Namastè!
Brand rep. Affiliate. Reviewer. Influencer.
You see those words in Instagram and Twitter bios. Hashtags like #ad, #sponsored, #gotitfree, and #promo pop up all over social media.
How are they doing it? What do those things even mean or entail? Can anyone do it?
Well... Let's break it on down!
Brand rep?
A brand rep is a person, chosen by a specific brand or company, to represent their product. Brand representative. These people, in exchange for free or discounted items or services (and social media promotion from the brand for aspiring models and InstaCelebs), share and promote the product. This includes unboxings, photos, and social media posts. A brand rep never speaks of the products in a negative light--they are paid promotional consideration in exchange for their enthusiasm and love of the product.
To become a brand rep you can do one of a few things. Contact the brands directly--Instagram or website "contact us" forms. You might need a big following, but then again I have managed to snag a few rep spots even as a relatively new social media presence. Popularity is great but what they really look for is engagement, so sont let a small follow count deter you. What works best for me is to send an actual letter, with an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) enclosed for their reply. Snail mail is so 1997...but it shows the company that you have a real interest. Plus you are guaranteed to stand out--media and public relations employees handle millions of emails but not nearly as many actual letters.
Note: If the search is being conducted online, as many are, you can skip the letter. BUT don't forget a thank you note, whether you are chosen or not. Good manners stand out long after the search ends, and look way better than even the best photos. Brand rep terms can be as short as a few weeks or as long as a year. (Depends on the company!)
Introduce yourself and tell them why you would be an excellent brand rep. To stand out, you'll definitely want to tag the brands in photos of you enjoying their products. Personally I find it easier to engage with companies we already love versus randomly picking one off Instagram (or wherever). I generally work with companies I already love, and when I branch out into new territory it's because they have created a product or service that meshes with my lifestyle.
Caveat: When choosing companies to apply to as brand reps, make sure they are in your price range. Sometimes there's a purchase clause in the contract and, either in addition to or in order to get your freebie or discount, you'll need to make a purchase. Some companies require three purchases or more within your term. Make sure it's a commitment you can make and honor, because being a brand rep does involve a contract. Also, don't do it just for the freebies. You should have a genuine enthusiasm for the product, not just a desire to get free stuff.
Affiliate?
An affiliate is a person who promotes a product or service for a company, in exchange for a commission and/or discount. They (the affiliate) have their own special sales link, which lets the company or website trace any purchases or clicks back to each affiliate. Affiliate commissions are paid out as defined by the terms in your agreement, which could be as often as weekly or as spaced out as quarterly.
Like brand reps, affiliates need to have a real enthusiasm and passion for the products they promote. It'd be kinda hard for a snowman to sell you on the wonderfulness of hot chocolate, but someone in the southern US can certainly get you hyped about a snow cone in Georgia in the middle of July!
To become an affiliate, check the company's website to see if they have a program. Fill out the application. They will call, email, or direct message you their decision and/or your link and instructions to get started.
All you have to do is actively promote your product and make sure you direct people to your link for purchase. It isn't nearly as pushy as sales, and your friends aren't buying from you but the actual company. You're just getting a little bonus along the way for leading them with your link.
Reviewer?
Literally anyone can be a product reviewer. In fact, most of us actually are already!
A reviewer simply uses a product, then tells what they do and don't like about it. Whether by face to face or online communication, product reviews have been around as long as products have.
Becoming a reviewer online can have many perks through, if you are willing to go the extra mile for it. The better, more descriptive, and more detailed your reviews are, the more they will be noticed. You'll want to have excellent grammar and punctuation, and stay on subject. Dazzle them with your descriptive prowess and you'll go from requesting products to having companies request you!
Initially, you'll be buying your own products. My best tip is to review some things you already own, on the company site as well as the store out purchased it from. Share your thoughts, along with some good images, on your social media. Tags and hashtags will get you noticed. (Both IG and Twitter will show you how many users are sharing and viewing particular hashtags as you type, so choose the most popular relevant hashtag for maximum views--some have millions, whereas others have only a few. And you can always start up one!)
Visibility is key if you want to venture into sponsored reviews and demos. A sponsored review or demo is when, in exchange for honest review and demonstration, a company provides a reviewer with their product. They may send one item or one entire product line! Sponsored reviews might also include a giveaway, a discount code, or cash compensation. Companies are usually pretty generous once you get past the initial vetting, so make sure you put your best foot forward.
