the way you work?

SAVE TIME

Whether you’re a creator or working as a social media manager, you’d know all too well about third-party scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Planoly, used to schedule posts on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even LinkedIn.

You’d also know that these tools are not 100% foolproof and might fail you from time to time. However, you can now save time with Instagram’s latest feature. You no longer have to jump across multiple third-party tools and tabs just to schedule a single carousel post. 

SAVE COST

That’s not the only thing you’re saving! These third-party scheduling tools do come with a price; a subscription fee. Now, with Instagram’s in-app scheduling feature, you no longer need subscription plans across multiple tools. I’m talking about $20 to $50 a month per tool, so if you’re currently subscribed to multiple, that’d be almost $100  — creators and brands rejoice!

EASY TO USE

If you own a creator account, and you aren’t scheduling your posts, now’s the time to do so. By scheduling your post, you’re able to upload real-time updates. For example, if you’re hoping to upload seasonal posts or preparing for product launches, scheduling allows you to post them at the exact date and time you want. 

Additionally, you can now work with a better schedule as it allows you to plan your content accordingly. Rushing through content and only posting whenever you’re done can lead to inconsistency in your feed. Furthermore, your posts can get lost in your follower’s feed or drowned out by the algorithms, if you have a sporadic posting schedule.  

Instagram’s newest feature makes it convenient for creators who are new to scheduling. 

Conclusion

Instagram’s latest tool allows you to accomplish what some of the aforementioned third-party tools can’t (like Carousel posts, location tagging, etc.). Which is bound to come in handy with the holiday season coming up. What are you waiting for? Get to scheduling!

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Creator's Academy

Paid Collaborations vs Product Sponsorships

Paid Collaborations and Product Sponsorships may seem like the same thing, but this can’t be further from the truth. Well, you’re in luck! We’re here to cover the key differences and similarities between these common incentivizing methods that brands are in love with.

Read on to find out how you can use your newfound knowledge to your advantage!

What are the differences?

Paid Collaborations are collaborations that often result in an exchange of products and monetary rewards for content. 

Product Sponsorship is when a product is gifted, or reimbursed in exchange for content. 

This content can come in various forms, videos, posts, or blog articles – just to name a few.

How you can benefit from them

You might be the new kid on the block, and you’re looking to make money by becoming an influencer. It can be daunting when you’re not entirely sure about the distinct rewards that supplement Paid Collaborations and Product Sponsorships. Fret not, cause we got you!

Product Sponsorships

As a fresh creator on social media, you should definitely look out for Product Sponsorships!

Product Sponsorships aren’t bad by any means. In fact, they are a great way to build an audience with up-and-coming products that might just be the next big thing. It allows you to try different products and be more honest with your audience, boosting your credibility on the platform.

Smaller brands (and even bigger ones), love handing out free products to niche communities of influencers. Why? Because it increases visibility, which in turn generates sales

And how does it benefit you? it allows them to leverage the content you’ve created for marketing purposes — in turn bringing more coverage for your own influencer branding! 

Photo credit: @herro_im_bo

Paid Collaborations

Paid Collaborations aka. Paid Partnerships are very popular, especially on Instagram. A higher number of followers and percentage of engagement allows you to quote for higher rates. However, there are more benefits to it than just monetary ones. 

By taking on these Paid Collaborations, you can increase your number of followers, and working with various brands allows you to reach accounts that relate to them. When your followers increase, your monetary gains will also increase adjunctively!

Photo credit: @teddy.the.prince

Things to take note

While it’s great to accept what comes your way, it’s also equally important to align yourself with brands that fit your own branding. You wouldn’t want to promote a product/service that doesn’t resonate with your audience. 

It is also a misconception that unpaid campaigns are bad. There are countless brands that exclusively run product-only campaigns. 

Relationships are a fundamental part of influencer marketing. Consider cultivating a long-term partnership with various brands. This way, you can organically recommend their products/services rather than one-time posts that may bring down your credibility. 

This is very important because the recommendations and reviews you make do contribute to the consumer’s purchasing decision.  

Conclusion

Remember, whether you’re a full-time influencer or doing it as a side hustle, there is always a slice of the ‘money pie’ for everyone — so have fun, get out there, and explore the diverse world of influencer marketing!