We often address how influencers can pitch themselves to brands for collaboration. This article will give tips on how brands can create compelling influencer collaboration pitch. If you are one of those brands who want to collaborate with an influencer and it is your first time, we are sure this article will be helpful.
Most of us have become aware of the importance of influencers in marketing strategy for any brand, whether it is a start-up or a century-old multi-national, multi-billion-dollar company. Everyone now wants to collaborate with influencers, mainly the nano, and the micro-influencers, because it offers more leads and connections to the audience.
Also, a well-planned and developed marketing strategy by collaborating with influencers is a cost-effective venture and one of the best ways to leverage social media platforms. So, if you want to enjoy the benefits of working with influencers but do not know how to start, here are some tips.
Tips On How To Create Influencer Collaboration Pitch
Many brands who want to work with influencers for the first time make the mistake of writing a generic email or DM to an influencer. One example is:
Dear XX,
We are glad/happy/ enthusiastic to inform you that we have selected you to work with us on your product’s campaign.
Trust us when we say, even the nano-influencers will overlook this email or DM because it does not show any effort on the brand’s part to know the influencer, their work, or the audience. So, why would the influencer take the trouble to create any content for you? The primary purpose of the pitch is to engage the influencer, and here are the best ways you can ensure the influencer gets tempted by what you are offering.
Part of the tips to ensure they are interested in your brand starts with some research work and homework.
- Finding The Right Influencer
When we are discussing finding the right influencer, it is not only about the influencer who aligns with your industry, sector, or brand’s objective but also the kind of campaign you want to run. While many influencers work in the same industry, each has its own forte. For example, some can create content perfect for launching new items or products because they cater to an audience who wants to try new things. On the other hand, other influencers determine the audience’s purchase behavior, and they can be the best fit when trying to relaunch or revamp an existing product.
- Niche Of The Influencer
Once you have determined the list of influencers you would like to collaborate with, it is time to dig in deeper. Just knowing their field and how many followers they have is not enough. You need to use some tools to see their engagement rate, the tone they use with the audience, the audience demography they cater to, how often they engage with them, the kind of content they produce, and how often they do it. Also, looking into their past collaboration can help you determine whether they are the right fit for you.
- Knowing Them Better
Now that you have known their niche, target audience, and engagement rate, it’s time to understand them even better. Look into how they react and engage with other channels and social media posts by other influencers. It is one of the best ways to gauge whether their tone is consistent with their own channels and posts and whether the influencer will fit your brand. Apart from these, delve deeper into their history and engagement with others to see whether they will cause negative PR to your brand.
- Engage the Influencer
As mentioned early in this article, pitching to an influencer is all about engaging them. So, instead of emailing the influencer in a generic way like ‘Dear influencer,’ personalize it by using the name.
Next, don’t say how big the opportunity is for them to collaborate with you or give too much detail about your business. Instead, build a rapport with them by sharing what you liked about their post. Once again, don’t be generic; talk about the content they posted that resonated with you and your brand, which led to the preference to collaborate with them.
- Be Open & Honest
Just don’t ask them to review your products; instead, offer them to experience it and then let them come up with the content. You never know if they can create something unique that can make the audience vie for your product.
Also, be open to suggestions, and don’t expect them to give a positive review just because you are sending them free samples. There can be chances when an influencer can refuse to collaborate or review your products because they don’t like them. The USP of a good influencer, mainly the micro-influencers, is being true and authentic to their audience, including telling the truth about the products. So, make it interactive and take their suggestion to improve your brand.
- Being Transparent
When making the offer, be clear and transparent about why you selected to collaborate with the influencer, what the outcome is you expect, and the compensation they would get for working with you.
Don’t be vague with anything. Instead, if you have an agenda and things you want them to use, draw a list of instructions, offer sample content, and stock photographs or videos for the influencer. It will reduce the chance of any misunderstanding.
- Plan Long-term Collaboration
After the influencer has decided to collaborate with you, develop a strategy that focuses on a long-term relationship. Such a strategy will better benefits and improve the ROI compared to the one where you engage with a short-term plan.
- Don’t Push
Last but not least, it’s time to stop after you have narrowed down the influencer you want to work with and have sent them an email or DM-ed them but didn’t receive any reply. Don’t keep bombarding them with the request. It not only shows you are desperate but will also have a negative impact.
These are eight simple tips on creating an effective influencer collaboration pitch. But if you do not know where and how to start finding the right influencer for your brand, then search Afluencer. It is the best platform to find every level of influencer for every industry and company.
