Best Practices on How to Collaborate with Content Creators

Best Practices on How to Collaborate with Content Creators

In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to meet, partner and work with incredible content creators in the industry. From being hands-on answering questions in a support department, from hitting conference floors as an Outreach Coordinator, to now working as a Marketer. Through each of these positions, I have had the pleasure of collaborating and working alongside a community of vibrant and creative individuals. Through all of my experience and projects, I’ve learnt a few lessons along the way, and I believe these are practices that anyone regardless of how they collaborate with creators can benefit from adopting. If you often communicate with creators in the industry, here are my tips and best practices!

Keep Your Data Safe

If you often communicate and collaborate with models, your phone may be your lifeline. Always chatting away through the DM or emails, answering questions and setting up your latest partnership, your phone may hold lots of personal contact information from the creator’s you are working with. From shipping addresses, legal names, phone numbers and more, this information is sensitive, and is dangerous if put into the wrong hands. My first best practice is to keep this data safe. If you take the time to make the following adjustments to your devices, accounts, and habits, you’ll increase the safety of this data that can have unfortunate repercussions if not protected.

Begin with your device’s security. When using public Wi-Fi networks, use a VPN. Anyone maliciously tracking unsecure networks can access your keyboard strokes and gain access to private information, and passwords. As well, be sure your phone has a secure password. If your phone gets lost or stolen, an easily guessed password would put all your contacts at risk.

Once that’s set, protect your accounts. Add 2-factor authentication to your personal and work accounts, this includes email, skype and drives. This is an added security measure if your account’s information ever gets compromised.

Lastly, change your habits. Direct messaging is a popular way to communicate with creators but keep in mind, you may not always control who has access to these conversations as your company grows. Ask creators to share private information over secure networks such as work emails, it's an extra step, but well worth it. If you can, as well, delete sensitive messages like addresses from your iMessage, WhatsApp and other platforms where you may be chatting, this adds an additional peace of mind.

Keep Stories & Experiences Private

Your family, friends and acquaintances may think the industry you work in is quirky, and will likely want to hear the insider scoops of our industry's inner workings and all of the ins-and-outs of working with names they may be familiar with. My best advice is to not engage in ‘tea-spilling’ conversations as they simply do not uplift, respect, or empower the creators you are working with. The stories shared with you are shared in confidentiality, and whether absolutely hilarious, or completely heartbreaking, they are

simply not your stories to tell. We all have a responsibility to maintain the privacy of those in our industry, and of the creators we work with.

Keep Empowerment Top of Mind

My last best practice is to empower the creators you work with. This has been something I continue to strive towards, and has been the focus of all my collaborations & projects. How do I go about it?

First, I give equal value. When working with creators, I ask myself what they can gain from working with me, and the types of partnerships that would benefit them. This can be monetary, exposure, or through other means, in all cases, considering the value you bring them is as much of the equation as the value they bring you.

Second, focus on building authentic relationships based on transparency, empathy, and trust. Get to know them, and enjoy listening to their experiences, feedback and thoughts. It is amazing what you will learn! You empower creators when you build a strong foundation with them and make them decision makers in the collaboration process. Interactions that are treated like transactions may lead to conversions, but the benefit is short lived. Remember that the network you build is priceless, and will pay off with truthful feedback, goodwill, and genuine support no matter where your career may go.