It’s been almost a year since I took my influencer business full-time and became a full-time influencer and creator! (crazy how time flies) It’s been such a whirlwind of an experience and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done!
Since going full-time and sharing my journey with all of you, the number one question I receive in the DMs is how YOU can do it too! That’s why I’m here to share my top tips for monetizing and taking your creator business full-time.
- Stop getting stuck on follow count
Ready for some tough love? You’ve got to get out of the habit of feeling like you don’t have enough to offer brands due to your follow count. I know, I know easier said than done. In fact, I used to have this same hangup, but when I really dug down deep I found that it wasn’t my follow count that was holding me back.. it was imposter syndrome and feeling like I wasn’t good enough. I used my follow count to uphold this narrative and to give myself a crutch. After all, it’s much easier to tell yourself “I’ll do xyz and put myself out there once I have x number of followers.”
Want to hear the actual facts here? The influencer industry has changed. Brands just don’t really care about follow count anymore; they care about reaching an engaged community ( I used to head up influencer partnerships for brands, so I know firsthand). Want to guess who has the most engaged community out of anyone? Yep, that’s right- micro-influencers!
Regardless of your follow count you can and SHOULD charge for your work (especially if your goal is to eventually turn this into a profitable business). I’ve seen influencers with under 1,000 followers book $2000+ brand partnerships! You can do it too!
2. Stop undercharging
Have you ever accepted a gifted partnership or charged WAY less than you should have just to work with a brand? Yep, we’ve all been there. But let me guess, afterwards you felt guilty or resentful for undercharging and accepting the partnership? OR maybe you thought you’d form a relationship with the brand by doing this only to find it didn’t get you much of anything and you just feel taken advantage of?
I’ve been there myself and I know firsthand it’s a terrible feeling. That’s why I’m such a big advocate of influencers of ALL sizes always charging a fair rate for their work! Because let’s cut to the chase here, you’re proving a service and deserve to be compensated. After all, brands wouldn’t be approaching you or answering your emails if they didn’t see value in you too!
Here’s another example:
Let’s say you have a leak and need to hire a plumber. You wouldn’t expect a professional plumber to reduce their rate for you or to work for ‘exposure.’ Why? Because they’re a professional providing a service. This is their job and they deserve to get paid. Just like YOU! You’re a professional and deserve to get paid as such.
3. You’ve got to stop relying on brand platforms
Brand platforms.. we know them, we love them! But what if I told you they might be holding you back? Hear me out here…
Last month I booked $1,000 in brand partnerships off of brand platforms. This is great and I’ll continue to use brand platforms for my business BUT for me personally, that would not have been enough income to support me being full-time.
Luckily, I stopped putting all my eggs in one basket by only using brand platforms and waiting for brands to approach me. I took control of my business and started reaching out to and pitching brands every month and landed over $6k in partnerships last month!
4. You’ve got to start pitching
This brings me to my final and most important point. You’ve got to start pitching brands! Read that again, You’ve got to start pitching brands!
As we see in the last example, you’re not going to have enough control over your income simply by applying for partnerships on platforms and waiting for brands to come to you. It’s just not a feasible long-term strategy.
The number one reason I was able to take my influencer business full-time was because I started to take matters into my own hands and pitching 10-20 brands in my niche a week!
You can do this too, we all have something valuable and unique to offer! Plus, the influencer industry is a multi-billion dollar (and growing industry) that’s not going anywhere. There is money out there to be made, you just have to be confident enough to put yourself out there and ask for it!
Unclear on how to start pitching? Or maybe you’ve been sending pitches but aren’t getting the result you want?
Pitching is a skill and like anything else, practice makes perfect. However, if you need help knowing where to start or how to strengthen your pitches- I’ve got you!
I’ve put together a pitch bundle for creators that will help you land paid deals and give you the financial freedom to monetize your business. As someone who’s consistently landed 4 figure partnerships my first year being a full-time micro-influencer (and before taking my business full-time I headed up influencer partnerships on the brand side) I know first-hand what brands are looking for and what’s been proven to work!
My pitch bundle comes with 6 customizable pitch templates that I use myself + a list of 100 brand contacts that you can reach out to and start pitching today!
Ready to take the leap and start monetizing your business and getting on track to become a full-time influencer?
Get my pitch bundle HERE and for a limited time get 25% off with code “launch”
Please reach out to me on IG if you have any questions and CONGRATS for being ready to start your journey! I’m SO proud of you 🙂
xo,
Skye
