Wondering how to get sponsored as a fashion blogger?
Looking to team up with your favorite brands in exchange for free products? New to blogging and don't know where to start? When it comes to landing a sponsorship as a new blogger, IFB has all the information you need to know before reaching out to brands.
Here at IFB, we know many new blogs wonder how to get sponsored as a fashion blogger. Scoring sponsorships and paid collaborations isn't always easy for new bloggers, so we're sharing the scoop in this post!
Plenty of online shops have fashion blogger sponsorship programs that bloggers can apply for. These sponsorship programs work by offering a payment or free products to bloggers, in exchange for a featured post. Bloggers typically can then keep any items sent to them, in exchange for posting a product review on their blog. Same goes for vloggers with their Youtube channels and influencers with their social media accounts.
IFB understands that many fashion bloggers, vloggers and influencers are keen to seek out sponsorships with various brands. Therefore, it’s also important to note that a sponsorship needs to be a mutually beneficial relationship. New to the fashion blogging scene? You will need to demonstrate your worth to these companies, if you want to get sponsored.
What will set you apart from the competition? What makes your blog unique? These are all things you need to consider, before approaching a brand for sponsorship. It’s a similar formula to reaching out to a PR agency.
The Scoop on Getting Sponsored
Companies considering partnerships with bloggers, vloggers or influencers will prioritize those with a strong following over newer sites. If you’re looking for a sponsorship with your favorite ecomm site and you are new to blogging, build as strong of a community following as you can (with your well-designed blog) before reaching out. Post well-written content, that includes high-quality imagery on a regular basis (i.e. stick to your scheduling calendar!)
Consider doing a post on the brand or company’s products, prior to getting in touch. Demonstrate to them that you are capable of drawing readers in and that you can provide value to their company’s marketing strategy. As Morgan Timm from Mostly Morgan states on her blog, “You don’t have to have a huge following or get hundreds of thousands of views a month, but you do need to be influential.”
IFB has created this guide on landing a fashion blogger sponsorship. We have listed all of our tips and tricks below, if you’re ready to take the plunge. So, if you're wondering how to get sponsored as a fashion blogger, read on below.
How To Get Sponsored As A Fashion Blogger
Engage with Your Audience And They Will Engage With YOU!
Growing an audience isn’t easy and it certainly doesn’t happen over night. But here’s a little secret: most fashion companies and brands are more concerned with your audience’s engagement and not necessarily its size (although having a large following doesn’t hurt!) It’s all about quality over quantity. If a company can see that your followers are leaving comments on your blog, liking your social media posts and interacting with your content, having a small following might not necessarily hurt you. Companies want to see your followers — however many you have — engaged with your blog.
And how do you build a small, but highly-engaged band of followers? Easy. By engaging with the rest of the blogging community. Comment on other bloggers’ posts and interact with your fellow influencers on Instagram. Set aside an hour a day to interact with blogs, social media accounts, etc. and you will eventually see the return. As Melyssa Griffin says, “Being Engaged Creates Engagement.”
Create A Media Kit
Think of a media kit as your blog’s resume. It’s a document (usually a PDF) that shares everything a potential sponsor or partnered brand, PR agency and marketer would need to know about your blog. It should list information about your blog’s niche(s), topics of interest, statistics, collaboration options, etc. If you haven’t created one yet, we suggest you get on it fast.
Don’t worry, IFB has a number of articles already on the blog, when it comes to creating a media kit. Check them out HERE, HERE and HERE if you need a little help.
Make A List… And Check it Twice.
When collaborating with a brand or a company, you need to make sure that the partnership is mutually beneficial for everyone. As a blogger, it's your responsibility to ensure that you are contacting brands that can flawlessly fit in with your blog’s overall message. You don’t want sponsored content to stand out like an ill-placed advertisement. Any sponsored posts you write should fit in seemlessly with the rest of your content.
Before you start reaching out to companies for sponsorships, sit down. Make a list of all the brands you’re considering reaching out to. Do your research. Approach smaller companies or start-ups first (especially if you’re still building your following). There’s less of a chain-of-command than a larger, corporate-style company so it may be easier to get in touch with the right people or department.
