Make It Easy for Brands to Say Yes (Monique Sar of De Vitesse)
Also available on: Apple Podcasts · Spotify
Monique Sar, founder of marketing agency De Vitesse, shares how she moved from becoming one of her firm’s top female financial advisors to helping creators, speakers, and brands communicate their value. We discuss why creators should charge more and how clear positioning can matter more than follower count.
Key Takeaways
Build the structure before adding the personality. A strong story needs a hook, context, a problem, a solution, and an action before adding anecdotes and creative details.
Make the decision easy for the brand. Proven formats, accurate metrics, case studies, visual concepts, and a clear one-sheet reduce the amount of work required from the person reviewing the pitch.
Long-term opportunities are built through relationships. Professional communication, in-person interaction, consistency, and delivering results can determine whether a creator is rebooked.
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Presented by Omelette Prevail, where we help brands and creators turn ideas, relationships, and collaborations into something meaningful.
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Transcript:
Mike: Hey, Monique, how are you?
Monique: I’m doing very well. How about you?
Mike: I’m doing fantastic. Thank you so much for asking, and I really appreciate you being on the show. I’m excited to talk to you because it’s always fun to talk to a fellow companion, if you will, on the agency front.
It’s interesting because I was looking into your background, and I could tell that you have such a strong passion for storytelling. I want to start by asking you, what makes a good story? What makes a good story to you?
Monique: This is such a great question. I don’t want to sound like everybody else out there, so I always take a pragmatic approach to stories. Once you figure out the formula, all you have to do is add the magic throughout it.
With the formula, you want to make sure you have a really strong hook to get people’s attention. Then you want to give them context, such as what actually happened. You reach a climax, which is the actual problem or tipping point that keeps people on the edge of their seats. Then you follow it with the solution or the result that happened.
What I feel like a lot of people don’t do is add the action at the very end. What was the action that you took?
When I look at storytelling, I look at the formula first. Once you have the formula, you have the entire arc and journey that you need to take people on. Then you can add all the nuances and magic, including the fun anecdotes and little things like that.
A lot of people I work with start backward. They start with all the pizzazz and magic, and then they end up talking in circles. It does them a disservice.
When I work with people, I always want to make sure they have the formula first. Then they’ll know where to go, and it will prevent them from talking in circles and rambling. I’m guilty of it myself. I can tell a good story and I can talk, but sometimes I just can’t land the plane.
Mike: I’m equally guilty of that. It’s challenging because that formula is so important. It determines whether people are going to pay attention to what you’re doing.
Do you find that the formula changes based on the person, or is there a set formula that works for almost everyone?
Monique: At first, I thought it was different for different individuals. Then I started dissecting and analyzing a lot of the keynote speakers and content creators I work with, and it was always the same thing.
As long as there is some sort of hook to bring in attention, a problem or climax, and then the actual solution, it can create a loop and help close that loop in people’s brains.
Mike: Interesting. Talk a little more about the hooks.
I’ve been trying to do that more lately when creating promotions for this podcast. I try to give people something that will get them interested and make them think, “I need to watch this clip a little longer to see what this person is talking about.”
Monique: I’m so glad you asked this because what we’re finding has changed. I feel like a lot of things have changed with the advent of AI. We’re in 2026, and I’m still mind-blown that we live in this stage.
When we’re analyzing and preparing hooks, I used to think that the hook had to be about the actual content being delivered. Now, when we reverse engineer viral videos and online content, or look at what keeps keynotes engaging, it has more to do with creating a pattern interrupt.
Bringing a little neuroscience into this, people are used to scrolling or seeing something that feels routine. If you can do or share something that creates a total pattern interrupt while still relating to the content, I think that is what will help set it apart, at least for this year.
Mike: I agree, but it’s interesting because if other content creators are thinking the same way and they’re all trying to create pattern interrupts, are people eventually going to become accustomed to that?
They might think, “I know what they’re trying to do here.”
When I see somebody come onto the screen saying, “Hey, how are you?” in a way that is clearly trying to get my attention, I almost immediately say, “Nope.” I don’t know what the video is for, and I skip it.
