I can’t believe it’s this time again. Fall came so QUICK this year! How the heck did 2021 fly by so fast? Weren’t we just making whipped coffee and banana bread and tie-dying everything in our path? With that said, Q4 (quarter 4, October, November, December) of 2021 is upon us! Historically, Q4 has been my most successful quarter of the year. Last year, over 50% of my income came from Q4. Brands have higher budgets and are prepared to spend on influencer marketing. Today, I want to share 4 best practices for influencer marketing holiday campaigns and how to pitch holiday content to brands!
Start Early
According to Mavrck, last year, 54% of influencers started planning for the holidays in August and September and 19% already had holiday collaborations lined up for the 2020 season, meaning brands need to solidify partnerships in early Fall. I know it feels weird to start thinking about holiday content in September, but trust me, this is the time to start doing it! You will want to capitalize on those holiday campaigns to make sure your Q4 earnings are strong.
Last year, I remember being 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 last year on my holiday season prep. I spent most of October negotiating holiday campaigns for November and December. This totally paid off as we know, with 44% of my yearly income coming from just those two months. However, this year I am starting EVEN EARLIER! My Fall campaigns are in full-swing and I will be pitching brands for holiday campaigns over the coming months.
Starting early gives you time to pitch brands, negotiate, shoot content, plan your content calendar, and consider what you can handle as an influencer.
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 last year. September is the best month to start in my opinion, even though it feels crazy early.
Create Seasonal Content to Attract Brands
It wasn’t until last 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. Last 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 holiday content.
Once I started sharing more seasonal content, brands took NOTICE! I started getting more fall-based campaigns and saw a huge increase in contracted holiday campaigns last year! If you’re ready to get started this fall, check out my 7 Unique Instagrammable Fall Photoshoot Ideas You Can Recreate post.
Some of my fall seasonal content:
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 holiday photo inspiration, check out my 10 Easy Holiday Photoshoot Ideas post from last year!
One way I take my seasonal content to the next level is by renting clothing for my photoshoots. Since I live in Florida, I don’t own many sweaters or winter clothing, so I use Fashion Pass to incorporate those more seasonal piece. Last year, I loved renting sparkly pieces for Christmas and New Years shoots. This year, I’ve been having fun renting all kinds of fall outfits!
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 HELLOEMILYERIN 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.
So, Emily, what do I say? Here’s a holiday pitch I sent last year that LANDED me a holiday campaign:
Hi BRAND Team,
Popping into your inbox to introduce myself – I’m Emily Croslin (better known as @helloemilyerin on Instagram), a St. Petersburg, Florida-based lifestyle and fashion influencer and blogger.
I have been a fan of BRAND for quite some time! I’ve found it to be the smoothest WINE TYPE I’ve tried and I love the rich flavor. I noticed that you recently came out with canned wine – how cool is that? Canned wine is one of my new favorite things as I often can’t finish a bottle on my own before it goes bad. One thing I’ve been doing like crazy while staying at home is putting together charcuterie boards and picking the perfect bottle of wine to pair with it. I love picnicking at the park or the beach and will often bring all the goods with me!
Would you be open to discussing a collaboration between BRAND and Hello Emily Erin? I think we would be a great fit and that your delicious WINE TYPE would undoubtedly resonate with my audience!
For a little more information about my brand and audience, I would be happy to share my media kit which details some of my past brand collaborations, platforms and stats for each, branded content samples, and collaboration opportunities. You can also check out my site for some branded content samples. You can view some samples of recent product-based sponsored Instagram posts I’ve shared here, here, and here!
Please let me know if you agree that we could be a great fit for a partnership! I’d love to know how best I can support your marketing needs. I thought it could be fun to share some tropical content (taking advantage of the Florida lifestyle!), maybe putting together a picnic photo-opp at the beach. We could also plan this as a holiday collaboration where I share BRAND as the perfect addition to any holiday celebration, even when we are celebrating a bit differently this year. I saw a great recipe for BLANK and could create a post surrounding fun drinks to make this holiday season. Or, we can even combine the two ideas and I can shoot with holiday props (santa hat, festive blankets, wrapped gifts) at the beach, incorporating BRAND. Totally open to any ideas – looking forward to discussing in more detail!
Excited for our potential partnership,
—
Emily Croslin Hello Emily Erin
Instagram | Blog | Pinterest | TikTok | LIKEtoKNOW.it
Raise Your Rates
I aim to raise my rates every quarter at the very least, but I especially recommend increasing your rates during Q4. Brands have an increased budget and CAN accommodate your requests for increased compensation. This year, I plan to increase my rates by 50%.
Offer Exclusive Holiday Projects to Past Partners
Something I had success with last year was offering exclusive projects and pricing packages for brands I’ve worked for in the past. This strategy 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 are you going to implement 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:
- When to Raise Your Rates
- Answering Your Most Asked Questions
- Most Common Reasons People Hit the Unfollow Button
- How to Find Success on Instagram Reels
- 7 Ways to Ensure a Successful Brand Partnership
- How to Carefully Read Brand Contracts
- Influencer Terms You Need to Know
- Boost Your Engagement on Instagram Stories
- Grow Your Following
- Negotiate with Brands
- How to Find and Pitch Brand Contacts
- Pitching Techniques: How to Land the Perfect Pitch Every Time
- How I Build My Content Calendar
- 9 Blogging Essentials You Need
- How to Maintain Relationships with Brands
- Pitching to PR Contacts (+ How To Find Them)
- Boost Your Instagram Story Engagement
- 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
