Evaluating Collaboration Opportunities: Assessing Fit and Alignment

One of the fastest, and in my humble opinion, most effective ways to grow an audience and gain the trust of the people in that audience is through collaboration. By working with others, not only do you share one another’s audiences, you have the opportunity to spark creative ideas, share resources, and build community within your industry.

There are a number of effective collaboration strategies, and by evaluating your goals, needs, and capacity, you’ll find that certain strategies may be better suited to your audience than others. Using a variety of methods can help appeal to audience members who have different learning styles and reach new potential leads. Let’s discuss some of the most common collaboration strategies in online business right now.

Bundles are a compilation of resources that are typically paid and then offered to the collective audience of contributors and affiliates either for free or at a steeply discounted price. These can be niche-specific or general, and are a fantastic way to generate organic email list growth. For a full breakdown on bundles, check out this post.

Similar to bundles, although often smaller, freebie swaps are a collaboration in which two or more participants promote one another’s email opt-in freebies to their lists to share audiences and gain email subscribers from one another’s lists. These are simple and straightforward and generally kept pretty small.

Summits bring together experts in their industries to discuss a specific topic or theme. Similar to a traditional conference, a virtual summit typically features presentations, panel discussions, interviews, and workshops conducted via live stream or pre-recorded videos or audio lessons. They may or may not have varying levels of attendee interaction that can happen through chat boxes, social media groups, panel discussions, or other mediums.

Podcasts are an excellent source of networking, as they have the opportunity to reach a widespread audience. By featuring guests or co-hosts from related industries or niches, podcasts can attract new audiences who may be interested in the guest's expertise or perspective, thereby expanding reach and increasing listener engagement. Cross-promotion between collaborators can introduce each other's audiences to new content and foster a sense of community, leading to organic audience growth through word-of-mouth recommendations and shared interests. Additionally, if you decide to be a guest on a podcast, offering a high-value freebie to listeners is an incredible way to convert listeners into email leads while providing even more value.

While these are typically associated with blogging (we’ve all seen Pinterest posts with things like 30 lunches you can make in 30 minutes or less) roundups can still similarly have value much like a freebie swap. Essentially, the “host” would write a blog post or email featuring pieces of content or free gifts from various creators that have a central theme or appeal to their audience. After gaining permission from the original creators, they would also share post information so that each person included in the roundup could promote the content as well.

Whether Facebook, Instagram, or Snap, doing a story takeover is a collaborative effort where one user temporarily gains access to the other’s platform to create stories and content on their behalf. During a story takeover, the guest creator (the one taking over) usually shares content aligned with the host's brand or theme, but from their unique perspective. This can include behind-the-scenes glimpses, day-in-the-life narratives, tutorials, Q&A sessions, or any content relevant to the audience's interests. Story takeovers are mutually beneficial: the host gains fresh content and exposure to the guest's audience, while the guest gains exposure to a new audience and the opportunity to showcase their expertise or creativity.

Panel discussions are an incredibly beneficial way to bring together several experts on a topic to discuss a specific idea from multiple perspectives. These can be live or pre-recorded and used as part of a podcast, bonus content for a bundle or summit, or as a stand-alone collaboration.

Going live on a creator’s platform can help drive social media engagement, cross-promote one another’s accounts, and engage in a discussion that would appeal to both communities, further establishing your expertise and creating a “know/like/trust” factor with any viewers.

All collaboration opportunities are not created equally, and any potential collaborations should be approached objectively and with your end goal in mind. Here are a few things to consider before committing to a collaboration.

This one may seem obvious, but taking into consideration what is going to be required of you for the collaboration should be addressed before making any commitments. Keep in mind things like the time of day, personal obligations, and your general energy levels for a specific type of collaboration before agreeing to participate.

Everyone has the way that they express themselves most authentically and then there are other ways that we don't always excel at. By sticking to collaborations that allow you to express yourself most thoroughly, you’ll ensure a genuine connection with any new audience members who come into your community through said collaboration.

It is vitally important to consider the interests of your audience before agreeing to a collaboration and making sure that the subject matter of the offer is aligned with your audience’s expectations and preferences. This may include doing market research to understand demographics and interests, checking the offer against your brand values (which likely attracted the audience you do have to begin with) and your current content strategy.

While it’s acceptable to step outside your box from time to time, make sure you are holding the attention of your audience by choosing collaborations that interest the people in your audience.

When choosing collaborations, consider your internal business goals, including any upcoming launches. It’s possible to choose collaboration timelines strategically to provide an influx of new leads just before launching a new product or service. On the other hand, it’s important to make sure, when choosing collaborations, that you’re not overwhelming your launch or promotional calendars so you can give each item the attention it deserves.

Similarly to the launch calendar, your marketing calendar should be considered when accepting collaboration opportunities. Make sure to always keep in mind the promotional period for any given collaboration you are participating in and whether or not there are promotional requirements and/or exclusivity requirements. Additionally, it’s important to make sure to keep your brand front and center of your marketing efforts and not allow too many collaborations or the wrong timing of them to dilute your perceived brand value.

If the person reaching out to collaborate with you is someone you know, you may decide right away whether or not you would like to collaborate with them.

If, on the other hand, this person is not someone you know, you may want to learn more about them, their audience, and their general reputation online. This can be done by looking at their website or social media, asking questions about their audience size, and their business values. If you feel the answers don't align with your business goals or values, it is perfectly acceptable to decline an invitation.

If you are initiating a collaboration offer, consider the relationship you either have, or don’t have, with the person to whom you are reaching out. If you have several industry connections with whom you would like to work, a more casual, yet informative, invitation is acceptable.

If, however, you are doing cold pitching for a collaboration, more information may be required, such as: your expertise, the goal of the collaboration, information about your audience, how it can benefit the person on the receiving end of the collaboration offer, and due dates and timelines. Make sure to always personalize cold pitches to show that you have done your research and understand the person you are reaching out to and aren’t just reaching out because of perceived social capital.

Finally, what is the overall goal of the collaboration? Is it to grow an email list? Social following? Create affiliate sales? Share expertise? Whether you are the host of a collaboration or on the receiving end of a collaboration invitation, carefully consider the goal and intended outcome. Make sure there is a clear, defined end goal by which you can measure the success of the collaboration.

Some collaborations will be an excellent, aligned fit for your business, and others will not. By practicing discernment and evaluating offers as they come to you, you will need to accept or decline offers as they either fit or don’t fit with your overall business goals.

When accepting an offer, make sure to take note of all pertinent due dates and promotional dates. When responding, clarify any expectations, including deliverables and responsibilities for both parties. Make sure that you are clear on what is being asked of you and any other specific requirements needed for mutual success in the collaborative venture.

There are many reasons a person may want to decline an offer to work together. The important thing, for the sake of professionalism, is to communicate along these lines. Ghosting is not the answer.

It is possible to be graceful when declining an offer and preserve any kind of reputation you may have. You never know who knows whom online, so it’s important (and just being a decent human) to convey that you are declining with grace. That can look like any of the following:

There may be times when you have to decline an offer that you would have really liked to participate in, but it just doesn’t work with your business or personal schedule or capacity. In this case, you can always let the person reaching out know that you look forward to collaborating in the future -or- you can propose an alternative date or way to work together. This can look like:

Participating in various types of online collaboration should involve consideration, communication, and strategic planning to ensure that each offer you accept serves your overall business goals and long-term vision for your business.

Used strategically, collaborations can serve to help you build your email list organically, grow your social media following, and position you as an expert in your industry. By following everything discussed, you can effectively collaborate with others while cultivating successful networking relationships that benefit all parties involved, ultimately, growing your brand and your business.