One of the questions I get from aspiring bloggers all the time is:
Where do you find sponsorship opportunities?
The first thing I will say is this: do not monetize too quickly. Making money doing what you love is great, but don’t let that come before you build your brand. Taking on too much too fast is the fast-track to burnout and some loss of brand identity. I wish someone had told me that sooner.
But, if you feel like you now have a solid brand and audience and you’re ready to take a dive into the world of influencer marketing, I’ve compiled a list of all the networks and companies with which I’ve worked or joined.
Because there are so many, I’ve done my best to organize this list alphabetically as well as describe a few of my past campaigns and experiences. I hope this helps!
Acorn Influence
Notable campaigns: Tampax, Forevery
I don’t get a ton of campaigns through Acorn but the campaigns I’ve been on have been decently paid and pretty decently organized. I did run into some issues with their campaign dates, deadlines, and payment dates, which really frustrated me. They changed some blog deadlines and asked me to post sooner than the anticipated posting date, but did not change the payment date, so I waited 90+ days to be paid. In the end, the payment wasn’t an issue, but I found it to be a little disrespectful on my end, especially since I went above and beyond for the campaign and continued to change things when they wanted edits.
Either way, the compensation was fair and the campaign organizers are relatively easy to reach. I would recommend them as a whole, even if my campaign hit a few snags.
Buzzoole
Notable campaigns: Macy’s (canceled)
I’m putting this in here, but I have never worked with Buzzoole and I’m not sure I plan to anymore. I was “on the list” for two big name brand campaigns but both campaigns ended up falling through. In one, we had already rush-ordered our items before the campaign was canceled. I was recently offered another campaign with them, but declined due to the insultingly low rates and the rudeness of the people who reached out to me.
They do have some big brands on board (like BCBG, Macy’s, and Nordstrom) so it’s probably worth it to sign up, just for the opportunities. However, I have heard from other bloggers that chasing payment can be an issue, so sign up at your own risk.
Collectively
Notable campaigns: Keds, Amazon
I have loved most of the Collectively campaigns I’ve worked on. Sometimes, they are a bit underpaid, but working with them is almost always pain-free.
Everywhere Agency
Notable campaigns: Macy’s
I worked on one quick turnaround campaign with this company and loved it. The compensation was fair, payment was quick, and I just loved the communication and campaign the whole way through!
Find Your Influence
Notable campaigns: Kohl’s, Faustino Wines, Tone, Jewelry TV
I have a love-hate relationship with Find Your Influence. I had a lot of trouble chasing down payment for one of my campaigns and I feel like a lot of the campaigns are fairly underpaid, especially now that they’re doing exchange-only campaigns.
However, I loved my JTV campaign with them – it’s been one of my favorites to date! I’m still on the network, but I am a lot more picky about the campaigns I accept now.
Join Find Your Influence HERE.
Fohr
Notable campaigns: Almay, Pantene
Fohr campaigns seem to have unrealistic turnaround times in my experience but the actual campaigns I got to work on were really fun. I just loved the message behind them; you can tell the campaign was designed really well to work with influencers.
You do have to invoice them (they seriously won’t pay you until they do) so the payment process is a bit different than the brands I’ve worked with in the past.
Fohr also offers some pretty cool insights; I would join just for those!
InfluenceHer Collective
Notable Campaigns: Frank’s Red Hot, SpinDrift, Abercrombie
I’ve been a part of the InfluenceHer Collective for a long time now and their campaigns are always well-managed and fun! They work with big brands and the compensation is pretty fair. Can’t recommend this network enough!
Join the InfluenceHer Collective HERE.
In/Spree Brands
Notable campaigns: Eastland Shoes, Blowfish
In/Spree brands, from what I’ve noticed, is mostly exchange-only campaigns, but I do like the brands they seem to work with. I’m taking a temporary break from exchange only campaigns, but it’s a good place to get started!
IZEA
Notable campaigns: OrangeTheory Fitness
I’m not sure I like this platform very much, but I think it’s well on its way to growing into one of the bigger influencer companies in the game. I worked on one campaign with them and I’m struggling to get more. Because they just acquired TapInfluence though, I would recommend signing up. That’s a huge merger.
Linqia
Notable campaigns: Sakroots
Linqia is the first platform I ever joined. The only qualm I have with it now is that it’s paid on a per-click basis only. I understand the basis behind the platform, but the clicks are only paid if they are reached within a certain time frame, which is where I get annoyed. It can take a long time for posts to go viral, so any click that you get after that campaign time-frame doesn’t get paid.
However, Linqia did offer me a flat-rate campaign (and I’ve noticed more of them lately – including one I loved!) so I am still a a part of this network.
Obvious.ly
Notable campaigns: Sephora, Natura Brasil, Saks Off 5th
While Obvious.ly campaigns are mostly unpaid (there are a few flat-rate campaigns), they offer campaigns pretty frequently. The brands they work with also seem to be pretty awesome! I’ve worked with some pretty big brands on this platform including Sephora and Saks Off 5th!
Octoly
While I haven’t used the Octoly platform in a while, it’s a pretty cool concept. It’s basically a store for free things if you’re an influencer, in exchange for a post on your Instagram or Instagram story. I’ve tried out some pretty awesome products that I use regularly today.
Real Clever Girls
Notable campaigns: JaM Cellars, Cameron Hughes, PayPal
I personally feel as though the campaigns are a bit limited, but there always seems to be enough time to create content and the campaigns are well-paid. You might have to wait a while to find something in your niche, but it is worth it to be on here.
AspireIQ (formerly Revfluence)
There are some neat brands on this platform, but I do feel as though the campaigns are underpaid. I’m on quite a few networks (as you can see) and this network always undervalues my work using their calculator, so it’s difficult to negotiate on this one.
The Shelf
Notable campaigns: Famous Footwear, Shipt
While these campaigns were a bit underpaid, the campaigns themselves were relatively easy and pain free. That’s all I have to say about it.
Social Fabric
Notable campaigns: Neutrogena, MorningStar Farms, Avocados from Mexico
This is one of the first networks that people seem to join. There are a lot of campaign opportunities and they are, for the most part, fairly paid. The only pain point is the types of brands on this platform. They tend to be more lifestyle-focused so many of the brands are food-related, family-related, and a few beauty-related brands thrown in.
Social Native
I was a part of this network for a while, but I do think these campaigns are so underpaid it’s ridiculous. (We’re talking 20% of my usual rates, if that.) I did join a campaign in exchange for a really generous gift card, so there are a few gems thrown in there.
The Sway
While I’ve never worked with any brands on this platform, it seems to be pretty well put-together. Again, a lot of the brands are much more lifestyle-based and can sometimes be difficult to fit into a brand depending on what you blog about.
Tapinfluence (Now owned by IZEA)
Notable campaigns: Erin Condren, Neutrogena, Vera Bradley, Koolaburra
Tapinfluence is one of my favorite networks, by far. The campaigns are awesome and always well-paid. I’ve worked with some of my favorite brands though here and I’ve gotten the opportunity to continue my relationships after the first campaign is over.
Tired of joining all of these blog networks?
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Thanks for sharing!
Rae, raechic.com