How I Organize and Execute a Brand Partnership
If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly trying to make the processes in your business more efficient. Since one of the biggest sources of income as a content creator is working with brands, I wanted to show you today how I organize and execute a brand partnership.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to actually land brand deals, don’t forget that we interviewed Sonia Elyss, owner of creative agency, Round Twelve, on our podcast Soulcial Scoop, and it’s available now for you to binge everywhere you listen to your podcasts. You’ll learn everything you need to know about how agencies and brands actually choose the creators that they work with.
We’ll be walking through each step from the moment I sign the agreement until the end of the partnership step-by-step. Let’s dive into it.
Taking note of all brand details
First things first, I start by going through the creative brief and the signed agreement and note the following details:
The date I obtained the partnership (I track this to see which months are busiest for me in terms of booking jobs)
Brand’s name
Status of the partnership (Pending, Waiting for Product, Product Received, Creating Content, Content Created + Ready to Send, Submitted for Approval, Approved by the Brand, Posted + Ready to Invoice, Invoice Sent)
Rate
Draft Due Date
Live Date
Deliverables
Required hashtags/tags
Exclusivity requirements
Usage requirements
Payment terms (NET30, NET60, etc)
Category (Influencer Partnership, Content Creation/UGC)
Contract (I attach the file)
Brief (I attach the file)
Discovery (how the collaboration came about)
Notes (any additional things to note like discount codes, trackable links, etc.)
To organize all of this information, I’ve created a spreadsheet in Notion. I track all of my partnerships for the entire year on one spreadsheet so that I can see everything separated by month as well as the full picture for the year.
We offer this exact template and many more for free to the members of the Soulcialmate Private Monthly Creator Membership — You can learn more about it here.
The reason that I have this all laid out in one place is because it makes things much quicker for me to access when I need to vs. having to look in my email for the brief and/or agreement and then look through those documents to find what I’m looking for.
Doing research into the brand’s look & feel
Typically, with the help of the creative brief that the brand provides, I have an idea of what it is that they’re looking for, but sometimes these briefs don't go too much into detail, so this is where my research comes in.
Even with a really well put-together brief, I think this next step is still very important.
In order to create content that the brand is going to love — especially with UGC and/or content that the brand has usage rights to — you need to ensure that it’s something that will organically fit in with the look and feel of their website, social media, newsletters, etc.
I typically start by going through the brand’s website and noting any terms, colors or aesthetics that I see consistently throughout the content. Then, I move to their social platforms to see if that is continued on through the content there. Also note that some brands use specific fonts/colors that each app offers to stay consistent. I’d suggest using those too if you don’t already have a specific look & feel of your own.
Planning the shoot
Once I have an idea of the concept for the collaboration as well as the overall aesthetics of the brand, it’s time to start actually planning.
This process looks very different depending on the type of content that I’m working on. For example, if I’m working on a creative photoshoot, I start by heading to Pinterest and gathering inspiration for a mood board or some pose/location inspiration so that I can start planning out what I need to buy and where I’ll be taking the photos.
If I’m working on a more informational or educational video for the brand, this process is typically where I script the video. I’ll either write out an exact script of what I’ll be saying if the guidelines as super strict. If it’s a more laid back video, I’ll usually write down a Notion document of bullet points that can guide me along the recording process.
I think this step is incredibly important especially with video content. If you have specific talking points that you need to make sure you mention, you don’t want to forget about them. Having them written down in front of you makes that near impossible.
Executing the content creation
My job is constantly pulling me in different directions with the things that I need to accomplish in a week, so I’ve started to do all of my content creation in one day. That way, I can have my game face on and execute all of it, so that the rest of the week feels a bit more relaxed.
Typically, on these Mondays, I film my Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and membership content so that I can post it throughout the week. If I have sponsored posts to do, I usually plan them on this day too.
Depending on the piece of content and it’s due dates, I might sit down and edit the content immediately after or throughout the week as needed.
Organizing the content drafts
Once you’ve created and edited the content, it’s time to get this all together in an organized manner and send it over to the brand for approval.
In most situations, brands are going to want to see the content before you actually go live with it to approve the caption, hashtags, and video/photo itself.
One compliment that I get time and time again from brands is that I’m a very organized person to work with, and that’s something that makes brands want to work with me time and time again.
To stay organized, I use Dropbox for all of my content. I have a “Content” folder that’s broken down as such:
First, by year.
Presenting the content for approval
After I have everything in my Dropbox folder uploaded, labeled, and organized, this is when I get the link prepared to send to the brand.
Some brands have very specific ways that they’d like the content to be presented to them, so make sure that you note that before just sending them a Dropbox link.
When you’re in the brand’s folder, you can hit the “Share” button, that brings up a screen like this. Typically, I just copy this link and that’s the link that I send to the brand.
When I'm sending content to the brand via email, I typically send an email that looks something like this: “So excited for you to see this content! [Note anything that is important for the brand to know]” Then, the Dropbox link that’s clickable saying “Click here to view.” I end the email with “I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback.” And it’s as simple as that.
Setting a live date and going live
After I send the content over to the brand, they may get back to me with some small changes, and if that happens, I make those changes immediately. The quicker and more responsive you can be, the better.
Once everything is approved and ready to go, this is when I work with the brand to choose a live date that works for us both if they haven’t already provided me with one.
On that date, I make sure to go live at the date + time that I told them I would. I even make it a calendar task so that I don’t forget what we’ve agreed upon.
Sending the brand a wrap up
After the post goes live, within 48 hours I send the brand a wrap-up report.
All of our the creators in our Private Membership Community have access to this template and tons more for free. You can learn more about it by clicking here.
In this wrap up, I include screenshots of the content with links to view it as well as screenshots of the caption, insights and any messages that I received of audience members inquiring or sharing excitement over the brand.
Inviting the brand to work together again
In order to try to make this brand deal one that turns into more of a relationship, I always invite the brand in this wrap-up to continue working together. I make sure to tell them why I thought the collaboration was successful and what I’d like to work with them on in the future.
It’s also really important to use this opportunity to stand out. Ask for the company’s address, and send them a hand-written thank you note — maybe even include a Starbucks gift card thanking them for being great to work with. This can go a long way!
