I’m going to do a full recap of Aspen and the incredible trip Alix and I had, but first I wanted to address this topic of convo!

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These pictures were taken by Jim Paussa Photography in Aspen, at the Limelight Hotel that hooked us up with a room for the week! In this particular case, the hotel I pitched gave us a media rate (50% off) and not a comp, which was totally amazing because the regular cost of the room was upwards of $550.  

A friend of mine in the industry called me yesterday and we spoke for close to 1 hour about landing brand deals and getting paid partnerships. A lot of you know that I run this brand full-time and have for years, even though I don’t have millions of followers, I’ve got a pretty specific brand and a lot of avenues for me to bring in revenue. I’m also established in the field and don’t have to stress as much as I used to about how I’d bring in money and figure out how to keep growing my brand.

I remember the beginning days of starting this website, and moving into the podcast/ radio world, and how hard it was! Every moment I was stressing about pitching brands, replying to people who’d email me, etc. The best piece of advice I have is to think outside of the box.

Something I do is go to grocery stores like Whole Foods or online retailers like Thrive and find their brand lists, along with companies like Birchbox. Every website has a list of brands you can find new companies from! Use the plugin Snov.io ($50) a month and find a contact on the website, or type in the name of the brand on LinkedIn and get a direct contact to someone in PR or marketing. Since you’re likely reaching out relating to those two areas, you shouldn’t be contacting someone in sales. This takes time but is worth it in the end.

Smaller companies especially like to work with “micro” influencers because they can get more bang for their buck: so don’t hesitate to reach out to companies you align with if you’re just starting out. What do you EVER have to lose?

Always have a press kit or a one sheet (basically a resume, but smaller) handy with your prices so that you can’t avoid the back and forth about the cost. My friend asked me on the phone about how you can organically bring up cost in the conversation, and it’s pretty easy.

Instead of spending 5 days going back and forth with a company that you’re pitching about why you love their tea, etc., send your initial pitch, attach your rates in the email, and ask if they have any budget to work with events/ bloggers/ media. When I’m at a restaurant or getting a makeup/hair service for free, I’m never paid, but it’s up to you and the type of brand you have to decide whether you should be paid in addition to getting something for free.

I always like to say: you can keep the elephant in the room which is always money, or you can easily take it out by being direct, knowing your brand, and knowing what you want.