Collabs 101: Secret Negotiating Tricks No One Talks About

I recently made the decision not to do any service or collaboration for free, unless it’s a really, really great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I need to be sure that the return on investment is worth it for my blog/business and I encourage you to do the same. By now we all know time is money, so unless you have unlimited time and money, you need to learn how to negotiate like a boss so you don’t end up bored, broke, and inexperienced.

Talking about money is almost as uncomfortable as talking about politics or religion (both are topics I do not touch), but at some point it is necessary. Anytime I get a collaboration request, I can’t help but cringe at the thought of turning away brands, especially if it’s one I really want to work with. But if you want to turn your blog into your full-time job, negotiating your rate is something all bloggers need to do.

increase your rate until they say no

When you first start getting contacted by/contacting brands for collaborations, you don’t want any price set in stone. Guidelines are great and you can definitely have an estimate in your media kit, because every collaboration is different and requires different time and skills. An estimate also lets brands know you won’t dip below a certain price point, (and if you do, the collab better be damn good!). Ultimately, you want to be approachable and negotiable.

A strict, fixed rate leaves little room for negotiation and blogging requires a lot of flexibility from all angles! In terms of negotiating, you want to test the waters and push the envelope as much as you possibly can which is why I suggest you keep raising your fee until the company/brand says no. There’s no harm in that. This way you’re able to find their absolutely maximum rate, which is ideal. Once the brand finally says no, you just go back to the previous price they agreed to.

Brands are always looking for a deal so they will try to low-ball you if you aren’t already low-balling yourself. You want to get to their bottom dollar as quickly as possible. And don’t be fooled, this is actually an admirable trait in a business person: cutting the fluff and figuring out how to make a deal work asap. Bloggers of all sizes have a lot more power than they think.

fake it ’til you make it

If you’ve been following NAB for a while now you know I have mixed feelings on “faking it ’til you make it”. Sometimes I think it’s totally inappropriate and other times I think it’s totally accepted. In terms of negotiating, faking it ’til you make it is key.

I’ve always believed in creating multiple email accounts for a more organized way of keeping your business in check. Collaborations could go to collabs@yourblogname.com and personal messages go to yourname@yourblogname.com, etc. My one blogger friend took it a step further and said to create a fake team of people who answer each email address.

If you think about it, most legitimate bloggers have a small team doing this so why can’t you? Just because you don’t have hundreds of thousands of followers doesn’t mean you’re any less busy.

Your fake team isn’t necessarily fake, but it helps take the pressure off you negotiating for yourself. I’m sure the majority of people feel much more comfortable going to bat for someone else than themselves. It’s uncomfortable! You know you’re awesome but how do you portray that to brands without coming off like an arrogant a-hole?

You create an alias to negotiate for you and you treat every collaboration like you’re vouching for your BFF. End of story.

Hopefully, your blog grows to the point where you need a team to help out, but until then, you can use this secret blogger negotiating trick.

share results of past collabs

This is where testimonials and media kits come in handy. Media kits can show names of brands you’ve worked with in the past which, if they’re decent brands, can get you very far. They also show this isn’t your first rodeo and you’re prepared to negotiate what you think you deserve. However, make sure the proof is in the pudding! You should only be sharing successful, high-quality collaborations that have measurable results.

In addition to sharing your media kit with a brand/company, you could also say something like “I was really pleased with the collaboration of my Urban Outfitters partnership as they saw an 80% increase in sales” with a link to the collaboration. This is your time to shine and show brands you’re worth every dime you’re asking for by sharing how much time and effort you put into collaborations.

Instagram Insights is also another great resource to tap into. It actually shows your impressions, reach, engagement, website clicks, email clicks, etc. You could monitor these things closely when you have a collaboration that way you have even more to share with brands in the future.

outline your plan of action (the value you’ll bring)

After you show brands what you’ve done, you can show them what you plan to do for them. Yes, this is going to take a little more time but do you want that extra money or not?!

When you show brands your vision followed by an action plan, it gets them excited and they’re more likely to be on board. What does it look like? Who’s the photographer? How many people are going to see it? What hashtags are you using to increase awareness?

You always want to make brands feel like they’re getting an outstanding deal. And then when you deliver on your word, they won’t have any hesitations about your price again, even if it goes up.

On a scale from 1-10 where are you as a negotiator? Tell me in the comments!

xx

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want more?

Week 1: How to Prepare for Your First Collaboration

Week 2: How to Get Brands to Notice Your Blog

Week 3: How to Price Yourself & Your Work

Week 4 (this week): Secret Negotiating Tricks No One Talks About

Week 5: How to Get More Collaborations