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Creator's Academy

Sponsorships vs Exclusivity

Everybody knows what sponsorships are — at least vaguely. We last explored how to get your pet sponsored too. However, there is another category of partnerships. Exclusivity. How are they different? Is one better than the other? Lets know more about exclusivity and understand why it is an equally valid strategy for Pet Influencers.

Definitions

Exclusivity

Working with a brand for a set period of time. During this time, you are not allowed to promote any other brand. “Which brand” will depend on the contract — some exclusivities do allow you to work with other brands, so long as they are not in the same category, or competitors of the brand you are working with..

Because of that, exclusivities may be restrictive in its own way. When you’re promoting a brand as an exclusive ambassador, you won’t be able to promote other brands with us. If you have been offered an exclusive contract, do consider the benefits as well as the contract terms carefully before accepting.

Sponsorship

Promoting or a product, event, or activity to raise brand awareness for the client. Sponsorships are more flexible because of the requirements per sponsor — most tend to be a one-time project. Of course, brands would definitely want some commitment back. A good rule-of-thumb would be to avoid promoting similar products from other brands during your sponsorship.

Benefits

While exclusivity may restrict the number of offers you can take up at any one time, it’s not without its benefits. 

Sponsorships play at versatility. Because sponsorships tend to have a short campaign period, you can use the fast-paced premise of the jobs to get your name out to a wider audience much faster. Your followers and potential partners will see you on media and current events more often, which creates a lasting impression.Exclusivities however, are all about being selective. Having many sponsorships may get your pawpal seen in the early game, but over time you may have to balance your feed with more organic posts or risk losing authenticity. In the case of exclusivities, being selective and deliberate, signals to your potential partners that you are invested in their cause, not just their profits. Your words carry more weight because you chose to endorse these brands.

How to make the most out of each

Sponsorships : Form bonds, create long term connections

Sponsorships come and go really quickly. So one way to maximize your opportunities is to know not just your own audience, but also your partners’ usual audience. If you can engage them, your partners are more likely to  find you again to do more sponsorships.

Exclusivity : Think community-first, be wary of competitors

When speaking for your partner, always keep in mind how your audience will feel about you and the brand when you post something. Think about how your pawpal can stay true to themselves while still representing a brand. Take note of what your partner’s competitors are up to, and avoid working with them when your exclusivity ends.

Keen to have your furkid sponsored?
Join us to begin your journey here.

For more useful articles on pet influencing, click here.

Featured Photo by Ivan Babydov from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

How to get your pet sponsored

Now you have a Creator Account, and you know your Insights. The next grand step is to get brands to look at your furbaby. It’s time to strike a deal.

Know what makes your furbaby special

Like any other pawrent, our furbabies are our pride and joy. We know what makes them one of a kind, even if it isn’t as apparent to others. When showing your furbabies to the world, it’s important to know what makes them special, and present brands or topics related to them. That is a niche.

Profile : @kiki.catto on Instagram

When you have a niche, you can work with your furbaby to make an Instagram profile that specially features brands from that niche to attract their attention. For instance, @kiki.catto ‘s niche is in cat fashion, so their profile has been tailored to feature apparel and accessories.

Once you have built your niche, your audience will also shift to be those with similar interests as well. Brands and businesses will also start to identify you with that niche, and contact you for collaborations related to those.

The more your furbaby is comfortable with that specialty, the more content you can both present to potential partners.

Know the people in the scene

It goes without saying that if you have a niche, you should know who provides goods and services for that niche. If your pawpal is a homebody who prefers to laze around, you would not want to reach out to  sponsors for outdoor accessories for pets. In kopi.thedog ‘s case, Kopi is good at modelling, so her pawrent chose to let her represent brands like @_furristictales and @how.bow.that that allow her to stay true to her personality.


Profile : @kopi.thedog on Instagram

Reaching out to potential partners — Do’s and Don’ts

DO: Introduce yourself

Let your potential partners know who your furbaby is. Explain what your niche is and why collaborating with you would be a good move — not just for you, but also for their business. 

DON’T: Flex

While showing potential partners your follower count does indicate your potential for massive outreach, you should not let that confidence cloud your judgement. Saying “my pet has over 800 followers on Instagram” is not an instant ticket to getting sponsored. Likewise, if your potential partner turns down your pitch, you’ll stand to leave a positive impression by responding graciously.

DO: Show how effective your platform can be for them

It is good to include data like your follower count and your insights. These numbers will give your potential partners the assurance that you can provide the outreach and engagement they are looking for.

