Brand Collaboration- choose Wisely
As you step into the blogging world, the first thing (yes first) that comes to anyones mind is Collaborations. Any blogger or influencer will seek collabs as thats the main source of income.
So does it mean that being a blogger, you nod your head in a yes for any brand that comes your way? Well the audience is very smart. When they see that you blog is full of promotions, they will gradually loose interest.
So here is how I choose brands for Collaboration.
Use: The product should be of use to you or your family. If you think you will never use it and pass the product over to someone else, don’t do that collab. Thats one reason why I don’t do too many cosmetics collabs unless I really like a product.
Liking: I always choose products that are of my kids and my liking. For eg. my kids love milk mixes, so i do their collabs. Also I prefer books, toys and activity boxs as thats what my kids enjoy.
Value Addition: If you feel working with a particular brand is going to add value to your page/blog, Do It. After all you blog is also like your resume in which good brands add value to your work.
Your Limitations: The deliverables should commensurate the payments that are being made. If a brand is asking for too many deliverables for a small amount of payment, say No. Also, if you think you have to stretch beyond your comfort zone, don’t do it.
Its all about Money Honey: Blogging like anything else, is a job which needs to be paid for. BRand shell out crores of rupees for celebs to do their promos and Insta posts but when it comes to bloggers, they act like beggars. We are not celebs nor are we asking for crores. But work should be valued and paid for.Woking for barter when you are new in the blogging world is how it starts but once you gain followers and your reach increases, start asking for payment.
We all need work but we also need to be wise when we choose what to do and where to say a No. Hope this post helps you in making your choices. Do leave a comment of you liked what you read.
40 replies on “Brand Collaboration- Select Wisely”
Loved your input on blogging.
I agree with you totally and I do the same.
Also, brands act like beggars with us. So cheap. Always has to bargain except in a few cases.
I couldn’t agree with you more, awareness among bloggers for such things is required as many new bloggers take whatever is offered and hence disturbing the things for others. I wouldn’t say its always brands who act like beggars but the PRs, newbies, wannabes etc too make it worse.
I totally agree if money is not there then collaboration is biased for brands. There is so much as blogger we put in when it comes to efforts.
I largely follow the same principles that you have laid out here. We must value our work and ourselves and not compromise on landing deals without the commensurate payment!
Rightly said. I only have paid promotions on my blog. Others are all by me and for me and perhaps some to help others too. I love writing. But not for free.
Yes choosing brand for collaboration is very important and we need to choose wisely. Such awareness is necessary in bloggers. You raise the important topic here. Looking forward for more such blogs
totally agree with u. choosing the brand wisely is a key. i agree in start- you get in flow and choose whatever is coming in bucket. your article will surely help the budding bloggers.
Well said and this is so important in our journeys and we all make mistakes and learn and especially when the competition is so severe. Well said
I completely agree with your post. It is so important to choose which brands to collaborate with. I have till now endorsed only one product and very few travel companies as it was in line with my niche of travel. There have been many collab requests that have come forward which I have said No to as it is important to keep the trust of your followers.
i totally agree with you. Blogger should value themselves. say no to barter when its not worthy. why to do all barter and give free advertiser to brands in peanuts
U have pointed all the points nicely and I concur with u.
Blogging is a job and must b paid.
You are absolutely right, we must share a product in which we believe strongly. Money is an important criterion which many of us forget in the excitement to work for a brand and struggle later.
Yes i agree we should think and select everything wisely and then go ahead with it. It should not be a pressure on us.
this is such a nice post. a lot of information especially for new bloggers
Thanks for sharing this with us. I agree with you we have to choose wisely in case of brand collaborations. Great post.
This is such an informative post. Actually our brand collaborations determine a lot about how our blog will operate in the future.
Yes it’s so important to choose brands wisely. I think it will help many bloggers. Well thoughtful post.
You have rightly echoed my thoughts on this matter. I refuse to work for free or on barter; blogging assignments need to be paid and the payment terms need to be mutually decided between the blogger and the brand/agency.
I couldn’t agree with you more, awareness among bloggers for such things is required as many bloggers take whatever is offered and hence creating problems for others. It’s not always take anything and everything as freebies and just creating the mess, it should be mutual and aesthetic to value a blogger’s work. Great read
This is really amazing piece of advice. Especially the fact bloggers are not beggars. I totally agree with you. More power to you.
I agree with all the points you had mentioned here. it is very important to keep a balance attitude while selecting brands for collaboration and it is also necessary to get what you actually deserve. some brands ask for large number of tasks and pay less .
Well said! I agree completely on the remuneration and the liking part. I personally do not take any collaborations that do not fall under my niche or I don’t feel like I am the right person for recommending the product.
Very true, while brand collaborations are important, we need to ensure that we promote those brands which we have used and feel that they are worth recommending.
very good post.. I totally agree with you.. we need to maintain our value and do what makes us happy ..also I ensure I promote brands that I use and may not cause anyone harm
I agree collaboration should be of mutual benefit. I think we all learn gradually how to deal with different collaborations and what works for us.
Earlier I used fo get products in Amazon to review. But finally I ended up having products that are of no use to me. This post is useful to many bloggers out there
A voice of reason in the stampede for collab work! indeed, this is a sustainable and coherent way to go about building your blog, your brand and the collab work you do.
good points. As I reader I immediately get put off when a post seems to be written just for the sake of collaboration. On the other hand there are good posts as well that tie in the collaboration well with the broader theme.
You said it loud dear . I completely agree brands di act like begger with bloggers . There are brands who wants everything for free . I have always a strict policy when it comes to collaboration .
Writing is my passion and I haven’t started making money from it but yes your pointers will be a great help to know what works in this space. Thanks for sharing.
Completely agree with your thoughts and I too follow the pointers which u have mentioned. Of late i have started saying completely no to brands who cant pay.
That’s the right way to go about it. At times brands wants a lot of things to be done for a barter which doesnt even justify the work that they demand in return. Better decline such work.
Much needed posts. Some collabs look.forced as the reader would easily figure out if they would use it or.not. To maintain credibility we should make.sure of all.the points.
So true. Taking collabs just for freebies or promotion to show in your page doesnt make any sense.
I totally agree with you, we should value the collaboration and work only if we feel like doing and it benefits both the parties. I too say No when I feel it isn’t good.
Yes being able to say now and choosing what is right for your blog is the right way to go about it.
Brand collaborations can be as harmful as they can be useful for any blog. Selecting the right ones definitely helps in creating a better brand for us.
Yes true. Selecting what goes with the bloggers genre of writing is the best way to select and also trust in the brand is imp.
This is so important for every individual who is a social media influencer or blogger to understand the right choice of collaboration. It’s very important to say NO to brands whom we don’t believe, trust and use.
Yes having this understand can help the bloggers community grow which it is lacking as of now.