Influencer 101: How I Earned $17,000 for Q1 2022
Greetings everyone! Now that April is more than midway through, I thought it would be a good idea to summarize how the first quarter of 2022 has gone in terms of brand partnerships. While I had low expectations for the first three months of the year (especially since I only earned $3,300 in Q1 2021), I was pleasantly surprised to secure more than $17,000 in paid campaigns. As well, I managed to secure four more partnerships by the end of March for the new quarter— which will result in my projected earnings totalling to $23,000 so far!
Curious as to how I managed to increase my Q1 2022 earnings by almost six times the amount I earned the year before? Keep reading below for my best tips:
1. LONGTERM PARTNERSHIPS:
So far, my highest paying collaborations have come from PR agencies and reps with whom I’ve created strong working relationships. In fact, my highest-paying partnership came from the PR agency and brand that I had worked with from October until December— until they decided to extend my contract by three more months until March.
My most lucrative partnerships spanned from January until March and required multiple deliverables for each month. Consequently, I was able to charge a much larger amount for each campaign!
2. PROFESSIONALISM:
When interacting with PR reps, I always i) practice good email etiquette, ii) deliver quality work in a timely manner, iii) graciously receive feedback, & iv) apply it as soon as possible. Prior to becoming a freelance content creator, I am very grateful that I worked in corporate jobs for several years as it has given me a strong foundation in writing professional emails and maintaining an attitude of professionalism, even in the midst of adversity.
By professionalism, I mean that I follow these practices:
i. Whenever I am writing an email (at least the initial stages), I always address the recipient by name (and make sure it’s properly spelt) and sign off the email with a “Warmest Regards, Debbie.” I only drop the formalities once I have become familiar with the other person and they are also writing on a more informal level.
ii. When working on a campaign, I am almost always working on a short timeline of two weeks or less. Therefore, I have to remain extremely organized with my time and energy— if I am not, I risk not finishing the work on time and overwhelming myself with stress. However, on the rare occasion when I find that I need more time, I make sure to communicate those needs with the PR rep as soon as possible to keep them in the loop. Usually, they are very understanding if you provide a valid explanation for the delay!
iii. Although it’s never pleasant to hear, the ability to receive feedback and constructive criticism graciously is a skill that we all need to learn and constantly practice. Such feedback is rarely given with malicious intent, so I try to not take any criticism personally. As well, there have been instances when I feel the feedback is a bit unjust or overly nit-picky; however, I must pick my battles wisely and decide if it’s worth arguing over or if I should just swallow my pride and make the requested changes (I usually pick the latter option).
iv. This leads us to the last section— I usually like to rip the bandaid off quickly and make the revisions necessary to the content as soon as possible. Making the necessary amendments in a quick manner shows the brand that I am level-headed and ready to make the partnership work without taking offense to the feedback.
3. HIGH QUALITY PORTFOLIO:
When I accept a campaign, I make sure to choose high quality brands that I would be proud to show on a media kit “resume.” When I first began creating content, I was honestly happy to work with any brand that approached me as I didn’t know any better. However, as the years went on and I had a creator community to discuss these matters with, I started to realize how important it was to stay on brand and aligned with my values.
Even if brands offer to pay me for my work, I started to realize that I needed to vet the brand prior to accepting the collaboration (i.e. reach out to other creators who have worked with the brand previously, read reviews, check out their websites and social media platforms, etc.). As I deeply value the trust of my community, working with high-quality and trustworthy brands is extremely important for the continued success of my career (and that very trust is the main reason as to why many brands reach out to me). Therefore, be selective about who you work with and make sure you research brands thoroughly before signing any contracts!
4. VALUABLE & INTENTIONAL CONTENT:
High quality work attracts bigger and better opportunities! I try to ensure that every single one of my posts provides value or inspiration for my community— i.e. sustainable lifestyle, slow fashion, etc. This means I take the necessary time in advance to write out my captions— usually on the weekend prior to posting the content during the week. This ensures that I can properly write and proofread what I want to say, something I’m sure that brands appreciate when they are looking at my profile.
When other creators ask me why I attract so many quality brand partnerships while they are struggling, a quick perusal of their own page often gives me the answer. In many instances, they are writing captions that are only a few words long— and those words provide little-to-no context or value to their community. While aesthetic images and video footage are great to have, a well-written caption with strong messaging is even more important for making you stand out as a potential brand campaign candidate.
5. HIGH ENGAGEMENT:
I invest a great deal of time building strong relationships with my fellow creators. As a result, I’m blessed to receive back lots of wonderful engagement back from my amazing community! This level of engagement is very evident with the numerous high-quality comments I receive (i.e. thoughtful comments that respond to any questions or topics that I shared about in my caption). As well, I receive many kind messages from my community sharing about how I have helped them on their influencer journey or have inspired them to become more conscious with their fashion and lifestyle!
I am very proud of the community I have built on Instagram as many of these relationship have been taken years to build. In fact I would happily meet with many of these fellow creators in real life (and I have)! Other than creating quality content, the most valuable thing you can offer brands is access to your community and your (hopefully positive) influence over them. Therefore, building strong, high-quality engagement and community is probably the best way to acquire equally strong, high-quality partnerships!
6. STRONG PURPOSE:
I’ve received many great campaigns due to the fact that I focus on sustainable lifestyle, clean beauty, and slow fashion. Reflect on your PURPOSE and VALUES and make sure it aligns with what you post on social media!
In terms of building community, have a strong purpose and direction with your content will be inspiring and attractive to other like-minded people. In terms of attracting brands, you will stand out to them more if your content contains strong messaging that aligns with their branding and values.
While the first three months of the year have blown me away in terms of my expectations for brand partnerships, I am now feeling even more excited for the year ahead will bring. As a freelance content creator, there are no guarantees regarding when you will receive your next campaign. However, I am happy to say that Quarter 2 already looks very promising— especially since it’s Earth Month and a bunch of brands contacted me for sustainability-related campaigns!
Now that we have reached the end of this post, it’s time to ask— did you learn anything new or helpful from this post? What other things would you be interested in learning about?
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog posts and I appreciate the kind feedback I receive from my very wonderful community!
Cheers,
Debbie (aka The Stylish Wordsmith)