Team Likit 2018: A Guide On How To Win

Likit Sponsored Rider 2018 

This year I decided to enter Likit's sponsorship competition. The competition is held yearly and requires candidates to make a YouTube video featuring self promotion and why the candidate should be chosen for a year long sponsorship from Likit horse treats. The competition has 2 phases, firstly you make and submit a short video about yourself, your horses and why you would be a great Likit brand ambassador. Secondly Likit chose a couple from the entries then a further 10 are put forward in a short list where they are required to gain public votes. 

Forget Fear

With no real previous experience in front of a camera I stepped out of my comfort zone to film my entry. To say I wasn't nervous is a complete lie, I was so uncomfortable and worried about making a fool of myself for the world to see. To make it easier I set about making a pre-production plan. I summarized everything that I wanted to be included then I grouped each element into vital and non-vital points. From here I expanded on the vital points, memorized what I wanted to say, then it was time to start filming. This made it much easier to push my fear aside, I'd set my goals and knew what I wanted to achieve. A little bit of positive thinking really helped to suppress the fears I had of the camera, at the end of the day I was doing this for me and showing Likit who I am.

Novelty

To get noticed I aimed to make my video as original as possible. A 3 minute glimpse into my life and horses. Being a genuine Likit fan made it easy to decide what I wanted to include, I already had a good level of knowledge regarding the Likit treats and toys, Gigi has had experience with all of the toys Likit make as I have been using them for the 6 years I have owned Gigi. If you are planning on entering the next competition I advise familiarizing yourself with the products on the market, establish why you like them and use them. Being genuine has a huge impact on your video. Buying some of the products prior to filming is easy to get a few of those tongue twisting moments with your horse but its far from original. Don't be afraid to get creative, I decided to make a Likit themed show jump, I cut it and painted it, ready for filming, a little bit of effort goes a long way.

 Give It All You've Got

What have you got that others may not? For example the reason I began using Likit's products was because my horse was very stressed when being stabled, ultimately this stable stress was bad for her health. The toys I bought for Gigi distracted her from the fact she was in her stall, they helped her overcome the fears she once faced. This set me up for a research topic whilst studying my Bsc (Hons) Equine Science, I went on to use Likit's products during my dissertation, featuring Likit's Snak-A-Ball, focusing on the effects it had on horses that displayed separation anxiety related behaviors. Likit went on to feature our successes with their products in Horse Magazine (Nov 2016). I made this into part of my video, showing my loyalty to the brand and promoting myself as a genuine Likit fan. 

Safety Sells

Lastly have fun with it, be yourself and be safe. Wear correct protective equipment such as your riding hat, safety really does sell. Remember if you won an opportunity as amazing as this one millions of people will see who you are, what you get up to, this could also mean people, especially younger audiences look up to you as a role model. To be a responsible brand ambassador you need to make safety your top priority, if people see you doing something unsafe and attempt to copy it could have terrible consequences. Any brands looking to sponsor a rider will take safety seriously, they won't see it as "cool" if you aren't geared up for the job. 

Becoming A Member Of Team Likit 2017/18

You may have noticed, Gigi and I did make it onto the 2017/18 Team Likit! Seeing my name on the announcement truly shocked me, I really doubted myself. I feel honored to have been chosen for the team, Gigi and myself made it through to the top 12 shortlisted entrants, this meant we were put forward for a public vote. The competition is international so to be shortlisted is such an amazing accomplishment in itself. Out of the 12 shortlisted entrants there were only 3 places on the team. Further self promotion was required, I have a lot of friends but I don't have hundreds! Personally for me, my Instagram is the most active of my social medias so I took to there to share my video. I felt like I was walking on eggshells, sharing and posting everyday, directing my audience to my video and hoping they would vote for me. Of course I shared my video on all my social medias but my Instagram was my main focus. I also made more videos to promote myself in order to get those all important clicks. A little bit of clickbait never hurt anyone, plus they all got to see me fly face first into the Likit inspired jump I had made previously! 

Amazingly, we got enough votes to secure a place on Team Likit 2018! I'm absolutely thrilled and so thankful for this opportunity of a life time! I'm so excited to be supported by such an amazing brand, especially one that I genuinely love. The sponsorship prizes are absolutely amazing, Gigi is literally in heaven. I have such pride wearing my kit in public. I'm also looking forward to Likit featuring my monthly blog posts. I let this blog dwindle as I moved over to my own URL, however I've decided to give this blog a little spruce up, take it as an early new years resolution.