If you're aiming to get in contact with a corporate company seek out the email of an actual person in the marketing department (LinkedIn and Google can help with this.) Update your media kit and include it in your outreach email.
IFB has rounded up a list of a few online fashion ecomm companies below, to act as an outreach list starting point. The below companies openly advertise on their websites that they're interested in working with bloggers through their fashion blogger sponsorship programs.
- Oasap Fashion Blogger Program
- She In Fashion Blogger Program
- Romwe Fashion Blog Program
- Jessica Buurman Bloggers Program
- Ami Clubwear Fashion Blogger Program
- Jolie Moi Fashion Blogger Program
- Choies Fashion Blogger Program
- Tobi Blogger Influencer Collaborations
- StyleWe Blogger Program
- Jolly Chic Blogger Program
Generally speaking, Google is your best friend when it comes to seeking out companies that are open to working with bloggers. Aside from that, take note of the companies that your fellow bloggers are collaborating with and consider reaching out to those as well.
Send an Outreach Email
When you are ready, send a well-written outreach email to the first company on your list.
Here is an email outline you can use as a skeleton, when drafting up outreach emails to brands or companies for sponsorships. Please note you should customize it specifically to each company you plan on approaching (i.e. don't send out a generic or the same email to each one). Keep it professional and to the point, but clear that you're keen to work with the brand.
Dear [COMPANY/BRAND NAME] Team,
Paragraph 1: Introduction and Intention
My name is [X] and I am the [FOUNDER/CREATOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR/OWNER/BLOGGER] of [BLOG NAME, INCLUDING URL/LINK TO BLOG].
I am emailing yourself in regards to [COMPANY/BRAND]'s fashion blogger sponsorship program. [BLOG'S NAME] is now actively looking to take on new partnerships with established apparel/fashion/accessories/shoe companies. I am keen to get in touch with someone from your blogger sponsorship program or marketing team, as I am interested in collaborating with [COMPANY/BRAND NAME].
Keep this part of the email brief and to the point. After introducing yourself, clearly state your intentions (i.e. that you're interested in collaborating with their brand).
Paragraph 2: Your Interest in Collaborating with the Company
I have been a fan/customer/client of [COMPANY/BRAND] for a number of years now. I especially enjoy [FAVORITE PRODUCT NAME].I feel that [COMPANY/BRAND] and [BLOG NAME] share a set of common values, and therefore my readership would enjoy learning more about your brand and the products your offer/sell/promote.
What makes this brand more special than all the other fashion companies out there? Why are you so eager to work with them?
Convey to the recipient that you are a fan of their company's products, that you have been using them for a while, and that you are familiar with their brand. Also tie-in the fact that your blog and their brand share similar values, demographics, etc. therefore working together would be a natural partnership. Include links to any posts where you've written about their products. Avoid being too “gushy” and using phrases like, “I am so in love with your tanktops!”, “You guys have the best stuff!”. Be sincere and professional.
Paragraph 3: Information About Your Blog, Statistics, Etc.
My blog [BLOG NAME] was founded in [YEAR], while i was living in [CITY/COUNTRY NAME]. I started it because I was interested in chronicling my journey [WHILE… ATTENDING FASHION SCHOOL/DRESSING ON A BUDGET/ WHY YOU STARTED BLOGGING ETC.] Since founding [BLOG NAME] in [YEAR], we now have [X AMOUNT OF READINGS] following us on Bloglovin' and [X AMOUNT OF FOLLOWERS] on Instagram…
This is where you state more information about your blog's statistics (monthly page views, monthly unique visitors, etc.) You should also include information about the number of followers you have on social media. Let the company know where you are from/what city you are based in. If you have previous experience partnering with other fashion brands make that apparent. Include links to any press/interviews you have done promoting your blog.
Make sure to sell yourself and your blog, without coming across as sensationalist or over-exaggerating.
Paragraph 4: Previous Experience Working with Brands
In this past, I have collaborated with [INSERT PAST COLLABORATION COMPANY'S NAME]. [INSERT LINKS TO PAST COLLABORATIONS]
If you haven't collaborated with any fashion companies/brands yet, play up your blog's readership engagement. Include links to any (positive) product reviews, outfits of the day, etc. that have received strong engagement from your readers.