Here’s what potential partners might like to know:

  • Who is your audience? 
  • Are they the kind of audience who will support the things you’re promoting?
  • What kind of content gets you the most engagement?

DON’T: Make unreasonable demands.

You should know your worth and be confident in asking for what you think you deserve. But you need to be realistic, flexible, and open to discussion.

Do : Be patient

If you’re reaching out to your potential partner, chances are you’re not the only one. In fact, brands receive collaboration requests all the time. Don’t feel discouraged from rejection! Fall seven times and stand up. While you might get a “no” 3 times, it’s the 4th brand you contact that might give you a “yes.”

When a brand contacts you for potential partnerships

  1. Read the offer carefully

Understand where the brand is coming from, and what exactly they are looking for.

  1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Always make sure you are 100% sure of the terms. If something is not mentioned (e.g. payout, duration, restrictions, etc.), make sure to clarify before taking up their offer.

  1. Know when to say “no”

Negotiation is key! If you know you are worth more than what they can offer, you can kindly discuss the terms. Don’t be afraid to say no to a partnership that is not mutually beneficial.

Instagram doesn’t have to be all business. Click here to find out how you can do more with your pets on Instagram.

Featured Image by KoolShooters from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Understanding Instagram Insights

Earlier this week, we gave you a small glimpse of the perks of using an Instagram Creator Account (you can read about it here). One of the big game-changers you get that personal accounts don’t get is the Insights feature. By looking at insights, creators like you will be able to identify how your followers engage with your content, which will improve your Instagram strategy.

?? Does that sound too complicated???
Well, let’s make it easy to understand!

“Reach” out to your audience effectively

In the ‘Reach’ section, you will get a good idea of how many people are looking at your posts. Your reach covers data like :

  • Impressions – How often your posts were seen (if the same person looks at it 5 times, that is also 5 impressions)
  • Account Activity – When someone visits your Profile
  • Top Posts – Posts that your followers keep going back to
  • Top Stories – Instagram Stories posts that got the most views and engagement.

Top IGTV Videos – IGTV videos that have the most views and comments

You can also see the insights for a single Instagram post too! Each image in your profile will have its own “view insights” button. These insights will show what actions users took on your profile when they see your post. If your post includes links to other sites, the insights will reflect those site visits as well!

Know how “Discovery” affects your engagement

If you’ve been using Instagram long enough, you’ll know that there are many ways for users to find your post. To name a few:

  • From your Home page
  • By visiting your profile
  • Through the Explore tab
  • By searching specific hashtags
  • By seeing posts from similar location tags

Insights on the “Discover”  tab will let you know how each post is found. It also shows how likely the post was seen by someone who has not yet followed you. Having a good amount of reach is a healthy sign that your pawpals are being spotted. ??

Story Insights are slightly different

Your Instagram Stories, as fleeting as they are, are more than just one-time videos of your pawpals doing zoomies in the park. Because of how easy it is to watch, it can end up being really effective in sharing quick content. Some data unique to Story Insights include:

  • Taps Forward / Taps Back – The number of times your story gets skipped to your next one, or tapped to show your previous story
  • Replies – How many times someone starts a conversation by replying to your story
  • Swipe Aways / Exits – More brutal than your taps forward, these refer to the number of times users skip your stories, either to the next account’s stories, or to go back to their home feed.

Now that you know…

Now that you know how to look at your insights, you’ll be able to come up with better strategies to reach out to other pawrents (and even collaborators!) Here are some strategies you can follow:

Tip 1: Make Content that Collaborators will like

Through insights, you will know which posts and stories get more impressions. If the insights show that your followers like a picture of your cat having an existential crisis more than one of your cat just looking at the camera, then it’s time to consider posting more comical content that shows off your pawpal’s character and personality.

Tip 2 : Scheduling your Posts

Your audience is sure to see your content at different times of the day, but your insights will reveal that they have a preferred time to browse Instagram. Once you know that, you can time your posts so that they can appear when you have the most of your followers online

Tip 3 : Include the right hashtags

It’s important to make sure that your posts aren’t just seen by your followers, but also by brands and other users that haven’t followed you. Using the “Discovery” feature, you will now understand which hashtags Instagrammers are more likely to use. From there, it is just a matter of using the right hashtags for your posts for a wider reach.

You can also use hashtag generators that can recommend the right hashtags based on your post. Just drop the photo or the post and watch the magic happen!

Instagram doesn’t have to be all business. Click here to find out how you can do more with your pets on Instagram.

Featured image by No Longer Here on Pixabay