How to Create Branded Content
Every brand is different when it comes to affiliate marketing. Some brands will have specific instructions regarding how, what, and when to post. Others… not so much. It’s up to you as a Creator to come up with how to create branded content that will lead to engagement and sales.
You should look at the brand’s website and socials to see how they position themselves in the market and get a sense of their value proposition. It’s also a good idea to do some basic research and see what other Creators are saying about the brand or product. Possibly the most important step in your discovery process is using the product yourself. Are there obvious benefits that you can see? How does it compare to other brands/products you have used in the past? Once you feel like you have a grasp of the brand/product, it’s time to post!
Finding out what type of branded content works best for you and your personal brand can be challenging and there will probably be some trial and error involved, but there are a few battle-tested techniques you can always fall back on to show you how to create branded content.
Product Reviews/Unboxing
A product review is a good choice to showcase the brand/product in detail. You can talk about the product design and functionality and why you think it will be beneficial to you personally. It’s a good idea to offer both the pros and cons of the brand/product to show your followers you are being authentic. If you feel like one feature of the product could be improved, share your opinion. Product reviews are beneficial because you are doing the research on the product for your followers and giving them valuable information.
While reviewing a brand or product that fits into your niche is going to be more natural, this doesn’t mean you have to shy away from products that are outside your niche. As long as you can show how the brand/product brings you joy or improves your life, you can make genuine posts about anything. One way to create excitement and enthusiasm is to use an unboxing style post, where you are finally receiving the product for the first time and reacting to the arrival in real time.
Tutorials and How-To Content
Tutorials and How-To posts are perfect for increasing engagement with your audience. They allow you to use the product in an organic way. As you are offering instruction, you can dive deeper into product details and benefits.
If you are endorsing a brand of lipstick, then a make-up tutorial or how-to post is a good way to work in the product without overly “selling” it. If you are marketing a clothing line, then a tutorial about dressing for work or a night out can be a way to show off the product in a subtle but effective way. These posts can take advantage of your niche or personal brand perspective but a tutorial post where you are a novice with the product can also be impactful for your followers if they are also new to the product.
How-To’s and Tutorials are highly actionable and are opportunities to give your audience a higher degree of detail about a brand or product.
Case Studies
Case Studies show how a brand/product had a direct impact on you and improved your life. It is more than just a product review, this is a chance to show some results after you have used the product. A follower is more likely to buy a product if you can show them that it works. For example, if you are endorsing a fitness product, showing and telling your followers how the product made you faster, stronger, healthier is more likely to result in them clicking on a link to check out the product for themselves.
Product Comparisons
How does this product differ from others? Product comparisons are a great way to show off the beneficial features of a product as compared to others. Again, an honest evaluation key as you explain why you feel the product you are endorsing is better than the rest. A product comparison gives you more freedom to go into deeper detail about what you like and don’t like and how this brand/product was more suited to satisfy your needs. It should come off as your unbiased personal opinion and that will be better suited to increasing follower engagement.
Be honest and authentic when representing a brand or product. This is important because you want to maintain a sense of trust with your followers. The more they believe in you and your message, the more likely it is that they will buy a product or check out a brand you are endorsing. This doesn’t mean you have to be negative in your reviews, tutorials, or case studies but you should be thorough in giving your audience all the information they need to make their own decision.
The Captiv8 Creator Dashboard offers a chat function for communication with brand managers and approvers that will show you how to create branded content that gets results.
About Captiv8
Captiv8 is the premier creator marketing platform that harnesses the power of AI to connect creators to their favorite brands and allows you to take ownership of your career. With a diverse suite of tools, the creator dashboard helps you construct a unique profile based on your social media background, interests, and past affiliate marketing experience to help you get discovered. Using the creator dashboard’s intuitive workflow, you can join campaigns, manage offers and deadlines, track payments, and streamline the brand approval process. Through the dashboard’s audience insights, you get all the metrics and data necessary to elevate your personal brand and maximize your earning potential.
