Introduction
Influencers are essential and imperative for business marketing as an influencer can help a brand/company grow their brand. By continuously working with an influencer, a brand/company builds their trust while increasing their audience.
The Influencer Marketing Hub reported that the influencer marketing industry is a billion-dollar industry, and in 2021 it increased by 26%. The Digital Marketing Institute stated that almost 2% of teens trust and consider influencers (who market products to them). For this reason, a brand/company needs to cultivate long-term influencer relationships; they will feel encouraged to work with you, want to continue working with you, and be loyal to your brand. You can be viewed as a credible brand/company, increase your engagement and increase your chances of being found on SEOs.
But how do I pitch and reach out to influencers?
A marketer’s steps before reaching out to the influencers are imperative:
- RESEARCH
You need to know the market and how it would (or would not) fit into your brand (and audience). Pinpoint the social media application, and an influencer you would like to work with that matches your brand’s niche. You should have an array of influencers you want to reach out to just in case some of them reject the offer to work together or do not respond at all. - WORK ON YOUR PITCH/CAMPAIGN
Curate your pitch and campaign once you have pinpointed your target market/audience and influencers. You want to establish a professional, formal relationship with the influencer, so first impressions are everything. - WHERE DO I FIND THE INFLUENCER?
We have several in-depth articles on how to look for influencers; however the quickest ways to look for influencers beneficial to your brand are through: hashtags, checking your competitors’ past campaigns, by using Influencer Campaign Platforms/Influencer Tools to search for popular influencers, on social media platforms and even through call outs. - BEWARE OF THE FAKES
Some influencers may buy followers to increase their presence. It may not seem easy to spot a fake following, but the signs are there.
Overall, the proof is in the engagement.
It is easy to spot bot comments on the posts; they will generally say vague, positive things, or the comments for posts may be limited. An account with a few thousand followers should fetch a few hundred likes, but the followers are most likely if it is significantly less.
You can utilise websites like Socialblade to give you a good idea about an influencer’s content, audience, and insights/engagement; if there is consistent daily or weekly growth and no loss of followers or engagement, it may be fake. - REMEMBER YOUR CAMPAIGN BEGINS AND CARRIES ON BEFORE AND AFTER THE PITCH
It would be best if you had someone interacting with the chosen influencer(s) content so that you maximise your brand’s visibility before and during the process of reaching out/pitching your collaboration with them. An influencer is more likely to work with a brand they are already aware of or whom they know is actively supporting them and their content. This is also imperative in cultivating, growing and building your relationship with the influencer.
How do influencers work with brands?
Ask yourself, would it make sense for the influencer to work with your brand? Is your product aligning with their content/aesthetic?
Would your audience potentially engage with their content and vice versa? When you have determined the right influencer that ticks all the above boxes, you may proceed with the pitch!
Your pitch/proposal has to be directed to the right person, the person who best fits your brand.
As stated in the first half of the article, ensure that you research the influencer you are attempting to work with; show them what gives you the edge over your competitors. You can add an unknown titbit about them or something unique you can offer them.
But be picky! Some influencers may not be beneficial to you – they might be infamous for not working well with brands, either because they do not have a pleasant personality or because they do not post regularly (per their contract). As much as you want to grow your partnership with them organically, you should have a backup influencer if things go south with your primary choice.
Some influencer campaign platforms to consider are:
How do I write an influencer proposal/pitch?
- An introduction
A brief introduction to who you are and what you do should not be longer than two or three paragraphs because you want to make a sound, quick first impression, so the introduction should be something brief that makes the brand stand out. After all, this is the first part of the pitch that the influencer reads; first impressions matter! - Your favourite thing about their brand/product
To showcase your influencer’s knowledge, industry, market and audience, an influencer would not want to work with a brand that does not even know about their values or content. - Keep in short and sweet
You do not want to overwhelm the influencer with information; brands give them irrelevant information that makes them disinterested in what you have to say. So leave the door open; allow them to contact you if they are interested in working with you and willing to reach out to know more details.
In order to increase the chance of receiving a response from the influencer, add that you have a budget for the project. - Conclusion
Close the message/email with your personal contact information or your brand’s contact information (depending on the brand’s policies).
An example of an influencer outreach email is:
Formal greeting and influencer’s name)
Good morning, Judy!
I love your profile (state the social media platform you found their profile on) and believe it fits the aesthetic we are working towards!
My name is (your name) from (brand name) (with a summary of what the company does/is about). I am reaching out to you on behalf of the brand because (add your favourite thing about the brand/product) and feel you would be perfect for collaborating and working with. This is a paid opportunity and we would love to discuss your fee (in line with our budget).
Let me know if you are interested, and I will send more details!
Thanks!
(Close the message/email with your personal contact information or your brand’s contact information).
After your proposal is successful, remember how important a workflow is to help you manage both the outreach and campaign management. You can refer to our other post for more details.
CONCLUSION
You might be worried about reaching out to an influencer if you have a ‘small’ following or be considered a ‘small’ scale brand, but remember quality over quantity!
If your product and service are worthwhile, an influencer will recognise that and still choose to work with you. Put effort into your strategies and bettering your brand’s products and services rather than chasing the numbers.
