How to Communicate with Influencers

Last Updated: May 14, 2021 References

So much of marketing is now done through social media, so it makes sense why you might want to partner with an influencer to promote your brand. Influencers are busy, in-demand people who have excelled at gathering a large following on various internet platforms. Get their attention by doing your research about their personal brand and history and tailoring your pitch to show how a partnership would benefit them and their audience.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making a Plan

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Study their social media accounts to learn more about their interests. If they have a YouTube channel, spend a few hours watching their videos. Check out their Instagram and Twitter accounts and look at what they’re posting about. Ask yourself the following questions while browsing their content:^{[1]
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- What values are they promoting?
- What is their aesthetic?
- What brands do they work with or have they worked with previously?
- How could their followers benefit from your product or brand?
2
Make sure the influencer and your brand will be a good fit. Going after the biggest influencer simply because they have the biggest audience isn’t always the best fit for you and your brand. Make sure that the influencer’s values align with your product. Check out their audience engagement to see if they match your target audience, too.^{[2]
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- For example, if your brand is all about body positivity and sells T-shirts, pins, stickers, and other items that promote having a healthy body image, you want to partner with an influencer who cares about that same issue.
Consider working with an influencer marketing agency. Some of the big-time influencers have agents that book their content for them. An influencer marketing agency can connect your brand with the most relevant influencers in your market area.^{[3]
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Decide what kind of compensation you are willing to offer. Communicate your expectations clearly.^{[4]
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Christina Bachelor
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} Some influencers expect to be paid a fee while others are happy to partner with you in exchange for free products or publicity. If you’re going to offer money, have a set figure in mind. If you don’t want to pay money, have a list of other kinds of compensation you can offer.^{[5]
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- Free gifts, products, publicity, access to VIP events, and other non-monetary items are often great incentives that influencers will be excited about.
- Look for nano-influencers (people who have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers) if you are more interested in offering free products rather than paying a fee.
- Many influencers who get money per post are paid for the engagement that post gets. For example, you may offer to pay $0.25 per like on a post that promotes your brand. If the post gets 1,000 likes, you would pay $250.
4
Create a personalized pitch for each influencer you reach out to. Specificity is key when approaching an influencer. You want to show them that you’re familiar with their content and that you’ve put some thought into your pitch. Here are some things to think about including in your first message:^{[6]
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- Use the person’s name and not just their social media handle or nickname.
- Pick out a few things from their channel or account that you like so you can reference them.
- Know how you will make the connection between your brand and their platform rather than generically saying you’d love to work with them.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Crafting Your First Message

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Send a direct message (DM) to the influencer to get into their inbox ASAP. Many influencers use their messaging inboxes on social media platforms to connect with brands rather than emails. Use the information you’ve gathered to create a personal, concise message.^{[7]
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- Use their preferred method of contact if something specific is mentioned in their bio or social media description.
- For example, you may say something like, “Hi Allen, I’ve been a fan of yours for the past few years and love the work you did recently with the voter registration initiative. I work with a brand that is launching a new eco-friendly water bottle in the fall, and I think your followers would be interested in them. We’d love to send you a free sample and talk more about working together.”
Keep it Professional: Even though you’re working in the world of online content and marketing, you’re still representing a professional business and brand. Avoid overly-familiar greetings, use proper punctuation and capitalization, and proofread your message before sending it.^{[8]
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Open with a kind greeting and reasons you like their online presence. Remember to be specific. Show that you took the time to familiarize yourself with their online presence. You may want to mention if you’ve been a follower for a while, how you discovered them, or something you learned from them.^{[9]
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- For example, in your initial message you could say something like, “I finally learned how to fill in my eyebrows from your YouTube tutorials!”
3
Tell them how your brand will positively work with their particular fan base. Influencers are popular and, well, influential, because of their followers. When influencers create new content, they focus on connecting with their audience, so you'll want to build a partnership with their brand that can be mutually beneficial.^{[10]
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Christina Bachelor
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} If your brand isn’t a good fit, they aren’t going to want to risk boring or alienating their audience by partnering with you.^{[11]
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- You could say something like, “I think your audience would love our product because we are focused on all-natural, sustainable growth, which I know is a big thing you’ve promoted over the past year. I loved the campaign you did with Green Earth!”
4
Be direct and honest about what your brand is and what you can offer. Don’t stretch the truth about your brand because you think it’ll make it more appealing to a specific influencer.^{[12]
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Christina Bachelor
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} Similarly, don’t promise something in regards to compensation if it isn’t in your power to follow through. Influencers have a lot of people asking for their time, and they value honesty.^{[13]
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- You don’t have to offer the compensation information in your first message, but be prepared with what you’ll say if the conversation heads in that direction.
5
Mail a sample if you think it would help them make a decision. This may not work for all brands, but if you have a product that you feel an influencer will truly love, send it to them with a handwritten note. Send them a DM, too, letting them know the sample is on its way.^{[14]
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- Sometimes this works to forge the beginning of a new partnership. An influencer may take a photo with your product or post about it in a video or Instagram story.
- Make sure to follow up with them after a week to see what they thought of your product.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Cultivating a Beneficial Relationship

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Be respectful of their time. Once you’ve gotten a positive response from an influencer, promptly respond to their messages, get them the information they need, and follow through with what you’ve promised.^{[15]
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- For example, if you’ve agreed to get them a content schedule or a contract proposal, send it over within 1-3 days.
2
Ask for their input about how to promote your brand. While in conversation with them, appeal to their wealth of experience. They got to where they are by knowing how to gain a following. They may have great ideas for contests, themes, hashtags, or other creative marketing plans.^{[16]
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- For example, tell them what your plan is first, and then say something like, “You’ve had a lot of success doing things like this. Do you have any thoughts about our plan or ideas for what your followers might like better?”
3
Promote the influencer on your social media platforms. Retweet them, share their posts, link their videos, and find ways to highlight that you have a positive relationship with them. This shows that you value them and aren’t just using them as a business tool.^{[17]
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- Promote content that directly references your brand, of course, but take a few minutes to share other things they’ve posted that you find interesting.
- Even after your partnership has ended, continuing to follow these influencers and support them through sharing is a great way to foster good long-term relationships.
4
Invite your influencers to events, product launches, and retreats. If someone is doing a campaign where they promote your brand, make sure to invite them to the company retreat or party! Even if they can’t attend, it’s a good gesture that shows you view them as an essential part of your team.^{[18]
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- If you can, offer to pay for their transportation to and from the event, especially if they live in a different state or country.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I make a good impression?

Maureen Taylor
Communications Coach
Maureen Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SNP Communications, a leadership communications company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been helping leaders, founders, and innovators in all sectors hone their messaging and delivery for almost 30 years, and has worked with leaders and teams at Google, Facebook, Airbnb, SAP, Salesforce, and Spotify.

Maureen Taylor

Communications Coach

Expert Answer

Let people know that you are approachable. You might invite them to reach out if they have any questions, or see if they'd like to talk more. This can get your conversation going in the right direction.