How To Find Suitable Content Creators For Brands In 8 Easy Ways

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Consider you've built a solid following on YouTube, and now you're ready to take your channel to the next level. The first step to achieving your goals is knowing how to get sponsored on Youtube and the platform to earn revenue, increase production value, and create content your audience will love. The best way to get started is to partner with brands that align with your niche and audience, and this guide will show you how to become a creator for brands. In no time, you'll be on your way to going viral through influencer marketing services.

One way to start your journey is to explore Aha Creator brand partnership deals. These valuable tools help you achieve your creative goals and connect you with target brands looking for creators like you to promote their products.

Benefits of Hiring Content Creators For Brands

1. Cost-effective and Quick Content Creation

When budget constraints arise, brands gain significant advantages by hiring content creators. Specifically, paying for influencer content creation helps brands avoid the costs associated with an influencer's audience size, eliminating the fees that usually come with their reach. Influencer-created content is also perfect for assisting brands to quickly turn out quality assets without the lengthy approvals and iterations that come with traditional agency or studio work.

By hiring an influencer to create branded content, brands can bypass the time-consuming brainstorming session altogether. Many content creators have their home studios equipped with professional lighting, cameras, and editing software, further streamlining the content creation process.

2. Targeted Use of Content

When brands have specific, focused objectives for their marketing campaigns, the benefits of hiring influencers to create content become clear. For example, if a brand's goal is to reach an audience in a specific demographic or geographic location, paying for the content gives them the freedom to deploy it in ways that maximize its impact. With geofenced ads, the brand can ensure that the influencer's content is only displayed to consumers within a particular city or neighborhood. Using influencer-created content can eliminate the scattergun approach inherent in broad influencer campaigns where irrelevant audiences may see the content. This targeted deployment allows for higher ROI by ensuring that every impression counts and is aligned with the brand's specific marketing objectives.

3. Superior Content Quality

Influencers are today's content creation experts. They grow their audiences by understanding what resonates, engages, and drives actions. When brands hire influencers specifically for content creation, they leverage this expertise. The resulting content is often superior to generic advertising material. Influencers bring their personal touch, authenticity, and creativity—factors that today's consumers value. The right partnership between a brand and a content creator is symbiotic: Influencers understand their audience's pulse, and brands gain from their know-how.

4. Complying with Regulatory Guidelines

Operating in a regulated industry brings challenges for content marketing, especially on platforms with specific rules around what can and can't be advertised organically. For instance, over-the-counter (OTC) products may not be allowed for organic promotion on platforms like TikTok. In such cases, brands can commission influencers to create content that, although it can't be shared organically, can be used in paid ad formats compliant with platform regulations. This allows brands to maintain influencer content's engaging, authentic look and feel while adhering to legal and platform-specific guidelines.

5. Engaging Modern Audiences

Today's consumers overwhelmingly prefer genuine, relatable content over blatant advertisements. Who better to provide this authenticity than influencers who legitimately connect with like-minded audiences? Letting them craft the content smoothly integrates the promoted brand into stories that today's audience loves. Hiring influencers to create brand content not only delivers authenticity but also bridges the gap between what's relatable and what's aspirational. With influencers at the helm, brands can tap into established trust, drive more engagement, and narrate their story in a way that resonates with modern consumers.

6. Complete Ownership of Content

One of the often-overlooked advantages of work-for-hire influencer content is the long-term control and flexibility it offers to brands. By fully owning the content, brands aren't restricted to temporary usage or specific platforms. This is a game changer for evergreen products that might be promoted over several years. For example, a brand that sells ornaments engraved with the year can update the content annually with minimal effort, merely by photoshopping the year on the ornament.

This complete ownership also allows the content to be utilized in various places that standard usage rights would prohibit, like packaging, billboards, or traditional print and TV advertising. The total ownership model turns content into a versatile asset, allowing brands to repurpose, update, and deploy it across multiple channels and for extended periods, maximizing their investment.

7. Flexible Content Usage for Greater Audience Impact

When brands form partnerships with influencers specifically for content creation, the resulting material transcends the conventional ad experience to offer something more authentic and relatable. Leveraging influencer-generated content allows brands to boost each customer touchpoint with a layer of credibility and engagement that traditional advertisements often lack. Here are a few to make the most of influencer-created content:

Website Makeover/SEO Update

Spruce up product pages with influencer photos and include their honest video feedback for real-user testimonials and improved SEO rankings.

Use parts of influencer videos for snappy stories or posts on apps like Instagram or TikTok for quick product glimpses.

User Guides

Collaborate with influencers to craft user guides or tutorials, leveraging their expertise and genuine passion for the product.

Behind-The-Scenes

Share behind-the-scenes content created by influencers, offering fans a peek into the product's usage in day-to-day scenarios, adding layers of authenticity.

