But why start from scratch when so many others have paved the way? We compiled a wealth of tips from merchants with a track record of successful influencer Collabs to see how they structure their partnerships, what’s included, and more.

Here’s what they had to say.

Experts speak on successful Influencer Collabs

Eight pros offered insight into writing influencer Collabs, including CEOs, brand managers, and SVPs in industries like hospitality, consumer goods, health, and real estate.

We ran a survey tapping into agency leaders who’ve conducted successful influencer Collabs time and time again.

The goal: distill their insights and responses so you can identify what ingredients make a successful collab.

Below, you’ll see some of our top questions. Here’s what these marketers had to say about how they handle collaborations and pitches when working with influencers.

Q&A: Insights from top-performing marketers

What is the secret to a successful influencer pitch?

For three of these marketing pros, successful influencer pitches come down to transparency, collaboration, and creativity. They consider a successful pitch one that produces a mutually beneficial, long-term business relationship.

According to Trevor Polcyn, content and marketing manager at San Francisco’s Music City Hotel, the secret to a successful influencer pitch is transparency.

“We think the key to a successful collab is to be open and authentic in describing what you’re providing to the Influencer and being direct and clear with what you expect from them in return,” says Polcyn. “It’s about starting a professional conversation that can evolve into a relationship that ultimately provides benefit and value to everyone involved.”

Laura McCann, CEO of mindful perfume company ADORAtherapy, seeks out a positive relationship with prospective influencers by emphasizing the value of collaboration.

“At ADORAtherapy we’re looking for meaningful connections with creators,” says McCann. “We express the desire to co-create. We want to go beyond a successful collab, which looks like a blog feature, posts, and stories. Strive for what we call ILV (influencer lifetime value), which we measure as a longer-term relationship.”

For Madison Moore, founder of plus-size lingerie brand Kinky Confessions, a successful influencer pitch needs creativity. And you can’t rush creative flow.

“Creating an outstanding influencer pitch takes time and creativity,” says Moore. “Sometimes thinking of the root purpose and/or product can feather a wind of inspiration.”

So the secrets to a successful influencer pitch are transparency, collaboration, and creativity. But how do you incorporate those three values into your actual writing?

What do you include when writing an influencer pitch?

Afluencer’s collab format includes an “about” and a “criteria” section. The “criteria” section lets influencers know whether they can reach your target audience. This includes social media channels, age range, minimum followers, and gender.

Now comes the meat of your influencer pitch. The “about section” is your chance to sell your company and brief the influencer on the scope of the project. Michelle Jader, SVP at digital nutrition platform Monj Health, recommends beginning by asking yourself, “What’s special about what we’re offering, what need will it fill, and what’s in it for [the influencer]?”

Kevin Holmes at Honcho Slides wants to make sure his company finds the right fit (shoe pun not intended). He writes influencer pitches with Honcho Slides’ goals and products in mind.

“First, I want to let them know what the goals are for my brand and what the brand is about,” says Holmes. “We want influencers who are excited about the brand and genuinely have an interest in it.

“Second, I want them to start imagining the content they could create around the brand as they read the collab, so they should be able to see themselves wearing the products and how they would pitch them to their followers. So it’s important to show the product so they can see themselves wearing it.”

You have your hook. Influencers are thinking, “Okay, I like it. Now what?”

Diamond Frandsen at InterCoastal Net Designs, a web development and digital marketing team that works with vacation rentals and real estate companies, shared seven elements to consider when writing an influencer pitch:

1. Enticing opening

Just like Jader and Holmes, Frandsen is a proponent of reeling the influencer in with a solid opening. “Provide a link to your website/about us page/rental you could put them up in,” says Frandsen. “Don’t make them do work to research you.” You could think of this as writing down your brand’s unique value proposition.

2. Transparent content expectations

“What is the influencer expected to create for you? Single post? A daily vlog of their stay? A review of their experience?” Don’t waste your time or theirs. Most influencers have a content niche that goes beyond the industry.

