Influencer Collaborations: More than a transaction; relationships with meaning and purpose

At Freestak we work with a great community of inspirational content creators who show enthusiasm and passion throughout their relationships with brands. In return, the brands we on-board present our influencers with more than a simple transaction, but rather genuine connections and personal empowerment.

Check out a couple examples below alongside some tips for brands on how to provide so much more than the offered reward to your next influencer collaboration.

Stance – Authentic collaborations creating self-empowerment

Stance has been working with the Freestak community for over three years. This has provided not only a variety of opportunities to our community, but given Stance the chance to show genuine interest in the content creators it collaborates with supporting them along the way.

“Stance was the first brand to proactively want to be involved with me,” @blandontherun said. “It’s important because I’ve always bought myself a pair of Stance socks every time I PB, so they’ve been on a journey with me!”

Recently, @thisbunnyruns collaborated with Stance on a Women in Adventure campaign which was an incredible opportunity for her both personally and professionally.

The Women in Adventure campaign was an opportunity for female adventures to share their passion for environmental issues, mental health, facing fears or any other topic through adventure. The campaign gave women the support to explore their limits and inspire others to get outside and do the same.

@thisbunnyruns works in environmental research and was able to showcase her passion for climate change, personal research and love for being active with a wider audience.

“The Stance Women in Adventure campaign gave me a voice,” @thisbunnyruns said. “A voice to scream about my environmental passion, a voice to continue to share my love of the great outdoors, a voice to promote an active lifestyle and most importantly for me a platform to drive change.”

Not only was this an opportunity for her to change the face of adventure travel but she was able to showcase the excellent contribution that women, in particular early career researchers, can have within their academic fields.

“I feel that since the campaign I’ve grown personally and professionally,” @thisbunnyruns said. “I have the confidence to assert myself at work and my rekindled passion is beneficial to all my colleagues.”

361° – Encouragement and support to achieve new athletic heights

Similar to Stance, 361° encourages all the content creators and ambassadors it works with to take strides towards inspiring others. The brand believes in pushing the limits to what’s possible and going Beyond Expectations.

“I love working with 361°. It’s such an extraordinary group of people,” @shivaz.life said. “I love their vision… Going beyond your expectation… You are always able to do so much more than you think.”

Going beyond expectations is a motto @frankstuhlmann has implemented throughout his training, and since collaborating with 361° he has valued the support of the brand. 361° has not only given him a larger platform to share his content, but has shown commitment towards his running journey.

“If you think that a guy like me, a very big guy, not a typical athlete, can get support of a running shoe/sport brand, that’s a very big story!” @frankstuhlmann said. “This is also one big reason for me to go public, to show that people like me can do sports! Maybe not the winner, not running for personal best times, but to give other big people the hope to change their life.”

It is a great honor for me.

Alternatively to professional athletes, 361° has focused its campaigns on supporting passionate, everyday runners who believe in endless possibilities and motivating others along the way.

“No one thinks, if they see me first, that I can run or finish a triathlon,” @frankstuhlmann said. “With a lot of training and a good mental setup you can reach everything!”

After having a dream to finish only one triathlon in his lifetime, @frankstuhlmann went on to finish three in seven weeks.

“Without all the support of 361°, the 361° Ambassadors, friends, and of course my lovely wife Daniela, I would not reach that dream,” he said.

Tips for creating purposeful collaborations:

• Empower your content creators: Give them a platform to create change and inspire their audiences.
• Invest in relationships: Establish trust with each content creator and make your belief in their content and abilities known.
• Create an open dialog: Listen to influencers and provide effective communication – discover how the relationship can benefit one another.
• Allow creative control: Give content creators the freedom to express their personal journey and share content that is honest and authentic.
• Have good, high-quality products: Great products = genuine support.

Brands have the power to not only share innovative products, but develop campaigns and influencer collaborations with meaning. At Freestak, we believe in empowering our content creators to promote active lives in others and support brands who do the same.