Influencers are today’s celebrities of the internet. People “follow” them because they’re able to relate their lifestyle, humor, interests, and values to them. So for marketers of certain products and services, it is a good idea to collaborate with influencers that can help them get the awareness their brand needs as these people can help them target the right audience.
Marketers should choose the right influencer for their brand. They must pick the right person whose niche is relevant to what their brand is producing. One must keep in mind that the more relevant they are to the products or services of the brand, the more trustworthy their promotion will be to their followers.
Influencers also may serve as “brand ambassadors” which means companies looking to work with them must choose a respectable person for the job. A few simple background checks maybe necessary in order to protect your brand’s public image. A good example would be: If you’re in the business of pet accessories, then you need to find someone who have always had a good reputation on animal welfare.
How to reach out to an influencer for collaboration
Big named influencers often have managers that interested parties can reach out to. They even have their managers man their social media accounts for fast responding to those who would like to pitch their offers to them. But if you’re just eyeing a local influencer from your city, or someone who has a small but considerable amount of popularity, then a simple direct message to their email or social media accounts may be good enough. Often, the best way to reach out to either big or small influencers is still through direct messaging through their social media.
Remember to be respectable when messaging them. Here’s a sample of what to say when reaching out:
Hello (Influencer’s name),
This is (Name) from (Brand/Company). I am a (Job title) here and we are a huge fan and follower of yours for quite some time now. We really love your work, especially about (say something specific that they have done to show genuine appreciation).
We are very much interested in working with you and quite possibly sponsoring some of your work. (Brand/Company) is about (say something about your company and provide website and social media links).
Your talent and personality is a great match to what we are trying to achieve. We hope we can create something awesome with you.
If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to respond to this message and maybe we can arrange a meeting so you can get to know more about us.
Keep your message simple and clear. Make sure that you are easy to contact when they decide to respond. Provide them with different options on how to reach back to you, through phone, email, skype, or zoom. Or simply by just responding to the same message thread.
If they happen to decline your initial offer, you may try to get back to them and give another one. Always make them feel that it would be an honor for you to work with them and never the other way around. It’s also best to try to understand why your initial offer was declined so you can figure out a solution to make thing more convenient for them. You can say something like:
Hi (Influencer’s name),
Thank you for responding to my message. We truly respect your decision.
May I ask is there any particular reason for your decision? Perhaps we can think of a better offer or a solution to make things more convenient for you.
Hoping you could give us a chance 🙂
Always be considerate and think of this a business deal which will benefit the both of you. You must have a win-win attitude when talking to them and see them as a partner.