Where is the balance between getting someone’s attention and having some meaning behind the attention you’re trying to get?
Monique: That’s so good because people are becoming much savvier. It’s becoming harder to trip people up in that regard.
I think these things happen in waves, and you can’t stay set in your ways. Everyone we work with has to remain a student of the game, take on new ideas, and sometimes go back to old ones.
Bell-bottoms are coming back. All of the retro stuff is returning. Sometimes having a balance of the new and the old is refreshing.
When I look at Gen Z versus millennials, I can go into Party City and see my era represented as one of the decade costumes.
Mike: Wow.
Monique: It’s crazy and kind of wild. At the same time, bringing it back can feel fresh and exciting.
I have some talent considering working more with AI and trying different things. Yes, it’s trendy, and people will slowly start to get tired of it. Then you can bring it back to the old yapping videos, which are doing very well right now.
Mike: Interesting. What’s fascinating is that this is not where you started at all. You started as a financial advisor. How did you get started there?
We’ll obviously talk about where you are today, but you started as a financial advisor.
Monique: I come from an immigrant family, and what do immigrant families tell you to do? They tell you to study really hard so you can get a really good job, work hard, and make a lot of money. That was the path.
Then you get to college and think, “What am I going to do for the rest of my life? I have four years to figure this out.”
I chose finance because finance people seemed to be making a lot of money. I thought, “Let’s go down that path.”
When I got into it, I enjoyed it a lot. I reached the point where I became one of the top 10 female financial advisors in the western region for my firm, based on the number of clients and size of my book of business. That was a really exciting achievement.
Everyone always jokes because they called me Captain Compliant. I did everything by the book. I thought, “If this is the recipe, I will follow it.”
Then I reached a point where I wasn’t sure if it was still what I wanted to do.
We were having cake and celebrating my colleague’s 50th anniversary at the firm. All of a sudden, I think I was having a panic attack.
I had to do that whole movie moment where you excuse yourself, go to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and think, “Is this my future? Is this what I’m going to be doing forever?”
I realized he had started right after university, just like I had. It was like seeing my path laid out in front of me.
After about six months of poor sleep and questioning the meaning of my life, I finally made the leap. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I was willing to try different things.
Honestly, it was the scariest thing. Even my mentors in finance and my mom were asking, “Are you sure? You’ve worked really hard to get where you are, and you’re essentially going to have to start over if you change your mind.”
I’ve always been a Type A planner. If I can see the path, I’ll go all in.
This was the moment when I had to admit that I didn’t have it all planned out. I had no idea what the future would look like, but I knew it wasn’t there. I had to give myself the freedom to go and explore without having a plan. It was a very scary time.
Mike: Kudos to you for making that realization. It isn’t an easy thing to acknowledge, let alone do something about.
It requires a lot of strength and courage to realize, “This is not what I want to do forever, but I don’t necessarily know what to do next.”
What came next? What did you decide you wanted to do?
Monique: I was becoming drawn to the world of entrepreneurship and starting your own thing.
In finance, I was a W-2 employee, but I also had the opportunity to build my own business. I still had the comforts of a corporation, such as health insurance, before going off on my own.
I was drawn to entrepreneurship and working with individuals to build whatever they were doing because I still didn’t know what I wanted to build for myself.
I landed in the world of drumsticks and worked with a lot of musicians. That was a really cool experience because drummers are in the back of the room. They’re not the guitarist or singer getting all the attention, and they weren’t getting enough love.
When I started working in that world, I realized drummers are the timekeepers of the entire song. If the drummer fails, the entire band fails.
Mike: The whole band fails, absolutely.
Monique: That is what I really lean into, and it connects to what I do today. I’m completely a behind-the-scenes kind of person.
You could not pay me to get in front of 100 people and talk. That’s not me. I would much rather be behind the scenes. I still want to be part of the vision, but I don’t want to be the person delivering it. I want to help you get there.
After that, I entered the world of marketing and consulting. I worked with a lot of tech companies that were just getting off the ground.
Some of the founders told me, “Monique, we understand what you’re teaching and consulting us on, but we don’t want to do the work.”
