How to Turn a Gifted Collaboration into a Paid Sponsorship for Food Creators
Last updated on August 11th, 2024 at 07:33 pm
Food influencers & content creators – how often do you get requests for gifted campaigns from brands? Use the sample responses in this post for how to turn a gifted collaboration into a paid collaboration!
After months, maybe years, of consistently planning and publishing content, you FINALLY get your first collaboration with a brand!
Yayyyyyyy – or so you thought.
Yep, it’s a collaboration (or partnership) with a brand. But it’s a *gifted* collaboration.
What is a gifted collaboration?
It’s the opportunity to “work with” a brand but you won’t be paid. Instead you will receive free products in exchange for the content you create.
Why do companies offer gifted campaigns?
Lots of reasons. Some companies don’t have the budget.
Some brands are new to influencer marketing and want to explore this marketing channel with little commitment (aka they don’t want to spend a lot of money).
But the main reason is that they are expecting you (yes you) to underestimate the value of your brand and to jump at the opportunity of free products instead of getting paid for your time, expertise, creativity and hard work.
Why do content creators & influencers accept these campaigns?
Well, who doesn’t want free stuff? Especially if it’s food or expensive stuff.
Even if you aren’t getting paid, there might be other benefits for your audience such as a discount code, giveaways, etc
Some content creators think that doing free work is a good way to nurture a relationship with a brand that can lead to getting paid work from said brand.
A lot of content creators & influencers don’t know better. They don’t know that they can actually get paid.
So many influencers are afraid to ask. Do you think your following is too small? Are you worried that you won’t drive the kind of results that the brand is looking for?
Must read: How brands use equity to exploit content creators & influencers
What are the advantages of doing gifted campaigns?
You can build your media kit & portfolio. If you are unable to get paid campaigns, you can do a few gifted campaigns and leverage that work to pitch brands for paid sponsorships.
Also, you can “test” brand collaborations/partnerships with a lower commitment. You can decide if this is a viable income stream for you, and more importantly, you can figure out how collaborations resonate with your audience.
What are the cons of doing them?
Most of the time, you don’t get paid for doing this work. Sometimes, brands will offer a sales commission.
There are probably still contracts and legal obligations involved, but it depends on the brand.
You might have to report this on your taxes. Please check with your accountant or tax professional (and/or legal professional) on whether or not you need to report free products as gifts on your taxes.
Obligatory note that this post is not financial advice or legal advice.
Should I do a gifted campaign?
Only you can answer this question.
Remember, you are running a business and you need to make decisions for yourself.
However, think through the answers to these questions to determine whether or not it’s worth your time & effort:
- Am I interested in this brand/company? Have I used their product or service before? What are my honest thoughts about it?
- If I’m interested in this product/service, how will this product/service help or solve problems for my audience?
- How will working with this brand (or with any brands) affect the relationship I have with my audience?
- Is this the best use of my time, money & effort? How else can I use my time effectively? Should I post on my website or social media? Plan content? Pitch to other brands for paid collaborations? Take a break?
How to respond to a gifted collaboration offer
Finally, let’s talk about how to respond to a brand when they reach out or respond to your pitch and offer you a gifted collaboration.
This is a friendly email I received from an Influencer Marketing Manager at a food CPG:
Here’s a summary of the email:
- An Influencer Manager that works with a packaged food business based in the US reached out to me.
- They are interested in doing a gifted campaign, probably based on my Instagram following.
- I say probably, because the audience isn’t specified in the email.
- The Influencer Manager mentions a few ideas on how I can create content with their product(s).
- The company states that they are providing creative control to me & they are open to feedback instead of them having rigid requirements.
If you get an email or DM like this, here are a few options for responding:
Example 1: Ask about the budget for a paid sponsorship.
Your response:
"Thank you for reaching out, [NAME]. I’m prioritizing paid partnerships. What is your budget for this campaign?”
You are letting them know that you are focused on monetary compensation for your work. You can also say, “I’m interested in paid collaborations.”
Example 2: Turn down the offer/request.
Your response:
“Thank you for reaching out, [NAME]. Gifted campaigns don’t meet my business goals. If you have any projects in the future with a higher budget, let me know. Also, I can reach out later to discuss other opportunities."
Notice how this response is about business, instead of making it personal.
You are also keeping communication open by letting them know that they can reach out to you another time and/or that you plan to follow up with them later.
This example response can be used as your first response or later on if the brand tells you that there is no budget or they don’t want to pay you.
And yes, brands will straight up tell you that they don’t want to pay you because ‘you don’t have enough followers’ or your ‘engagement rate is too low.’
What if I contacted the brand first? Can I still ask for the budget?
Absolutely!
Some content creators & influencers pitch brands for potential partnerships (as they should) and brands often respond (if they respond at all) with an offer for a gifted campaign.
Just because you reached out to a brand first doesn’t mean you should take whatever they are offering you.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, negotiate & say no!
