Tips to Score Your First Brand Ambassadorship

Lately quite a few people have been asking me how I have been able to navigate the brand ambassador/influencer world and how I successfully secured my first brand ambassadorship.

Short answer: consistency and hard work.

These two thing are honestly the most basic tools you need to prepare yourself for a brand ambassadorship but it does take a bit more than that. Over the last year I have been working hard to create my YouTube channel. It actually took me almost TEN years to even get the courage to start it. As they say though, better late than never. In this day and age it may seem like the influencer market social media world is saturated. This may make you feel like you don’t stand a chance. I’m here to tell you that you do! Below are some of my top 5 tips to help get you ready to score your first ambassadorship.

Tip 1. Find your niche.

Sitting down and really figuring out what area you’d like your YouTube channel, blog or Instagram page to really showcase is important because over time it will show brands what you have to offer, what your are of expertise is, and the content that you are capable of producing in your selected area

• Example: My main niche is natural hair. Both my YouTube and Instagram have a focus on natural hair but I also sprinkle in some skincare related content every now and then.

Tip 2. Produce quality content.

My rule is, post content that has the potential to get reposted.

• Whenever I post content, especially on Instagram, one of my main goals is to make it look so good that the brand will want to repost it. I don’t have the latest or greatest equipment but I make sure that whatever I am showcasing in the video or picture is clear and to the point. Earlier this month I posted a video tutorial on my Instagram page for a brand that I absolutely love. The video wasn’t sponsored but I created the same way I would have had it been sponsored. A few weeks later the brand reached out to me and asked if I would like to take part in a collaboration with them!

Tip 3. Be consistent, make a schedule.

When brands look at your YT, IG or blog, they want to see that you are being consistent. If you make a post then wait months to post again, then that can be seen as a red flag.

• Coming up with a posting schedule, especially if you are a YouTuber, and sticking to it will not only show brands that you are committed, it will also show potential subscribers that you are committed. I know that posting often can get overwhelming and I’ll be sharing some tips on avoiding burnout in the future.

Tip 4. Take risks.

It’s okay to put yourself out there, even if you have “low” numbers.

• When I first started my Youtube channel I reached out to a brand because they were looking for people to review their hair care products. At the time I had less than 1k on YouTube. I may not have even reached 500 yet. However, I decided that I would bet on myself and reach out to them. To my surprise they said yes! Granted this collaboration was unpaid, it still gave me the confidence I needed to reach out to other brands and the push I needed to make content that was worthy of being paid for.

Tip 5. Be yourself, be authentic.

Find your voice early on and use it.

• The worst thing you can do while trying to gain a brand ambassadorship is be inauthentic. There are so many people in this world but you have something within you that is unique. Of course you want to be relatable and someone that people actually want to see content from. However, throughout the process, do not lose sight of you are, your worth, or your needs.

Final thoughts

There are so many other tips that I could share with y’all and I may consider doing a part 2 to this post. Overall though, remember your “why”. A lot of people want to be a brand ambassador just to get free products but it really goes so much deeper than that. Being a brand ambassador means that you are one of the many faces for that brand. You want to be sure that you are always representing yourself, and the brand, in a positive light.

I hope that these 5 tips have been helpful and that they help you secure your first brand ambassadorship. If there are any tips that you would like to add, leave them down in the comment section!