That’s how my marketing agency was formed. I said, “All right. I guess our team can do that for you.”
Since then, it has continued to evolve. We’re now heavily focused on the automotive space, which has been a lot of fun.
It’s a full-circle moment for me because I’ve always been into cars. I grew up with all boys and Hot Wheels. I didn’t get my first Barbie until I was about eight.
Then the pandemic happened. I was living in the United Kingdom at the time, and the restrictions were very different from how they were in the United States. It reached the point where I thought, “I have to go back home.”
During that period, I started using the app Clubhouse.
Mike: Yes.
Monique: It was extremely popular in 2020 when it first came out.
I spent an atrocious amount of time on that app. I think I spent about 100 hours on it during the first week. I fell asleep on the app.
It was a time when everyone was craving human connection more than anything. I really enjoyed talking to people.
That became my little claim to fame. Yahoo Finance published an article naming me one of the top business influencers on the app.
One of my former mentors in finance saw it and said, “Monique, I love what you’re doing. Do you want to join my team?”
I said, “Sure.”
I didn’t know what was going on, but it was another opportunity to support someone’s vision. I wanted to be that second in command.
He helped open the doors for me to begin working with talent. I started working with professional athletes, Olympic gold medalists, UFC fighters, and executives who had achieved the top one percent of what they do.
It was a wild circuit. I had no idea you could get paid that much to deliver a one-hour keynote. It blew my mind.
That evolved into what I do now with Revision Media. We work with a lot of creators, helping them get paid more and secure brand deals.
I feel like speaking engagements and brand deals are similar because the product is you.
It all aligned. If you had told me this was where I was going to be, I would have laughed because I never saw this as the path.
Now, I truly feel like I am where I’m meant to be. Work and play feel like the same thing.
Mike: That’s the ultimate goal, especially if you’re going to be an entrepreneur. It’s different if you have a job, but if you’re an entrepreneur, you should feel excited about what you’re doing.
Everyone has a different drive, but I want to have fun with what I’m doing. I want to build something that provides value to other people while also feeling passionate about it and ideally having fun at the same time.
We talked before about how I have a company called Omelette Prevail. It’s a similar concept, working with brands and helping them develop creative collaborations.
I was also in the music industry for 18 years before that, so I’m well-versed in working with music artists and creators in general.
I felt so passionate and excited helping these people behind the scenes. I like to say that I enjoy being creative with people who are more creative than I am.
Monique: I love that.
Everybody has their own gift. It has been so cool working with creatives because I’m a very black-and-white person. Again, they called me Captain Compliant.
A friend of mine once described creators in a way I thought was very eloquent. He said creators can see things before they actually exist in the world, and that is their gift. They can create those things.
It’s so cool.
Mike: You mentioned being Captain Compliant. Did you take that same mentality when you started your own company?
It’s different when you have a sandbox to play in at a job. There are rules and a specific way you have to do things. When you’re an entrepreneur, the sandbox is much bigger.
Monique: It was a shock to my system.
You become an entrepreneur because you think you’re going to have all this free time, time freedom, location freedom, and the ability to do anything whenever and wherever you want.
Then I thought, “Wait, I actually work much more now than I did when I was in finance.”
The internet glamorizes entrepreneurship. It makes it look like you can become an overnight success, but people don’t see that it takes 10 years to become an overnight success.
You can end up creating a prison for yourself.
What I realized is that I needed to use the principles I had in the corporate world, where I had a sandbox, to create that container for myself.
If I didn’t, I would stay up extremely late. There was a period when my health took a turn because I wasn’t sleeping much. I was so drawn into the work.
Then there would be periods when my body completely crashed because everything finally caught up with me.
That is something a lot of entrepreneurs don’t prioritize. You have to make sure you’re good before you can continue building.
We’re all guilty of it because we love what we do, but that was definitely a shock to my system.
Mike: Do you consider yourself more of an introvert or an extrovert?
Monique: What do you think? I’m curious.
Mike: I would say introvert because you’ve mentioned several times that you like to be behind the scenes. That’s usually an introvert quality, like myself.
