hi everyone! I had a lot of people ask me how to become a rep for a business on bookstagram, so I thought that I’d just put together a blog post explaining my take on it.

first of all, being a brand representative is a HUGE responsibility. there are deadlines to meet and beautiful, high quality photos are expected. most businesses require four promotional posts per month, or one post per week. this means you should plan out your posts and ideas for them.

to avoid cluttering your feed with constant promotional posts, I’d recommend only applying to be a representative for the companies you really love. all too often, I see accounts with large followings apply to every rep search possible, thinking they’d be chosen based on the number of followers they have. granted, many of these accounts do have beautiful styling and themes, but to me, it’s ridiculous to be a rep for let’s say, three different book-inspired candle companies. just choose one to pour your heart and love into! additionally, if you end up being a rep for multiple businesses selling the same type of product, you dilute the intrinsic value of the others with every promotional post for one.

when you’re applying to be a rep, be sure to read all the rules carefully! sounds obvious, but for businesses with hundreds or even thousands of applications to sort through, it can be frustrating to come across so many accounts that haven’t followed the general rules. if the original photo announcing the rep search says to repost the photo with a hashtag, don’t include collages of your own photos. just repost the photo. you can always delete it after the reps are announced! if the post announcing the rep search asks you to choose up to five photos you’re proud of and put them together in one seamless collage, then by all means, please do so! open up that layout for instagram app and have others give secondary input as to which photos to include!!

all of the rep searches I’ve seen so far have asked applicants to write about why they’d want to be a rep. don’t be that person who writes something along the lines of-

“Hi, I’m (insert name here)! I love your products and think they would be perfect for me. I want to be a rep because I never get chosen for these kinds of things. I can take beautiful photos of your stuff and promote them!”

first of all, the reason why you would like to be a rep shouldn’t be all about you-it’s about the company you would like to represent. these businesses want interactive bookstagrammers and bloggers willing to promote in order to increase sales, not to constantly receive free items. keep in mind that the items you receive are your compensation for promoting them, so don’t take them for granted!

secondly, you should always write to show your personality. talk about how you would take those beautiful, HDR photos! do you use your phone? or a Nikon? if you’ve been following the business for a while, mention that. explain that you post twice every day and usually respond to all comments within two hours. be a good sport and wish other accounts luck- take the love that bookstagram is so famous for and spread it all around! and most importantly, always thank the business owner for hosting the rep search and allowing you to take part in such an amazing opportunity!

lastly, don’t spend time agonizing over whether or not you have a chance. don’t compare yourself with others! i repeat, DO NOT compare your account with others’!!! everyone’s account is different. your aesthetic and composition preferences probably won’t line up exactly with others. as long as you put your heart and mind into your photography and writing, you’re headed the right way! if you don’t think you stand a chance, apply anyway. what’s the worst that could happen? if you’re not announced as a rep, move on and take the next opportunity. (most businesses change reps every three months!) your chances are exactly 0% if you don’t even try. though it’s natural to sometimes feel insecure about your account, please don’t let that prevent you from trying. personally, I never felt like I had a chance at representing the current three businesses I’m currently working with- lovely Tris from @burningpagescandles, the sisters from @tillanddill, and the amazing Julie from @authoredadornments. but in the end, I’m glad I chose to try, and I love working with them! I probably won’t apply for another rep search for a while because three’s a handful- bookish candles, bookmarks, and book inspired jewelry- they’re all different, special in their own unique ways.

hopefully, this answers most, if not all of your questions! good luck in all the rep searches you choose to enter! i’ll talk to you all in my next post.