HOW TO BE A PAID CONTENT CREATOR IN CANADA
This blog post was born out of a simple question: “Is the influencer market in Canada saturated?”. The simple answer is NO, and in this post, I’ll be sharing some tips on how to be a paid content creator in Canada.
Hi, I’m Alma and I’ve been a lifestyle, fashion and travel content creator since 2015. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of working with house-name brands like Amex, Neutrogena, Panago, and RW&Co, to name a few.
Why am I qualified to be giving this advice?
- I have over 8+ years of experience navigating the content creation landscape in Canada
- I hosted the first-ever black influencer event in collaboration with Tory Burch in 2022
- I have continuously increased my book sales ($) in the last 4 years, as a “micro-influencer”
- I have built relationships with brands that continuously turn into long-term partnerships.
Do you need a certain number of followers to attract brand deals?
No, you do not need a certain number of followers to pitch yourself for brand partnerships. Brands may not approach you but you can always reach out, as long as you have quality work and engagement to back it up.
As the influencer industry has grown over the years, brands are starting to appreciate the beauty of micro-influencers. I’m sure everyone is familiar with how the Instagram algorithm has slashed engagement numbers ridiculously, but the truth is micro creators are recording higher % engagement rates than their counterparts with larger followings. This is majorly because smaller creators have built a community-oriented audience that is more likely to take their recommendations more personally. This engagement with your community is how you position yourself to brands, if you have smaller numbers.
In Canada, brands usually look to work with creators with at least a 20% Canadian audience and a 3-6% engagement rate. You can find out where you fall by checking your social media insights.
How do you enter the influencing market especially when you just relocated to Canada?
By posting content that is relatable to Canadian residents.
The truth is that brands are looking and want to work with creators who understand the landscape and can speak to a diverse range of audiences. The best way to do that is to study the type of content you create and make it digestible for different demographics to consume.
What does this look like? Some examples below:
- Thrifting for winter wear at Value Village – fashion
- How to care for dry skin in Canada – beauty
- The pros and cons of a credit card – finance
- How I’m decorating my home in Canada – lifestyle
The goal here is to be able to show brands that you can reach Canadian/US residents, who are their primary target audience.
How to get on a brand’s PR list for events and giftings
This might seem like the most obvious answer, but the truth is you have to reach out to them. There are so many content creators in Canada, and, understandably, brands and PR agencies do not know everyone out there. The fastest way to get on their radar is by reaching out to them and introducing yourself and your brand. Here are some practical steps to follow:
- Find the brand or PR agency’s contact (slide into their DM or look them up on LinkedIn)
- Send an email introducing yourself and why you love the brand.
- Send a follow-up if you don’t get a response
- Send a thank you note after the response.
Pitching and Building relationships with brands
Building relationships with brands takes time, authentic conversations, communication and showing up both professionally and personally. Before you even decide to work with a brand, make sure you understand your own brand identity and values. Consider whether the brand aligns with your brand and if you genuinely like and use their products/services.
- Start by sharing the brand/product/service organically in your content, and tagging them/their PR agencies. Talk to your audience about why you love the brand or the products. Brands want to work with creators who already love and talk about a product or a service.
- Reach Out Professionally via email: Introduce yourself, explain why you love the brand, and highlight relevant aspects of your content that align with their values. This will be a great time to attach links to the content that you have created in the past. Example of email to a beauty brand:
Hi ____,
Hope you’re well! My name is ___ and I’m a {type of creator} content creator behind {your brand name with a hyperlink to IG/TikTok/YouTube}
I’m reaching out as I’m a huge fan of {brand name}, and have shared this love with my audience on various occasions, like {insert link to shared content}. My favourites are the {feel free to include specific favourites}
I would love to create content on my {insert social media accounts with hyperlink} accounts, showcasing {insert product name}. Here is similar content I have created here {insert an example of content you have done in the past that will resonate with the brand}. My audience is primarily 45% African-American and 80% women, and they love beauty content that highlights products catered to a range of darker skin tones {give them a snippet of your demographics and how it applies}
Please let me know if there’s an opportunity to work together and I look forward to hearing back!
Thanks,
{Your name}
Do you engage with brands you want to work with or let them ‘come to you after you’ve built a certain amount of following and credentials?
Even creators with multi-million followers and management representatives still engage with the brands they want to work with. There is a certain level of eye service needed in the Influencer industry to get your email opened, responded to and a deal signed. Get in those comment sections, chat in the DM’s, attend brand events and build authentic relationships with reps and PR agencies. This way, when an opportunity becomes available, you are top of mind. I’ve listed some PR agencies in Canada in the footnotes.
Are there decent sources of income that don’t rely on brand partnerships?
