Do you want to forgo the years of relationship-building it takes to have a thriving IG following? Having an active social channel is a full-time job, and wanting some help is reasonable. Try the influencer outreach method. If you want more information on what this is, keep reading!
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What Is Influencer Outreach?: Let’s Discuss
Let’s remember the reason that we’re here. What is influencer outreach? At first glance, it may sound like charity work. Oh no, it’s all about business. It’s the concept of reaching out to influencers strategically for brand partnerships. A brand usually has something to promote. The influencer ideally has the creativity and customer relationships to promote it.
The influencer market has gotten way more complicated as time progresses. We have to apply a science to reaching your ideal influencer. It’s not enough that someone has a high follower count. Brands have to align with influencers who can produce content and can follow up with the comments/questions they receive.
Many influencers have clout in their particular market. This means that brands looking for promotion can be selective. The influencer is looking to make money and must be particularly good. It’s not enough to have a huge following. This is why the concept of outreach is important to understand.
How Influencer Marketing Benefits Your Brand
This article discusses how to reach influencers. You might still be wondering why you need to reach these influencers in the first place. If you’re unsure about influencer marketing, we will show you why you should consider it.
Influencer marketing involves using an influencer campaign to promote a particular product. It could be a promotion of an Instagram page or something the brand owner wants to sell. It is a very popular means of modern advertisement. Many brands have hopped on to this trend because they see the results. Your brand could benefit from it as well. We will show you how.
They Have Access to Your Target Audience
If you choose correctly, these influencers will have direct access to the target market you are trying to reach. You know the description of the customer you are aiming to contact. You know them by age, race, location, and gender. A specific image comes into your mind. Well, some key influencers already have the trust of that particular demographic.
Now, you could reach that demographic yourself. You can invest in costly ad campaigns and hope they take a chance on you. Or, you could leverage the following an influencer has already amassed in their career. You could use them, essentially, as a link to the audience you are trying to reach.
They already have a close relationship with these followers. The followers you want already like their photos and share their content. Members of their community trust these influencers. They are likely to trust a brand that an influencer recommends to them. Influencer marketing campaigns let brands use influencers as middlemen.
This is why choosing the right influencer is so crucial. You must get one with a good reputation and your target audience. A high following is not enough. You’ll need one that actively engages with their following, resulting in a high engagement rate.
You Can Decide Your Budget
You don’t have to shout the big bugs to use an influencer. These content creators come with platforms of varying sizes. They also accept payments in different ways. Since there is typically a good return on investment (ROI), any money you spend will likely be worth it anyway.
Unlike commercial ads, you can ensure you are not casting a wide net to reach your target audience. Your influencer of choice will already have a concentrated group of people at their fingertips. Any reach that they gain will not go to waste.
What To Consider When Looking for an Influencer
There are so many influences online. They come in different shapes and sizes, and you will be awash with options. This doesn’t mean you have to pick one at random. You can approach your influencer search with some guidelines in mind. We will start you off with some considerations to keep in mind as you reach influencers.
1. Their Engagement Rate
That huge follower count at the top of an IG page shouldn’t impress you when looking for an influencer partnership. That figure alone is very misleading. You already know that it’s possible to buy followers on Instagram. You probably considered that before you decided on this one. So, since you’re a little wiser, I’ll tell you what number you should care about instead.
The engagement rate is the number you must always keep in mind. This shows how much activity takes place on a page regularly. It shows how well an influencer can maintain the following they have. It also shows how invested followers are in the content they create.
It’s harder to have a good engagement rate when you have a lot of followers. How do you maintain proper communication with constant comments and direct messages? It could be easier to keep buying a German rate with a smaller following. This is something you should keep in mind.
You could ask to see an influencer’s Instagram insights. Or, you could use an online tool to check an influencer’s engagement rate.
2. Their Brand Identity
Consider what you want to promote. Is the product or brand something that attracts a more conservative audience? You should ensure your influencer doesn’t have a reputation for leaning on the raunchy side. This way, you avoid having a clash of brand identities.
