Do you belong to any affiliate programs? If so, recommendations? Have you worked with brands (free products, sponsorship, paid posts)? What tips do you have? Have you personally reached out to any brands? How/Who do you reach out to? Tips for being successful in reaching out?

In the beginning of our blogging journey, we created a media kit and sent it via e-mail to every little boutique and brand we could think of. However, in those early years, we didn’t have a lot to offer, so we didn’t get a lot of attention that way. So, we stopped sending out our media kit and instead, we focused on growing not only our following, but the value we offered our readers. Better value for our readers = a more valuable sponsored post for a brand.

Eventually, that started to pay off. The first few brands we worked with were small boutiques mostly, we did a blog post in exchange for an item, which is pretty typical. In those early days, we were lucky to be found of Instagram by these brands! (So, that’s one way Instagram has paid off!)

Then we started to join influencer networks like:

SheKnows
Popsugar
Fitfluential
Tapinfluence
Social Fabric

Then working with brands became a lot easier. Every network is different, some you have the opportunity to apply for open campaigns and some match you with a brand that is looking for a blogger like you! Once we started to be selected for campaigns through these networks we started to receive more opportunities after brands could see what we had to offer. Some brands found us through the networks and some brands found us through our social media.

Our tips for working with brands is to be flexible, accommodating and professional. Always be available via e-mail and be ready to make a change at the drop of a dime. Don’t get your feelings hurt if they want you to change something in your post, you are working for them after all. Always stay genuine and don’t accept campaigns from brands that you don’t personally support or wouldn’t be a good fit for your readers. Find your niche, stick to it and continually create the best content possible, whether it’s sponsored or not. 🙂

We also belong to Reward Style and Shopstyle Collective for affiliate marketing of our outfit posts. If you’re a fashion blogger, you’re probably very familiar with both of these! We tend to focus more on adding links through Shopstyle, because you receive compensation per click!

We’re still continually learning and growing through this whole blogging journey, but for now, that’s what we know!

What about you, do you belong to any blogger networks?

-Brooke & Erica

Check out Whitney and Blaire’s strategy on Peaches In A Pod