A Little Insight On How Sponsored Content Works

20 June |

How do bloggers/influencers make money? While there are several ways this happens, one main way is with sponsored content on one or all of an influencers social platforms. For some reason, sponsored posts get this weird stigma because they say #ad or #sponsored in the caption. Brands now use social media as a way to advertise their products. So similar to a way a brand would pay to have an ad in a magazine, they pay influencers to post about their products!

So how does all this work? The conversations usually start out over email or through an influencer network that the brand is a part of. When I first started out, I would cold email brands and pitch myself on why I wanted to work with a brand and gave them a list of reason on why they should work with me. Sometimes I got no response. Other times they would respond and say they aren’t interested. And then there were times when they were interested and a second set of conversations were started to get the details ironed out and the ball rolling for a project. When I first started, I would say that for every 100 emails I sent, 5-10 collaborations came from that. Which honestly, was a really good start.

As I was growing my blog and Instagram following, I started to charge brands to advertise on my platform. I was curating content that I loved and wanted to share but couldn’t just share everything for free. A lot of time goes into creating a post and I knew I needed to be compensated for my efforts.

I also take a lot of pride in what I share with my readers. I don’t ever want anyone to feel like I’m just posting something to make a paycheck. All the products I share are things I’m wearing and using on my own. Sometimes I try something and realize I don’t like it so I’ll give an honest review or come back and say that it didn’t end up the way I wanted. Following any influencer on Instagram or reading a blog is completely free to the consumer. You are making a choice to consume the free content put out by others and you can leave at any time. There is no guarantee that my readers or followers will stick around but one way I can hope that they will is by producing content that is true and authentic to me. My goal is to gain your trust so that you will continue to support and love Loverly Grey.

So back to collaborations…when I got an email back in November that Brahmin wanted to work with me, better yet, pay me to work with them on an upcoming Christmas campaign, I was over the moon excited! Brahmin is a brand that I have loved for years. Their bags are high quality and unique. I had always wanted to work with Brahmin and hoped that one day I would get the chance to shoot a campaign for them. That one campaign has turned into a longer term brand partnership. They are trusting me each month to select a bag from their newest collection to style and create a story for my readers.

This month, I am sharing their Lane Dawson Crossbody. I loved the Lane in yellow from earlier this spring and was excited to get my hands on another option that will carry me into fall. The Lane Crossbody can be worn with the shoulder strap or by itself with the top handle. There is are slots inside the purse where you can store your credit cards so you won’t need an actual wallet. You can also fit a phone, compact, lipstick and small wallet if needed.

Every collaboration is different! Brands have unique initiatives for every collaboration. Some are trying to drive sales while others are wanting to drive brand awareness. Just think about all the brands that you might have never heard of if it wasn’t for an influencers testing out the product and sharing their review. Social media is a great place for brands to spend their advertising dollars to get their name and product in front of consumers.

I hope that this info is helpful for you to understand a little more about how brand collaborations work! This is just my experience so I can’t speak to how others work with brands. I’ve really enjoyed sharing a little more of the business side of Loverly Grey and would love to know what you want to hear more about next!

Today’s post is sponsored by Brahmin. As always, all opinions are my own!

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  1. I love the transparency on this topic and glad you took the opportunity to share this with your audience! It is always good to educate because I find that people just don’t know how it all works…the more they know, the more they can understand it and then support you for all of your efforts in return! You’re the best!

  2. That bag is so cute! Can’t wait to see the rest of the months picks. Also, love that you shared all about collaborating, it’s something I always have to remind my followers about! 🙂

  3. You have inspired to me to start my own blog! I am so excited about it and this has helped me out tremendously and answered so many of my questions. Thank you so much!

    Ps. I LOVE seeing your posts and insta stories!!