How to Get Invited to a Coachella Brand Trip

Apr 08, 2025
in The Journal
How to Get Invited to a Coachella Brand Trip

Let’s be honest: being flown out to Coachella by a brand, put up in a dreamy house in Palm Springs, dressed head to toe in sponsored looks and fed fancy cocktails in a branded cabana is influencer gold dust. But these trips aren’t just handed out to anyone with a ring light and a decent engagement rate. Here’s what it actually takes to land a brand trip to Coachella, and what to expect if you get the golden ticket.

Step One: Focus on the Right Brands

Not every brand is active at Coachella. You’ll want to do your homework and hone in on the ones that are known for going big during the festival.

Start with these heavy hitters:

  • Revolve: Their annual Revolve Festival is basically Coachella’s glossier cousin. It’s invite-only, influencer-packed, and one of the most photographed events of the weekend.
  • Poppi: The soft drink brand pulled off a major activation in 2024, with custom installations and TikTok-worthy branding.
  • YouTube, NYX, Amazon, Rhode Skin and Poosh all had a big presence at Coachella 2024 too.

Follow these brands, engage with their content, and start incorporating them naturally into your own posts. If you’re already a customer, even better. Show that you’re already a fan before they ever approach you.

Step Two: Start Making Coachella Content Now

You don’t need to be in the desert to make Coachella content. Start by creating:

  • Festival-inspired outfits: Include shoppable links, tag relevant brands, and post outfit reels or carousel grids.
  • Beauty looks for the desert: Think glowy skin, bold liner, longwear lipstick. Tutorials perform especially well here.
  • Your Coachella moodboard: Pinterest-style roundups, IG stories, or even a saved highlight can all help show brands you’re ready for a trip.

The goal is to show you already fit the Coachella aesthetic. You want to look like someone who should be there.

Step Three: Get Strategic with Hashtags and Tagging

When you post Coachella-relevant content, use hashtags like:

#Coachella2025 #RevolveFestival #CoachellaStyle #FestivalSeason #PalmSpringsVibes

Tag the brands directly. Tag the location, tag the stylist, tag the PR agency if you know it. Make it as easy as possible for someone scouting talent to find your post and your profile.

Step Four: Be Loud but Polished

Reach out to brands directly. Send a concise email pitch to the influencer marketing or PR contact.

Your message should:

  • Show familiarity with their past Coachella presence
  • Include your audience stats and past brand collabs
  • Suggest how you could bring their brand to life at the festival

Make sure your media kit is ready to go, includes case studies if possible, and shows you’re professional, organised and easy to work with.

What Happens If You Get Invited?

Brand trips to Coachella tend to follow a pretty similar format:

  1. You’ll fly into Palm Springs or LA: Brands usually cover flights and arrange transport to your accommodation.
  2. You’ll stay in a shared influencer villa: Think stunning house, private chef, a dedicated glam team, poolside branding, the lot.
  3. You’ll be given a schedule: This will include outfit deadlines, scheduled content times (e.g. shoot this look at 11am), parties you need to attend, and occasional brand briefings.
  4. You’ll be expected to post: Stories, reels, GRWMs, brand tags, outfit credits. Some brands will even want you to post live from the festival.
Brand Trip Etiquette: Do Not Be That Person
  • Stick to the deliverables. If they ask for 3 reels, 5 stories and 1 carousel – don’t go rogue.
  • Respect the schedule. If there’s a content slot at 9am, you can’t be missing because you stayed out all night at Neon Carnival.
  • Be low maintenance. These trips are meant to be fun, but the teams running them are working hard. Don’t make their lives harder.
Want to Be Invited Again? Here’s How:
  • Deliver more than what was asked
  • Be kind, helpful and professional to staff, PRs and other influencers
  • Tag brands beyond the trip and keep the relationship warm throughout the year
  • Send a follow-up email after the trip with results and a thank you
Youtube Playlist Recs

Get a behind-the-scenes look at what a Coachella brand trip is actually like:
    •    Coachella Week! Let’s Go to Coachella for a Brand Trip (YouTube)
    •    My First Brand Trip Living in a House with Influencers (YouTube)


Coachella isn’t just about getting the shot in front of the Ferris wheel anymore, it’s a business opportunity, a networking event, and a way to cement your status as a serious content creator. Play it right, and you won’t just go once. You’ll be top of the list for years to come.