Absolutely! A good % of my income as a creator comes from content that will never be posted on any of my social feeds. I recently shot a campaign for Quickbooks that will be run over a year, and those usage + ad fees add up to $$$$$.
Think of it like this. Brands want content and have realized that instead of hiring and spending a lot of money on production teams, they can get the same value, if not more from content creators. And that is where UGC content comes in. There are a lot of resources on TikTok about being a UGC creator that can help you get started.
I also love affiliate marketing because it is an opportunity to earn passive income (commission) by promoting products or services that you already love. Most businesses have affiliate programs, but creators tend to use platforms that have several businesses already signed up to them. By joining one of these networks, you don’t need to sign up for an individual retailer’s affiliate program. Instead, you can simply join one of these larger networks to gain access to multiple brands.
Some of my favourite ones for lifestyle, fashion and beauty are:
Are rate cards the norm in Canada? Should they change based on the campaign budget?
Yes and No. Rate cards are great to have for your general knowledge of how much you charge per service/deliverable. However, a brand does not need to know this amount until they ask for it. You don’t want to risk outpricing yourself out of an opportunity or underpricing your work.
When you think about rates for a campaign, you want to assess what will go into creating the content according to the details from the client (brand). My advice is, until a brand gives you a set of deliverables or asks for your rate card, hold off on sharing a rate card.
Also, yesterday’s price may not be today’s price 😊
How to structure your rate cards? What should be my starting rate?
Before sharing a rate card, here are some things to consider:
- how much time do I spend creating this content?
- what are my production costs? do I have to hire a photographer, videographer, etc?
- how much time do I spend editing the content?
When you have an idea of the time it takes you to execute a campaign from start to finish, you can give a rough estimate of how much to charge. I also love this thread by @xoreni on Twitter!
Instagram Post
Charge 4% of your Instagram following for 1 post – half of that for stories.
For a carousel, add $500-$750 for each additional photo in the carousel (on top of your Instagram post rate)
- If your engagement is high you can ask for 5% and half of that for stories.
- If it is low, you should ask for closer to 3% and half that for stories.
Reels
Add a $1000 production charge to your Instagram post rate
TikTok
$100 CPM based on your average views. Or take your average views for the last 30 to 60 days and charge 10% of that.
Exclusivity
- Charge the equivalent of your Instagram rate per month of exclusivity.
- Divide that number by 4 to get your weekly exclusivity or divide that number by 30 to get your daily exclusivity. this can go up or down depending on how many clients you’ll lose out on by agreeing to the exclusivity.
- For example, if you are a beauty influencer and they want exclusivity in the beauty category then you should charge more but If you are a beauty influencer and it’s a dog food brand and they want exclusivity in the dog food category then you charge less.
What if you’re good in different areas but everyone says have a niche?
I do not believe in niching yourself as a content creator anymore. Sure, it used to work in the early days of blogging but I think people are more appreciative of influencers that showcase all the different things they are passionate about.
If you are good in different areas, then I say create content that resonates with you for your audience in all the different areas. Social media is not as restrictive anymore, and the more we show our multi-facets, the more we can connect with a larger group of people.
Would it be advisable to get management to handle brand deals and negotiations or can I do it myself?
You can do it yourself. Talent Management companies typically work with creators who have shown a track record of creating amazing content, working with brands and building a community. If you are just starting, I do not recommend signing with management. Your main focus should be creating quality content, and building industry relationships. This way, if you do decide to sign later on, you have a history of work that your manager can take to the bank.
That being said, if you have gotten to a level where you think talent management is the reasonable and profitable next step, there are some options in Canada. Go on their websites and see if you can get a direct contact or form.
Must I engage with all other small content creators’ content?
No, you must not, but if you love a creator’s content, what stops you from engaging with it? One way to have better engagement on your content is to engage with others.
How do you start earning and know how to create content that pays
Content that pays is quality content. And there is no right time to start earning, it depends on how much of yourself and your craft you are ready to put out there.
Is it possible to earn decently while maintaining a private persona
Yes, it is possible. The only thing I know about some of my favourite content creators is the work they put out for me to see. Remember that as a creator, you control the narrative of your content. What do you want to be known for?
PR AGENCIES IN CANADA
- Devon Consulting
- 1Milk2Sugars
- Faulhaber Communications
- Media Profile
- Middle Child
- MacIntyre Communications
- Proof Strategies
- Bicom
- Apex PR
- Front + Centre Communications
- MSL Group
- Talk Shop Media
- Strategic Objectives
- Rock-It-Promotions
- We Are Milo
TALENT MANAGEMENT AGENCIES IN CANADA
- Platform Media
- Doubleshot Agency
- OOO Creators
I hope that you have found this information useful. Please leave any comments r thoughts in the comment section below!
Till next time,
A.R.E