Collaborative Giveaways

Partner with influencers for joint giveaways or contests, intertwining product promotion with authentic influencer engagement and user participation.

Curated Playlists Or Lists

For brands in the entertainment or lifestyle sector, influencers can curate playlists or reading/watch lists, adding a personal touch and showing how the product fits real-life preferences and routines.

How To Find Suitable Content Creators For Brands In 8 Easy Ways

1. Use Aha Creator

Finding the right content creators for your marketing strategy is much easier with Aha Creator. Aha Creator streamlines brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses alike. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

2. Know What You Need First

Before contacting social media content creators, you must know what you want. What’s the purpose of your marketing? What do you want out of all of this, anyway? Goals are essential for any marketing strategy, and content creation is no exception. When you know what you need from a specific campaign, you can hold yourself and the content creator accountable for achieving those goals.

It’s a lot easier to find a social media content creator who will get results when you know the end result. Otherwise, you’re just throwing money at an unidentified problem. Every brand is different, but common goals are Increased brand awareness, More likes, comments, shares, and engagements on your posts, More followers, Increasing the number of leads from social media, Increasing sales, and Earning more backlinks time saved.

3. Research Your Buyer Persona

You speak differently to your grandma than you do with your bar buddies, right? Marketing is no different. You will change how you say depending on who you’re talking to. But that implies that you need to know who you’re speaking to first, and that’s where the buyer persona comes into play. When you understand your shoppers, you know what content they want to see. And that will help you choose the right social media content creator.

You can build your buyer personas with a tool or take a DIY approach. To create a buyer persona, you’ll need to Gather existing customer data from your sales platform, emails, social media, etc. Group customers together based on shared characteristics. For example, if many of your shoppers are 50-year-old moms, that would be their persona. It’s not unusual to have 3-10 personas for one brand, so don’t be afraid to get specific with how you segment your customers. Fill out demographic information like age, gender, career, personality, etc.

Understand where your buyer likes to spend their time online. You’ll need to know which social platforms they frequent and the type of content they want to engage with. Understand their motivations. That means articulating the shopper’s pain points and challenges. Give a name and a face to your buyer persona. Cutesy names like Soccer Mom Sally or Businesswoman Brenda can make it easier to remember your personas on the fly.

4. Plan the Campaign Deets

You need to set campaign parameters before you start hunting down content creators. Trust us: creators are going to have plenty of questions for you. To avoid confusion, having all the answers before you start the outreach process is better. To plan a solid campaign, you’ll need to iron out. A specific start and end date for this campaign. Who on your team is responsible for each part of the campaign? Success metrics are based on the SMART goals you created

earlier—messaging ideas for the campaign, including talking points and a clear call to action.

How you’ll compensate creators. Some brands do this through free products, payment, or a combination. You’ll need to let the content creator know this upfront so they know if the campaign will work for them. A shot list, loose script, mood board, brand guidelines, or other creative direction if you want to source videos from content creators. While it’s great to let social media creators have creative freedom, you need some strategy or guidelines behind your social media creative. Ensure you have these bare-bones before you partner with a content creator.

You’ve set goals, created buyer personas, and planned the campaign details. It’s time to find social media content creators who will fit your campaign. Remember, not every influencer is a content creator. You’ll need to carefully vet each potential creator to ensure they’re influential to a degree but have the creative chops to do your brand justice.

You can compile a list of creators in your niche by Searching for hashtags: Sift through Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter for hashtags related to your industry or campaign. Try to be as specific as possible so you aren’t pulling in a bunch of generic content. For example, if you’re a shoe brand, you might want to look for #Adidas or #fashionblogger. You can also look for hashtags like #ad and #sponsored to find content creators with a track record of partnering with brands.

Looking into your niche

You can search for topics or pages in particular niches using the same approach. Again, try to be as specific as possible to find content creators in your niche. For example, if you sell bespoke shoes, you might look into indie content creators instead of big-name athletes.

A simple Google Alert for your niche can help you find influencers, but some platforms help with this, too. Whatever tool you choose, you’ll stay up-to-date on which experts in your industry are sharing popular content.

Checking out your competitors

Did my good-for-nothing competitors partner with a content creator in the past? There’s nothing wrong with finding and asking those same influencers for a partnership. Or, if you don’t like that idea, check out the creator’s comment section. Chances are, you’ll find a creator of a similar caliber that my competition hasn’t partnered with yet. Once you’ve located a promising social media content creator, add them to an Excel sheet to have everything in one place.

6. Evaluate Every Potential Influencer

Here’s where the magic happens: now you’ll need to narrow down the content creators on your Excel sheet and choose who you’ll partner with. While you should evaluate every influencer partnership, social media content creators require an added layer of vetting. You’re trusting them to create a ton of brand collateral; you want to ensure they’re legit. Ensure you evaluate every creator by:

Relevance

Does the creator’s content align with your brand’s personality and message? Are their followers a fit for your buyer persona? Think carefully here—irrelevant content is a waste of money.