There are bloggers, YouTube vloggers, TikTok influencers, Instagram influencers, and more. You don’t want a TikToker to apply if you need blog content. Ensure they know the scope of the project before they invest time in applying.

3. Timeline

“What dates should the content be published by? What is the frequency of posting you are looking for during a multi-day stay?”

Establishing a clear timeline from the start can help with efficiency. Influencers have the opportunity to consider how the work will fit into their schedules.

4. Compensation

“Clearly specify how they will be compensated.”

It’s important to provide influencers with this information before your collaboration. Include how much they will be compensated, when they will be compensated, and how they will be compensated.

You don’t want to haggle over their compensation at the end of the process. Show you value their labor before they even apply.

5. Content Lifespan

“How long does the content need to live on their social platforms? 1 month? You don’t want it posted for 1 day [only to] be deleted the next.”

Picture this: you collaborate with an influencer. You like the content. You’re getting good traction. But the influencer deletes the content less than a week later, cutting off your progress.

Establish content lifespan to avoid confusion.

6. Exclusivity

“If you want to work with an influencer in the future, make sure to have the first right of refusal in their contract. You don’t want an influencer that you have been cultivating a relationship with to go to a competitor of yours.”

You partner with an influencer to raise awareness about your clean skincare brand. But that influencer then partners with Youth To The People the next month. That content could overshadow your brand.

But more importantly, it tells the influencer’s audience that they aren’t devoted to your brand. It’s a wishy-washy look.

7. Content Usage Rights

“Have open communication and documentation on how long you can use the content created by the influencer after their time with your brand/company.”

Not all influencers want their names or platforms to be eternally attached to your brand. And most influencers want to be fairly compensated. If you have unlimited access to their content, you should pay more.

Have a conversation about usage rights.

Can you share one of your influencer pitches with us?

If you have your eye on a specific influencer, Shelley Scott-Mahoney, a self-proclaimed “startup slayer” and chief communications officer at PainXPro, shared an example of an influencer cold pitch:

I’m reaching out to you because I would like to collaborate with you. Our product is great for everyday people who want to stay active but sometimes suffer from mild pain related to working out or doing everyday things. We think you would be a perfect fit for our brand! We would like to showcase PainXPro and you on our blogs and social media.”

But for influencer pitches, Music City Hotel, Monj, and Hemplily are here to give you some stellar examples. Be on the lookout for enticing openers, transparency, and other previously mentioned components.

Stay in Our Influencer Room at Music City Hotel

“We’re a small budget hotel & hostel in the heart of San Francisco, located in the Lower Nob Hill / Polk Gulch neighborhoods. We offer hostel-like bunks, private bedrooms, and shared bathrooms. The entire building is music-themed, centered around iconic Bay Area artists, such as Tupac, The Grateful Dead, Stevie Nicks, and Janis Joplin.

We offer music rehearsal space for the working musician – so do not be surprised when you hear rock n’ roll throughout the day. We have a Common Room that is equipped with a large community table, strong Wi-Fi, and Guitar Hero 3. We’ve got serious connections with our local venues for shows, discounts for local restaurants, and the hookup for local dispensaries.

We’re a destination for those who see the value in protecting, promoting, and elevating the artistic and musical communities of San Francisco. We’re a destination for those who love, appreciate, and support the working musician. We are a destination for those who support diversity, embrace the uniqueness of San Francisco, and want to keep spreading the love of music, community, and connection.

Music City Hotel is a creative, expressive place where musicians can show up, practice, and make music – so it can get loud. As we undergo construction – to finally embark on expanding the building into the majestic Music HUB of SF we’ve dreamt about for decades – things might get a bit louder due to the work that needs to get done. Rest assured: construction doesn’t start too early, we provide complimentary earplugs (if necessary), and will accommodate your needs as they arise.

MonjCOOKS Cooking Class With Chopped Champion

“Share MonjCOOKS with your followers and earn 30% for every one of your qualified enrollments.

The course retails for $99 and we will provide you with a $20 Off offer to share with your followers. We’re looking for food lovers that want to share the joy of cooking and eating! Join us in getting the word out to help more people learn to cook and make healthy food taste amazing!

