Happy December! Have you been sharing festive content this holiday season? The holidays can be a crazy time, especially for bloggers with holiday gift guides and campaigns. However, the holidays are also the BEST time of the year to make money as an influencer. Many brands increase their budget to accommodate holiday campaigns and influencer marketing. Of the $18,000+ I’ve made this year as a content creator, approximately $8,000 came from just November and December, largely from holiday campaigns. Today, I am sharing my tips with you for how to score holiday campaigns with your favorite brands!
According to a study conducted by Mavrck in September of 2020, 82% of influencers think there will be more online holiday content shared this season, with 39% of influencers attributing this to the importance of encouraging safety during COVID-19. With findings like this, many brands increased their spending on influencer marketing to match the predicted jump in online sales due to the pandemic. In my case, this definitely rang true, as. I was able to generate approximately 44% of my income as a blogger in just November and December.
Start Early
It may seem crazy to start thinking about holiday content in September, but I wish I started even earlier than I did this year. I was super inspired listening to Danielle Gervino’s podcast Blogging Unscripted where she talked about her holiday season planning as an influencer.
Luckily, I listened to Danielle’s advice and got started much earlier this year on my holiday season prep. I spent most of October negotiating holiday campaigns for November and December.
Starting early gives you time to pitch brands, negotiate, shoot content, plan your content calendar, and consider what you can handle as an influencer. I took on more this year, knowing I don’t have much of a social life or holiday parties to attend (thanks Covid & 2020). Next year, if things are back to normal, I’ll have to take those factors into consideration. I’ll also hopefully be back to sharing Thanksgiving & holiday party lookbooks, but that’s neither here nor there.
So pick a date to start planning your holiday campaigns, and then start TWO WEEKS EARLIER than that. Kidding, kind of, but really, I wish I started even earlier. September is the best month to start in my opinion, even though it feels crazy early.
Create Seasonal Content
It wasn’t until this year that I started getting into more seasonal content. I figured because I live in Florida, I needed to be posting only content that made sense for the climate I’m in. This fall, I realized I can incorporate fall and winter touches into my regular content without seeming inauthentic. And, let me tell you, seasonal content performs! I saw higher engagement on all of my fall posts and am seeing similar results with my holiday content.
Once I started sharing more seasonal content, brands took NOTICE! I started getting more fall-based campaigns and have seen a huge increase in holiday campaigns this year!
Some of my fall seasonal content:
So have some fun with it! Let the seasons inspire you! There is so much that you can do with FALL and WINTER photos. If you are looking for some great holiday photo inspiration, fellow influencer Emma Cortes shares 10 Holiday Photo Shoot Ideas on her blog, Emma’s Edition.
I have even taken it to the next level by renting clothing for my holiday photoshoots! Since I live in Florida, I don’t own many sweaters or winter clothing, so I have been using Fashion Pass! So far, I’ve rented a fun sparkly bodysuit for holiday photos and a funky green sweater to wear Christmas tree shopping.
I have the socialite membership which allows me to rent 2 clothing items + one accessory for $79. They offer unlimited swaps throughout the month, so I’ve been planning my deliveries and shoots for weekends. It’s been a fun challenge to pick clothing items a little out of my comfort zone to shoot with! If you’re interested in Fashion Pass, you can use my code EMILY9K for $35 off your first month.
Pitch to Brands
This tip applies year-round, but especially during the holiday season! Though some brands might come direct to you, don’t just wait around! Since you’re starting early (wink wink), you should have plenty of time to check in with brands to gauge interest in your holiday campaigns.
Reach out to brands to see if they are interested in partnering up for some holiday content. In your pitch, show them how you might incorporate the holiday aspect into your post! In my example below, you’ll see how I incorporate various ideas and concepts to get the brand thinking about their partnership with me and the type of content I could create.
FREE RESOURCE ALERT!
Click here to view a HOLIDAY PITCH I actually sent to a beverage brand that LANDED me a holiday campaign!
Offer Exclusive Holiday Projects to Past Partners
Something I’ve been doing lately is offering exclusive projects and pricing packages for brands I’ve worked for in the past. This strategy has worked especially well for the holiday season. Try pitching brands you’ve worked with in the past to be featured in your gift guides this holiday season. With this, you can offer them one of the first spots in the guides and special pricing since you have partnered in the past! Know your worth and rates, but consider trying this strategy out.
What tactics have been successful for you this holiday season? I’d love to hear what worked well for you!
Are you a new blogger or content creator looking for more resources? Check out these recent posts:
- How to Maintain Relationships with Brands
- Pitching to PR Contacts (+ How To Find Them)
- Boost Your Instagram Story Engagement
- How to Get Noticed By Brands for Collaborations
- Pitching to Brands as an Influencer (+ real email templates that I actually sent!)
- The Tea on Instagram Giveaways
- Influencer Marketing Platforms to Help You Make Money