Paragraph 5: Wrap it up
Regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to read this email. I look forward to hearing your reply and potentially discussing a collaboration partnership in the near future.
Sincerely,
[NAME]
[BLOG NAME/LINK TO BLOG URL]
Thank the recipient for their time and inform them you are waiting for their reply.
IFB always suggests checking out the brand's website and reading their “About” page, before applying to the company's fashion blogger program. It's always easier promoting something you love, that you are knowledgable about and have experience with. So, be sure you're keen on the company before trying to get in touch. Next, repeat the above and work your way down your list of potential sponsors.
We know, we know. All of this might seem like a lot of work. But when you're a new blogger seeking out sponsorships these steps play in important role in trying to land a partnership. If you put effort into getting engagement on your blog and present yourself well to potential sponsors, and are persistent, sponsorship opportunities will eventually come your way.
Editor's Note: This post was originally written Katie Tan and published on December 14th, 2012. It was updated by Laura Kell on August 29th, 2017. Photo by Helloquence.
Thank you for the tips & ideas!!!
Very helpful article!!! Will definitely check these resources!
Elena
http://dcinstyle.com/blog/
Hi, viktorviktoriashop.com will sponsors bloggers as described above. Very good article. Nancy
Hi, www.viktorviktoriashop.com offers selected merchandise in exchange for blog posts/reviews. Great article. Thanks Nancy
This is so cool! Thanks for the info. I do have a question, should I try to apply for it even if I’m still really new to fashion blogging? I need some advise.
Most of these sites have requirements like number of fans and followers on certain social media platforms. You should read them first and decide what to do. If you’re new it’s best to grow your following and then email for sponsorships.
I guess you’re right. Well then, I shall put this as my future goal! Thanks for the advise.
You can always contact smaller companies that may not have an outreach with bloggers yet. They might be excited to work with you regardless of your following if you have a good work ethic. You can grow together. 🙂
No, it’s a waste of your time and theirs because you won’t be accepted. Just my PoV as a retailer, I get annoyed when new bloggers with no following contact me because they already know it won’t benefit me and it comes across as looking for hand out.
http://oohlaluxe.net
Personally I don’t think it’s a waste of time. A lot of designers and brands are excited to have people to model their clothes. For up and coming boutiques it’s nice to have a model who will help you promote and all you have to give them is a dress. I have a lot of friends who own stores in L.A. that love it. Sometimes it’s about building a lasting relationship. But that’s just my marketing background coming out 🙂
Some of these say you need “lots of followers/comments/etc” Can anyone who is approved for these give us an idea of how many followers they have?
I was approved for oasap when I only had 150 followers!
This article is like a goldmine!
Really, really helpful. Thank you so much!
http://instyle21.blogspot.com
BOOKMARKED this page! So helpful for now and the future! thank you 🙂
http://lazyobsession.blogspot.ie/2012/12/get-taylor-swift-i-knew-you-were.html
Thank you! This is so helpful! I’ve been wanting to work with brands for ages but didn’t know how to get started! This is great!
http://bel-bien.blogspot.ie/
WOW!
Amazing and helpful post, however I don’t think a lot of those shops link to men’s fashion :(.
WOW!
Amazing and really helpful post, however I don’t think a lot of those shops offer any clothing, accessories etc. for guys 🙁 .
Thank you IFB for posting my guest post (:
http://www.shopgoodnightmacaroon.com/ also has a sponsorship program but you need to have a certain number of followers.
http://www.shopgoodnightmacaroon.com/pages/are-you-a-fashion-blogger
Do you have to be a strict fashion blogger? I blog about fashion on my parenting resource review site
This post sounds awesome if you are a personal style blogger.
But what if you are not?
What if your focus is on editorial content? How are you supposed to work with brands?
Just saying.
Hi Yazmina (: My blog mainly posts fashion editorial/ runway pictures too. But I still could apply and was accepted for one of them though (it was oasap.com). However that’s if you’re willing to post a personal style post I suppose.
I don’t know about you guys but I started doing product reviews once I reached 15,000+ followers on my blog but normally the shops state the follower requirements on their ‘fashion blogger’ pages.
