What not to do when partnering with brands and influencers

Us bloggers and influencers have a habit of making things look pretty and seamless, adding luxury to the mundanity of the everyday. If the FRYE Festival documentaries have proven anything, it is that influencers have power. However, a lot of times, what doesn't make it to our feeds and pages are those moments where things are not as pretty

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed a few weeks ago I started a partnership with an independent seller for a very popular science-based skin care line. I began sharing the products this independent seller sent me on my Instastory the day I received them. Then you probably noticed that I have not shared them since. This is not characteristic of me, as I typically do a deep dive for any brand that takes the time to send me goodies to try.

So what had happened was...

Weeks prior to the arrival of the products, this independent seller and I came to an agreement: I would share the products on social with 1 (ONE) post on Instagram and a few snaps on my Instastory.  I agreed and she boxed up her products and sent them my way.

As I said before, the day the products arrived, I shared them on my #Instastory and moved along to prepare to share them with you, my community. A mere 7 (SEVEN) days later, following posting a snap asking you all what type of skincare you were into, I find a DM from the independent seller saying the following:

"Hey girl, so I see your posts about trying other skincare etc which is awesome ... but the reason I sent the full regimen was Bc I thought you wanted to use it consistently and post about it🙈I could have just sent you some awesome sample packs if you wanted to just use a few times/shout it out once or twice. "

I fought the typical "Black girl head snatch" when I read it but responded accordingly.

Unfortunately, it got no better after a few exchanges. Following my response to the independent seller with the original agreement, she retorted that she wanted me to try her brand's products exclusively for 60 (SIXTY) days, something we never agreed to. I realized what was actually happening, this person what trying to get exclusive access to the community I have built by not following the terms we set in the agreement nor compensating me properly (because, well this is a job after all and people should be paid for their work.)

Brand exclusivity costs, y'all. Think about it: if you are telling an influencer, who makes her bread and butter off of honestly trying products and sharing what works and what doesn't with her community, that she cannot engage with any other brands for the next 60 days, then you had better be prepared to pay her for those 60 days where she has to turn other brands and businesses collaborations down. That influencer is leaving cash on the table in order to engage in your collaboration, therefore exclusivity of any type better be compensated, and with way more than a $200 skin regimen.

Admittedly, I should not have entered the collaboration, to begin with. My gut told me something was up, and I ignored it for the sake of helping an active participant of The Reclaimed community. All because I dared to ask my community what type of skin care they wanted to see.
What this independent seller does not realize is that I was setting up a discussion for her products (insert facepalm here).

In essence, the independent seller and I came to a mutual agreement to terminate our partnership. Because I was honoring our actual, on paper agreement. You read that right. I promptly boxed back up each and every product she sent and Priority Shipped it right back to her. (I guess she got it because she unfollowed me a few days later before I could ask her if she had received them back. Shows me what she was really after, I guess.)

To say that I learned a lot from this one small incident is an understatement. Here were the biggest takeaways from this whole experience:

Get EVERYTHING in writing
Get all agreements in writing. Period. Make sure to have notes from anything you discuss over the phone, and then transcribe it into an email you send to the person you are partnering with so that as they agree you cover your own butt and have those conversations in writing too.

I was so happy I could draw upon emails which the independent seller and I drafted our agreement to partnership. When this independent seller started to press me for things I would have never agreed to (without proper compensation!) I could then pull up our original agreement and then

No brand, business, or independent seller has the right to your platform
Being a person with any type of following is a blessing and a responsibility. People follow you, they expect you to take them somewhere, or at least be more than just pretty pictures. We work hard on our pages. Me personally, I strive to engage with our following, we play with colors and layouts, I strive to produce content that ultimately goes beyond mere connection to actually helping anyone who has trusted me to their feeds.

That is why I guard my following fiercely from any brand that just wants to link up for exposure but may not help them. When this woman insisted (in her own passive-aggressive way) that she have complete reign over my feed for her products, she was, in essence, saying that she was entitled to my platform and community that I have worked so hard to create and lead. No brand, business, or independent seller is entitled to your platform, period. Collaboration is inviting them as guests, to the party that you already have going on. If they cannot respect that, they don't deserve to be there.

Create Terms and Conditions for yourself
If you are going to be an influencer partnering with brands, make sure you have your terms and conditions listed and clear so that brands and businesses understand exactly what they are getting into when they work with you.

Not all partnerships are good partnerships
This is the biggest takeaway for me. I guess I have been spoiled by having so many good and ongoing partnerships when this one came along, I couldn't pass it up. I was helping out a community member of mine. and I am always psyched about that. Unfortunately, not all partnerships are true collaborations and this definitely solidified that truth for me.

I hope this helps you if you are an influencer, a brand, or just wanted insight into the industry. I am not here to complain, rather I am here to alert you to beware and be aware of the