Building Brilliant Collaborations
The days of competition are long behind us. (Thank goodness!) Now that we are a part of big, bold communities pouring love into each other’s passions and brands, collaborations are quickly becoming our yellow-brick-road to success. To ensure you don’t find yourself pulling back that green curtain of reality, I’m spilling my top tips for building brilliant collaborations.
Get Your Photographer on Board
If you aren’t manning the camera, be sure to chat with your photographer up front. Whether you’ve partnered with a big brand in exchange for product, are featuring local goods to expand your reach, or hope to use those images for future collaborations, let them know! Remember, photographers own their photos. So unless you’ve purchased their intellectual copyright alongside that session fee (click here to learn more about copyright law and image licensing), you are definitely going to need their approval before sharing those images with other businesses.
Put it in Writing
Make sure everyone involved understands the goal of the shoot and how their products, location, face, or photos will be featured. Collaborations are only collaborations when you work together. And the best way to keep everyone accountable, is to put it in writing! While signed contracts are ever the gold-standard, an email confirming the details of your agreement, or a screenshot of your DMs will work too.
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Bonus tip: Did you know that DMs on the ‘gram can be erased? Do future-you a favour and email a screenshot of that conversation to yourself. You can thank me later!
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Set Timelines
When can your collaborators expect access to those photos? Right when the gallery lands in your inbox? After you post? Does it matter? Giving your collaborators free rein can create some serious hype for an upcoming launch. But, if you want to keep those cards close to heart, no judgement! Just be sure you make it clear from the get-go, as this approach might not suit every business.
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Need an example? If you partner with a local clothing shop for your Brand Session, but want first dibs to share, they aren’t getting back the value they put in. Why? Because clothes sell fast! By the time your post rolls out and they finally get access, it’s likely those items won’t be on the shelf! Which means, they won’t be worth promoting. Not only will the collaboration not serve them... it won’t serve you either!
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It Might Not be Free
No one likes to work for free. And when you’ve already paid out-of-pocket for materials, being asked to provide free goods in a collaboration is likely *not* going to inspire much enthusiasm. Instead of approaching potential collaborators with an ask to provide their talent at zero cost, start by sharing why you’d love to partner with them! This invites a conversation and gives your prospective partner a chance to offer what will fit best for them. (Talk about feeling seen and appreciated!)
A Little Respect
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Aretha said it perfectly. While lateral collaborations tend to be the most successful (ie. working with brands who have a similar audience size, are in a similar local, or who have the same level of authority) the most important thing in any partnership (and life in general!) is to treat each other with kindness. You are building a community, not using others to drive your own success! Value your collaborators, treat them with appreciation, and honour your agreement. It doesn’t matter if they have 100 followers, 100,000, or millions.