Their follower count

If you’re concerned about sourcing excellent visual content, you'll likely work with more micro-influencers. Still, they need at least 10,000 followers for a branded partnership to make sense.

Follower engagement

It doesn’t matter if a creator has 1.2 million followers if half of them are bots. You’re marketing to humans, which means you must verify that a) the followers are real and b) they follow the creator’s advice. If a creator’s social posts don’t get a lot of traction, that might be a sign that they aren’t influential.

Work portfolio

Creative work is part of the job. Look at the social media content creator’s body of work. Is everything consistent? Does the content meet your expectations? Does their style match the look you’re going for? Run for the hills if anything looks questionable or low-quality.

Past brand partnerships

Sometimes, partnering with a content creator is easier if they have experience working with brands. See which brands they’ve partnered with to see how effective the partnership was.

Authenticity

This is hard to quantify, but you’ll know when you see it. How believable is the creator? Do you feel a connection with them? They should feel like someone you would grab a beer with.

Factual correctness

There’s a lot of fake news out there, guys. Be sure to fact-check the content creator so you aren’t associating your brand with someone who stretches the truth.

Frequency

How often does this social media content creator post on the platform? Are they posting once a month and leaving their followers hanging, or do they post several times daily? This plays into follower engagement, so always check a creator’s frequency.

7. Interact Before the Big Ask

You now have a shortlist of social media content creators you trust with your brand. Now, you need to contact them to kick off the campaign. But slower. If you slide into a creator’s DM, they will first think, “Who are you???” Get to know the creator before you ask for a partnership. That means following them on TikTok, Instagram, or wherever they are online. You need to get familiar with their content and posting frequency. See if they engage with other followers. Like their content and leave a few thoughtful comments.

This allows you to vet the creator even more so you’re sure it’s a good fit. However, this also builds a relationship with the influencer before you ask about a partnership. The creator will be much more likely to respond to you if they recognize your name, so relationship-building is a must. After 1 - 2 weeks of following the creator, you can invite them to your campaign. Not everyone will respond and say yes, so contact a handful of creators.

8. Track Your Results and Optimize Over Time

Trend will help you track your results over time through our platform. Don’t forget to track your progress on Google Analytics, each social media platform, and in your customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Creator partnerships are rarely a one-and-done deal. By tracking the data, you can determine which creators’ content was the most successful. From there, you can partner more with the social media content creators who get your brand and churn out beautiful visuals your followers love.

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11 Tips For Effective Collaboration With Content Creators

1. Use Aha Creator to Kickstart Your Collaboration

Aha Creator is a platform simplifies brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we’ll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

2. Clear Communication: Establish Open Lines of Communication from the Start

Clearly articulate your brand values, goals, and expectations. The more aligned you are, the smoother the collaboration will be.

Example

Nike & Casey Neistat Nike worked with filmmaker and YouTuber Casey Neistat to launch their FuelBand. Instead of sticking to a rigid script, Nike communicated its goal of promoting an active lifestyle. This allowed Casey to create his viral video “Make It Count” while staying true to the brand's values. Open communication helped align both parties, resulting in over 30 million views.

3. Understand Their Audience

Content creators have a unique connection with their audience. They should take the time to understand their followers' demographics, interests, and preferences. This knowledge will guide the creation of resonated content.

Example

Daniel Wellington & Influencers Daniel Wellington partnered with fashion and lifestyle influencers whose followers matched the brand's aspirational audience. By understanding each creator’s demographic, the brand tailored its collaborations to feature stylish, lifestyle-focused posts that resonated with their ideal customers.

4. Set Mutual Goals

Define shared goals that benefit both your business and the content creator. Aligning objectives ensures a shared vision for success, whether brand awareness, engagement, or conversions.

Example

ASOS & TikTok Creators ASOS collaborated with TikTok influencers like Addison Rae to showcase their clothing lines. The mutual goal was to drive Gen Z engagement while allowing creators to display their fashion style. The campaign boosted ASOS’ app downloads by 35% in a month.

5. Allow Creative Freedom

While guidelines are essential, they allow content creators to infuse their creativity. Authenticity is critical in content creation; creators often know what resonates best with their audience.

Example

Fenty Beauty & Jackie Aina Fenty Beauty partnered with beauty YouTuber Jackie Aina, allowing her to showcase their products authentically. Jackie, known for her bold and candid reviews, had the creative freedom to highlight the brand's inclusivity—her genuine approach connected deeply with her audience, amplifying Fenty's reach and credibility.