Here is my product reviews page:
http://dianacqin.tumblr.com/tagged/reviews
I really enjoyed reading your posts. They are all well written and informative.
Congratulation on you achievement. Thanks for providing an effective Blog that offers complete synchronization between creativity and information.Your Blogs meets all the requirements of the readers and is user friendly and provide the best and best information to the reader.
Eventhough I don’t have yet the number of followers required by these shops, this post comes in very handy. I went through the links and figured out which shop I wanted to be sponsored by, like that I can set goals to have the number of followers they ask by a certain amount of time. Though I only post outfits on Mondays on my blog, I still feel like having sponshorship from a shop is useful to be able to express even more my style as thanks to this system, it is basically, us, bloggers, that are choosing with which shop we want to work with (obviously I’m saying this also thinking of the brand which must think we’re a good fit for each other).
Time to work and get more followers !
Thank you for this great post.
Shug Avery of Incognito
http://www.thinkincognito-eng.blogspot.com
I really enjoyed reading your posts. They are all well written and informative.
Congratulation on you achievement.Thanks for providing an effective Blog that offers complete synchronization between creativity and information.Your Blogs meets all the requirements of the readers and is user friendly and provide the best and best information to the reader.
This is such a brilliant source, thank you!
I’ve seen a lot of people commenting that they don’t meet the follower requirements some of these brands ask. My advise would be to seek more independent stores to work with (eg. etsy and folksy). I work with a lot of etsy stores on my blog, and there are teams on etsy designed especially to connect bloggers with stores!
I just came across this article and it really describes what I’m looking for! My online shop is brand new and I can’t wait to do regular sponsorships! I’m interested in doing giveaways, coupon codes and of course gifting fashion items to bloggers who do outfit posts!
Great article! I don’t know if I would apply to these but they’re all very cool to remember.
xo
Tiffy
www.CuteLA.com
I get free stuff sometimes but to have a sponsorship will be even better any one know of any men’s shops that I can write to. ??
Chris
@chrisz26
This was a very helpful article as I am new fashion blogger and this gives me something to work towards..
Omg! This is what I’ve been looking for. This is so helpful. Thank you so much 🙂 xoxo
http://www.cnsfashion.com/ provides fashion blogger program too. Please check out http://www.cnsfashion.com/fashion-blogger
Do you think it’s okay to get sponsors from other blogs and try it out for yourself? How do you find other sponsors? Do you get it from other blogs too?
Hi, i’ll be very happy if you write something for men’s sponsorship
Hello dears, i always write a posts about website ! you can check my blog
www.yassinserrar.blogspot.com
Follow me, and i follow back !
xoxo
Very helpful article for all!!! Will definitely check these resources for further use..or market.Congratulation on your achievement.Thanks for providing an effective Blog.
I would love to sponsor a brand. I have one blog with 1.6k+ and my fashion blog who is near to 100 followers, do you think I should start trying or I need to wait till i gain more followers? 🙂
Good Day. This article is very helpful 🙂 Thanks a lot.
Super helpful! I’m going to apply to some once I have more followers 🙂
nata
Great article and tips for bloggers! We are currently accepting applications for our blogger sponsorship program. We love bloggers with an individual unique spin. www.Shoplaurennicole.com. Best of luck to you all!
Life’s a Party, Dress like it!
Super helpful!
Loves.
This post is perfect. I was looking something like this.
http://glamourattic.blogspot.com/
Hi Boca Leche,
I just read your post and immediately had to reply, I am a blogger from London and have just started out and am wanting to be sponsored. I love your clothes especially the tops and would love to be sponsored by you.
Cant wait for a reply.
Celia
x
Hey guys,
To those of you who actually sent an email to any of these brands to cooperate, did any of them answer to you? Because I emailed most of the brands (apart from Choies, Oasap etc with which I already cooperate) and no one even bothered to answer.
Please enlighten me so that I’m not the only one worried here!
