Whether you’re exploring the world of being a content creator or you’re already committed to the journey, you’re likely aiming for dream partnerships with brands you love. But it's not all that easy to land them. 

Sure some partnerships are handed out easily, but how much do you believe in those brands? Are you even passionate about what they have to offer? Those are some questions you should be asking yourself before taking on a brand partnership. And if there's a brand you love, a little hard work on your end may just get you the deal.

Here are three content creators from different fields sharing their take on how to land partnerships with brands you love. They know the ropes of creating paid brand deals and they’re dishing it out just for you.

1. Grace Atwood, Lifestyle Content Creator

Gone are the days when creating a perfectly curated grid is the expectation. Most of us want to discover people who feel relatable and real, like Grace Atwood, a lifestyle content creator that has amassed 182,000 followers on Instagram alone by sharing her life and the things that she loves.

Back when Grace started her blog in 2010, it took three years until she landed her first partnership: a campaign with Ugg. “They had me judge a contest (where my blog readers would design and upload their Ugg boots), go to their studio to film a video, and do a couple blog posts. I think I was paid $300. It was so much work but I was over the moon excited. I saved half for taxes and spent the other half on nice sunglasses.” Grace may be landing partnerships with much higher brand investments now, but it took years to get her pricing just right.

Here’s her advice for new content creators: “Start by joining an affiliate platform like LTK or Shopstyle and watch the data like a hawk. The numbers will tell you what your audience likes ... Do more of whatever it is that works. Data is everything in this industry; it's not just about creating pretty photos and videos, you have to be able to back it up with numbers. Use the numbers to build case studies and create a media kit.”

2. Martina Bartolozzi, Travel Content Creator

Meet Martina Bartolozzi, an Italian-American content creator who helps foodies spend their money and time wisely when visiting Italy. She does this by creating custom Thatch maps with chosen recommendations based on personal preferences. It took a while for her to gain traction as she was exploring her niche, but once she found her path, it was only a few months until she received her first paid partnership request.

Martina has a few pointers that she hopes will help you land your first partnership:

• Focus on building and maintaining a trusting community by offering tons of free, useful content consistently.

• Keep learning! Continuously invest in developing your skills to be able to provide your best products and services.

• Only pitch to and only accept collabs with brands that you believe in, and those that offer products and services that you would also use.

• When pitching, do your research, be concise, and focus on explaining what advantages you can offer to the brand and how your interests are aligned.

• You don’t wait to have “x” number of followers to start pitching, practice with smaller brands, or better yet, with businesses that already follow you.

3. Cahner Olson, Hyper-Local Content Creator in Omaha

Being a content creator can happen in your own backyard, as Cahner Olson of Omaha Places has proven in a very short amount of time. Omaha Places niche is super informative, engaging content that encourages Omaha residents to go out and explore their own city. 

Reflecting on the timeline of getting local brand deals in Omaha, Cahner approached collaborations for free products or services in her early days of having just 500 followers. Though it was a slow increase in the beginning, she eventually hit it big time.

“The first 6 months I didn't make any income from it. My first paid collab came at month six and was for $60. In month seven I made $140. Month eight was $150, and then month nine it started blowing up and I made ~$2,000. It's been a pretty upward trajectory from there. I was constantly reaching out to brands and pitching myself in the beginning, but as the account has grown and become more well-known in the community, companies are now coming to me first which is pretty cool.”

About the author: Emily Steele is a creative entrepreneur who has built several successful companies and events with the intention of supporting small business owners. Her latest endeavor is supporting communities through hyper-local content creators with her company hummingbirds. Emily loves seeing women in business succeed; connect with her over at www.emilyasteele.com.