Want to be sponsored free stuff?!

     I wanted to write a post about sponsorships after getting to know about it first hand. If you're looking to sponsor people or if you are a blogger who want's to be sponsored, this guide will help you. A sponsorship from a fashion store means that the store will send you some products for you to review in order to advertise and increase their traffic and sales. It's nice getting free stuff in the mail but there are things you must do as well.

REQUIREMENTS & HOW TO BE SPONSORED

     Every store has different requirements but I can tell you the basics. First, store's will most likely have a follower requirement. Popular stores can require you to have anywhere from 400 to 5000 Tumblr, Blogger, and/or Youtube followers. Newer and smaller stores may require less but this is not always the case. You may see that store's require more Tumblr followers than Blogger or Youtube followers because blogs on Tumblr tend to have more followers due to its popularity and convenience.

Secondly, these things are not always required but may be depending on the store:

• You may have to take pictures, including those of yourself with the product on.
• You may have to put their promotion icon or advertisement on the front page of your blog or Youtube channel for a certain period of time.
• You may have to inform them on when you post it.
• You may have only a certain amount of time to post your review once you receive your items.
• Some sponsors require you to agree that they have the right to your pictures and information from your review.
• You may have to host a giveaway.
• You may have to provide a discount code for your followers and/or feature it on your blog or Youtube channel for a certain amount of time.
• You may have to have a blog that is specifically for or like the store you want to be sponsored from. For example, if you want to be sponsored from a kfashion like store, they may want your blog to be themed around kfashion.

Lastly, and the most obvious, you will have to write a review on the products you received with as much information as possible. Some sponsors may require a certain amount of words.

WHAT REVIEWS SHOULD BE LIKE

     Basically, reviews should be as informative and detailed as possible. You should always take pictures of the product. If you're doing a video, you should always film as much detail as possible. It might not always be required but taking pictures of the product/s on yourself is very appreciated by sponsors. This way, your followers can see what the product actually looks like on someone.

Things to include are:

• How long shipping took. Was it as expected according to the store's shipping policy? Was there a policy?
• How the store looks. Is it organized?
• How do you like your products? How do they fit you?
• Sizing
• Material
• The quality of your products
• Pricing
• How was customer service? Were you contacted to do a review or did you contact the store?
• A discount code if you were given one
• What kind of products does the store sell?
• Pictures

TIPS

     I have sponsored a few people and have enjoyed my experience. It's a nice way to give and to get in return but there are a few things you need to know. Most of these are personal but I can assure you a lot of professional sponsors will agree. These may actually be the most important things for you to know:

1. A store cannot sponsor everyone. They are looking for quality blogs with a lot of followers. If you are just starting out I advise you to search for a newer store that may not require so many followers. Send emails out to everyone.
2. Speaking of emails - keep them professional. Your application should include if you meet the requirements and provide proof that you do. Tell them why your interested and give them as much information as you can. The more info your provide the more likely you are to get sponsored.
3. Professional sponsors prefer bloggers who are mature, meaning they are less likely to sponsor people who respond immaturely to rude messages, for example.
4. Follow up with your sponsor and keep them updated with any information or issues.
5. Always follow through with the sponsorship rules. If a store requires you do have a discount code or logo on your blog or Youtube channel, put it there.
6. Write a decent review. "I really liked this product, here is a discount code..." is not acceptable. No matter what a store sends you, you should always write a detailed review. Sponsors will usually send out something that is worth at least 15-20 dollars. That may not seem like a lot but it comes out of their pocket and costs nothing to you. It's never entirely sure exactly how much traffic or how many sales a store will get because of you. You are getting free things, so writing a nice detailed review would be the decent thing to do. To put it another way, someone making minimum wage would have to work about 2 1/2 hours just to make the amount of money they spend on your free products. I have written many A college papers; it takes less than one hour to write five paragraphs that don't include any research, so that should say something.
7. Grow and learn from your business. Be professional. If a store loves your reviews and blog or Youtube channel they may want to keep the business long term, which means more free stuff for you! In the process, you will also gain more followers.

I will be opening my sponsorship up very soon for those of you interested. I hope you all the best and good luck out there qt's!