Are you an aspiring content creator or influencer and wonder what it takes to catch a brand’s eye on social media? The #1 question I get asked on Instagram is how an influencer can get added to Jouer’s PR List. Today, I’m spilling the tea on tips for grabbing a brand’s attention and steps towards igniting a lasting relationship—one that could even lead to a paycheck.

If you have a gazillion followers and think you’re a shoo-in for being sponsored, you’re mistaken and need to keep reading. There’s a lot more strategy behind how brands choose their partnerships and being popular on social media isn’t always the criteria. It’s how you go about it that counts.

If you’re looking to get in on the game, study a brand’s social channels in full detail. Are they posting user generated content? If so, you have a chance of your content being reposted. Here’s a secret: Jouer reposts capturing of influencers doing beauty videos, atmosphere product shots, and still images. (Check our Insta here!)

Research the brand:

• • • • What type of content do they post and how often?
      • Do they shoot product shots, face shots, outfit shots, full-length, cropped, gifs, videos?
      • What type of lighting does the brand use?

High quality visuals are of the utmost importance to a brand, so it’s time to become a student of photography. Abandon all home-grown looking shots and start shooting at the quality you think a brand would repost.  
 
Make sure your photos have great lighting, they are crisp, and up your editing game without using a filter. I’m not opposed to iPhone photography, but it’s gotta be at a certain level.  
 
Take for example Cassandra’s (@myriskelashes) photo on our brand-new Champagne & Macaron face palettes. We love her photography and have used her images a bunch in the past. 

This is especially important to beauty brands. When you are capturing footage of yourself wearing or applying makeup, you must show your skin’s true color and the pigment of the products you’re using. Otherwise, it’s not authentic looking and provides no value to your followers or our consumers. 

Stay up to date on brands’ current products and the emerging trends in your industry. If you want to work with a brand, don’t post an item from last year’s collection and expect it to be reposted. It’s not relevant anymore.  

Establish some brand loyalty and show it! If a brand knows you trust them, they’ll have an easier time trusting you!  

Never approach a brand saying you’ve never bought their product but want to try it for free.

Always go out and buy the product yourself, get to know the brand, decide what you like about it, and then discuss it on your social channel multiple times.

If you post a beautiful, made-up face and use products from 20 different brands to get your look, fight the urge to tag all 20 of them. Only tag a few key brands. Personal pet peeve: Seeing a post with a photo clogged with so many brands, you can’t even tell which brand goes where.  
 
Focus on 3-5 brands whose attention you want and mention the product you used in the caption. Don’t leave any guesswork for the brand. Make it easy on them. 

Be patient and realistic. Indie brands have small teams, and they might not get back to you right away — even if your content is incredible.  

The best way to get noticed is on your social channel, so post killer content consistently on TikTok, Instagram, or wherever. Emails are a tougher way to make an impression, but if that’s your avenue of choice, be clear with your ask and include tons of information — like links to your channels and stats.  

Ok, this was a lot. But there is a ton more insider info and tips in the video. The tips are universal and applicable to all brands! So, if it’s not Jouer you’re after, use these tricks to connect with the brand of your dreams.