Listen, if you’re a beauty influencer who dreams of seeing your favourite foundation bottle land on your doorstep with a personalised note from a major cosmetics brand—you are not alone! Securing those first beauty deals or brand deals can feel like trying to open a vault. Everyone sees the glamorous sponsored content, but nobody talks about the hustle behind the brand collaboration.
The good news? The world of influencer marketing is always hungry for fresh voices. Getting your first beauty sponsorship is absolutely achievable. It just takes a smart strategy, not just a big follower count. Here are three crucial beauty creator tips on how to crack your first beauty deal as an influencer.
Tip 1: The Portfolio is EVERYTHING (Not Just the Follower Count)
Forget obsessing over the exact number of people who follow you. Brands—and let’s be real, the entire influencer marketing industry—care more about your engagement and the quality of your content. Think of your profile as your digital portfolio.
Your first step on how to crack your first beauty deal as an influencer is to demonstrate you can create high-quality sponsored content before you get paid for it. Use products you already own and create posts that show off your personal style and expertise. This is one of the best beauty creator tips you’ll ever get! Make it easy for brands to imagine a brand collaboration with you. This prepares you for getting your first brand deal in the beauty industry.
Tip 2: Nail the Pitch on How to Approach Brands for Beauty Deals
When you’re aiming for your first beauty sponsorship or beauty deals, you can’t send a generic “I love your brand!” message. You need a step-by-step guide to your first beauty sponsorship pitch.
Do your homework. Research which beauty partnerships align with your audience. For example, if you focus on budget skincare, don’t pitch a luxury brand. Then, write a personalised message. Mention a specific product, a campaign you loved, and, most importantly, explain what unique value you bring. Tell them exactly what kind of social media deals content you would create—a Reel, a detailed tutorial, or a comparison video—to show you’re serious about this brand collaboration. Knowing how to negotiate your first beauty collaboration starts here: by demonstrating your value first.
Tip 3: Don’t Dismiss the Smaller Beauty Deals
Every single major creator started somewhere! If you’re looking for beauty deals for new content creators, don’t immediately go for the biggest names. Micro-influencers are highly valued in influencer marketing right now because their audiences trust them deeply.
Start with smaller brand collaboration opportunities like product gifting or affiliate links. This is one of the best strategies for beauty influencers to get deals because it allows you to practise and prove your conversion power. These smaller beauty partnerships are your trial runs for landing misleading sponsored content by influencers down the line. Each successful campaign, no matter how small, is proof you can deliver results, which makes the next brand deal easier to get. These tips for getting beauty brand collaborations are all about building momentum.
