When it comes to working regularly with Brands, one of the trickiest things that Creators deal with is toeing a very specific line. It lies between working with Brands you believe in and support - and working with Brands for the sake of making an easy bit of cash. 

For some Creators, what tends to take priority is how well a Brand might fit with their style and content; whereas others can be less picky and work with whoever approaches them. But before you decide which approach is best for you, it helps to understand what it actually means to have a “Brand fit” in the first place.

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What is “Brand fit”?

Brand fit is when your content’s style, themes and message work in harmony with those of a particular Brand. But it doesn’t have to be as on-the-nose as, say, beauty bloggers and beauty products! Sometimes, it can be about your overall goals; for example, to “inspire” your audience, or “learn something new every day”, or “to see the world". If a Brand reflects your ideals, then it can make for a good collaboration - and in turn some great content!

Not every Brand is going to fit very well, though. Sometimes you might get approached to talk about a product or project that you personally don’t have a lot of interest in or connection with - but the money might be better than usual, or you haven’t had a Brand deal come up in a while. There could be any number of reasons why you might want to collaborate on something that fits your channel a little less.

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So how do I decide what’s best for my channel?

If you really want to have a succinct priority for how you handle collaborations on your channel, it’s worth considering the following factors:

• How much Brand work you want (or need) to do
• How many other opportunities are being offered to you
• How important your channel’s message/theme is to you 

If you’re in need of a bit more work and offers are a little slow at the moment, then it’s probably worth considering going a little off-message; as long as it won't jeopardise your relationship with your audience. There is still a balance between promoting a bank you don't use and promoting a dangerous "weight loss tea" after all!

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On the other hand, if you find yourself getting a lot of offers, then congrats! You're probably in a better position to settle on the collaborations with Brands that would be a better fit. Even if your channel doesn't have a specific message yet, figuring out which brands you want to work with most can help you shape this for working on similar collaborations in the future.

We’ve written a little in the past about knowing when to say “no thanks” to working with a Brand; and a lot of this ties into the concept of “Brand fit”. Sometimes, even if you don’t have a super specific style or theme of content, there could still be any number of reasons why you and a Brand just won’t gel in the way that either of you might like. It could be a moral stance, or disagreement in the required content... whatever the case, it's still perfectly acceptable to turn down work if it feels inherently wrong for your channel.

Parting thoughts

Knowing when you might need to settle on a collaboration, and when it's best to wait for a better fit, are both key parts of knowing your overall value as a 
Creator. As your audience grows and you start to attract more Brands, it might be a little easier to be picky; but ultimately, it's all down to what message you want to convey on your channel!

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