Elena
This post is perfect. I was looking something like this. and here is another shop that offer this program:
http://www.pariscoming.com/helpdetail/en-16-read-policy.htm
This is really helpful for me. Thank you friend.
http://whatapparel.com/
I have a question, how many readers you need to have to get sponsorship!?
http://girlfromnk.blogspot.com
well dear friend this post is awsome but it could be more efficient if one or two pics included.thnxbuddy:
New fashion blog, need feedback, advice and support thanks you so much in advance highlyaesthetic.weebly.com
Hey I just started my fashion blog, can you please follow me. I appreciate it! www.mystyleisfreedom.blogspot.com
Hi please help me gain followers on my blog sheershinyglossy.blogspot.com
One thing I would advise anyone to do before shooting off emails to anyone is to research the brand. Look for reviews that deal with them and see what people have to say. I wanted to bring that up for a couple of reasons….
1. For Oasap, I have come across at least a few bloggers that have been scammed by them (such as with giveaways). One blogger, who had been partnered with them, realized they were taking photos from reputable brands and using them on their own. When she contacted them about it, they dropped her and gave her the excuse that it was because she didn’t generate enough traffic. So she did a write up about them…and suddenly they were begging her back. In other words, they wanted her to remain quiet about her findings. She refused. Interestingly enough, yet another blogger received a shirt from them that had a Zara tag on it. She thought she hit the jackpot. She should have had red flags going up that either they are obtaining and reselling clothes illegally, or they are selling knock offs. Instead, she thought it was fine and dandy, and when she asked them about it, they said they couldn’t confirm or deny anything to do with Zara. That should have been another red flag. She just went along with it.
2. Sheinside was a huge red flag for me…this site has a ton of terrible reviews. People ordering and not receiving their clothing to months later if at all, people getting the wrong order, people getting extremely cheap quality stuff, customer service suddenly going radio silent when you try to contact them about this stuff, etc.
I haven’t researched everyone on this list. But if any of these interest you, do your homework. You don’t want your blog to be associated with a brand that is less than reputable. It winds up making YOU look bad and puts you at risk for not being able to work with reputable brands in the future. For example, that Oasap? If they’re doing shady dealings by taking things from Zara and you’re promoting it, it’s unlikely Zara itself will ever want to work with you. So keep that in mind.
You look great! ♥
http://paulandfashion.blogspot.co.at/
Hello,
I have a new website. Would anyone be interested in a free item from my site in return for a mention or blog?
This really helped me out! Thanks a million! 🙂 Please follow my blog where I review products and share coupons and deals that I find. Also, follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @chatsays
Thanks again!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING! BOOKMARKED AND HAVE REACHED OUT TO SOME OF THESE BRANDS, AS WELL! I WILL COME BACK AND UPDATE WITH MY FINDINGS. ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THE BLOGGER THAT POSTED ABOUT SCAMS. I DIDNT EVEN THINK OF THAT BUT GLAD I READ ALL OF THE COMMENTS!
YOU GUYS ROCK!
xo,
staci
http://cocoandclick.com/
Hi, I’m not a blogger but an Instagram user and where can I find sponsors for Instagram? Because most of your links are for fashion bloggers which I’m not. I really want to get sponsored with clothes and posts it on Instagram as a hobby of mine. Please help 🙁
What if they don’t send you freebies, but want you to promote their discount code to earn the freebies?
This is just lovely! I´m going to try that right away! Thank you so much for this post, I believe it can help many, many people!
Since I´m still new to the business this is exactly what I needed :*
Ina, xxx
I really have to thank you for this AWESOME POST! I emailed the brands you put in the post and I got lots of collaboration!!! Thank you very much! By the way this is my youtube channel if you want to have a look 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/user/adrianaspink
This is just perfect! Thank you for sharing. I’ve just recently joined the blogging community and this will definitely prove useful in the future.
Thanks a bunch.
First of all, I will like to say a Big, FAT, WARM,GREATFUL- Thank You to Katie Tan !!! As a new blogger, I find this article really helpful, I was able to apply to some of the brands you have included. Once again Thank You so much for your help. <3
T/F/P/I ( @styleinyouu )
Newish blog, Hopefully people can check it out, comment and help me increase my followers 🙂
We are looking for new fashion bloggers.
+ info >> http://www.bagtelier.com/brand-ambassadors/
thanks for the info … I also sent mail http://vyoleta-vyo.blogspot.ro/
Thank you for the information. Found this in 2019.