It took me forever to start a podcast. I usually like to be behind the scenes, but I had to force myself. I thought, “If I need to get things out there and do these different things, I have to do it.”
I ended up loving the podcast, but it was definitely outside of my comfort zone.
Here’s a question that usually tells me the answer. On a Saturday night, would you rather stay home relaxing, chilling out, or getting some work done, or would you rather go out to a party or club and socialize? What is your natural response?
Monique: I’m there with my Netflix, chilling.
We’re the same in that way. I prefer having that time to recharge or build something.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy an occasional night out, but it’s rare. I have to plan for it. I need it on the calendar, plus a couple of days to recover and recharge. It takes a lot out of you.
Mike: It really does.
There are some people, and kudos to them, who can go hard every day, socialize, and do all these things. I’m more like, “All right, I got my social energy in for this week. I’m good. I’m going to play hermit for the next couple of days.”
Monique: Exactly. It’s a lot of peopling.
Mike: One thing I want to ask about, which applies to almost everyone, is messaging.
You’ve worked with content creators, public speakers, and your own companies. Messaging is about conveying who something is for and what it is for.
How do you approach that? It sounds simple, but it is really hard to narrow down, especially when you’re an agency. An agency, by default, does a lot of things.
How do you narrow it down or at least make it clear so people understand what you do and how it can help them?
Monique: I have a signature method or framework that I take every client through, including founders, speakers, talent, and businesses.
I call it the five Rs.
It starts with your reputation. Next is your reach, then your relevance and relationships.
Oh my gosh, this is so embarrassing. I’m blanking on the final one.
Mike: That’s okay. I put you on the spot.
Monique: Reputation, reach, relevance, and relationships. I’m completely blanking on the last one. Maybe we can cut that part.
Mike: We’ll say four for now.
Monique: It starts with the reputation piece. When we look at reputation, it is all about positioning. I feel like positioning is what sets people apart.
Everyone thinks they need a massive audience, tons of followers, fame, publicity, and all these other things, but they don’t.
You need a clear message. It goes back to positioning.
Nowadays, a lot of positioning is about the transformation.
When I look at people’s bios online, many of them read like a diary. They say things like, “Lifestyle creator, dog mom,” or whatever else. It doesn’t tell people who you are and what you do.
I’ve been encouraging our talent to create a through line that shows who they help and the transformation they provide.
Instead of a keynote speaker saying that they speak about leadership, maybe they position themselves as a change agent who helps organizations reduce employee turnover by 20 percent each year.
It’s tactical. That is what makes you known and relevant. It helps make you the go-to person that bookers, planners, and organizations approach, rather than you having to spray and play and continuously pitch yourself.
Mike: That makes sense. It’s still difficult.
If you ask a content creator on the spot what they do, it can be really hard for them to explain.
Do you have them internally work through that process, or do you give them guidance and an outside perspective?
Sometimes people have a hard time explaining themselves and need another person to tell them, “This is what you really are.” Other times, they need to work through the process themselves and figure it out.
Monique: I take everyone through the five Rs audit. It’s a very long questionnaire.
I’m also a big fan of using AI to help with that.
When I take people through the audit, we have AI prompts that go along with it. AI can ask questions from a judgment-free place. It has no judgment. It will tell you what it sees as you explain things, including what might be missing.
That has created some of the biggest aha moments for my clients.
I’ve seen talent who aren’t as large as celebrity talent command the same kind of money as celebrities simply by being crystal clear and locked in on their positioning.
Mike: That’s really interesting.
Sometimes creators say, “I don’t know how much to charge for this. It’s just something I enjoy doing, and now I’m looking to make money from it.”
Right before we started the interview, you mentioned that everyone should be charging more. I thought that was interesting because I feel like brands have been reassessing where their budgets are going.
You believe everyone should be charging more for the work they’re doing.
Monique: That is my hot take.
I see it from the brand side and the creator side, and I believe we can create harmony between them.
Brands have to see a return on investment. We have to make it make financial sense for them.
