Mastering Contracts and Negotiations: Empowering Bloggers in Brand Collaborations with Rob Finkelstein

ByHannah Clark

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SHOW NOTES: Episode 77

Ready to tackle the world of legal contracts and feel confident in your negotiations with brands?

Today, Rob Finkelstein is here to share more about that with us! Rob is a practicing lawyer who, several years ago, became a pastry chef, food blogger and food photographer. He created an online course, Understanding Food Photography Contracts, to provide food bloggers with a form contract and to teach them what all the legalese means, how to use that knowledge to leverage negotiations, and how to work from a contract form provided by a client. On today’s episode, we talk about the importance of having a written agreement in the form of a contract when you decide to work with a brand.

We talk about why you should avoid any “gray area” in a contract and have things in simple black and white to avoid ambiguity. We also talk about why you should not accept free products from brands in exchange for your work and why you should not be afraid to negotiate a contract to protect you and your business. Rob explains understanding that negotiation is not just about what you want but it is also about getting the brand to understand why you want it because they may not have a full understanding of all the work that goes into what you do and the value that you provide.

Rob shares some terms that are critical to pay attention to as creative bloggers in a contract, why you should read the entire contract, and why you should take yourself seriously from the start of your business.  We also talk about tagging brands on social media and making sure you are reading the brands terms and conditions so you are not giving them ownership of your content and you aren’t giving anything away without realizing it.

When you work with brands, you have this amazing opportunity to earn a lot of revenue. Contracts are created to protect you, so be willing to learn about them and don’t miss out just because you’re afraid of reading your contracts.

At the end of the day, it really just comes down being educated, being very intentional, and knowing what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel empowered and knowledgeable about contracts, negotiations, and protecting your work in the blogging world!

This was a great conversation with Rob.  We hope you found his legal knowledge empowering and helpful.  We want to hear how this episode helped you! Let’s continue the conversation over on Instagram (@sparkmediaconcepts). We’d love to hear from you!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVERED:

  • The importance of having a written agreement in the form of a contract when you decide to work with a brand and you will be receiving payment
  • How a contract is going to set forth how the relationship with the brand will operate
  • Why it is important to understand everything the contract states 
  • Why you should avoid any “gray area” in a contract and have things in simple black and white to avoid ambiguity
  • Why you should not accept free products from brands in exchange for your work
  • Why you should not be afraid to negotiate a contract to protect you and your business
  • Understanding that negotiation is not just about what you want but it is also about getting the brand to understand why you want it because they may not have a full understanding of all the work that goes into what you do
  • Having a clear understanding of what your value and your worth is because there are brands out there that will pay you what you’re worth
  • Some terms that are critical to pay attention to as creative bloggers in a contract
  • Why you should read the entire contract
  • Why you should take yourself seriously from the start of your business
  • Tagging brands on social media and making sure you are reading the brands terms and conditions so you are not giving them ownership of your content and you aren’t giving anything away without realizing it

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

MORE ABOUT THE ULTIMATE BLOG PODCAST:

Welcome to The Ultimate Blog Podcast! This podcast is for you if you’ve ever wanted to learn blogging basics so that you can start your own blog or if you have been a blogger for years but are struggling to grow or need inspiration and community.

Every Tuesday we will be sharing a new episode where we will cover topics from the basics of starting a blog, monetizing and growing your site, to finding the inspiration you need to keep going. You will also find guest interviews with experts on different blogging topics as well as interviews with bloggers who’ve been in your shoes.

Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper are bloggers themselves who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success and your own story.

We’d love to connect with you on our other platforms so please visit us at www.sparkmediaconcepts.com or follow us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts

This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, the hosts or guests of this podcast will receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

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