8 Tips to Help Get Selected by Brands

We're so excited you landed here because it means you want more opportunities to get selected for campaigns. Brands come to Hummingbirds as a way to drive local behavior — and you are a key part of it by experiencing and sharing a brand on your socials.

Having now completed thousands of campaigns, we asked our team and our brands, "What can hummingbirds do to increase their chances of being selected?"

Let's dive in!

Strong pitches are typically just a few sentences and often highlight:

• How the brand or product fits naturally into your life
  Share what feels authentic about the partnership. If you already use this product in your daily life, mention that!

• One clear, realistic content idea
  Help us picture how you might bring the campaign to life. The content inspiration in the campaign brief is there to spark ideas - not to limit you!

• Evidence that you understand the brief
  Referencing specific details (like the theme, retailer, or featured product) signals that you understand the requirements and are prepared to participate.

Generic responses make it harder for us to understand your unique perspective.

Before submitting, ask yourself:

👉 “Could another creator copy and paste this?”

If the answer is yes, consider adding a small detail that reflects your life, routine, or audience.

And if a campaign isn’t an obvious match at first glance, your pitch becomes an opportunity to help us see the connection. For specific examples, please consider taking our short course in The Charm called "Campaign Selection 101."

Having a couple of your own favorite products and services in your feed is a great way to demonstrate to brands how you present and share content. The key is to make these features feel natural and unforced.

To build up your portfolio:

• Consider completing one of our "New Bird" or Community Campaigns. These posts will populate in our platform under your profile, so brands can start to see how you pull content together.

• Vary the formats of these posts. Whether that's a video compilation on Instagram Reels, a thoughtful carousel post, or even the text you add to a picture, this shows intention and curation that's very attractive to our brands.

• Focus on creating high-quality user-generated content with excellent images, videos, and voiceovers to stand out.

• Frame brands as part of your natural story or daily routine rather than making them feel like obvious promotions.

I know that this may seem odd after #3, but hear us out.

We've heard repeatedly from brands that they want to work with our local creators who do more than just Hummingbirds or other influencer campaigns. When your social media feed only looks like sponsored content, it doesn't give brands the opportunity to see what else you do or care about. It's got to be a healthy mix! We recommend a minimum ratio of 2-to-1, or for every sponsored or branded piece of content make sure you include two that are uniquely you.

What other pieces of content can you share from your day to day life? Working at a coffee shop on a Saturday morning? Show us! Did you hit up a farmers market and buy fresh produce or beautiful flowers? Pull it together in a carousel. Did you visit a music festival with your close friends? Share a Reel compilation. Remember to maintain your authentic voice throughout - the goal is to show how brands naturally fit into your lifestyle and daily routine.

A photo can say a thousand words but a video can say a million. Brands love Reels because they showcase your experience with their offer in a personal and impactful way by painting a vivid story that is more engaging and very trendy.

To create compelling Reels, keep them short and sweet (15-30 seconds), incorporate eye-catching visuals, and use popular music or sound effects to enhance engagement. Focus on telling a story that your audience can relate to, and don't forget to include clear calls to action when appropriate.

Birds who highlight Reel content in their profiles or include plans for creating a Reel in their pitch are more likely to stand out and get selected.

At the heart of great partnerships is trust.

While content quality and engagement matter, one of the strongest signals brands value is reliability - knowing that a creator will follow through and communicate along the way.

In fact, how you show up during campaigns is one of the biggest drivers of future selection. Execution - not just content quality - plays a major role in whether brands and the Hummingbirds team feel confident selecting you again.

It’s why we monitor patterns over time. Creators who consistently meet deadlines - or communicate before a deadline if something changes - build stronger trust than those who require repeated reminders. That trust directly influences future opportunities.

Brands don’t see every detail of campaign execution across time - that’s where the Hummingbirds team helps bridge the gap.

We pay attention to patterns over time, such as:

• On-time completion

• Extension requests

• Past-due campaigns

• Overall follow-through and communication

A single late post or extension request is rarely an issue. However, when missed deadlines or last-minute communication become a pattern, creators may notice a natural slowdown in selections until existing commitments are completed.

Brands that work with Hummingbirds understand the value everyday people have. It's this authenticity that makes us (and you) different. Instead of looking at how many eyeballs your post got, our brands tend to look more at engagement. While your engagement isn't the end-all-be-all in the selection process, we have seen previous posts' likes and comments serve as tie-breakers in the selection process.

To create engaging content, focus on trying new things, learning best practices, and continuing to post personal and authentic content.

If you're interested in learning how to create compelling, authentic content, make sure you're in The Charm, our digital community for hummingbirds who have completed at least one campaign.

When reviewing creators, brands look for patterns over time, such as:

• Products shown clearly

• Brands integrated authentically

• Consistent effort

• Thoughtful execution

Your feed does not need to be perfectly curated. Most creators are evolving - and that is expected.

What builds confidence is seeing patterns of thoughtful execution over time.

Over time, creators who consistently put care into their content - even simple, everyday content - tend to be selected more often than those whose execution feels rushed or inconsistent. 

Strong content doesn’t have to be complicated. When viewers can clearly see the product, hear your message, and feel your authenticity, it becomes much easier for brands to envision a successful partnership!

Much like #3, brands love hummingbirds that highlight their ties to the community. Ask yourself:

• Does my feed feel local in any way? Would someone be able to tell I'm a local champion, buyer, event attendee, etc.?

• If a brand wants to move product off the shelves of a grocery store in your city, does my feed provide a brand confidence that my profile has the followers, engagement, and content that could do that?

• If a brand wants to see a very creative Reel promoting their upcoming Moulin Rouge show in your city, would they be inspired by what Reels you've already created locally?

It's important to stress that you don't have to be perfect or have thousands of followers, just that you're showcasing who you are and what your ties to your community look like.

If you're having trouble getting approved for brand collaborations, ensure your profile is complete and up-to-date with accurate information about your audience and engagement metrics.

Be patient and persistent - keep applying to relevant opportunities and refine your approach based on feedback. High competition means not everyone can be chosen for every campaign, but persistence and improving your content quality can increase your chances over time. Keep completing available campaigns to build your portfolio and demonstrate your capabilities to potential brand partners.

We actually created a short course in The Charm called "Campaign Selection 101" that walks through how selection works (what you can control + what you can’t). It’s about 10–15 mins and gives a really clear behind-the-scenes look. We recommend it to all creators, even if you have been completing campaigns for a while!