6. Build Long-Term Relationships

Invest in building long-term relationships with content creators. Consistent partnerships foster trust, loyalty, and a deeper understanding of your brand, leading to more impactful collaborations.

Example

Gymshark & Whitney Simmons Gymshark’s ongoing partnership with fitness influencer Whitney Simmons has created a strong sense of authenticity and trust. By nurturing this long-term relationship, Gymshark benefited from Whitney’s loyal audience, while Whitney gained consistent opportunities to co-create collections with the brand.

7. Provide Resources

Equip content creators with the necessary resources, such as high-quality visuals, product information, and relevant brand assets. This ensures they have everything they need for compelling content creation.

Example

GoPro & Content Creators GoPro equips creators with their latest cameras and accessories to capture high-quality, action-packed content. By ensuring creators have the necessary tools, GoPro consistently receives visually compelling footage that promotes their brand’s adventurous image.

8. Fair Compensation

Recognize the value content creators bring to your brand and compensate them fairly. Fair compensation respects their work and motivates them to deliver their best.

Example

Adobe & Digital Artists Adobe pays top digital artists to create tutorials and showcase the capabilities of their Creative Cloud tools. By recognizing these creators' value, Adobe fosters goodwill and ensures the production of top-tier promotional content.

9. Leverage Analytics

Utilize analytics to measure the success of your collaborations. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) to understand the impact on brand reach, engagement, and conversions.

Example

L’Oréal & Influencers L’Oréal tracks engagement rates, conversions, and reach after collaborations with beauty influencers. Analyzing this data, they refine their strategies and continue partnerships with creators, delivering the most impactful results.

10. Promote on Multiple Platforms

Encourage content creators to share their work across various platforms. This will expand your brand's reach and tap into diverse audience segments.

Example

Coca-Cola & FIFA Creators Coca-Cola collaborated with FIFA gaming influencers to promote its brand during the World Cup. The influencers shared content across YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, maximizing the campaign’s visibility and tapping into diverse audience segments.

11. Show Appreciation

Acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of content creators. Expressing gratitude strengthens the partnership, whether through shout-outs, features on your brand's channels, or exclusive perks.

Example

Starbucks & Creators Starbucks celebrates creators by featuring their content on social media pages and offering exclusive products or perks. These gestures strengthen relationships and encourage creators to continue sharing authentic stories about the brand.

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Successful Content Creator Business Models

Platforms like Patreon and Substack allow content creators to sell subscriptions directly to their readers, fans, and followers. These models let you offer exclusive content to your most loyal followers, who can pay a monthly fee or make a one-time donation to access a newsletter or member-only videos. Some subscription platforms even allow for tiered membership levels so that you can create multiple levels of exclusive content for different subscribers.

Partnering with Brands: Getting Paid to Promote Products You Love

Brand partnerships are among the most common ways for content creators to make money. You can start by contacting companies that align with your values and share your target audience. From there, you can negotiate a deal to become a brand ambassador or sponsor that gets paid to create content featuring their products. The best part about this monetization strategy is that you choose the brands you work with, ensuring they align with your values and will resonate with your audience.

Ads: Getting Paid to Promote Someone Else’s Content

The terms “ad” and “sponsored content” are sometimes used interchangeably but represent different monetization strategies. Sponsored content refers to original content created by an individual in partnership with a brand. The creator is paid to feature the brand’s product or service. Ads are messages designed by a brand’s marketing team. Advertisements like banner ads and display ads can appear on websites or blogs. On social media platforms, creators can allow brands to boost content they created and run it as an advertisement in user feeds or Instagram stories.

Selling Your Products and Services

In addition to leveraging their channels to make money, creators can sell products and services like online courses or events. These are often related to the creator’s areas of expertise—a food writer could create a walking tour of local pizza restaurants, for example. At the same time, a tech industry thought leader might lead a course on fundraising. Creators can use different platforms, such as Eventbrite, to create and charge for events.

Merch: Creating and Selling Your Own Branded Products

Content creators can use a product like Shopify to design and sell merchandise on their websites. High-profile macro-influencers with the biggest social media followings may also consider developing product lines related to their area of expertise. For example, YouTuber Liah Yoo launched the skincare brand KraveBeauty after her success as a beauty vlogger.

Affiliate Links: Earning a Commission for Referrals

People often turn to content creators they trust to hear how they like certain products or services. As such, creators could use affiliate marketing links to list or describe a product. These links track and attribute sales to a specific referral source so that if a creator’s followers click a link from the creator’s channel and buy something, that creator makes money.

Platforms like YouTube offer a revenue share to content creators with large followings. YouTube earns money by running ads before and during video content. Eligible creators can apply to the YouTube Partner Program to receive a portion of the ad revenue generated by their video content. Channels with more significant followings receive a more favorable split.

Aha Creator streamlines brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses alike. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.