A Step-By-Step Guide For Turning Your Dream Partnership Into A Long-Term Gig

Congrats! You just booked a partnership with your dream brand. We’re so excited for you! And you know what’s even dreamier? Turning that one-time campaign into a long-term contract. 

Whether you’re working with a Creator monetization platform or a brand directly, here are a few best practices that can help you stand out to your brand partners and convince them to book you for those coveted long-term campaigns.

Is the campaign goal brand awareness, sales, user-generated content, or more social follower growth?  

“Don’t be afraid to ask a brand what their marketing goals or needs are at the start of your conversations,” recommends social media coach and CEO of Influence with Impact, Lisette Calveiro.

Asking the brand about the campaign goals shows that you not only care about the success of this partnership, but will also help you produce the best type of content that delivers on those goals. “If it’s views they want, what content style or type drives the most views for you? If conversion is what they want—how do you best achieve that for your community,” suggests Calveiro. 

To make sure you and the brand are on the same page, you can ask:

1. Is the main goal to drive sales? If so, what are your hero products?
2. Are you hoping to garner more brand awareness? If so, what audience are you trying to reach and on what platforms?
3. Is new customer acquisition or repeat purchases your primary goal?

Once you’re aligned on goals, you can show the brand the kind of content you intend to produce and how you’ll achieve campaign goals. 

Whether it’s a budget for a photographer or a different selection of products, asking for what you need (you know, within reason) will enable you to partner with the brand closely and get you what you need to produce high performing campaign content. Being upfront will ensure you both are set up for success!

With all the necessary tools at your disposal, you’ll be empowered to create your best work yet. Clear communication from the get-go ensures that expectations for the partnership are met in the long run and encourages a brand from working with you again. 

Even if a brand hasn’t asked for creative input, they may still appreciate learning about your content strategy and approach. You can get the brand excited by sharing the great idea you have for an Instagram Reel to showcase their product in an entirely new way, or just let the brand know you’re passionate about the company’s mission.  

“Before starting to create content, share your idea, visual concept or script with them so that they can green light if it matches the vision they had in mind—this also saves so much back and forth during the feedback process,” explains Calveiro. 

Brands will be thrilled to be involved in the creative process, and being proactive will help set you apart. 

Everyone loves a discount, and that includes brands. When you receive a proposal for a one-off campaign, show the brand the added benefits of a longer-term partnership. 

“When a brand comes to you with a campaign and short list of what they’re looking for from you, don’t just send back your rate for that one ask. Suggest the option of a ‘sweet deal’ for multiple campaign pulses at a discounted bundled rate per round of content,” suggests Calveiro. 

If the brand is looking for a two-month campaign, show them what a four month campaign might look like as well, and what else you can accomplish that will provide the brand even more long-term value. With a longer partnership, you may be able to create three additional videos, or 20 high-resolution images for brands to use during tentpole moments on their own social channels. Or, if you have more bandwidth over the course of a year, you can produce extra Facebook/YouTube/TikTok posts. 

If you need more help convincing a brand of the benefits of a long-term partnership, this management agency’s infographic has some great tips:

Nothing derails a campaign more than a missed deadline. Barring an emergency, it’s always best to turn in your work on time. Read the contract carefully so you know what assets need to be produced and by when. If you are going to miss the deadline, make sure you openly communicate with the brand so they have a heads up.  

Brands will always appreciate your professionalism!

Sometimes, you can book the campaign, sign the contracts, create fantastic content, post it, get paid, and then…crickets. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear from a brand again after a successful campaign. The silence does not mean they don’t want to work with you; sometimes, they just need more information.

If you want to secure a long-term partnership, you can start with putting together a campaign recap for the brand. Calveiro suggests going above and beyond by sharing “standout analytics for anything that went really well, and testimonials and comments from your community about their reaction to the campaign.” The campaign recap doesn’t need to be dozens of pages or take hours. Here are a few things you can include:

• Social media statistics like impressions, reach, engagement
• Sales and conversions
• Audience feedback: standout comments, replies, or testimonials

To take it a step further, you can also “ask them if the campaign met their goals and how you can support them again in the future, and tie it all together by suggesting what working with you as a long-term partner could look like,” says Calveiro. 

At the end of the day, convincing a brand to keep coming back to you for campaigns requires that you show value, be professional, produce authentic content, and hit campaign goals. With all elements in mind, you’ll impress your brand partners and be well-positioned for that coveted long-term contract. If you’re looking to simplify all the work that goes into pitching brands, booking campaigns, and negotiation terms, working with an established platform can help alleviate a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

Collective Voice is a content monetization platform built just for you. Start monetizing and level up your content with our affiliate tools, educational resources, sales insights, brand partnership opportunities and more.