As a content creator with a modest following, I’m always looking for ways to monetize my platforms. This year I’ve focused on opportunities for micro influencers like myself to earn money. Plenty of platforms offer to help us make a living, but are any of them good? If you’re exploring the world of micro influencer brand deals we can help.
Let’s dive into the world of micro influencer platforms and find out.
How are brand deals different for micro influencers?
A micro-influencer is a creator with a follower count that ranges from 10,000 to 100,000. While that range is extensive, micro-influencers can stand out and land big brand deals if they have a specific niche.
Influencers with over 100,000 followers might have an agent or manager helping them get brand deals. They also might have brands reaching out to them directly.
As a micro-influencer, there’s a chance brands will enter your inbox. This might happen if your content goes viral or you become an expert in a topic. Otherwise, for micro-influencers to get opportunities, they need to be proactive.
Micro-influencers often join influencer or affiliate platforms to connect with brands. They will apply for opportunities and wait to hear if brands give greenlight a partnership. You can set your own rates for brand deals and base the pricing on their audience and engagement rates.
That’s why a micro-influencer needs a media kit that outlines all of these metrics before joining platforms or pitching brands.
Methodology
When you sign up for an influencer platform, you’ll be asked to share specific details about your content and social media profiles. For most platforms I tried out, I had to share a short bio, select the topics my content covers, and upload a profile photo.
I also had to link my social media profiles so the platform could share real data with brands. The metrics brands can see are my follower count, engagement rates, and examples of current content I’ve posted.
What are the best platforms for micro influencer brand deals?
I researched different influencer programs for micro influencers and tested a handful of them that seemed most promising.
Ultimately, it was clear that some platforms helped micro influencers get brand deals, and others seemed like a waste of time. Here’s my review of five influencer programs for micro influencers.
#Paid
#Paid is a platform that matches creators with brands for partnerships. They pride themselves on creating authentic matches and paying creators fair rates.
I set up a profile and connected my TikTok account to the platform. #Paid then gave me a suggested rate to publicly display to brands of $205 per video created. That rate is way less than I usually charge. When I adjusted the rate to $900, it shared a message that having a higher rate would decrease my chances of being selected for brand collaboration opportunities.
It was off-putting to see that brands on this platform would offer to pay less than the set fee I’ve received for content creation.
I browsed the platform’s job board which displays available collaborations. There were only nine listed when I viewed the board. None of the opportunities listed fit my content. They do say they list new opportunities throughout the week.
Is #Paid worth your time?
The lack of collaboration opportunities and the low fee they suggested I charge brands as a micro-influencer made me not eager to use this platform. #Paid could be a worthwhile option for micro influencers who haven’t partnered with brands before and have a smaller audience.
If you’re willing to go with the platform’s suggested rate you might have luck matching with brands for opportunities. Since I only saw very limited and niche brand opportunities, the platform might be good for creators who match those specifics. I didn’t work with any brands during my time testing out the platform.
Aspire
Aspire markets themselves as a marketing platform that helps brands find creators, manage campaigns, and create ads, all in one place.
Once you create a profile and link your social media accounts, you get access to the creator marketplace. This is where you can search through opportunities both paid and unpaid. If you see one that you like, you can fill out a form and apply. The platform also suggests you to brands looking for specific content creators. When that happens, the brand reaches out to learn more about you and your rates.
Through this platform I’ve received gifted opportunities only. While the platform offers the most visibility for creators to see available campaigns, it seems like most opportunities for micro-influencers are unpaid.
Is Aspire worth your time?
During my time using this platform, I received gifted opportunities only. I worked with Khiels and Michael Tod Beauty. I posted Instagram and TikTok content in exchange for products. While the platform offers the most visibility for creators to see available campaigns, most opportunities for micro-influencers are unpaid. If you want to build your media kit and work with brands for free products, this platform is worth signing up for.
Sway
Sway is an influencer marketing agency that helps brands connect with content creators who have their target audience. I created a profile on the platform and linked my TikTok account. This was the only platform that asked me specific questions about my life, including my child’s age, what kind of pet I have, and if I’m an NCAA athlete.
Once my profile was complete, I was able to view available campaigns. I noticed that there were only four currently available. When I checked back over a few months, there weren’t very many new ones. I applied to four campaigns in February and March, and my applications are still pending.
Is Sway worth your time?
The platform doesn’t seem promising or lucrative for micro-influencers seeking paid opportunities, especially on a timely basis. I applied to four campaigns total in February and March, and my applications are still pending. If you’re eager to monetize your platforms and make money as a creator, it seems like Sway isn’t an option that will provide you with frequent opportunities to make that happen.
Mavrck
Mavrck is an influencer platform that supports brands by identifying content creators based on demographics, content categories, and other preferences. Most other micro-influencer platforms allow you to browse opportunities and apply. Mavrck works differently.
After I answered a few questions about my content topics and previous partnerships, I connected my Instagram account. Once the application was completed, I was told that I’d be added to Mavrck’s influencer index. The platform shared that I might receive applications to collaborate with brands if they think I’m a good fit for partnerships.
I appreciated that they would match me with appropriate opportunities since that removes the headache of having to directly pitch and convince a brand to partner. But since there’s no creator dashboard or job board, knowing what opportunities are available is hard.
Is Mavrck worth your time?
The platform is suitable as a passive way to receive potential collaboration requests but it’s limited in terms of visibility, and hard for a creator to know when they’ll receive an invitation to partner with a brand. I didn’t receive any brand partnership opportunities while testing the platform.
Collectively
Collectively is an influencer platform that connects brands with content creators. Out of all the other platforms, this one had the longest onboarding survey to fill out. It asked questions about what topics your content covers, your relationship status, what skills you have, and more.
It even asks if you’d be open to gifted campaigns or receiving PR packages from brands without an obligation to post anything.
After filling out the survey and connecting a social media profile (I did my TikTok), the platform shares it will be in touch if any campaigns are a good fit. I appreciated how long the survey was, but I wish I could actively apply to open campaigns independently. This platform doesn’t allow you to do that.
Is Collectively worth your time?
Since Collectively seems to work hard behind the scenes to match specific creators with the right type of brand collaborations, having a profile on the platform is worthwhile. While I didn’t receive any partnership opportunities while testing the platform, I still felt it was good to have a live profile up.
What is the best platform for micro influencer brand deals?
After testing out five platforms that provide micro influencers brand partnership opportunities, I found that two platforms seemed promising.
Aspire had the most opportunities available for creators to apply to, and Collectively did the best job pre-vetting creators to help make the right brand matches happen. Having a profile on either of these platforms is free for the creator and worthwhile for micro influencers who want to land brand deals.
