Okay let’s be real, seeing Gigi Hadid working with DHL kinda blew my mind. Big name, huge brand, slick campaign. Felt impossible for someone like me, just building my thing online. But hey, gotta try, right? So I decided to figure out the brand collab game, step by grimy step, no sugarcoating.
Step One: The Brutal Self-Stare Down
First thing? I stopped dreaming about Gigi-level deals. Looked hard at my own stats. Small follower count (like, really small). Decent engagement sometimes. Niche? Kinda all over the place – lifestyle stuff, a bit of travel, some random thoughts. Felt messy. Asked myself: “What value can I ACTUALLY offer a brand right now?” Answer was uncomfortable: maybe micro-influence, maybe authentic reviews, maybe just eyeballs on their product in a real-person way. Started cleaning up my grid, trying to show more personality, more “me.” Posted consistently even when it felt useless.
Step Two: Crawling Through the Brand Swamp
Didn’t wait for brands to find me (spoiler: they weren’t knocking!). Went hunting. Looked at:
- Small brands I actually used and loved in my coffee pics or daily snaps.
- Local businesses – the cool cafe, the indie jewelry maker at the market.
- Brands engaging with micro-creators on their own social posts (likes, replies).
- Stuff that genuinely fit my vibe (or the vibe I was trying for!), not just anything shiny.
Made a messy spreadsheet. Names, contacts, why I liked them. Took forever.
Step Three: The Cringe-Worthy Cold Pitch
Time to reach out. Felt terrifying. Drafted a super short message template:
- Hey [Name/Brand], love your [specific thing!]!
- I share stuff like [mention my niche/relevant content] to my [mention platform name] fam.
- Think [My Thing] and [Their Thing] could vibe? Keen to collab if you are!
- (Link to my profile)
Personalized it like crazy for each one. Sent dozens. Got crickets. Like, almost all of them. Ghost city. Felt awful.
Step Four: Almost Giving Up (But Then…)
Was ready to chuck it all. Then, boom! Emailed that small local coffee roaster I always tagged. Just a tiny “yes” email back: “Send your address, we’ll mail beans. Share if you like them? No pressure!” No contract. No money. Just FREE COFFEE and a maybe. Grabbed it! Made content I would have made anyway – brewing it, the smell, the taste. Tagged them properly. Wasn’t fancy. They reposted it. Engagement was slightly better than usual. Little win!
Step Five: Riding the Tiny Wave
That tiny win? Used it. Showed the roaster’s repost on my Story, tagged them again with a “Loving collabing with local heroes!” vibe. Updated my pitch email template: “Recently partnered with [Coffee Roaster]…” Suddenly, pitching similar small lifestyle/food brands felt a bit less desperate. Landed two more tiny “product-for-post” gigs in the next few months. Learned to negotiate one! (Asked for two bags of beans instead of one!). Started including “Portfolio available on request” in pitches. Just meant my tagged posts.
The Now (Not Gigi Yet!)
Am I rolling in DHL money or flying private? Nah. Still a small fish. But:
- I have proof I can deliver for brands (even tiny ones).
- My pitches feel less cringy.
- I understand my value better – real talk, relatable use, micro-audience access.
- Found cool small brands I genuinely love.
- Started building a simple “look book” PDF of my past collabs.
It’s a grind. Takes thick skin for the ghosting. Big Gigi deals? Maybe someday. For now, I’m building step-by-step, coffee bean by coffee bean, staying real. That’s the actual process, messy and slow.
