How I Landed My Biggest Partnership To Date // Sequin Skirt + Lilac Sweater
This story goes back about a year and a half. I received an email from a brand I love, asking if I’d be interested in partnering with them on a big upcoming campaign. After reviewing the deliverables and the rate they were offering, I requested a small change to the proposal. Much to my surprise, rather than countering my new offer, the brand revoked their original one and informed me that they would be moving forward with a different blogger instead. I immediately responded that I’d be willing to work on their terms, but I received radio silence. My second follow up also went unanswered. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty devastated about losing the partnership and I was confused as to what went wrong. My emails are always professional and it is almost expected that both the blogger and brand will negotiate terms, so why did this brand dismiss me so quickly? Who did they choose instead of me? Why was I not good enough for them?
In the months following, I started to question my entire worth as a blogger. I was scared to negotiate and I walked on eggshells with brands, constantly afraid I would lose deals even after contracts were drawn up. Looking back, I can see how my reaction was disproportionate to what happened, but needless to say, the experience really affected me.
This brings us back to today, a year and a half later. I am much more confident in both my content and what I can offer as a blogger, so when this same brand reached out about a potential partnership, I decided to give them the highest quote I’ve ever given in my blogging career (no package deals, no discounts, just a really high number). Assuming a partnership would never actually come into fruition, I didn’t really care if they agreed or not. I was completely prepared to walk away.
Then the craziest thing happened. They said, “Yes.”
The brand has deep pockets, so I know my rate will barely make a dent in their marketing budget, but I’m still shocked they agreed. They went from completely dismissing me to agreeing to pay big money to include me. You bet I’ll work my butt off on this campaign to achieve a successful partnership, but I can’t help but feel like a boss while I do. I guess the moral of the story is that some clichés will always ring true: big risk, big reward.
x Esther