In times of polarising political discourse, you don’t want your influencer to jeopardize your reputation. Influencers are human beings, too. They are very susceptible to cancel culture. You don’t want your brand to catch any strays.
3. Their Previous Work
You must ensure the influencer is up for the task. Influencers who lean mainly toward photos could limit the reach that their posts gain. If you want an influencer who is good at making reels, you should stipulate that in your discussions.
Of course, you also want to see that they generally produce quality content. This makes their posts and reels more attractive to the eye. It will only benefit your brand.
Influencer Outreach Email Template Ideas You Could Use
When it’s time to reach influencers, you have to be very professional. There are so many potential scams online these days. These scams are in our emails and regularly make their way to our direct messages. We are all tired of them, and so are Instagram influencers.
Because influencers are on guard for potential scams, you must ensure that what you send looks legit. One typographical error can give the impression that the email is coming from a foreign scammer. You could re-read your email 100 times. Then, you could give it to someone else to eat for 100 times. Or, you could use an influencer outreach email template. We’ll provide a few.
We would never tell you to follow a template slavishly. All brands have their unique voice; you must maintain that in all correspondence. It’s especially important to set the tone in the very first message that you send an influencer. You should edit the language as it suits you.
1. The Free Gift Message
Calling an IG user by their handle is necessary. You need to make sure it’s not obviously a mass message. Here is a quick message you can alter to your liking:
“Hi [Influencer’s IG Handle],
We hope you’re doing well today! This is [YOUR FIRST NAME], the Brand Manager at [YOUR BRAND NAME]. We’ve looked through your profile and think you’re a great fit to promote our [PRODUCT NAME HERE]. Your aesthetic and content creation style is perfect!
Can we gift you our [PRODUCT NAME HERE]? Just let us know your address [and PREFERRED COLOR AND SIZE, if applicable]. We’ll get it to you immediately! You don’t have to worry about giving us anything in return!
Have a great day!
[YOUR FIRST NAME]”
And with this message, you make it very clear that it is a gift and expect nothing in return. However, maybe you do want something in return. Brands always do this, hoping influencers post their products anyway. Maybe tag the brand in the post or casually use it in an unrelated video. This is risky and not for everyone.
If you are a small business, sending a gift could be a huge financial undertaking. Keep reading if you’re interested in a reciprocal arrangement with an influencer.
2. The Brand Sponsorship Message
Referring to posts made on social media is a great extra touch. It helps to erase doubt that you are a legitimate brand. Spam messages don’t get into specifics like that. It shows that you actively praise the page and are not a robot. Here’s an example of the execution:
“Hi [Influencer’s IG Handle]!
We hope you’re doing well today! I’m [YOUR FIRST NAME], the Brand Manager at [YOUR BRAND NAME]. Our team has been looking through your Instagram profile; we are big fans! We especially love [REFER TO A SPECIFIC POST] and think there is potential for a great partnership.
We think you’re a great fit to promote our [PRODUCT NAME HERE]. Your aesthetic and content creation style is perfect! Are you open to talking about a partnership? If you’re interested in this, just reply to this message!
We look forward to hearing from you!
[YOUR FIRST NAME]”
Try One of the Influencer Outreach Tools Online
You may not have the time to send cold messages to multiple influencers. You may have to wait a while for them to respond if they decide to respond. You may even have to go through rigorous negotiations, all for them to fall through at the end.
One of the best influencer outreach tools you can find is an influencer marketing platform.
These platforms help you find the influencers that best suit your brand. Here are a few:
- Upfluence
- Grin
- Creator.co
You Can Always Reach Out to Us
While searching for methods to increase your following, don’t forget that they’re growth tools online. In addition to aligning with an influencer using Instagram outreach, partner with Plixi. We have a longstanding reputation in our field and regularly satisfy customers.
We know what we’re doing, and it shows. We also have the tools to make it happen. This is in the form of an in-house platform of Instagram influencers.
We also have a propriety AI targeting algorithm. Your growth goals are within reach! Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.
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