You’ll get free access to the 16-course class packed with how-to videos, pro-tips, and downloadable resources, a toolkit of images and scripts for sharing with your followers, and a link to track your sales.”

Hemplily For Hormones

“Hemplily is the alternative for managing symptoms of menopause, especially when Hormone Replacement Therapy isn’t for you. Don’t let hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings disrupt you from living your best life in transition.

Our products provide fast relief without risky side effects. They also provide support for anxiousness, stress, discomfort, sleep, and more (helps men too!) Find harmony and balance again with products infused with the amazing hemp plant.

We offer a free full-size product to new customers with a free consultation and symptom tracking. Influencers are welcome to receive samples of other products outside of this new customer-free trial program.

Seeking influencers for posts, videos, and whitelisted content. We offer the following levels based on your audience engagement rate:

1) Product for post 

2) Affiliate program – you get paid for your referrals

3) Pay for sponsorship 

We also welcome blog posts on our site or yours.

How has collaborating with influencers positively impacted you and/or your brand?

Wondering if partnering with an influencer is worth it? The pros are here to tell you how their successful Collabs have boosted brand awareness, from growing their following to increasing site traffic.

Madison Moore at Kinky Confessions collaborated with an influencer for a fashion show in 2021, which grew the brand’s following by 20%.

Diamond Frandsen at InterCoastal Net Designs had a similar experience during an influencer campaign geared toward increasing a specific audience on Instagram. The account’s following went from 14.6K to 16.2K during the influencer’s stay on a vacation property.

Laura McCann at ADORAtherapy shared how an influencer pitch helped grow her long-term professional connections and use those connections to showcase her brand.

“Recently I met a writer, coach, and lovely entrepreneur who is in the IVF fertility space,” says McCann. “We connected and developed a wonderful campaign. We’ve written blogs about each other, posted about it, done one IG live (more to come), and she’s now an ambassador. Our audiences are perfectly aligned, and our desire to tell stories of healing gives us so many opportunities to share. These authentic collaborations feel like friendships, not work!”

Shelley Scott-Mahoney discussed how PainXPro’s broad demographic makes partnering with influencers straightforward.

“A lot of people are very familiar with our type of product and love how the main ingredients work for resolving a whole host of issues,” says Scott-Mahoney. “A previous collaboration went well, as it helped boost our visibility online and bring traffic to our site.”

Whether your goal is to bring a wider audience to a product launch, raise your conversions, or build your brand’s community, you’ll need an outstanding influencer pitch to attract the right collaborator.

Other things to know about writing a successful influencer pitch

According to Shelley Scott-Mahoney at PainXPro, your actual collab is down to the influencer: “It all depends upon how appealing and convincing the influencer is and how committed they are to try the product to give a genuine review about their experience.”

But if they aren’t committed, it’s not always their fault. The fault may lie with your influencer pitch. It’s your job to convince them your product is worth their time. A subpar influencer pitch isn’t convincing or unique, and its content will reflect that.

Make sure the influencer can answer these three questions by reading your pitch:

1. What problem does this product or service solve? 

If that isn’t clear in your pitch, then your collaboration won’t be compelling to an audience.

2. Will that solution appeal to my following?

The audience means the difference between a campaign flop and a campaign triumph. If you market your product or service to people who don’t need it, you won’t get traction.

3. Does this brand/company align with my values?

Cancel culture is rampaging at full throttle throughout the internet. Influencers need to trust you to feel comfortable in your collaboration. Be transparent. Know your values and make those clear.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to include a political rant in your influencer pitch. Just make sure you’re transparent. If you value accessibility, say that. And if you value sustainability, say that too.

If influencers can answer these questions and say yes to all three, they’ll come running. The right collaborator is an exciting one.

Next steps for your collab

Want to try your hand at writing an outstanding influencer pitch of your own?

Post a Collab on Afluencer by following these steps. You can check out Collabs from other companies for further guidance. But ultimately your pitch should be your own.

