New bloggers are often eager to reach out to brands in hopes of collaborating. But, if you reach out too soon, you might not be taken seriously. So when should you reach out to brands? Let’s break it down for you.
When You Have at Least 3 Months of Content
You need to show that you are committed to creating content for your website. I can’t tell you how many people impulsively started a blog after having one too many glasses of red wine, only to completely abandon the site after 2 months. If you want to collaborate with a brand, you need to have a least 3 months where you have posted new content at least twice a week. Any potential collaborator is going to browse through your site, and they are going to want to see at least a couple dozen blog posts.
When You Have at Least 5,000 Followers
In order for a brand to want to work with you, they are going to want to understand how the collaboration will benefit them. The most basic way that a blogger can help a brand is to introduce the brand to their audience. I think that a blogger should have at least 5,000 followers (combined between the blog and social media) before they start reaching out to brands. And at first, be prepared to receive product as compensation.
When Your Site is 100% Complete
The first thing that a brand will do when you reach out is to visit your website. If your website is incomplete, it will look unprofessional. Make sure that you have finished building your site – this means you have a headshot, and an About Me page. And that there are no unedited template pages.
When You Have Professional Looking Photos
I cannot stress the importance of photos enough. Brands are going to be looking for clear and bright photos. If it is just a bunch of iPhone selfies they probably won’t take you seriously. Shooting during natural daylight is the best way to improve your photography.
When You Have Established a Point of View
It takes a while to figure out what you want to blog about. If you blog about anything and everything it can be hard for others to understand what your site is all about. Get through the growing pains of figuring out what your site is about before you reach out to brands.
When You Have a Media Kit
A media kit is a resume for bloggers. This is where you outline what your site about, and share your social media and blog stats. Brands will want to see this when you reach out to them. You can read more about Media Kits here.
Did I miss anything? Let us know in the comments!