The Do’s and Don’ts When Working With Brands for Influencers

So, you have secured a brand deal with a brand you really want to work with! What’s next? Typically, the next step in the process is to sign a contract, review the campaign brief, purchase (or receive) the product, and get to work creating your content! Once you start working with a brand, there is a set of rules that comes with it that influencer should be aware of. Keep reading to find out the Do’s and Don’ts when working with brands for influencers so that you can make a good impression and build a solid relationship! 

Do: Effectively Communicate 

In my experience with working with influencers, there are many things that stand out to me, as well as my clients, the most. One of those things is effective communication. When managing an influencer activation, time is of the upmost importance. From the time a strategy is completed, all the way to end when a campaign report is completed and sent to the client, timing is important. Therefore, when communicating with an influencer, the timely response from influencers is the difference between us wanting to want with them again or not.

When working with a brand, the most important thing you can do is COMMUNICATE. It is the brand’s job to communicate certain details such as timeline, product, messaging, etc. However, it is your responsibility as an influencer to stay on top of your emails, reach out to if you are having timing issues, or if you are unclear of the messaging. 

Don’t: Ghost Your Campaign Manager 

It has happened time and time again. An influencer has agreed to participate in a campaign, and ends up ghosting in the middle of the campaign. No explanation as to why. If the relationship between you and the brand is important to you (which it should be), then NEVER ghost. 

If you have agreed to participate in a campaign, and something comes up where you can no longer participate, then you should let the campaign manager know immediately, so that they can relay that message with their client, and possibly replace you. 

There are times where campaigns have a certain number of influencers that the client wants involved. They are likely to have a “waitlist” or “stand-by” list of influencers they can choose from, should a space in the campaign opens up. 

So, be mindful of your manager, as well as other influencers who would like the opportunity. 

Furthermore, if you have been gifted an item as a part of compensation for the campaign, then you could possibly be responsible for returning the product as a result of your removal. 

Do: Ask for a Contract 

Never enter a partnership without a signed contract. There are plenty of things that could go wrong without a contract in place signed by both parties. 

Contracts not only protect the brand, but they protect you as the influencer as well. 

The contract covers clauses such as:

• posting timelines
• compensation & payment terms
• content guidelines
• FTC laws 
• Usage Rights 
• Exclusivity 

This is an extremely important note to make when working with brands for influencers. 

Don’t: Expect a Verbal Agreement to be Enough

Depending on the size of the brand or agency you are working with, they may not offer a contract. 

However, a contract gives everyone involved a sense of security. 

A simple agreement via email is not enough. 

Do: Negotiate Your Rate 

In our textbook, The Unrivaled Guide to Elevating your Influence, as well as our course, #InstagramGoals, we go into depth regarding how to negotiate better rates. 

The main point to know is that campaign budgets vary from brand to brand, and agency to agency. 

The bottom line is, you NEVER know what is available for you in terms of compensation unless you are willing to ASK, and not being afraid to negotiate. 

Don’t: Accept a Rate You are Uncomfortable With 

In the negotiation stage, try not to be the first to throw out a number. Instead, ask “what is your budget for these deliverables?” 

You never want to walk away feeling like you did not receive a rate that you are satisfied with. 

Do: Send a Follow-Up Email 

Once the campaign is complete, send a follow-up email to your campaign manager. 

While it is more than likely the manager has seen your stats for your posts, it’s always a good Idea to reach out to them with a recap of your own. 

In the email, include things such as: 

• Likes
• Comments 
• Reach
• Impressions 
• Shares 
• Saves 
• Snippets of comments from your followers. 

Let the manager know how much you enjoyed working with them and that you hope to work with them again in the future. 

Don’t: Let the Relationship Get Stale

Now that you have finished the campaign and you have a new brand contact, you need to do a couple of things. 

1. Add the contact to a pitch spreadsheet. This pitch spreadsheet should have all verified contacts from brands and agencies with which you have worked with in the past. 
2. Send an email every few months, checking in with them. This email will include a recap of some of your recent campaigns, and updated media kit if your stats have changed, and the interest to work together soon. 

If you did really well in your campaign with the brand, you will want to continue to water this relationship. 

Do: Encourage your Followers to Engage with your Posts

As soon as your sponsored post is live, make sure you share the news with your followers! Get them involved and engagement. Ask for their feedback and/or their opinions, so that you may share that with your campaign manager.

Don’t: Purchase Fake Engagement 

As tempting as it may look, NEVER use fake engagement on your sponsored posts. It is illegal, for starters. It also skews the campaign results, which can hurt the brand, as well as your future engagement.

Now that you’ve read this list of Do’s and Don’ts of Woking with Brands for Influencers, let’s get ready to pitch!

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