Whatever the KPIs are, we work together to establish those metrics. We always have a fallback plan if something doesn’t work. We might have an advertising campaign built out to make sure we’re hitting the mark because we established those KPIs together.
On the talent side, I always have to remind them to think about the world before content creators.
A large brand like Nike might have needed to hire a venue, models, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe, photographers, videographers, and an entire crew. It could be a 50- or 100-person crew just for a 10- or 15-minute [unclear].
That doesn’t include the back end. They may also need sound designers, editors, and everybody else involved in post-production.
I remind talent that they are often a one-person show doing all of those things.
It isn’t only about posting something that looks like an advertisement. You have to be bought into the brand as well.
A lot of the campaigns we organize are six-month to one-year collaborations because we want to weave the partnership into the brand DNA. It shouldn’t look like a cash grab.
Consumers are very savvy. If something is suddenly being pushed by a creator, it might not make sense to them.
If they see the brand as part of the creator’s daily life and routines, and something the creator is genuinely involved with, that can create a long-term partnership that benefits both sides.
That’s my hot take. Creators should be charging more.
It isn’t only about the time required for production. It is also a brand ambassadorship.
If there are events, you should make yourself known and attend those events. Getting that in-person face time is extremely important.
That brings it back to the relationship tier. Many long-term deals happen off-screen and face-to-face.
We still fly out to meet a lot of our clients. I know that seems old-school in a world with Zoom, but going back to the retro stuff, I think it helps set you apart.
Mike: It’s nice to travel, too. It gives you a good excuse.
Most of these interviews are virtual, but I always love the opportunity to meet people in person. I’m a big believer in coffee meetings.
I also like small mixers and other events. Whenever those come up, I’m usually there because there is something about being in person that is very different from a Zoom call.
It’s nice to have the convenience, but I will always take the opportunity to meet someone in person.
Monique: It’s refreshing to hear you say that because I hear online gurus say that coffee meetings are empty-handed meetings.
They can be if that’s your mentality.
Bringing it back to being human first, having a proper handshake, and having a lovely conversation is important. It’s refreshing to hear you say that.
Mike: I appreciate you saying that.
It’s also about time, including the time it takes to have those coffee meetings and travel to different locations. I personally feel like it’s worth it.
Some people mention 10-minute video calls. If a call takes 10 minutes, it probably could have been a text message, email, or quick phone call. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a video call.
The purpose of a video call is to get to know the person better, understand their needs, brainstorm, or troubleshoot something that requires more effort than an email or text message.
A coffee meeting is the next step. You’re really getting to know the person.
The main conversation is important, but so is the small talk. You might talk about your day, the weather, traveling, or traffic.
As you talked about before, that is what makes it human. That is what starts developing genuine connections.
Monique: One hundred percent.
Going back to my five Rs, I remembered the last R. The last one is the most important one.
Mike: What is the fifth one again?
Monique: Results.
Mike: Of course.
Monique: When we bring it back to relationships and results, I feel like a lot of people forget those pieces, especially in a world where everything feels transactional.
My talent often asks why they aren’t being rebooked.
Sometimes we could have handled the relationship part better or leaned into the results more.
If the brand has an in-person activation that isn’t technically part of the campaign, make the effort to go and get face time with the people involved. It really makes a difference.
Mike: Exactly. Everyone wants to be treated like a human.
What do you ultimately expect from the creators and influencers you work with?
Does it change based on each brand, or do you have a base set of expectations? If you’re going to represent someone, what do you expect from them?
Monique: It’s different for every talent agent and agency, but for us, we want to make sure everyone is posting at least four times per week.
The ones doing extremely well are posting four times per day.
Mike: I was going to say, four times a week seems fairly minimal.
Monique: The ones who are really killing it are posting four times per day.
I know people hear that and think, “Oh my gosh, that’s so much. How am I going to do that?”
Four times per week, without taking long breaks, is the minimum. The biggest issue is when we have to explain gaps in consistency.
It sounds easy, but it is much harder to do, especially when you’re beginning your content journey. You have to keep it going.
The second expectation is simply being a decent individual. I can’t believe I have to say that, but communicate in a timely manner.
