What is a Brand Rep?
What is a Brand Rep?
Tokay we are exploring how to become a brand rep, what is required and is it something you can do?
If you've ever seen our Instagram or Facebook Perks Group you may have found yourself wondering: "Who are these Mom's that photograph their little ones in our clothes, share a discount code with you and always seem to dress their kids in the cutest outfits?". You may ask yourself, is this something you can do and would you want to?
I am about to let you behind the scenes into the world of Brand Repping. Find out the answers to these questions and more.
- What is a rep?
- How do you become one?
- Why would I want to do this?
- How do I get started?
What is a Brand Rep?
Brand Reps are an influencers and models for Brands/Small Businesses. Some brands like ours, Belle Threads, work with Brand Reps to help market their brand directly to their target demographic.
The definitions and guidelines are different for every individual company but for the most part a Brand Representative receives a discount or free product in exchange for photographing themselves or their children wearing the item and posting to their social media.
Why would I want to do this?
Let's talk about the benefits of brand repping.
- Getting a really great discount or free items at shops you would regularly shop at anyway!
- Receiving quality clothing that has an excellent resale value.
- Bonding with your kids and improving your photography skills.
- Photographing your children regularly will set you up with so many photos of your children you can enjoy long after repping is over.
- Supporting the small shop community which is handmade and made in America! It is so important to support American made goods!
- Meeting a great network of moms and other brand repping accounts!
Some other things to consider and ask yourself...
- Do I have time to devote to the shops I am applying to work with? Successful brand reps are regular and consistent in their photographs.
- Is this a hobby I can afford? Sometimes brands will want to to see brand loyalty and your amazing photography skills before they start working with you. Choose a handful of brands you love and buy their products first, show them how well you style /love their products?
- Am I comfortable with myself or my child's photograph being posted publicly on social media?
- Am I willing to take criticism and improve my skills on this journey?
- What do I want my social media account to be about? Fashion, Experiences or Family Trips!?
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Do I have to own a camera to rep? No, you don't but brands do prefer photos from cameras. Of course it is helpful to get bright, clear photos with a camera but there are some really amazing "cell phone" reps who rock their photos with presets.
- Is it expensive to be a brand rep? The short answer is sometimes. Buying from small shops, especially handmade with amazing quality can get expensive on its own. But repping gives you an amazing discount too so you can save a good amount of money if you are buying what you would regularly buy but now you are doing so with a discount.
- Does it require a big commitment? All shops are different and their terms should be clear and concise. I would recommend only agreeing to what you can commit to. It is a commitment for sure so make sure you are ready to give it your all before you enter a search.
How do you become one?
The Brand Rep community is a small but growing one. You can easily get started with just a few small steps.
- Start a social media account for brand repping!
- Network and support the shops you love: Like, Comment, Tag them in photos of your child in their products, join their groups and interact regularly.
- Make sure you are an active follower of these accounts!
- Enter searches when they come up!
An easy way to find shops who are looking for reps is following the hashtag #BrandRepSearch on Instagram. This will pull up all shops having a rep search right now. Read the terms and figure out if that shop is a fit for you and enter away!
At Belle Threads we do have a small but mighty rep team that we adore! We will be having another search soon so keep your eyes open and enter if you would like.
How do I get started?
Now you know what a rep is, the benefits and how to find searches! I hope you found this information helpful. If you are a rep currently and would like to give advice to anyone wanting to start repping feel free to drop a comment below. If you found this helpful let us know. We love hearing from you.