As a food content creator, one of the most popular ways to grow your income is through working with brands. While brands do reach out to individual content creators, sometimes it’s best to be proactive and pitch to brands.
However, crafting the perfect pitch is meaningless until you identify the right brands to collaborate with. The process of finding brands to reach out to involves researching, networking, and thinking strategically.
Below we’ll cover 5 ways to find the right brands for pitching. Let’s dive into it!
1. Consider what YOU use
The first way to find brands to pitch to is… seeing what you use on a daily basis! What better place to start than in your own kitchen? Look around and take note of what brands are in your pantry, what brands you frequently use in your recipes, and what brands you find yourself recommending to your community.
You can also use the grocery store for inspiration. As you shop, what brands do you notice that are in your niche? For example, if your niche is baking desserts, look at the baking aisle to see what different brands exist.
P.S. If you see any brands you haven’t heard of/used yet, make sure you enjoy the products before reaching out. Building trust with your followers is a key part of having sponsored content perform successfully. When the recommendations are authentic and the content doesn’t just read as an “ad,” your audience is much more likely to engage with it.
2. Follow brands on social media
Another way to find brands to pitch to is through social media. Start by seeing what brands already engage with your content and with the content of those in your niche. Make sure to follow those brands!
As you follow them, you’ll be recommended similar brands. Once you have a list of brands, you can take a look and see if they already work with creators – not only does this help identify if they’re a good fit, but it can also help inform your pitch.
Additionally, see what brands your followers follow. You can even use Instagram Stories to ask your community what brands they love and are passionate about.
Once you follow the brands, take note of the latest news, new products, and upcoming campaigns they share. And don’t stop there – you can also engage with their content by liking and commenting to establish a connection with the brand/social media manager.
Want to learn more about developing a relationship with brands?3. Join an influencer network
Did you know plenty of influencer networks exist specifically to pair brands with creators and vice versa? Sites like Ubiquitous, Skeepers, and The Lobby are all influencer networks that pair influencers with brands. On these sites, you usually have a profile that explains what your niche is and links to your socials. Sometimes brands may reach out to you and other times you can reach out to brands with open campaigns.
One thing to note is that often when going through a network the rate of pay is usually less significant than what you would get if you did an individual pitch. This is because the rate is usually already set, rather than negotiated. However, this can still be a great way to start, especially to build a portfolio/relationship with brands (see how to make a media kit here).
Want to learn how to make a media kit?4. Check brand partnerships of those in your niche
A great way to find brands that are not only a good fit, but also actively working with creators is to identify the brands that creators in your niche have collaborated with. You can use Instagram or TikTok to look through your explore tab, feed, and the individual feeds of those in your niche to see what brands have partnered with creators who share similar content.
You can also check blogs to see what brands prefer to work with bloggers. Some sites, like Pinch of Yum, have a dedicated page for sponsored content that you can browse through.
5. Utilize the Internet
When in doubt, use Google! Start by searching brands in your industry and see what comes up. For example, if you’re a vegan food creator, search ‘vegan food brands’ and take note of any brands that would be a good fit for your audience.
Even if they don’t have a big social media presence (yet!) they may still want to work with creators to spread the word about their brand.
By following these steps you can identify and connect with brands that are a great fit for you and your audience. And, by being proactive you can increase your chances of securing collaboration opportunities!
FBP members have access to our entire course all about Sponsored Content and a brand email template! Join here today!
You can also use the below resources to help craft the *perfect* message and successfully land sponsored opportunities:
- Negotiating Contracts for Sponsored Content
- Negotiating with Brands using the MAGIC Framework
- Working with Brands Podcast Episode
- The Confident Pitch Podcast Episode
Question: What’s your favorite way to find brands for pitching?