Don't Be a Sellout! How to Land "The Right" Sponsored Opportunities -

⇥ Top: Zara (similar here) | Denim Mini: Levi’s | Sneakers: Coach | Belt Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Dog Tag: oNecklace

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Reality: The only way someone can blog as a full-time career is to make money doing it; otherwise, this would be one expensive AF hobby to keep up (monetarily and time-consuming.)

However, it’s crucial to identify what paid opportunities would benefit you LONG-TERM, despite having the desire for a short-term reward (i.e. $$) Accepting every opportunity that comes your way will ultimately tarnish your reputation as an influencer, and can even turn your tribe against you. And once that happens, it’s time to start looking for a new career to pursue…

Here’s how you can avoid looking like a “sell out” and land sponsored opportunities that will support both your personal brand & finance.

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FIND YOUR [SPECIFIC] NICHE

Determine what the focus of your blog is & how it can be different from the rest. Your niche is the most important factor of your brand identity; it determines what opportunities will make the most sense for you to pursue versus the ones that have no relation to your focus whatsoever, & could lead to permanent damage.

LEARN TO SAY “NO”

In order to avoid permanent damage, one must learn how to decline sponsored opportunities that wouldn’t be the best match for them. Yes, turning down money that’s practically being handed to you in exchange for a shoutout on social media is VERY HARD. But it’s better to walk away from a sponsored opportunity rather than posting about a brand completely unrelated to your niche.

As a personal example, it wouldn’t make sense for me, a 27-year-old childless woman, to accept a partnership with Fisher-Price to share my favorite toys for toddlers. Even though they’re offering a generous compensation in exchange for a feature on my blog platforms, going forward with such a displaced brand would trigger all sorts of “WHAT THE F*CK” from my readers. Unless I was the mother of a toddler or pregnant, there’s no reason for me to work with a brand whose focus is entirely off my radar.

ADD VALUE

Brands today are craving a unique approach to what’s been overdone, so I had to start narrowing down what could help my blog to stand out in this saturated market of fashion bloggers. So I started focusing on my affordable approach to living in NYC, and started incorporating my penny-saving ways into outfit and life style posts that highlighted how to look & live the part while sticking to a budget.

Most of my audience is made up of girls in the same situation as me, wanting to look the part but have to be mindful of what they spend. Therefore, you can say my posts are adding some sort of value to their lives & acting as a resource for anyone who can relate!

EXPAND YOUR NETWORK

The best way to get yourself known and open the doors of opportunity is to get yourself in a centerstage position, both digitally and physically. Most brands want to get to know you & will watch how you share what you’re passionate about through organic posting first, before considering a potential partnership. The trick is to get their attention by giving them yours.

Reach out to both bloggers and brands that you admire &/or inspire you by getting their attention with a tag or shoutout on social media. Attend as many events that you get invited to with a fearless networking attitude; start with a firm handshake and a smile, talk to the people hosting the event as well as those attending, & be sure to bring a deck of business cards you can pass out with all your information.

Follow up via email following the event to strengthen the relationship & help seal the potential deal. You never know what kind of connections the people you meet have & what cultivating a strong relationship can ultimately provide you with down the road.

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Having a strategy and understanding yourself as a brand will ultimately land you with the right opportunities; the one’s that support you properly & you can truly identify yourself with. Once you’ve discovered your niche & the brands that represent it best, the next step is proposing your own opportunities to work with them!

READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL OF SPONSORED SUCCESS?

The key to grabbing a brand’s attention & practically forcing them to say YES to working with you is by presenting them with the ultimate package.

The ultimate package consists of a series of growth strategies that will get you discovered as a reputable influencer, regardless if you’re new to the blogging game or have been around for quite some time.

Over the last 5 years, I’ve managed to perfect the recipe for crafting a strong portfolio of my blog with a 98% success rate of landing sponsored opportunities when presented to brands.

I’ve put together a step-by-step guide that 1) introduces you to all these tried-and-true strategies I’ve personally used, and 2) teaches you how to implement them effectively & immediately. Think of it as a jumpstart to your blogging career you can’t get anywhere else!

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