Always wanted to work with your favourite big brands but were too afraid to ask?
Well, you’re here, so I assume so.
I’m writing this after a flurry of replies and private messages I got on Twitter after tweeting:
They rejected me – bugger.
But the reason for this is post is the reaction I got, which mostly consisted of:
“I wish I had the confidence to do that.”
And the simple answer to that is:
“You don’t need it, just do it!”
How to approach your favourite big brands when you’re scared of rejection
Wanna know a secret?
I hate rejection.
I have a fear of it.
Most people do, but it doesn’t take courage to approach one of your favourite brands. If anything, it’s a lot less scary than approaching a small business or start-up.
Why?
Because small businesses can send replies like the one I got below:
“Fuck off spam twat.”
Charmin’.
Bigger ones, however, have staff and they don’t wanna lose their jobs over a silly reply.
So, this week, I decided to approach my favourite big brands:
Franziskaner
Erdinger
Beano
Two of those are German Wheat Beers, the other, a much-loved children’s comic.
And now comes the part where I announce something pretty big, right?
What happened when I approached my favourite big brands
Well, as you can see from my tweet, pretty much bugger all, which is a shame since the one to Beano was crammed full of puns about Dennis the Menace, Walter (who is no longer a softie) and Roger the Dodger.
The reply came from Franziskaner saying they appreciated my email, but as a large, established brand, they weren’t looking for somebody with my skills.
Was I gutted?
No, because I never thought for a second they’d give me work, I was just chuffed they replied.
The point I’m making is that to approach a big brand is a free hit.
Big brands have in-house teams or work with agencies, they don’t tend to work with freelancers who email them to say they love necking their wheaty ales or still get their annuals well into adulthood (there was more to my emails than this, by the way, I’m not a complete idiot – haha)
However, some will consider it, it’s rare but it does happen.
Oh, and this post isn’t aimed solely at writers. Whatever business you’re in, if you feel you can add something to one of your favourite brands but you’re nervous about approaching them:
DO IT!
They can do one of four things:
- Ignore you
- Say no
- Say they’ll keep your details (but probably never contact you ever again), or
- Say yes
So, if you’ve thought about approaching a big brand, but have never had the nerve, contact them.
They’ll probably ghost you, or say no, but you never know if they might just say yes – and I bet they’ll never call you a “spam twat” either.
Until next time
Matthew
PS. Yeah, sorry this wasn’t more of a success story, that’s life I suppose.
PPS. This is now an old post, I did it a few years later with incredible results – check this out!
