With so many people attempting to make it as paid influencers on social media these days, it can be a big challenge for brands to find partners whose content is truly relevant to their target audience. Once marketers identify a good fit for the brand they represent, their next task is to talk with the potential influencer to determine how they might be able to help each other expand their reach and build more credibility among target audiences.
While the steps to reach out and engage with an influencer sound simple enough on paper, in reality, the variables involved can lead to unexpected and unpredictable results. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council share their top tips for reaching out and engaging with influencers, as well as how they came to learn these lessons and implement these practices in their own influencer outreach.
Forbes Agency Council members share their top tips for reaching out and engaging with an influencer.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Assure Them That They Will Get Exposure And You’ll Do The Heavy Lifting
In the B2B space that our agency works in, an effective way we get influencer buy-in to speak at events or participate in video or thought leadership content is to assure them that they will get a lot of additional exposure and media coverage off the back of their influencer engagement. We also assure them we do all the heavy lifting, so all their time commitment is minimal. This way, everyone wins. – Azadeh Williams, AZK Media
2. Look At How Their Content Aligns With Your Brand To Personalize Your Pitch
Take a good, hard look at their previous content—especially other paid campaigns. Make sure they align with your brand or your client’s. Then, personalize your pitch, referencing other content the influencer has previously created. Send links. Share compliments. Make it known why you chose them and why you think this collaboration would be a good fit for their personal brand. – Bernard May, National Positions
3. Hold Small, Engaging Events To Build Relationships With Influencers
Most highly engaged influencers receive hundreds of emails and direct messages a day! My most successful campaigns and connections have stemmed from small, engaging events—even throughout Covid, I’ve stayed connected to the ones with whom we made a personal impact. For example, we hosted a mom-influencer event at a local farm. It was so personable, and everyone connected off-screen. Long-term relationships are so important. – Jessica Kopach, The JKO Agency
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4. Look For An Influencer Whose Values Are Similar To The Brand’s
My tip would be to look for an influencer with values similar to those of the brand you are representing. If we partner with a like-minded influencer, chances are higher that they will communicate effectively to our audience and achieve an accurate representation of my client’s brand. Implementing this strategy, I’ve found that the engagement is higher than when working with a bigger influencer who isn’t a good fit. – Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR
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5. Ask The Influencer For All Of Their Branding Information
When it comes to reaching out to an influencer, the first thing that you need to do is ask them for all of their branding information. After you do that, you will be able to look at what they are all about and make sure that there is an alignment between the influencer and the brand. – Jon James, Ignited Results
6. Be Straightforward (And Kind) With Your Message
After you qualify them as having true engagement, be straightforward (and kind) with your message. I ask what their rates are and what I can expect from purchasing time on their channel and their endorsement. I like to see metrics if possible. – Christopher Tompkins, The Go! Agency
7. Follow Influencers And Interact With Their Content First
When working with influencers, it’s important that there’s an authentic fit for both parties. There are plenty of tools out there that can help with this, such as Upfluence, but some of our most successful influencer relationships have been built by following them, interacting with their content and getting to know their personal brand before pitching a client’s product or solution. – Antonella Pisani, Eyeful Media
8. Analyze An Influencer’s Content And Audience To Determine Fit
Pitch only to those influencers who will be interested in your service or product. Influencer tastes, worldviews and vibes are usually reflected in their audience as well. So before getting in touch with anyone, look through their social media, blogs, videos and everything you can find. After analyzing all of it, you will be able to decide whether it is worth trying to reach out to or not. – Dmitrii Kustov, Regex SEO
9. Do A Deep Dive Through Their Social Media To Understand Their Passions
Influencer outreach, much like any other media outreach, should never be done using a one-size-fits-all approach. Each message should be targeted to the individual. Do a deep dive through their social media. Understand the influencer’s values and areas of passion. You want to reach out to an influencer who is passionate about your client’s industry or product. – Heather Kelly, Next PR
10. Keep Initial Pitches Short, Simple And Transparent
We keep our initial pitches to influencers we wish to work with short and simple. We present our agency, our client the influencer would set up the collaboration with (if applicable) and project details such as post frequency, types, deadlines and so forth. Our goal is not to overwhelm with too much info but to spark interest by being completely transparent as to what our cooperation would entail. – Dejan Popovic, PopArt Studio
11. Scout For An Influencer With A Complementary Niche
Scout for an influencer with their own niche that complements your brand and attracts your target audience. Influencers are more likely to work with a brand that shares their values and allows them to create content that their followers would engage with. When pursuing an influencer about a potential partnership, always be genuine, and be thorough in your research about their personal brand as well. – Russ Williams, Archer Malmo
12. Ensure You Cast The Net Wide When Contacting Influencers
The best tip for contacting influencers is to ensure you cast the net wide. Out of 100 influencers, fewer than half will respond. As you go through your budget, content expectations and so forth, you’ll find the number of influencers you can work with shrinking. We find that clearly defining a short list and a timeline for the deliverables improves efficiencies and engagement with the influencer. – Geoff Crain, Kingstar Media
13. Keep Your First Message Concise
Influencers are busy, and many small-to-midsize influencers do not have assistants. When you are reaching out, keep your first message concise. I learned this from an influencer himself. This resulted in us partnering with top influencers in the Fulfillment by Amazon industry. – Kamaljit Singh, AMZ One Step
14. Get To Know An Influencer And Build A Relationship First
The best way to engage with an influencer is to build a relationship with them first. Attend an event, get to know them personally and find out if they prefer engaging via direct messages or email or through their agent. Keep it short and sweet when asking to work together. We’ve been lucky to build a list of hundreds of influencers we work with just by taking the time to get to know them first. – Leigh-Anne Anderson, Anderson-PR
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
