If brands are reaching out to you for gifted brand deals, that’s amazing! It means you’re on their radar, probably because your content, personality, and/or audience caught their eye. Way to Go! Now that you have the deal in your inbox, it’s time to figure out how the heck to navigate it. Gifted brand partnerships are a great step towards building brand relationships and for building your content portfolio. Some bloggers will advise to never accept gifted collaborations, but I disagree. I accepted my fair share of gifted deals and even transformed some of these deals into paid campaigns. So let’s dive into how to respond to a gifted brand collaboration email.
Gifted Collaboration Meaning?
A gifted brand collaboration is when a brand reaches out to an influencer and offers them free products. Brands do this with the expectation that the influencer will post the gift to their social media channels. Some brands require influencers to post in exchange for the gift. This is a great form of free marketing for brands.
When to accept gifted brand deals?
There’s a time and place to accept gifted brand deals. You should accept a gifted brand deal if:
- You’re building your content portfolio
- You need product to create unique content
- The gifted amount is greater than or equal to what you would normally charge for a post
- You want to build a relationship with the brand
These are some examples of when I think it’s okay to accept a gifted brand deal. For example, if you’ve never worked with a brand before, this gifted deal can be a great opportunity to show other brands what you’re capable of!
When we are first starting out, we may want to create super cute content, but buying products to showcase can be expensive! Receiving gifted products makes it easier and less of a strain on our wallets to create content within our niches. (Just make sure to disclose the product was #gifted).
Sometimes a gifted deal is worth the value! I’m specifically thinking of travel bloggers who are gifted trips to amazing places. An all-expenses-paid weekend to Las Vegas in exchange for content? I’ll say yes to that! The value of the gift must be worth your while.
When to NOT accept gifted brand deals?
- The brand REQUIRES a large number of posts in exchange for the gift
- The gifted product/experience is less than the amount you normally charge for deals
- You don’t actually like the product
- Brand asks you to buy product yourself or pay for shipping – ummm aka not a gift
Basically, ask yourself if you would’ve been better off buying the product yourself WITHOUT any posting obligations. If the gifted deal is super strict in requirements, way more work than it’s worth, or something you don’t even want, then politely decline (or ignore the email altogether)!
Also, some people don’t realize, as an influencer, you may have to pay taxes on gifts. According to Taxslayer.com, “If you receive a gift (free products, trips, etc.) as compensation, it is considered income and you will need to pay tax on the value of the gift. One exception is if you are sent products to review that have a total value of less than $100. You are not required to include the value of those items on your tax return.” Keep this in mind before saying yes to a gifted campaign.
How to respond to brands?
The best way to respond to brands on gifted deals is to be clear about expectations. Let the brand know how (and if) you will be featuring their gifted products. Here are some gifted brand collaboration email examples:
Asking brand for gifted product:
“Hi [Name], My name is ____________. Your products are so amazing, [insert reason why they are great].
I’m the creator behind ________. Currently I’m planning a [YouTube video, TikTok video, IG Reel, etc.] on [topic]. I’d love to feature in my video. Do you have any press samples available? Would this be beneficial to the brand? Looking forward to hearing from you.”
For gifted deals you want to ACCEPT (without creative brief):
“I’m very interested in trying out your product.
Typically I feature gifted products in my [stories, ig feed, youtube videos, etc.]. If this sounds good, I’d love to have the product shipped to me at [INSERT ADDRESS HERE]”
For gifted deals you want to ACCEPT (with creative brief):
Thank you so much fore reaching out. I’d love to be a part of this campaign. Looking forward to receiving more information.
For gifted deals you want to DECLINE:
“Thank you so much for reaching out. We do not have room in our editorial calendar to accept gifted products at this time, but we would love to reconnect in the future if anything changes.”
For gifted deals you want to INCREASE GIFTED PRODUCT AMOUNT:
“Hi! I typically charge ### for a post. Would you be able to increase the total value of gifted products to match that rate?”
For gifted deals you want to TURN INTO A PAID DEAL:
“Thank you for reaching out to me. My audience loves discovering _______ products!
We only guarantee social media and blog promotion through sponsored partnerships. If [BRAND] is interested in working together on a sponsored collaboration, please let me know as I would love to discuss ideas and details based on your needs, target audience, and budget.See media kit attached.
***Should you still wish to send the gifted product, please send to the address listed below”
What if I don’t like the gift I received from a brand?
Typically brands are understanding when products don’t work out. Send the brand an email as soon as possible. Remember to be honest and professional when explaining your reasoning for not liking the item.
“Thank you so much for sending me ! Unfortunately, after trying out for a couple of weeks, I do not feel comfortable sharing with my audience because [insert reason here]. I’d be happy to return the product if needed. Please let me know how we should move forward.”
Do you need a contract for gifted campaigns?
I ALWAYS suggest having your own contract, whether it’s for gifted campaigns or paid campaigns. This way the brand can’t pull any funny business! HERE is the contract I use (costs $99). Or you can grab a copy of a simple contract for gifted campaigns.
If the brand sends you their own contract for a gifted campaign, look out for words like in perpetuity (meaning they own your image FOREVER) and exclusivity (meaning you can’t work with competitors during the term). I’ve signed my fair share of gifted campaigns with these words – learn from my mistakes.
How to treat a gifted campaign?
Treat a gifted campaign similar to how you would treat a paid campaign.
- Be professional and timely.
- Have good communication – let the people know you received the products
- Give product feedback (optional)
- Share post insights – sharing the insights shows the brand how well the post performed and opens up the door to turning this relationship into a future paid opportunity.
How to turn the gifted campaign I accepted into a paid campaign in the future?
After posting the gifted product, share the insights with the brand. This is the perfect time to open the door for the discussion of future paid opportunities. If you navigate the gifted campaign in a professional manner, the brand will likely be happy to work with you again in a paid capacity in the future. Here’s how to open the door to conversation:
“Thank you so much for sending me the to try. I’m obsessed with the [specific product].
Attached are screenshots of post insights. It was a pleasure working with you and I’d love to work together again in the future. Maybe for a [insert next season] campaign? Looking forward to hearing from you.”
Final thoughts on gifted campaigns
Okay! So those are all my tips for navigating gifted campaigns. Be selective about accepting gifted campaigns, especially if a creative brief and posting requirements are attached. Remember to always communicate with the brand and set expectations before receiving the product and if you end up posting about the product, tag the brand and send insights afterward.
What are your thoughts on doing a gifted brand collaboration?
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