There are a lot of reasons why promoting your brand through influencers is a good idea. Many statistics show that brands that chose to promote themselves via influencers are enjoying great success. Influencer marketing has constantly proven to deliver excellent ROI and it also helps the brand to find and connect with its crucial target audience.

Finding the Right Influencers for Your Brand

One of the ways a brand can find adequate influencers is through an agency. In most cases, agencies represent a lot of influencers with a variety of styles and content. Thus, giving you an option to find the most suitable. Such as the influencer who can connect with your goals and strategies. Influencers are contacted by the agency when the brand’s campaign fits their style. The agency will help you connect your marketing ideas and goals with the content of the chosen influencer.

There are still many famous influencers who don’t collaborate with agencies. For those who choose to go it alone, it can be much harder to realize partnerships and make money. Especially when they’re first starting out. Even if they have thousands of followers, if they can’t close a brand collab deal (particularly a long-lasting one), then they won’t be able to make a profit from their platform. However, this isn’t always the case; some are successfully close deals on their own.

To save some money a lot of businesses nowadays choose not to collaborate with an agency. Instead, they are determined to find influencers suited for their brand on their own. Using this method can take too much time but it can cut down on costs.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing an influencer is whether their style suits the products and message you want to promote. By clearly explaining the vision and ideas for your brand when you make contact with an influencer can lead to collaboration without any misunderstandings.

By understanding your vision for your business campaign the influencer can make decisions for partnership. If your brand and an influencer agree on the payment and understand each other’s strategies and ideas the partnership will most likely be successful for both.

Approaching an Influencer Individually

As a brand deciding to approach influencers on your own without any help from an agency you need to be clear about your goals and find an effective way to communicate them. Most importantly, you must research the influencer’s previous collaborations and the value of their content before realizing a partnership.

When approaching an influencer it’s very important to evaluate their determination. Some influencers won’t ask for a large payment. But they also won’t put too much effort into promoting your brand’s product. However, there are other influencers who know their worth. They will use their time and creativity to create strong content that resonates with their audience. Resulting in greater reach and engagement.

In the last period more and more brands are beginning to partner with influencers. And it’s because this method works so well for both brands and influencers. Whichever method you decide to use when finding your ideal influencers, make sure that it fits your marketing plan.

The post Finding Influencers: Should You Use an Agency or Go It Alone appeared first on AFLUENCER.

The average influencer appears to be earning between $30k to $100k per year. And there are super successful influencers who are making $250k for a single post! However, don’t let this scare you. There’s still an opportunity to make the most of your budget. You only need to find the right influencer, who’s perfect for your business and target audience.

This, however, is easier said than done. There are a number of influencers out there but they may not all be right for you.

Here’s how to find the perfect influencer in five easy steps.

First Understand Your Own Target Audience

You must understand your own target audience before you can move to selecting an influencer.

It is a lengthy but very important process. You must know where to find your audience so that you can identify the right influencer.

A single influencer may not be effective for your entire audience. Hence, you may have to hire the services of multiple influencers to reach every corner.

5 Steps to Finding the Perfect Influencer

Without much ado, let’s have a look at five easy steps you can take to find the perfect influencer for your brand.

Step 1: Find The Right Social Media Platform

Finding an ideal social media platform to carry out your marketing campaign is just as important as finding the perfect influencer. The right social platform depends on your audience. For example, if you’re catering to professionals then LinkedIn might be a good choice since it is popular among businesspersons.

Know where your audience is and then choose an influencer who has a good reach on that specific platform.

One person may not be popular on all platforms and one user may not be active on all social media outlets.

Here’s a small breakdown:

• Instagram: Said to be the best to promote fashion houses and beauty-related products. Influencers can use IG TV, videos, and posts to promote your business.
• Facebook: Said to be the best for small businesses. Influencers can use Facebook Live and other such tools to promote your business.
• Twitter: Said to be the best for news and IT-related businesses. Influencers can promote your services or products by posting relevant tweets and using hashtags.
• YouTube: Said to be the best for consumer products. Influencers can promote your product or service with the help of videos.
• LinkedIn: Said to be the best for business products. You can promote your content with the help of articles and other such tools.
• Snapchat: Said to be the best for products that cater to youth as Snapchat is the most popular platform among teenagers.