 

 

Tags: Influencer Life
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Create a Coachella-Inspired Product Drop (Investment: £500–£5,000) Use the hype of Coachella to launch a limited edition edit or themed collection. Think glitter, brights, boho, body shimmer, tinted balms, crochet. Position it as a festival-ready range. What this could look like: A clothing brand drops a “Not Going to Coachella” collection: playful, wearable and tuned into the FOMO A nail brand releases Coachella-inspired press-ons with iridescent sparkle and flower accents Example:PrettyLittleThing and Boohoo regularly push Coachella-style edits timed with the festival. Even if their audience isn’t going, it taps into the vibe shift people are feeling as the weather warms up. ROI:Limited drops can create urgency. If promoted well, a product edit with a 20–30% profit margin could easily double its investment, particularly if backed with TikTok ads or UGC. 3. Virtual Festival Experiences (Investment: £1,000–£10,000) Creating your own virtual version of Coachella is bold, but highly effective if done right. Think digital pop-ups, VR try-ons, AR filters, or an Instagram Live DJ set with product tie-ins. What this could look like: A beauty brand hosts a “Get Ready With Me” live session using their festival look kit A fashion brand collaborates with a DJ for an Instagram Live set with a styling segment Example:Revolve launched a fully digital event experience during the pandemic, pairing content with shopable links and exclusive influencer takeovers ROI:Engagement is the main currency here. If you drive traffic to your site or get newsletter signups off the back of a digital event, you’re building long-term value. A £3,000 spend could yield thousands of new impressions and high-quality leads. 4. IRL Pop-Up or Brand Moment (Investment: £2,000–£20,000) Bring the festival vibe home with a themed pop-up or retail moment. Perfect for brands who want to capitalise on the cultural wave without flying across the world. What this could look like: A beauty brand sets up a “Glow Bar” for walk-ins, offering Coachella-style touch-ups and free samples A haircare brand creates a “Braid & Hydrate” booth for a weekend Example:In 2023, NYX Professional Makeup did a series of in-store Coachella-themed installations in global stores, leading to spikes in footfall and purchases during the April weekends. ROI:These activations drive direct sales, press, and buzz, especially if you capture content to repurpose across social. With smart partnerships or in-store placement, you could get a 2–3x return on spend via sales alone, not to mention the brand equity boost. 5. Tap Into Coachella FOMO Content Trends (Investment: £0–£1,000) This is the low-lift option with high potential. Create reactive content around Coachella weekend. Think memes, outfit ratings, TikTok duets, GRWM spoofs, or “what I’d wear if I was invited.” What this could look like: A UK based brand posts a reel titled “POV: You’re going to Coachella but forgot you live in Manchester.” A skincare brand reacts to viral looks with product suggestions (“Here’s how to recreate this glow with just 2 steps.”) Example:Small TikTok brands and creators like @thedesignerdupe and @shopcider have leaned into Coachella FOMO content and gained tens of thousands of views. No paid spend needed. ROI:While less measurable in immediate sales, these moments drive awareness and brand affinity. One viral video can grow your follower count significantly, positioning you for future conversions.   You don’t have to outspend the big dogs or fly a plane full of influencers to California. The smartest Coachella strategies come from brands who are tuned into their audience, fast on trends, and savvy with storytelling. Pick the angle that suits your budget and tone, and remember, you don’t need to be at Coachella to own the moment. However... For some brands, being part of the Coachella conversation isn’t enough, they want to be in it. Literally. And with good reason. Coachella isn’t just a music festival anymore, it’s a full-blown marketing playground with some of the most high-impact brand moments of the year. But getting on the ground at Coachella isn’t cheap, and it isn’t for everyone. If you’re thinking about it, you need to go in with a clear strategy, a strong creative angle, and a firm understanding of the returns you’re chasing. Here’s a breakdown of the key ways to show up IRL and what you’ll need to make it work. 1. Sponsor a Coachella Event or Brand Party Investment: £50,000–£500,000+ Let’s be clear: sponsoring Coachella itself (as an official partner) is big-league territory - think Heineken, American Express, or YouTube levels of spend. But the more realistic route is sponsoring one of the unofficial brand parties that happen across the festival weekend. These parties are where the influencers, celebrities and media hang out, often even more than the festival itself. The most iconic ones? Revolve Festival, Neon Carnival, Bootsy Bellows, and Soho Desert House. What this could look like: Your brand sponsors the beauty tent at a major party (e.g. makeup touch-ups or hair braiding) Product seeding in the VIP area (e.g. branded fans, beauty minis, sunglasses, suncare, energy drinks) Branded photo moments, props, or installations Example:In 2023, Celsius Energy Drinks sponsored multiple VIP events, offering branded fridges and cold cans everywhere. The result? Constant on-camera product placement and social buzz. ROI:This is mostly brand awareness and prestige. Expect content reach in the millions and association with high-tier talent. For beauty and fashion brands, it can also spark product sell-through if you build a landing page or capsule collection around it. 2. Host Your Own Activation or Pop-Up During Festival Weekend Investment: £20,000–£150,000+ If you want total control (and potentially more ROI), hosting your own brand activation in the Palm Springs area can be powerful, as long as it’s well-executed. What this could look like: A branded villa with a pool, product trials, influencer gifting, and press moments A pop-up boutique or lounge for invited guests to swing by for content and chilled downtime A beauty brand offers free festival touch-ups, hairstyling, or massage tents Example:In 2022, skincare brand Starface opened a Festival Skin Lounge; a colourful villa where influencers got ready, took content, and received skincare kits. Content went viral, their signature pimple patches were seen everywhere, and sales spiked. ROI:Expect strong UGC and organic mentions, plus ongoing influencer relationships. With the right PR, you can also land coverage in outlets like Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Who What Wear. ROI comes mainly from earned media value and long-tail social impact. 3. Infiltrate Influencer Content Strategically Investment: £5,000–£50,000 depending on scope One of the smartest ways to show up at Coachella without officially being “there” is to partner with influencers attending the festival and build your brand into their content plans. This could be gifting, paid collabs, or part of their outfit/product prep. What this could look like: Paid placement in GRWM videos, outfit reveals, and “What’s in my Coachella bag” content Branded Airbnb moments eg. a beauty fridge in the kitchen, branded towels, a glam station, etc Co-branded edits on TikTok and Instagram (with clear shopping links and discount codes) Example:Fashion brand House of CB has successfully positioned itself as a go-to label for Coachella weekend wardrobes; not through huge events, but by working with the right micro and macro influencers pre-festival. ROI:This can be highly conversion-driven if you time product drops or offer discount codes. With the right influencers, brands have seen 5–10x ROI from a weekend’s worth of posts, particularly for fashion and beauty products. 4. Go Big with a Coachella House Takeover Investment: £100,000–£1 million+ Reserved for brands who want the full Coachella fantasy. 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But if you're going to do it, you need to go in with: A clear goal (brand awareness? influencer engagement? sales?) A strong creative angle Tight execution and follow-up; get the content, tag the creators, repurpose everything If You’re Going, Go All In Half-baked Coachella moments rarely land. But with the right strategy, showing up IRL can put your brand on the global stage, not just for the weekend, but for the months of content, awareness and hype that follow. Here are a few budget examples to help you decide whether to be there or not to be there. Option 1: Mid-Level Coachella Activation (Under £20,000) Activation Type: Influencer content house or private day rentalGoal: Content creation, influencer engagement, UGCDuration: 1 to 2 days Total Estimated Cost: £9,500–£18,000        ROI Potential: 5–10 branded content pieces Reach of 100K–500K via influencer stories, reels, and tags Content you can reuse in campaigns for months Potential 3–5x ROI in product sales depending on your funnel Option 2: Premium Coachella Activation (Under £100,000) Activation Type: Branded Palm Springs VillaGoal: Influencer and press engagement, UGC generation, brand positioningDuration: 3 days (Friday to Sunday of Weekend 1) Total Estimated Cost: £43,000–£73,500        ROI Potential: 15–20+ pieces of high-quality influencer content Thousands of organic impressions across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Brand-owned content for reuse in ads, socials and website Gifting visibility among tastemakers and stylists Press opportunities if coverage is pitched smartly Brand association with a major cultural moment     Option 3: Ultra-Premium Coachella Activation (Over £100,000) Activation Type: Fully branded Coachella content mansion with hosted experienceGoal: High-impact PR moment, content generation, VIP influencer loyalty, long-term brand positioningDuration: 3–4 days Total Estimated Cost: £117,000–£186,000    ROI Potential: Global brand visibility Long-term influencer loyalty and brand ambassador relationships 50–100+ content assets to reuse across ads, website, retail Organic reach in the millions Potential press pick-up from Vogue, Elle, Who What Wear etc High-value UGC that continues to convert across platforms    

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