I’ve been blogging here at What Nicole Wore for over four years now and have definitely grown since my very first post. Along the way I’ve learned all kinds of skills, but a big lesson has been how to choose blog collaborations. I wanted to share some of the thought process that goes into this and the behind the scenes portion of blog partnerships.
How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand Click To TweetThis post contains affiliate and/or referral links. I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you complete a purchase through this post. Thank you for your support of What Nicole Wore.
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How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | Does The Brand Align With My Style?
Full transparency when I first started blogging I was awful at knowing when to say no to blog and social media partnerships. As I grew and established my brand a bit more, I figured out that all partnerships won’t be a fit and that it’s ok. With the majority of my content being style based, these are the majority of the collaborations I work on. When a brand or boutique approaches me, I first look to see if their clothes and accessories are pieces I’d actually pick out and wear on my own.
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This may seem super simple, but isn’t always the case. Some brands will ask that you select from their newest arrivals or particular collections; I always want to make sure that looks I put together look like me. If I’m contacted by a brand and not super pumped about the product selection, I say no.
How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | How About My Brand Values?
I’ve been pretty open about the fact that I started What Nicole Wore because I didn’t see a ton of women of color in social media and blogging campaigns. When a new company reaches out to me, I typically do look at their product photography and social media to see if they do a good job featuring a variety of women. From body shapes to sizes to skin color — the list goes on. Most brands aren’t perfect, but it’s important to me that I work with brands that are making an effort.
It's important to me that the brands I partner with make inclusive efforts. Click To TweetRELATED: Please Do Better: An Open Letter About Inclusion
How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | How Does This Tie Into My Brand Storytelling?
Another important thing I consider is: how does this tie into my brand and the message I want to convey. This can look different. Sometimes a partnership makes sense because it’s a local business that I regularly shop. Other times, reviewing a product or service allows me to write about something I know will resonate with my audience.
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How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | Am I Being Compensated Fairly?
Lastly, I have to consider how much work a partnership will take. Blog posts can take me over three hours to write and format. On top of editing photos, uploading them, and writing the actual blog post, I also search engine optimize the post, add alternative text, click to tweets, and schedule shares to social media. Fair compensation won’t always mean a monetary payment; sometimes I’ll work in exchange for a gift card or free (or discounted) service. At the end of the day, I put a lot of work into the content that I create and so I ask brands I work with to respect that.
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How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | What Happens When It Doesn’t Fit?
Like I said, when I first started blogging I felt like I wanted to get partnerships so that I’d have examples to show new brands. While this thinking makes sense, I didn’t consider that some sponsored content just won’t make sense. Some products are easy for me to create content and tell my story with while some require a lot of outside thinking. If I can still do this without getting too far outside my box, there’s times when I’ll say yes, but a lot of the times these are the partnerships I end up declining.
Reasons why I'll say no to a blog partnership Click To TweetRELATED: Social Media Scheduling for Bloggers: How to Increase Traffic & Grow On Social Media
How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | Why Else Would I Say No?
In short, if I’m going to have to bend over backwards to make it happen. This can look very different but if a brand is asking for a ton of deliverables (more photos than usual, full rights to the photos, short turnaround time, event appearances, etc.) then I’ll say no. If I’m already super busy with sponsored content, I’ll say no. Saying yes and having 3 alright pieces of content instead of 1 amazing piece isn’t something that helps me strengthen my blog. Quality is always better than quantity and I try to remind myself of that when I’m in a busy season either personally or professionally.
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How I Choose Blog Collaborations That Fit My Brand | This Outfit
So what about this collaboration? I was approached to shoot some social media content for JCPenney and liked it so much that I ended up sharing both looks on the blog. {This particular partnership didn’t require me to post or share any of the content, unlike a lot of the contracts I sign.}
A cute red, white, and blue look that's office appropriate! Click To TweetRELATED: How to Affordably Dress for 4th of July BBQs
I ended up deciding I wanted to put together some fun 4th of July looks and quickly picked out these two striped pieces to style together. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you likely know that I used to love a good pattern mix look. Both of these pieces will be easy for me to wear beyond the 4th. The shoes ended up being a tad bit big on me, but upon closer inspection I realized I ordered the 8.5 wide instead of the normal 8.5.
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Love this look- so glad you shared it on the blog! Oh gosh looking back at my first few years of blogging- I did some WEIRD collabs haha!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
These are great tips because when you first start out blogging there’s always that want to be a part of everything but that shouldn’t be the case. Love this casual chic outfit! Perfect for summer and beyond!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com