As an influencer, getting a brand’s attention requires a lot of work. So how do you do it? While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, there are many proactive ways to up your noticeability on your social platforms. Whether you’re fielding negotiations yourself or you’ve got a kickass team handling it for you (shout-out to you, CookIt Talent Team!), here are our top 5 tips for attracting brands as an influencer.
Find your niche and stick to it. Optimize your bio to reflect your niche. Create consistent, high quality content that fits your niche. Don’t be afraid to (politely) turn down sponsorships if they don’t align with your current content strategy. Brands are looking for influencers whose values align with their own, so make sure to market yourself with clear motives in mind.
Not everything needs to be sponsored! In fact, too many branded partnerships can decrease your engagement rate and make you appear less authentic. Instead, consider creating organic content that incorporates (and tags) brands you love and use all the time. Organic content helps the brand see how much you truly value their product! When you tag the brand, you (or your management team) can see how the post performed with your audience. You’re able to use those stats to reach out to the brand with the message that you are already an ambassador for their product, and that they would be smart to see you as a partner for future paid collaborations.
Take advantage of trends, from songs and hashtags to trending foods (remember that viral baked feta pasta?) and seasonal flavors (looking at you, pumpkin spice). This will help you stay relevant and make your content appeal to the masses. Brands want to be a part of the larger conversations and trends that are happening in social media. Working with a creator who understands their audience’s interest in current trends/holidays/seasonal moments will better ensure their product becomes a part of those conversations.
An easy way to do this is to use trending audio on an Instagram Reel or TikTok. Don’t know what’s trending? Later posts monthly roundups of the top Instagram Reels and TikTok trends on their blog. If you’re looking for hot topics for your editorial calendar, check out our monthly trends blog posts.
Love a brand? Let them know! Brands’ social teams are always paying attention to who is engaging with their social pages. It’s an easy way to get noticed. Tag them in your content, leave meaningful comments on their posts, reply to their stories, and use their branded hashtags. Pay attention to the aesthetic of the brands you’d like to work with and post content that falls in line with that aesthetic. As we mentioned earlier, posting about brands authentically is a great way to get their attention for paid partnerships in the future.
Who said you have to wait around for brands to notice you? Get out there and shoot your shot. Target brands that you are genuinely interested in working with, send them a thoughtfully crafted DM or email, and get your media kit ready. Make sure to let the brand know the value you bring to the partnership, how your following aligns with the brand’s audience goals, and your authentic connection to the product (brands love to know when a creator really does love them!).
Do you have any hacks for getting brands’ attention? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Birthday to us! 🎉 CookIt is celebrating 10 years in business. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and look back at some highlights from the past decade! 📖
From NYC to LA, @creatoriq’s coast-to-coast events gave us a front-row seat to where influencer marketing is headed.
In New York, the message was clear: influencer marketing is maturing. It’s no longer about one-off posts or quick conversions. Brands are building full-funnel strategies — awareness at the top, education in the middle, and conversion at the bottom — and creators are being brought in at every step to make it all feel seamless.
But maybe the most important takeaway? Don’t forget the brand story. In a world chasing ROI, it was a much-needed reminder that marketing isn’t a math problem. It’s about people, connection, and choosing the right voice to tell your story.
In LA, we heard echoes of the same. Creators aren’t just content machines — they’re collaborators. Co-strategists. And platforms like TikTok are leaning into that, building tools to make it easier for brands and creators to build something together, moving beyond even the sponsored post.
Across both cities, one thing was clear: influencer marketing is evolving — from transactional posts to long-term, strategic partnerships. It’s no longer just part of the plan — for many brands, it’s the foundation of how they tell their story, build trust, and drive real results.
And that’s exactly the kind of shift we’re here for!
The other week, Carly and Molly were in Chicago for the @nationalrestaurantshow — their first time attending, but definitely not their last! 🙌 They connected with incredible chefs and brands leading the way in restaurant innovation, exploring everything from front-of-house experiences to back-of-house operations. Days full of learning, inspiring conversations, and big takeaways they’ll be able to carry into any future talent convos! 💛
Our friends at @odysseyentertainmentgroup recently hosted an incredible team + creator retreat in Los Angeles and brought together several industry friends for a night out in West Hollywood. 🌴 Our VP of Partnerships @molls.benton joined Jess of @shinetalentgroup, Molly of @vraiofficial, and Paige from Odyssey to celebrate the amazing work each team is doing and the growth still to come!
In a space that can often feel competitive, this night was a reminder that collaboration is where the real magic happens. There’s so much to gain when we come together to learn from one another, support each other, and share what we’ve built. 🤝
We are incredibly proud of @grillin_with_dad, who was invited to speak at a corporate conference for a legacy media agency with Fortune 500 clients. Hosted by @google at their Chicago office, @lauriebuck had the good fortune to join him and watch as he entertained the crowd (ask him about the grilled alligator incident!) and enlightened them about what it’s really like to be a creator, from his early days in social media to now, with more than 3.5M followers across all platforms! 🙌
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