Identify genuine influencers: When you've narrowed down your list of potential collaborators, look into their material quality, how they interact with their followers, and whether their community is real or phony. Unfortunately, the amount of followers on an influencer's page is no longer a reliable indicator of their actual social impact. You should also verify to see if these followers are real people and not bots. I believe analyzing the comments under postings can assist you in detecting it. Fake, irrelevant comments posted by bots, or their complete absence, may indicate that the influencer's followership was obtained artificially through the use of specific "black marketing" methods and will not assist your brand. You can also manually check the profiles of the random followers. It's quite easy to identify the bot's profile because it usually lacks a bio, has no posts or only a few of them, and the photographs are mostly chosen at random.
To get the most out of one’s contact with influencers, consider finding a commonality and using that common ground as a foundation to start a meaningful conversation. In this case, common ground could mean anything from your favorite city traveled to the piece of art they included in their recent post. For example, if the influencer you’re interested in connecting with is exploring San Francisco, consider including the best restaurant you visited while you were there in your initial contact. This simple effort not only makes you come across as friendly and easy to talk to, it also has the potential to give the influencer the impression that you’re someone who may be able to add value to their life and experiences.
Influencers have a fun job, but it's still a job. They keep regular hours if they want to be successful, and they're more liable to engage with your messages if you appreciate that. Looking at what time they post content is a good move to start with—while they're online, they're probably checking their DMs. After-hours or early-hours messages may be missed, particularly if you're not cognizant of any time zone differences.
Stand out by giving them something of value, perhaps over a long period of time, before you ever ask for anything. Example: Want a LinkedIn expert to come on your live show? Share their content, comment on their content. Add value. Once they've engaged with you in return, you can make your request. As a bonus, you may end up having a genuine, ongoing relationship with this influencer - and you never know where it could go!
Look to micro-influencers. Forget about reaching out to those with a large number of followers and instead focus on your niche. Everyone wants to reach a wide audience, but reaching the right audience is what counts. A good influencer owns their area of expertise and capitalizes on the influence they have in the market. As a brand, you want to leverage your product as a weapon at their disposal. For instance, lash extensions can enhance the image of almost any model on social media. By offering our services pro bono and creating a referral system through their page we can effectively create traffic and convert customers both locally and nationally depending on the services they're after and the products we offer.
Influencers are busy people. They receive hundreds of emails every day, many from well-meaning but unimportant or irrelevant brands who don't know how to properly address them in 140 characters or fewer. When contacting influencers, keep it short and sweet. Include the relevant information about your brand, what you are offering, and why you think the influencer is a great fit. Make sure to highlight what is in it for the influence quickly. Why should they work with your brand? Don't bury the lead. Get to the point and make sure the influencer can easily see why your brand will be great for them to promote.
Do your homework. Influencers get pitches dozens of times a week. Bigger influencers get pitched dozens of times a day, and most of these pitches are not tailored to the influencer's brand or audience. If you want to stand out, you need to show them that you've analyzed their content and you need to demonstrate a fit with the product or service you want them to promote. You also want to be specific about what you're asking from them. Don't tell them you're interested in collaborating. Tell them you'd like to work on a blog and social media campaign comprising an advertorial and supporting content on Instagram and Facebook - for example. Not only does this make it easier for the influencer to say yes or no, it also shows them that you know what you want and they won't need to hold your hand throughout the collaboration.
Many influencers are also influenced by other people & more often than not, you may be surprised to know that some of these influencers of influencers have a very modest following. I have worked with companies implementing this strategy. This is what we do... If we are struggling to get in touch with an influencer we really want, we try to obtain information as to which influencers they follow & look up to. We then reach out to these influencers and see if we can work with them for a short time. This means that the original influencer we were trying to reach will more than likely hear about our brand from a person they look up to & this greatly increases the chances of later communications being successful. This method is a bit of a stretch & works around 50% of the time but when all else fails it is really worth trying. it's pretty amazing the influencers go from not responding to frantically sending us multiple messages. Ross Kernez Chief Consultant for Online Strategy rossk.com
I'd say one of my biggest tips for reaching out to influencers is to approach influencers as a potential long-term partnership, not just a transactional relationship. Influencers genuinely deeply care about the audience they've built up over the years, so they want to learn how your products would actually benefit their audience in the long term. The last thing they want to do is just promote any product out there and anger their audience, just to receive a one-time sponsorship fee or affiliate fee. You should do your research upfront, and fully understand if their audience would truly benefit from your product offering before reaching out because if you do, the likelihood of you forming a long-term partnership with the influencer is much higher.
