How to talk to Instagram influencers?
Posted Dec 5, 2019 09:47 AM
Even if you've found the perfect influencers for your brand, there's no guarantee that they will agree to work with you. Influencers may refuse to work with you if:
- Your brand isn't the right fit. 72% of influencers say personal alignment with the brand is the most important factor that influences their decision to work with brands.
- You're lowballing them. 33% say that unrealistically low offers are the biggest turnoff when negotiating with brands.
- You're expecting too much from them. 29% say that excessively long guidelines are the biggest turnoff
DO YOUR RESEARCH
From the perspective of an influencer, nothing is as big of a turnoff as when you receive a completely irrelevant outreach message. It goes to show that the brand knows nothing about you.
So take the time to research your shortlisted influencers.
Go through their Instagram feeds and ask the following questions:
- What kind of content do they create?
- What values do they seem to maintain?
- Which brands have they partnered with before?
- What kind of products have they promoted?
- Do they even do sponsorships?
DEFINE YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION
Unless you can clearly showcase what you bring to the table, you may have a hard time convincing influencers to work with you.
Let the influencers know how you can help them and how the partnership will benefit them.
- Are you providing any exclusive experiences and/or free products?
- How much compensation are you offering?
- If you're a big brand, you may be able to help them gain more exposure.
BE DIRECT AND RESPECTFUL
Influencers are busy people. So don't waste their time by beating around the bush. Get straight to the point about why you're reaching out. At the same time, don't be so blunt that you come across as brash or commanding. The best thing to do is to maintain a friendly tone.
- Make sure you address them by name.
- Compliment them on their creativity or the latest achievements.
- Start talking about your campaign and why you're reaching out to them.
- Let them know you're available for a more detailed discussion if they're interested.
FOLLOW UP
Influencers often have their inbox flooded with messages from fans and potential brand partners. So there's a chance they might miss your first message.
- If you don't receive a response within a couple of days, don't hesitate to follow up.
- Send them a gentle reminder of your first message and quickly outline your offer again.
- Include a call-to-action so they know exactly what to do next.
