10 Tips for Working With Brands as an Artist
If you’re looking to build a relationship with a brand, then these helpful tips are for you! These are meant to give you a general pathway into the world of brand partnerships, but they are by no means the only steps that can be taken. Let’s start with the basics:
Identify your favorite brands. Think about items you use in your daily life or causes you are passionate about. This can range from clothing brands to a charity you want to support.
Don’t forget about small business! As an independent artist, you are in effect a small business. What better way to begin partnering with other brands than to help another small business grow as well. You may both be looking for increased exposure, and you might also have an easier time getting in touch with people within the company.
Engagement goes a long way. An easy way to display your interest in a brand is to like and comment on their social media posts. Make your support known and the relationship will blossom in a more organic way.
4. Don’t hesitate in reaching out to brands. Engaging with their socials is a great way to begin and sustain the relationship, but the best way to cement it is to reach out directly and have a conversation. You can often find contact information for brands and their employees on Instagram, Tik Tok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or really any other social or networking site (remember that for sites like Instagram, you may only be able to see email addresses when using the mobile app).
5. Create content. A brand is more likely to work with you if they see you are active and have an engaged fanbase.
6. Have a brand kit ready. Brand kits consist of specifications for how you create visuals (i.e. logos, fonts, etc.) and describe your own brand identity. You can find more specifics on building a brand kit here. Something that can be helpful to include when reaching out to another brand is your social media stats as well as your stats as a musician so that they can get a fuller picture of the impact you might have on their brand.
7. Be extremely intentional about communication. Knowing what you want out of the partnership and what you can bring to the table are very important to building a strong relationship. Also, reaching out consistently and responding quickly is key. Both of these qualities will demonstrate your genuine interest in and passion for the brand’s work, and that will go a long way in founding a long-lasting bond.
8. Form meaningful relationships. Look to work with brands you actually connect with as they will feel most authentic to promote and only further enhance your brand as an authentic artist. Your fans want to know more about you, and staying true to yourself when partnering with brands will also reinforce trust between you and your fans. Also, if the first experience between you and a brand does not go well, do not feel the need to force it just for the sake of continuing the partnership. It is okay to step away from a brand if it does not feel like a worthwhile endeavor or no longer aligns with your own brand identity.
9. Connect with other musicians who have also taken the influencer path with brands. It can be very valuable to learn from others who are actively working with brands you want to work with or who have more experience working with brands in general. They can offer information from their own experiences that might help you further tailor your approach going forward.
10. Last but not least: Don’t settle! You do not need to work with a brand just to say that you did or to feel like you are a legitimate artist. It is far better to create meaningful partnerships with brands that reinforce your personal artist brand than to settle for a partnership that may take more energy from you than it is worth and does not offer you anything of value in return. Remember, these are called partnerships for a reason. They should be beneficial to both parties and enhance your personal brand just as much as they enhance the brand you are working with.
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Written By: Michaela Dolishny and Hannah Askew
