i pitched to this brand a video idea and they wanted to do a gifted collab (which i was happy because I really wanted this product). They asked for my address and the color of product which i emailed back to them and asked a few questions like do i need a certain follower amount, they were wanting me to post the video on my account. I asked bc my ugc account only has 50 followers but my main has 5k so if there was an amount i needed i would post on my main account. I got no response back so i sent a follow up almost a month of no response. Now it’s been 2 months since that follow up and no reply’s. I’m so sad i really wanted to work with that brand, does this happen a lot or am i at fault??

What is the best pitching advice you have? Do you use apps like Billo and JoinBrands? Or reach out through DMs? Maybe using bento or just finding the email and brands on your own? I’ve been using Bento and have pitched to over 200 brands, I’ve tested out different pitches but I’ve only got a couple gifted collabs. I feel stuck and not sure how to continue. TY in advance!

i want to share something about one of our students because i think it needs to be said out loud in this community... a few months ago @Stacy Parks was a stay at home mom of three in northern arizona, homeschooling her kids, supporting her husband, and quietly carrying the weight of feeling like she needed to do something more. she had spent a full year in digital marketing through network marketing and made absolutely nothing. and when you pour that much of yourself into something and see zero return it does something to your belief system. it makes you start to wonder if maybe you are just not cut out for this kind of thing.... she almost let that stop her. but she stayed open. and that is the only reason i am writing this post right now. she found UGC. she found this community. and she just did it. she started in april's UGC Games with no expectations. just a willingness to figure it out one week at a time around her kids, around her family schedule, around everything she was already carrying. and in June she made just under $5,000 from one brand!!! her husband watched the earnings go up on the platform every single day. he would look at the screen and just say... wow. because they both knew what it took to get here and they both knew what it meant for their family! the UGC games were a massive part of this. going through that challenge pushed her to show up in a way she would not have pushed herself to do alone. the competition, the accountability, the community energy. it cracked something open in her and she came out the other side knowing she could actually do this for real, which is EXACTLY why we host it. she joined the UGC games, put her absolute all in, and won. and she deserved every bit of that recognition. so if you are a mom sitting here right now wondering if this is for you. if you have tried other things and failed and you are starting to believe the story that you are just not the type of person who gets to win at something like this...

the first time I filmed myself talking to a camera I deleted it immediately. Didn't watch it back. Didn't evaluate it. Just saw my own face on the screen for two seconds, felt something crawl up my spine, and hit delete. Tried again the next day. Same thing. The third time I made myself watch it. Every second was painful. My voice sounded wrong. My face looked wrong. I kept noticing my hands. I looked like someone who had never had a conversation before in their life. I get it. That feeling is real and it is not small. But here's what nobody tells you about camera discomfort: it is a skill problem, not a personality problem. The people who look natural on camera right now spent months looking unnatural on camera first. What you're seeing when you watch an experienced creator is the product of repetition, nothing else. You are comparing your day three to their year two. Think about the first time you drove a car. Every movement was conscious. Check mirror. Signal. Check again. Adjust hands. Is this the right speed? Are people watching me? Nothing felt automatic. Everything felt like it could go wrong at any moment. A year later you were eating a snack, talking on the phone, and parallel parking simultaneously. Camera comfort compounds exactly the same way. The stiffness you feel right now is the feeling of a skill being built, not evidence that you're wrong for this. The creators in this space who look the most natural on camera right now? They will tell you their first videos were embarrassing. All of them. Every single one filmed them anyway. What are you waiting for the discomfort to go away before you start? The discomfort goes away by starting. Film the video.

A brand asked about my rate for a paid ad video and unlimited usage rights. I haven’t had a paid brand deal yet so I’m not sure how to respond or what is normal for a beginner.