When you come to meetings with brands, you aren’t only representing yourself. You’re representing us, too. It affects our reputation.
I once had talent who didn’t turn on their video during the entire call.
Mike: Wow.
Monique: I saw you raise your eyebrows.
It sounds like common sense, but it isn’t always common. I can’t believe I have to say it.
It is important to present yourself in the best light.
Last but not least, it comes back to storytelling.
I think storytelling is one of the most valuable skills you can learn, and you can carry it with you wherever you go.
Since I’ve worked with many tech companies, I still have friends in that space, and we talk about this.
Some of them have told me that neighboring companies are offering seven-figure salaries for storytelling roles.
It comes back to being human first.
We live in a world of AI, which I think is amazing, but there is also a lot of AI nonsense and AI slop out there.
You want to present yourself in a way that sets you apart and breaks through the noise. Storytelling can do that.
I believe storytelling brings it back to being human, along with the nuances and magic I mentioned earlier.
Mike: You mentioned the onboarding process for influencers and content creators.
Is there a particular type of content creator you’re looking for right now? Size is obviously part of the equation, but what else do you consider when deciding who you want to work with?
Monique: A big part of it is whether the content creator understands their formats.
Maybe they’re good at yapping videos, time-lapse videos, or something else. Everyone has their formats.
We’re drawn to creators who have locked in their formats. They know that when they use a certain format, it is likely to perform well.
It isn’t a spray-and-play approach. It tells us that they have reached a point in their creator career where they have a formula and a system.
I’m a data-driven individual.
Mike: Captain Compliant.
Monique: Exactly. We look at all of this, and we track it.
It makes it much easier for us to pitch the brand.
We can say, “Here are the results from a previous collaboration. This is the format, and this is how we see it working with your brand.”
It becomes easier for the brand to say yes or no. They don’t also have to come up with the campaign themselves.
Campaign design is a huge topic, but if we can present a concept that the creator has already done successfully, it makes the process much easier.
The format can be many different things, and a creator doesn’t need to have only one.
When you visit the creator’s channel, you should be able to identify the formats because they are known for them. They are the things people return to the channel to watch.
Mike: Do you use the same approach with public speakers?
Monique: It’s a little different with speakers.
With speakers, it is more important to lock in the key transformations. What are the main attendee takeaways?
If we can distill those into three or four bullet points, that is much more effective than saying, “I’m a motivational speaker, and my story is inspiring.”
Those statements don’t land because the people we’re talking to usually have to present the speaker to a board or to other people higher up the decision-making chain.
With speakers, we make sure they have a strong sizzle reel.
That is usually three to five minutes featuring mic-drop moments and stage presence. If they have been on television, it can include that. It can be a compilation of all of those things.
I’ve seen sizzle reels that show the stage presence while the speaker provides a voiceover. Then it transitions into mic-drop moments from the stage.
Bookers and planners want to see what speakers are doing with their hands. Can they work the entire stage, or are they staying in one spot? All of that matters.
The second thing we want them to have is a rate sheet or one-sheet.
It doesn’t always need to list the rates, but it should include the keynote topic, transformation, results, and attendee takeaways.
Mike: For anyone unfamiliar with a one-sheet, I believe public speakers and content creators should all have some version of one.
What are the core elements you look for on a one-sheet?
Monique: You have to actually fit everything on one sheet.
Mike: It’s called a one-sheet for a reason.
Monique: Exactly.
I’ve received “one-sheets” that were three to five pages long. At that point, it becomes a media kit.
The one-sheet should have your bio. It should include results and proof from previous companies and organizations you’ve worked with, along with relevant metrics.
It is extremely important that your metrics are true and not falsified. Do not round up when you’re in this space.
A lot of brands and organizations have internal tools. If you’re fibbing about a number or rounding up, even if it was an honest mistake, they may find it and confront you about it.
You should also include details about your content formats.
Explain that you don’t only create short-form content, but also offer YouTube placements or other formats.
You don’t have to include the fees, but you should list what you offer. It is like a sign outside a business, essentially.
Mike: I love that you mentioned being honest with the numbers.
