5 Influencer Platforms I Recommend Checking Out

What influencer platforms do I recommend checking out? Here a few I’ve use to land both paid and gifted campaigns in the past.

One of my most popular questions as a content creator is: “what influencer platforms are you on?” When I started taking my blog and Instagram seriously in 2016, it seemed like there weren’t any influencer platforms. But fast forward in 2020, it seems like there’s been an explosion of influencer networks trying to bring brands to content creators and content creators to brands.

If you’re just starting out, signing up or applying for an influencer network would definitely help you find brands to work with! Like with any industry, there are some influencer networks that are more organized, flexible, and have brands that pay more consistently than others. My recommendation is just to give a network a try and see if you like it.

Here are 5 influencer platforms that I recommend checking out:

(and have personally used and landed paid campaigns)

1. Collectively

I first joined Collectively in 2018 and quickly landed a paid campaign for Coachella (Beychella). I probably land a handful of paid campaigns throughout the year with Collectively. You have to apply and request an invitation to be a part of Collectively.

Collectively will send emails about potential brand opportunities and you usually have to fill out a survey or a form sharing your social media links and your rate for the campaign. If the brand and the Collectively team see that you’re a good fit, they’ll follow up with an email invitation asking you to be a part of the campaign.

2. Linqia

Linqia is the most recent influencer platform I joined. The team from Linqia reached out directly about a brand campaign earlier this spring and I had to create a profile to accept the campaign terms. One thing I do enjoy about this platform is that the team will send you a formal email invite and then a follow up email that’s more personal asking you to be a part of the campaign. All four opportunities that were sent my way from this platform were paid.

If you’re interested in signing up for Linqia, you can head to their website and create an account.

3. Activate by Bloglovin

 I personally discovered Activate by being active on BLOGLOVIN. My blog was connected to this platform and then I realized that BLOGLOVIN had separate space for influencers to apply to brand campaigns.

Out of the platforms listed today, I think this platform has the best dashboard user interface. The dashboard is easy to use and you can see your brand’s conversations under “Conversations”. You can sign up for Activate by Bloglovin.

4. AspireIQ

When I first got on AspireIQ, I landed 1-2 paid campaigns. But since 2019, I’ve gone into negotiations with brands through the app but no paid campaigns have come into fruition for me.

There are tons of opportunities to get gifted items on this platform. I’m assuming that most influencers just accept the gifted items, so the brands aren’t finding the need to pay influencers who request to be compensated. But if you are looking for high quality home items from brands like Dyson, Sleep Number, or Hoover, this is the platform to go to.

5. RewardStyle

I’ve been a part of RewardStyle since 2017 but this is the first year that RewardStyle has reached out to me for campaigns. I’m not sure if it’s because my Instagram has grown “big enough” or if it’s for other reasons, but I’m thankful RewardStyle has invited me to work on more campaigns through their platform.

Working with RewardStyle is pretty simple. The team will send you the collaboration terms and I usually take the time to negotiate the rate before moving forward with the campaign. Every collaboration I’ve done through RewardStyle has been paid. In order to get access to this network, you have to apply.

Things to look out for when working in influencer networks:

Being underpaid

Some influencer networks really put influencers and content creators at a disadvantage.

There’s one specific influencer platform that list out exclusivity, specifically states that they need product shots and lifestyle shots, ask influencers to run and manage giveaways, as well as submit additional photos for the brands to use on their own channels.

But in my personal opinion, this platform and the brands on this platform are severely underpaying influencers. Some campaigns have ceilings of only $200 as the max pay for campaign. Some campaigns have:

• Follower count: 0 to 50,000 = $150.00
• Follower count: 50,001 to 80,000 = $400.00
• Follower count: 80,001 to 115,000 = $700.00
• Follower count: 115,001 to 200,000 = $1000.00
• Follower count: 200,001+ = $1700.00

Or:

• Follower count: 0 to 20,000 = $75.00
• Follower count: 20,001 to 50,000 = $100.00
• Follower count: 50,001 to 75,000 = $125.00
• Follower count: 75,001+ = $150.00

$150 a post for influencers under 75,000 followers is offensive. I know content creators under 15,000 followers starting their rates at $400 a post.

These prices don’t even follow the 1 cent per follower rule. If you’re a content creator, please do NOT accept these prices. You aren’t just charging for your influence – and these prices don’t even accurately reflect that. Your price should include your time, exclusivity, releasing additional images to the brand, and more.

While it might seem like you can’t negotiate, you can.

Please remember that even if an influencer network offers you a rate, that rate is negotiable. If there’s an option to directly message the brand or the agency working through the platform, you can always ask to adjust the rate offered for the campaign.

If negotiating feels scary or you aren’t sure what to say, I highly recommend my course: “How to Negotiate (Paid) Brand Collaborations”. There are 11 email negotiation templates to help you find the right words to say when negotiating! Plus there’s 3 real life email negotiations and tips on negotiating and pricing. The price of the course is $120 and will increase to $150 in 2021.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the influencer platforms I recommend checking out!

What other influencer platforms do you recommend?

For more blogger and content creator tips, you can also check out:

Are you not growing on Instagram? Here are 5 questions to ask yourself

5 Blogging Goals to Set for Yourself

How I financially prepared to take my blog & Instagram full-time

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Emma

Photos: Holly Phan