What do brands wanna see in my pitch? What brands should I pitch? HOW do I pitch?! We’re back with more outstanding tips and concrete examples(!) to answer all your brand-pitching questions, from content creator guru, @mattrossofficial!
Be sure to check out Part 1 & Part 2 of his series!
ADD VALUE.
Q: Do you have any advice on pitching brands?
MATT:
Hmmm, the golden rule for pitching to any brand would be: ADD VALUE TO THEM.
Remember, they don’t really care about you, what you want, your goals, your ambitions etc., so why on earth would you speak about what you want, in a pitch?
Always remember that.
Immediately speak on how you can add value, improve their company, help, increase sales etc.
See it from their perspective and then work in what you want.
A basic example:
Hey ____ (enter company name)
I adore what your brand is doing in the fashion space. You are really breaking some incredible ground.
I would love to create some insane content featuring your products for you to use on your social media.
I would also be thrilled to share it on my feed & expose your gorgeous products to my audience (of _____ insert follower number) who are massive fashion lovers!
I am certain they will adore your pieces.
Let me know what you and your team think!
Speak soon
_______ (your name)
You can include your rates if you like–the above is just a basic template. But I want to draw your attention to the fact that it’s all about you adding value to them:
- Create content for them.
- Allow the content to be shared on their feed.
- Expose your audience to their content.
Another very important point, only pitch to a brand because you like them, not because you idolise someone who supports them.
For example, if your favourite rapper is rocking Gucci slippers and you hate the style of Gucci slippers, but love the rapper, you shouldn’t be partnering with Gucci. The brands you pitch to need to be determined by your brand/aesthetic and what you actually support.
Remember, your audience is your only asset.
By partnering with a brand, you are exposing your biggest asset, your audience, to another brand. So assess a brand’s values, what they represent, what they stand for.
Your audience is your only leverage–their attention and support is everything and you don’t want to lose it by partnering with a brand that doesn’t fit, just for the sake of quick cash.
Or if you do, be warned. It’s going to bite you in the ass in the long term.
STAY TRUE TO YOU.
Q: What brands have you decided not to work with/would not work with? Why?
MATT:
Speaking candidly, I have said no to more brands than I have said yes, including to swimwear, backpack, eyewear, cell phone cases, a few other brands.
The reason for not working with them boiled down to 1 of 2 things:
Either, the product didn’t fit my aesthetic (i.e. was not something I would normally wear/use), or they didn’t accept my rate/proposal and weren’t open to negotiating.
The first of these is the easiest because it’s a clear cut decision made solely from assessing whether or not you would actually buy/use their product if you weren’t being paid. If you would, then in my opinion, there is potential for partnership.
The second being slightly trickier.
I am always open to negotiation, willing to discuss a discount based on number of posts, and keen to add extra value by adding my Instagram stories, Facebook stories or features on my daily Youtube series, but if they aren’t open to negotiation, I always ask myself this:
“Do I really need the product or experience that the company is offering? Would I be able to continue pushing my brand forward without it?”
If the answer is yes, then I politely decline and thank them for the offer.
If not, I will accept.
For example, an eyewear company wanted me to promote their glasses but wasn’t willing to pay my rate, and wasn’t open to negotiation.
I asked myself the above questions and could 100% live without having their glasses and declining the opportunity in no way inhibited the pursuit of my goals. The value proposition for both parties wasn’t mutually beneficial and so we didn’t proceed.
However, if a travel company offered me a trip away at a gorgeous location and asked for free content, I would absolutely do it because my goal is to travel the world, so not taking this offer would directly slow down the progress of my goal.
There is enough value in it for both parties for us to proceed.
That’s how I have and will continue to assess all future brand work.
HAVE SMARTPHONE, WILL TRAVEL.
Q: Do you have any final advice for The Plug Community?
MATT:
Absolutely!
Please realise that this is the greatest time to be alive because of the fact that the cost of entry to do whatever the hell you would like is so low. A smart phone and internet access is literally all you need.
The scalability, accessibility, and ease the internet has created is something our grandparents would have given an arm for and so many of us are taking it for granted/not understanding how much opportunity exists!
Please, stop wondering, pondering, and debating whether your idea is good enough. You are going to be 90 years old one day and the regret of not having started that Youtube Channel about your love of monkeys or not having created an Instagram Page about your beard trimming talents or whatever the hell it is that you’re passionate about…that regret is going to be far worse than you potentially failing.
Just get started and adjust along the way!
And that’s a wrap on our three-part series with @mattrossofficial! Stay tuned for more Tip Jar features!
Wanna share tips or be featured? To apply, let us know on the opportunity thread.