Once you've researched and found an influencer that aligns with your core values remember when you reach out to get it right! No influencer wants to hear a sales pitch or a request - however polite - for their attention. Influencer outreach requires time to build a relationship, first impressions can make or break your opportunity to get to know them, so choose the right people and slowly get to know them, their values, and their approach.
Don’t be shy. Too often, people are discouraged from reaching out because they are intimidated by an influencer’s follower count. It’s important to remember that influencers are just regular people too, no matter how many followers they have. Being kind, respectful, and sincere goes a long way with most anyone, so don’t feel undue pressure to prove your worth when reaching out. And most importantly, don’t be too afraid to reach out at all.
Building a long-lasting relationship with influencers goes beyond simply reaching out to them with words of praise — you need to show them that you actually value their content and the work that they do. The best way to build this kind of trust is being supportive and sharing their posts from the get-go, even before you actually establish contact.
When it comes to reaching out to influencers, no matter how compelling your messaging or offer is, it all boils down to the person reading it. Make sure you’re reaching out to credible content creators who really align with your brand or product and have engaged–not necessarily massive–followings. This way, you can trust the influencer will feel confident promoting your brand to their audiences and come across as authentic when doing so, which means their followers will more likely be influenced by their brand endorsement.
Influencers make a good living because people love and appreciate their content so, the best way to begin a dialogue with one is to lead with positive words about their posts. Start the conversation by saying that you saw "X" video, thought it aligned well with your company and are wanting to discuss a partnership. Don't be afraid to be extra complimentary about what they do because a little flattery (especially for an influencer) can go a long way in driving their decision. Remember, despite what some people think, being a content creator is a very real profession and those in it should be treated as professionals. Treat the influencer like you would any other marketing professional and make sure you have done plenty of research before hand to ensure that they don't feel like you picked them solely based on their following.
Influencers are going to be more than likely pretty tech and internet savvy. They will see when your interactions with them seem robotic and boilerplate, so make sure to personalize your outreach as much as possible. Mention some of their content specifically that your team enjoyed or learned something from in your DM/email. Feel out the vibe of their content too because most of the time they will enjoy a more casual tone rather than an overly-professional one.
When reaching out to influencers, you should be focused on niche and industry-focused ones. This way, you are not splurging money on a top-tier influencer, but instead focusing on your target audiences. The money is then considered worth it, and your messaging is going to get out there easier.
...to say by being specific, showing your value, and attaching your business details (social networks, website, email) and photos (very important if your message goes to press). Also, attach possible dates to be able to talk about the project and plan it. Finally, if the collaboration is carried out, don't forget to thank them and share the result on social networks. Keep in mind that you may send ten proposals and only get one or two. Don't let that put you off. We've all been told no, and that's okay. You will grow, and more brands and people will want to collaborate with you.
Of course, brands want to reach out to influencers to help grow their brands, but what's in it for the influencer? One of the best ways to make money is to invest money, and allocating some of your marketing budget to influencer marketing is a worthwhile cost. Research continually shows that influencer marketing is a proven lucrative strategy, and I would encourage every business to at least look into it.
Many entrepreneurs tap influencers to promote their businesses and for good reasons. Influencers may have the audience that you want to reach and they trust the influencers enough to believe what they promote. If you want to reach out to influencers, it's important not to jump right in and ask straight away what you need from them. Building a connection, getting to know them, and engaging first are important steps. Read their content, engage with their audience in the comment section, and share insights to build your presence. When you've established a connection, it's when it's best to reach out.
It's best to use a third-party platform that can connect smaller brands with micro-influencers. Sites such as Aspire IQ allow marketers to search for influencers that are best for the brand image and the mission they're trying to achieve, whether it's expanding brand awareness or gaining more reviews for eCommerce. For those that have never interacted with influencers, this is extremely effective as both parties have the same end goal - a successful partnership. Not only does this introduce brands to influencers, but can be used as a step-by-step guide to working with influencers, from the initial interaction to the end of the collaboration.