How brands and bloggers can easily work together

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I’ve been a lifestyle blogger for almost 10 years now which is pretty impressive for something that started as a hobby at university. Over the last few years my blog has moved away from just being a hobby though and I’m fortunate enough that it now earns me a little bit of money. In that time I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to brands and lifestyle bloggers working together so today I thought I’d share exactly how both parties (in my opinion) can work together to create a great working relationship and a campaign that packs a punch!

Brands and lifestyle bloggers working together

There are a number of collaborations brands and bloggers can work together on which is absolutely wonderful. From sponsored content either written by the blogger or pre-written content provided by the brand to link insertions and gifted items. When it comes to brands and lifestyle bloggers working together the possibilities are endless. Lifestyle bloggers tend to cover a wide range of topics which gives them more opportunities to work with brands. There are some definite does and don’ts on both sides though when it comes to creating a harmonious collaboration.

I’ve seen it all when it comes to working with brands and fortunately most of my experiences have been good but there have been the odd few that have been a little nightmarish! Here’s are some approaches that work really well and some that don’t work quite as well when it comes to working with UK lifestyle bloggers.

• Expecting bloggers to follow the rules for collaboration posts – this is a bigger and one that always causes a fuss in the blogging world. But sponsored posts should always be properly declared and the rules for this are pretty easy to find. Too often I’ve seen brands asking for sponsored content to either not be disclosed at all or to include a disclosure which actually doesn’t pass the guidelines on sponsored content. It’s really unfair to expect bloggers to flout the rules like this and brands should never ask bloggers to not properly disclose their sponsored content. I always find the addition of being asked to disclose correctly a sign that the brand is trustworthy and good to work with. I cannot stress enough bloggers that you should absolutely, always disclose sponsored content!
• Paying invoices – I cannot tell you how much I love a brand that pays their invoices on time or early. Honestly you’re the best for us bloggers. Imagine turning up to any other job and them not paying you on time. Blogging is no different so brands I urge you to pay your bloggers on time. Self employment can be stressful enough without having to chase overdue invoices. Bloggers, if you are getting into difficulty there are a number of avenues you can go down to get the money you’re owed, never let a brand get away with not paying you!
• Be respectful – again this goes on both sides. I always appreciate emails from brands that have clearly taken the time to look at my blog and add a bit of a personal touch to their emails. Often you’re conducting business via email with someone you don’t know so it’s nice to add a bit of personality whilst remaining professional. A simple ‘how are you?’ or ‘I hope you have a nice weekend’ takes no effort and just comes across a little bit nicer on both sides.

I honestly think they’re the three big things for me when it comes to working with brands and they’re all simple things that both brands and bloggers can do to make collaborations work really well.

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How brands and bloggers can achieve their collaboration goals

Brands probably already have an idea in mind of what they want from a collaboration with a blogger but the sign of a good collaboration is where a brand is willing to hear a bloggers ideas too. Every blogger can bring something different to the table and it’s worthwhile offering up your own unique ideas to a brand. Trying to fit all bloggers into the same box will make for a boring campaign.

This is where Get Blogged come in. I’ve been working with Get Blogged for a while now and I’ve honestly nothing bad to say about them at all, using Get Blogged for sponsored collaborations has been a game changer for my blog. You can be assured that having been on the ugly side of brand collaborations that I would never recommend a company that wasn’t an absolute dream to work with.

Not only do Get Blogged have a great list of jobs readily available and waiting for lifestyle bloggers UK to pitch for but they also have a marketplace that brands will love too. It’s designed to offer a simpler way to collaborate with lifestyle bloggers UK, guaranteeing brands an easy way to secure backlinks and supercharge their search rankings. Marketplace jobs are amazing for brands and bloggers as a brand can go in with a rough idea of what they’d like from a campaign and bloggers can pitch all their wonderfully unique ideas to them. It’s a simple, fuss-free formula that works a treat.

My favourite lifestyle bloggers

If you’re looking for some great lifestyle blogs to read then here are my favourite five bloggers:

• Kayleigh Zara
• Jenny in Neverland
• xameliax
• Our Favourite Jar
• From Roses

So there you go, that’s my take on how brands and bloggers can work together to create amazing campaigns that work for everyone involved.

What advice would you give brands and bloggers when it comes to working together? Share your ideas in the comments!

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