How to kick off your most profitable year yet

Hey.

Crazy, but brands are already starting to plan their Q1 campaigns.

In fact, they have been since...September. 😅

You already know the basics of "tag brands" and "pitch them."

In today's newsletter, we're going a bit deeper with strategies for landing deals. ⤵️

In today’s newsletter:

• 4 strategies for landing more brand deals in Q1

• Quick Link highlight: What brands look for (from an influencer marketing manager)

• Boost your creator earnings by $10k with Karat Banking

#1: Post on LinkedIn

I know, I know. We’ve talked about this before…but it’s such a goldmine.

Think about the people behind brand campaigns—influencer marketing managers, advertising managers at agencies, etc.

Where do they frequent? Not just Instagram and TikTok. They’re on LinkedIn.

Here’s your challenge:

1. Get on LinkedIn if you aren’t already.

2. Search for 10 brands you love.

3. Search for 10 agencies you’ve worked with before (or Google “influencer marketing agencies” and find them on LinkedIn.)

4. Go to the “People” tab.

5. Find some of the influencer marketing managers.

6. Send connection requests WITH PERSONAL NOTES.

Here’s an example of what you can say:

“Hi, [name]! I saw the recent Domino’s “6-7” campaign and thought it was absolutely genius. What a killer concept. Would love to stay in touch and support more of what you’re working on!”

Remember:

• They have no idea who you are. If you don’t put a note, they might not understand why it’s valuable to connect with you.

• Some will not respond. That’s okay. Put in the reps.

While doing this, post on your own LinkedIn page.

Here are a few post ideas:

• Breaking down a successful brand partnership. What results did you get the brand?

• The WHY behind a concept you created for a brand.

• Strategies you’ve been using recently in content to garner more engagement.

Better people in your network → valuable content showcasing your value for brands → brand deals.

#2: Test on Stories

“Pitch brands” is…obvious. But how do you make a compelling pitch?

I saw this video from social media manager Mila Holmes the other day. Before putting an idea onto the main feed, she “tests” the idea on Stories. If it works, she builds it into a full video.

Because Stories take less time to create, she can test several ideas and turn the winning one into a video she's confident will perform.

Genius.

This is an amazing way to test concepts for brands, too.

If you have a concept for a brand deal, make a mini version and post it to your Stories. Add a link sticker, and see how many clicks it gets.

If it works, you now have proof of concept and a far more compelling pitch when you reach out to the brand.

#3: Add Your Name Into Databases

A major part of landing brand deals is simply getting more eyeballs on your page and content.

As a creator myself (hey, from the gal writing this), joining creator databases has been a cheat-code for me.

When brands have a campaign to run, they’ll often use databases like Later’s Creator Network or Klear to help source creators.

It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up and could land you a whole bunch of deals.

#4: Start with Affiliate, Then Pitch for More

Some brands simply aren't running paid campaigns.

Affiliate partnerships can feel frustrating though, especially when they're based on conversion, not clicks. How's it my fault if I drive a bunch of traffic there, but the landing page stinks and doesn't convert?

There is a behind-the-scenes strategy to affiliate marketing though.

Here's what top creators are doing:

1. They get a generic affiliate link for a brand through their site or an affiliate marketing platform like Impact.

2. They promote the brand, send a bunch of traffic to the page, and see if it converts well.

3. If it does, they reach out to the brand and ask for a higher affiliate commission.

Brands see conversions, and they're often happy to send you a bit more for it.

🤑 Karat $10k Boost 🤑

From now until the end of the year, you can receive an additional 10% on all platform direct deposits (up to $10,000) when using Karat Banking.

Wait, huh? Open a Karat Bank account via this page. Connect your Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Patreon, and Twitch for direct deposit.

Any time one of those platforms pays you, we’ll pay you an additional 10% of whatever that payment was.

Yes…this does mean that if YouTube deposited $1,000 from AdSense into your Karat bank account, we’d pay you $100. 👀 (until December 31st only)

Learn more about this promo here: Activate your 10% boost HERE

Quick Links

👀 What influencer marketing managers are judging you on.

#️⃣ New Instagram hashtag limitations.

🗣️ YouTube testing DM options. Could this help with digital product sales?

☕ Coffee brand hiring - $5k/mo for 5 UGC videos.

Meet-a-Creator in Creator Studio...

Every month, we match ~50 creators in Creator Studio (our free Discord community) with similar creators to connect and learn from one another.

It's provided creators across all niches with new perspectives and support, created life-long friendships, and helped creators grow their businesses.

It’s completely free to join the Discord and get connected: Join Creator Studio

See ya next week,

‍
Karat