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2024 Update: Brittanie of @brittanie.bakes is back and partnering with Erin of @cupcakesandconfetti1 to host a new monthly collaboration! You can reference Brittanie's collab highlight to get all the details including this month's theme and how to join.
Baking collaborations have become a mainstay in the baking community. They're an effective (and fun!) way to connect with your fellow online bakers and increase the number of eyes on your work. We even wrote a recent newsletter about a day where we posted in two different baking collabs and our posts had 134% more impressions than the impressions from the rest of the week combined.
We wanted to learn more about all that goes into baking collaborations and the different motivations for joining them, so we reached out to a baker who's been described as the "queen of collabs," Amanda of @amandascookiesandcakes. We became acquainted with Amanda by participating in her #Fall2020ButtercreamCookieCollab. Check out our bake below!
In true baking community fashion, Amanda then recommended that we reach out to Brittanie of @brittanie.bakes. We love how supportive bakers are of one another!
Brittanie is an amazing resource for anyone looking to start or participate in a baking collab. In her highlights, she has a running collab list with posters for different baking collaborations that you can join!
We asked both Amanda and Brittanie about their very first baking collab, what they love about collabs, and what advice they have for anyone just starting out. If you've ever had any questions about baking collaborations, or you've simply been curious about how two experienced collabists got their start, read below to see what they had to say!
How did you get into baking collabs?
Brittanie's first introduction to baking collabs was when she got invited to join one in early 2019. "Thankfully it was run by someone who had experience and was very quick to answer my questions," she said.
The first baking collab that Brittanie hosted was the #SprinkleDripCollab and the requirements for it "hit [her] hard."
"Advertising was easy enough, but then I had to organize multiple chat groups full of collaborators. Each one was semi-independent, but you have people looking to you for tips and advice on how to create a successful contribution. I was fairly new to technique myself though, so it probably wasn't the best topic for me to jump in with for my first hosting gig."
It all worked out in the end, however. "About 95% of the people who signed up actually participated, and a handful of the creations made were actually shared in an article by CakeMasters magazine!"
Coincidentally, the first collab that Brittanie hosted was also the first collab that Amanda participated in!
Amanda recalls that it "was one of the first big [collabs] in the baking world at the time."
"The challenge was to create a cake with a drip and then apply sprinkles to the drip. I remember feeling so nervous about posting because I knew so many more people would be seeing my cake than usual! It went great, though, and I got lots of great feedback."
Pretty unsurprising considering how GORGEOUS her cake was! Check out Amanda's contribution to the #SprinkleDripCollab.
So what was each of their takeaways from that collaboration?
Brittanie mused "I think the biggest lessons I learned is that a successful collab needs to have an active and knowledgeable host. Details regarding chat guidelines and posting information need to be decided before things are kicked off."
She went on, "and in the end, it's all just food. No need to stress too much, just have fun with the process!"
Amanda's biggest takeaway also seemed to be the fun of participating in collabs, she said that the #SprinkleDripCollab "made [her] excited for more collabs in the future."
What are the advantages of participating in baking collaborations?
Brittanie had an interesting insight when answering this question, "I think there's a bit of a split between two types of collabs - the ones that are just for fun and are based more on creative freedom with a common theme, and the ones that are meant to stretch your skills in a beautiful way."
"I tend to host ones more like the latter. I do my best to make sure that each cake I contribute involves me learning something, not just using the collab as an excuse to make a regular cake that I could have made on any other day. They're a great chance to try new techniques and learn from others."
One of Brittanie's most recent collabs is the "I Wanna Learn How To..." Collab. (#iwlhtcollab) Bakers select a new skill to focus on and group chats are formed so that everyone can help one another. The collab just posted the 2nd round of bakes (#iwlht2collab), out of 3 rounds total. Check out Brittanie's contribution below!
Amanda echoed Brittanie's sentiment, saying "collabs are a great way to get better and I think the more unique your take on the theme is, the better!"
"[Collabs] really get me thinking of ways to stand out, and I think that makes me a better baker overall."
Amanda also spoke to the community element of baking collabs. "They allow you to connect with other bakers, get more exposure, and challenge yourself to think outside of the box." She continued, "I think they've become so popular on Instagram for this reason, collabs are just such a great way to make friends and get better at your craft!"
Brittanie brought up this aspect of baking collabs as well, saying "you get to know and connect with new people."
She went on, "it doesn't matter what your follower count is, we're all on an even playing field as bakers who share a passion. The encouragement given and advice shared is such a sweet part of the collaboration experience."
What advice do you have for bakers who want to participate in a collab or host their first one?
If you're interested in joining a baking collab, Amanda shared that "there are a few Instagram accounts that are dedicated to sharing collab posters, and [she loves] to peruse there when deciding which collabs to join." Amanda recommends @findacollab [Updated for 2024].
You can also check out Brittanie's "Collab List" IG Stories highlight if you're looking for a collab, "anyone can contribute a flyer, so there's always a bunch of options to choose from!"
Brittanie also recommends that "if you're on the hunt for collabs to join, there are a handful of bakers who host on a regular basis. When you see collabs with unique themes that intrigue you, keep track of who the hosts are and then keep an eye on their IG Stories."
As far as hosting your first collab goes, both Amanda and Brittanie had a wealth of advice to share. Amanda said that "if you're someone looking to start a collab, go for it!"
"I started co-hosting buttercream cookie collabs myself because there was no one out there doing it yet! I knew if I wanted a way to showcase buttercream cookies, I could start that ball rolling myself."
Though Brittanie advised against jumping right into hosting if you're new to collabs in general.
"Definitely participate in a few first before you decide to host. I can't count the number of people who wanted to host (probably for the wrong reasons), and ended up being totally silent or even bailing on their group. It's about the collective, not what other people can offer you. Make sure there's a clear goal in mind, that real collaborating actually happens. As a host, it's your job to make everyone feel comfortable and included, so you need to be up to the task!"
Amanda also agreed with Brittanie's earlier point that you want to be clear on the guidelines of the collab. For example, "most collabs have a particular theme or element that your bake must showcase, must require new bakes - not reposts, and most have you give a shoutout to the collab hosts in your post on posting day."
"A lot of bakers choose to share other's posts in their stories on posting day too! That's a great way to share the love and get the word out about your collab! It feels good to have my work shared, so I always try to share others' work as well."
So where do you start once you know you want to host a collab? The first thing that Amanda would do is "make a poster with all the details; theme, posting day, hosts, etc."
"Share your poster in your feed and stories! Send your poster to the collab accounts mentioned above. Word will spread and people will join!"
And if you're feeling intimidated? Amanda says that "it helps to ask another baker friend to co-host with you. @mustlovefrosting has been such a great help to me. We text often with ideas and we share the load of managing multiple DM groups, etc."
What amazing advice! Thank you so much again to Amanda of @amandascookiesandcakes and Brittanie of @brittanie.bakes for contributing. Be sure to give them each a follow and keep your eyes peeled for their upcoming baking collabs.
Do you have any additional questions about baking collabs or any insights that you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at hello@thebakingemporium.com or send us a DM at @the.bakingemporium on Instagram!
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