You may even decide to go and find the perfect influencer who is popular on all social platforms.

Step 2: Macro Influencers vs Micro-Influencers

Before you go off to find the perfect influencer for your campaign, let’s first understand the difference between the two main types of influencers:

Macro Influencers:

Macro influencers have a large number of followers, usually above one million. Back in the day, only well-known celebs had such a reach but now there are many Insta-celebs who have millions of followers.

There are many advantages of choosing to work with macro-influencers:

• You enjoy a great reach.
• They may have a following on all platforms.
• Removes the need to hire the services of multiple influencers.
• Most followers are real.
• Your product reaches a global audience.
• They’re usually very professional.

However, there are also some downsides of working with macro-influencers:

• They are very expensive.
• Not all the followers may fall under your target audience.
• Only about 3% of followers act on celebrity recommendations.

Cost is the biggest downfall here. Consider the case of Cristiano Ronaldo who has over 500 million followers across the main social media platforms.

Cristiano worked with Nike back in 2016, promoting its products on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The partnership cost Nike $13 million and added over $36 million to its value.

These are huge figures and not every brand may be able to afford the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. For such brands, there are micro-influencers.

Micro-Influencers:

Micro-influencers have fewer followers, from a few thousand to less than a million. Despite the small size of followers, there are several benefits of collaborating with them:

• More affordable than macro-influencers.
• The low budget makes it possible to work with multiple influencers at the same time.
• Allows you to reach a niche audience.
• The conversion rate is high as most followers tend to have faith in the influencer.

However, there obviously are some side effects as well:

• Brands have less control over the content that gets uploaded.
• There may be a huge number of fake followers.
• The reach is limited.
• Opt for macro-influencers if you intend to increase engagement and have the budget to afford them.

An influencer with 1 million followers can increase engagement by about 1000% more when compared to someone with only 250,000 followers, according to this report.

On the other hand, micro-influencers may be a good choice if you have a niche audience. For example, you can work with a makeup artist who is popular in a specific city if you offer products in the same city.

Step 3: The Geographic Location and Audience

Consider your audience. Do you want to sell your products or services on a global level or a smaller scale?

As mentioned earlier, global influencers are more expensive but local influencers can be more effective if you want to reach a local audience. For example, working with a local celebrity can be very beneficial for a local pizza shop.

Even big companies like DHL and Puma have used local influencers to reach a bigger audience. It can be a good strategy when you want to introduce your product or service to a new market.

So remember, where you find your influencer may very well decide if they are perfect for your brand.

Step 4: The Nature of Content

Most influencers build an audience with a specific type of content. Some use live videos to get in touch with followers, some post photos and videos, and some even write articles.

This is a very important factor because you may want to use a specific type of content to reach your audience. Videos are said to be very effective but not all influencers may be interested in making or posting videos.

It’s better to be clear about your strategy if you’re going to find the perfect influencer who’s willing to work with you. The cost may differ based on the nature of the content.

Most people will charge you more for making a video talking about your product compared to writing a line or two about what you do. However, some small-time influencers may be willing to post free reviews and testimonials in exchange for products.

Discuss the cost in advance and be clear about the ROI.

Step 5: The Image

An influencer’s image should be your number one priority when selecting an audience. A lot of celebrities and influencers have millions of followers but they do not enjoy a positive image. You should stay away from such influencers as they may damage your name instead of giving it a boost.

Understand audience perception and work with influencers who enjoy a true following. You can look at comments, and even engagement rates when making this decision.

Conclusion

All in all, finding the perfect influencer would mean they are within your budget and can help you reach your target audience. These steps have uncovered many inspiring influencer marketing campaigns.

The post How to Find the Perfect Influencer: 5 “Must Have” Factors appeared first on AFLUENCER.