That has always been interesting to me. I’m a very honest person and try to be as honest as possible.
At the same time, you’re pitching yourself or your client, and you want to present them in the best possible light.
Let’s say somebody has 10,005 followers. Do you say that they have 10,005 followers, or do you say they have over 10,000 followers? Technically, both are true.
Monique: I have two answers.
If it is a dynamic website and the ticker is actively changing, then sure.
Otherwise, I would lean toward saying 10,000 because platforms sometimes remove spam followers.
You don’t want to be caught in a lie. Even if you can explain it, it still isn’t a good first impression.
I work with talent who have smaller followings.
One creator works in sustainable Gen Z fashion. It is a niche category, but because it is so specific, she has been able to secure many deals.
She knows who she is, the brands know who she is, and she owns her category.
She isn’t a mega influencer with 800,000 or one million followers. I always encourage her to own her space.
At the end of the day, it isn’t about followers. It is about the content being delivered.
We can also get creative with the type of content.
With advertising, dark posting, or whitelisting, she can create the content without needing to post it to her own profile. It can function like UGC or work-for-hire content, and she can still command similar rates.
It comes back to mindset. You have to check your ego at the door.
You also have to check your insecurity at the door.
It’s okay if you don’t have a lot of followers. It’s also okay if you have a lot of followers but haven’t booked many deals. I work with creators on that side, too.
Mike: I appreciate that you said it isn’t about the followers.
I would go even further and say it is about the quality of the followers.
A mega influencer may have one million followers, but only a small percentage of them might be part of the brand’s target demographic. The likelihood of reaching the intended audience may be relatively small.
Someone else might have 8,000 followers, but the majority of them are exactly who the brand wants to reach.
The brand could get better results by working with the smaller influencer who is highly targeted to the market.
Monique: One hundred percent.
It also comes back to the brand’s KPIs. What are the metrics we actually want to measure?
Is this a brand-awareness campaign or a sales campaign? Do we need conversions? Do we need metrics that directly make money back?
Mike: Exactly.
That brings me to brands. What are brands looking for these days?
When I talk to brands, it feels like the answer changes almost every day.
Monique: It’s a funny year with AI and so many things changing in the world.
I’ve seen a lot of brands scale back and become less adventurous about trying new things.
That is why showing a case study of something that has already performed can help the decision-making process.
Campaigns that have never been done before aren’t landing as well as they did a couple of years ago.
If we can tell them, “This is a campaign the creator did for another fashion brand, and we can replicate the concept for your brand,” it becomes easier.
With AI, we can also create renders that show what the campaign might look like.
When you create visuals for the brand, you want to make the decision-making process as easy as possible.
I agree that what brands want is changing daily. If we can show them, “Here is something you might want,” it helps with that lift.
Mike: I appreciate what you said about making it as easy as possible. That applies to everybody.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or content creator, you want to make the other person’s job as easy as possible.
If a content creator is contacting you, they should ideally have the one-sheet prepared and ready to go, be honest with the numbers, and have everything organized.
It shows that you care, you’ve done your research, and you’ve done your homework.
Monique: Exactly.
I’m glad you mentioned research because I feel like creators aren’t thinking about that often enough.
Research is respect. It shows respect for the brand.
It means you’ve done your due diligence and put in the time. It isn’t a generic email that you’re sending to 1,000 other brands.
It adds a personal touch.
Mike: Exactly.
For a long time, the mentality was to cast the widest net possible. It became a numbers game. Eventually, you would get a hit.
That can still work, but I’m a much bigger believer in being targeted.
If you’re reaching out to a brand, why are you reaching out to that brand?
I talk to content creators and music artists about brand deals all the time.
The first list should include the brands and products you already use and purchase.
Brands love working with existing customers.
Otherwise, they may ask, “Why do you want to work with us? Do you actually like what we do? Do you like our products or services? Are you only looking for money or free products?”
Brands are aware of that. They want to understand why you are reaching out to them specifically.
If you say, “I love Taco Bell. I eat there twice a week, and I can never get enough Baja Blast,” then it is clear that you genuinely love what they do.
