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From Fashion Week events like MARKS & SPENCER’s Afternoon Tea at LFW to product launches and restaurant openings, brands are increasingly realizing the effectiveness of influencer events -- which is great news for bloggers looking for ways to personally connect with their favorite brands and offer a more genuine perspective on high-profile events like Racing Season and Fashion Week. Although there’s no way to guarantee event invitations, a few best practices can help you better your chances. As with all aspects of influencer marketing, it often comes down to relationships. Here are three ways to boost your chances of landing more influencer event invitations in 2017: 

Update Your Shopping Links Profile   

Keeping your information up-to-date on your Shopping Links profile, particularly your address, will ensure that brands can find you for opportunities in your area. Completing the rest of your profile by connecting your Google Analytics, adding your interests, and featuring recent content will help you stand apart as brands curate their guest lists. Showing that you accept both paid and unpaid opportunities so you appear in all search results is also important. 

You may also want to share your travel plans with us or let us know at hello@shoppinglinks.com if you are attending major events like Fashion Week so we can recommend you for relevant opportunities. Keep an eye on all the opportunities available on the platform to ensure you don’t miss an opportunity in the location where you will be travelling.

Build Your Brand Relationships 

This is a best practice for all areas of influencer collaborations. Brands want to work with influencers who show a genuine interest in their product. This means tagging brands when you wear gifted pieces even after a collaboration is complete, and mentioning your favorite brands in organic posts. Be generous with your mentions where you can and if you have been invited to an event be sure to share something even if it’s just a snapchat or Instagram story. It will certainly get you on the list for the next event that the brand or agency is coordinating. When you collaborate with a brand, make an extra effort to get to know the team and go above and beyond the requirements. The stronger your relationships with brands, the more likely they are to remember you for future events. 

Develop Your Event Content 

As an established influencer, chances are you have an extensive portfolio of content for brands to review as they look through your blog and social channels. Adding event coverage can help you stand apart from other bloggers by demonstrating your ability to post timely, gorgeous content for an event. Thankfully you need not attend Fashion Week to build this content! Start by searching for local industry or charity events that inspire you, and post as if you would for a brand by tagging the brand or cause, posting in real-time, and creating a timely blog post. Brands will notice! It will also help to show your followers that not everything you post about is paid or sponsored. This will go a long way to building up a good engaged loyal following – helping you to ultimately score more brand collaborations.

These are just a few ways to increase your chances of securing invitations to influencer events. The most important step of all is building and maintaining strong brand relationships. When you secure event collaborations, remember to post timely, thoughtful content about your experience. Brands will appreciate your effort, and they’ll be likely to remember you next time!