Black Friday is one of the biggest moments of the year for brands, and it is equally important for creators who want to land collaborations. The challenge is that most creators miss their chance because they do not prepare early enough. At Monarch Social Media, we are already in the middle of planning campaigns for clients. That means brands are hiring now, not in November. If you wait until the holiday ads are everywhere, the opportunities will already be gone.
The first step in preparing for Black Friday is to make sure your portfolio reflects the kind of creator you want to be hired as. Do not wait for the perfect partnership to come along before you update your content. Use September as a reset to showcase your skills. Create new lifestyle pieces, film with products you already love, or even build a mock campaign that demonstrates your creativity.
If you are new to brand collaborations, gifted partnerships are a smart place to begin. They allow you to practice working to a brief, pitching, and delivering content without the pressure of a high-stakes paid campaign. These first steps build credibility and help you create examples you can use in future pitches.
One of the biggest mistakes we see as an agency is generic pitches. A copy-and-paste message rarely stands out. The creators who get hired are the ones who put in the extra effort to tailor their approach. Recording a short Loom video to walk through how you would bring a campaign to life is often more effective than promising you can “follow a brief.” It shows initiative and gives the brand manager confidence in your ability to execute with authenticity.
Brands rarely look for generalists. They want creators who can connect with very specific audiences. If you are a mom creator, highlight that. If your focus is fitness, wellness, or fashion, make it clear in your portfolio and pitches. When we receive requests from clients, they are often based on both demographics and psychographics. You make yourself easier to hire when your niche is defined and easy to understand.
Pricing is one of the most confusing areas for creators. There is no standard, which means we see everything from new UGC creators charging the same as established influencers, to experienced talent undervaluing themselves. Our advice is to set your rates based on your portfolio, your track record, and the results you can demonstrate. If you are just starting out, consider building flexibility into your pricing to secure opportunities and prove your value. Often, the higher paying campaigns come once a brand has worked with you once and seen how your content performs.
It sounds simple, but many creators lose out on campaigns because of small details. Always make sure your contact information is easy to find, your analytics are available, and your insights reflect real engagement. Brands are not focused on follower counts. They care about whether your audience is watching, commenting, and engaging with your content. A smaller but engaged community can be far more valuable than a large, passive one.
The creator space, especially in UGC, has become crowded with content that all looks the same. What sets you apart is creativity and storytelling. Brands want more than product placement. They are looking for creators who can help them connect with people in a meaningful way. Bringing fresh ideas, listening to community trends, and showing how you would tell the story of a product or service makes you far more competitive.
Black Friday is only one example of how preparation and positioning make a difference. The most successful creators are the ones who treat content creation like a business and think several steps ahead. To support creators, we are launching a Creator Tips Newsletter. It goes out at the end of every month so you can prepare for the month ahead with pitching strategies, pricing advice, and trend breakdowns.
If you want to keep building your skills and get agency-side insights that will help you win more collaborations, join our creator community today.
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