That gives the company more incentive to see whether the partnership might be a good fit.
The first list includes brands you already use.
The second list includes companies you don’t currently use but are curious about.
Curiosity is important.
You might say, “I’ve never used your products before, but I like the way you present your brand, your mission, or something else you’re doing. I want to build a relationship and learn more.”
That is a curiosity stage that may lead to something later, but it is different from saying, “I already love what you’re doing, and I want to work with you.”
Monique: I’m so happy you brought that up because it is the same for us.
You obviously have to love the brand, but the curiosity piece is also interesting.
Talent often asks, “How do I know what I’m curious about?”
It can be broad. Our minds work like a search engine. If you aren’t specific, it will give you all kinds of results.
When I help people go through this process, I encourage them to think about adjacent audiences.
Who is your current audience? What brands would benefit from reaching that audience?
Then it becomes synergistic and can create a win for both sides.
Mike: That can also be difficult to determine. What are those brands?
Fortunately, AI can help with some of that research. You can tell it what kind of content you create, describe your audience, and ask what brands might align.
That only gets you so far.
It helps when you have someone representing you who understands how to make those assessments and recognizes the nuances.
A brand’s product or service may not directly fit your audience, but perhaps the brand has a nonprofit arm or supports a charity that aligns with you.
Maybe it has a specific campaign running that fits what you’re doing.
There are many intricacies, especially with larger brands that are working on several initiatives at the same time.
It helps to have somebody who understands those aspects and knows what to look for.
Monique: One hundred percent.
Taking it one step further, creators have the power to create their own luck.
You can attend major events where you know a lot of brands will be, such as Cannes.
You know the brands will be hosting parties and activations.
If you’re already going to be there, you can pitch the brand and say, “You don’t have to pay for my travel because I’m already attending.”
Mike: Exactly. You’re already there on your own dime.
The brand can say, “Cool. We’ll see you there.”
Monique: Exactly.
Mike: We can start wrapping things up. I want to ask you a couple of fun questions.
What was the last film or concert you attended?
Monique: That’s a big question.
I haven’t been to a movie theater in years. Is that awful to say?
Mike: No. That’s why I said film or concert.
As an introvert, I think that might be one of the worst questions to ask.
Monique: I love the cinema. It has just been a long time. It was probably before the pandemic.
The last concert may have been Blackpink about three years ago.
Mike: Nice. That must have been an insane show.
Monique: It was definitely a bucket-list concert.
Mike: Do you have a guilty pleasure? It could be a television show, food, or anything else.
Monique: My guilty pleasure is going to sound bad, but I actually love Taco Bell.
Mike: You do? That’s so funny.
Monique: I try not to dive too much into fast food, but when it’s late, it is sometimes the only thing open.
If my dietitian is listening, she’s going to kill me.
Mike: That’s why it’s a guilty pleasure. You’re allowed to indulge.
Last question. If you could give only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Monique: I was journaling about this the other day because I’ve been doing a lot of inner-child work and healing. Growing up, you just don’t know.
The one piece of advice I would give is to start and do it anyway. Don’t care too much about what other people think.
I’m still working on that.
Mike: I need to hear that more often.
I’m the kind of person who likes to try new things. I started a record label without any experience in the music industry because I wanted to do it.
I understand and appreciate that advice.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t tried.
If I looked back at how long it took, along with all the challenges and struggles, I might have been too overwhelmed to begin.
There is something to be said about going into something with a little bit of naivety.
It will never be perfect. You have to start, try, and see if this is what you love.
If you hadn’t taken that chance, you might still be celebrating those office anniversaries.
You took a risk, left something stable, and pursued something you truly love and feel passionate about.
I can tell you’re passionate about what you’re doing and having fun with it.
Monique: One hundred percent. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.
Mike: Thank you so much for being on the show. I really appreciate it.
We’ll make sure we have all the links in the show notes for people to check out.
Thank you again for doing this.
Monique: Thank you so much for having me. This has been a wonderful conversation.
You’re a fantastic host, and I appreciate being here.
Mike: Thank you so much.