Notice I said visibility--not necessarily popularity. While companies definitely like numbers, they prefer actual engagement even more. Posting an Instagram or FB image to a million followers is good, and at 20% engagement you're getting 50K reactions and comments. BUT... 75% engagement from that same post, shared to only 400 followers, means much more. So don't let a small follow count deter you. Strength in numbers might actually mean strength in YOUR numbers. If you can get 300 viewers to talk about and share info on a product, you will possibly garner and surpass that same 50K from the reviewer with a million follows and yours would be active engagements! You would actually win. The companies don't only want to be seen; they want people discussing their offerings, checking them out, and purchasing them!
My personal rule for reviews is, I only actually blog about products I like and would recommend. I review whatever piques my interest, but I reserve my blog articles (always very in-depth, with photos and video) for things I'm absolutely into. I share my less-than-stellar experiences too, but I'm not one to write an entire blog post about a product I don't like. While I definitely don't love everything, I also don't love putting a shadow on the light that is, my blog. *chuckle*
Influencer?
Influencers, as their name suggests, are people who have the social clout to influence their friends and followers about a product.
For example, in my circle I am the breastpump expert. Because I have this extensive knowledge of pumps and accessories, I am an influencer when it comes to these products. My friends and associates trust my opinion and look to me to see what the next best thing is. They trust me. They know I won't lead them wrong.
An influencer needs clout--both in numbers and engagement. You must be able to get a conversation going about a product, and people should want it because you talk about it. You're essentially the face of the brand so to speak.
Becoming an influencer is pretty easy--I'll share some programs I am a part of in the next post so stay tuned! You sign up, take a few surveys, and they match you with products and companies that fit your profile.
It does work a little easier if you've got a huge following. As always, I say go for it anyway. What disqualifies someone else might be the very thing that makes the selectors qualify you on the spot...
In short, these are all pretty sweet gigs. At the very minimum, you might end up with a few coupons and possibly even some free merchandise.
At the very maximum, you'll get to represent a brand you enjoy, or collect a little commission from sales of something you already use, love, and talk about anyway!
Be honest when applying and requesting opportunities. While a free or discounted product is always nice, it's more important to give your honest, sincere feedback. YOU DON'T HAVE TO "LOVE" EVERYTHING. However, be sure that you're expressing your negative experience and not bashing the brand. (Whenever I post a negative review, I always point out whatever I could say was good about the product also, even if it is only that I liked the packaging.) Don't be that person who requests items you cannot even use, or who grabs at every opportunity whether you want it or not just to have an item. Just as someone is missing their perfect opportunity due to your greed, you might miss your perfect and possibly even better opportunity because you take whatever is available instead of focusing on those that truly fit your lifestyle.
I can't stress the honesty part enough.
Also, make sure you can commit to the deadlines and time frames to submit your feedback. The companies and brands aren't just sending you a freebie--they are doing so in exchange for feedback and experiences. In the promo contract (a contract is an exchange of benefits and detriments, by the way--benefits are what you get and detriments are your responsibilities), their consideration is the product or service they extended to you in good faith. Your consideration is your feedback, media, and shared experience. Whether it's a pack of gum or a luxury vacation, DON'T SKIMP OUT ON YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING THESE OPPORTUNITIES. If you do, you'll find them coming less and less frequently and becoming smaller and smaller.
Be thorough in your narratives. Don't just say, "I liked Simpson gum." Tell them what you liked about it, when you enjoyed chewing it most, how many places you've purchased it from since your promo pack, and how many times you've spoken about your new favorite gun, in how many situations and places. If you didn't like Simpson gum, let them know what they could do to improve--a better or different flavor, a bigger package, a better value for their price point.
These are all things I've done to increase my opportunities in each of these shades of brand and product promotion. I've gotten very lucrative cash-paid reviews and I've gotten reviews where I'm paid in product and promotion of my blog and social media. The best one of all was when when I was selected to be part of the Mimijumi Dark Nipple product launch. My son's image can still be found in their social media shares and I've partnered with them several times since. They're the official bottle of Castle Namastè.
Lastly, you can't be afraid of rejection. The companies dish that out by the boatload. I'm pretty sure there is a script somewhere that reads, "We are already booked with collabs for the year!" & "We require *insert impossible follower amount* to collaborate with bloggers." You have to be invested enough to care about the potential collaboration, but thick-skinned enough that the many NOs reviewers get (when reaching out for sponsored reviews, giveaways, and collaborations) don't deter you from applying at all.
So...get going! In the next post, I'll tell you about how to sign up for sending good influencer progrs, some of which even offer cash incentives for surveys. Italy not be enough to pay the rent, but it'll definitely be enough to #treatyoself to a little something via Etsy or your preferred online shop.
Namastè!
-- Tayè K. ♡
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