Considering that 69% of consumers trust influencer recommendations, reaching out to influencers can be a game-changer for your brand. However, doing it effectively requires a thoughtful approach.
Whether your goal is to boost brand awareness, drive sales, or create engaging content, partnering with the right influencers can help achieve your marketing objectives.
So, how to reach out to influencers? Establishing a partnership is not as simple as sliding into their DMs with a proposal; It requires a strategic approach that ensures you benefit both parties.
Let’s dive into 8 proven methods to ensure that your influencer outreach strategy is successful:
Influencer outreach campaigns take time. Before starting to make a list of the influencers you want to work with, researching and setting a solid foundation is key to ensuring the success of your outreach efforts.
One of the reasons is that not all influencers will bring the same results. You might think that the bigger the influencer, the more sales they’ll bring. However, in some cases, this is not entirely true.
Due to their specific audience, micro-influencers can often be a great option for promoting a niche product. Macro-influencers, on the other hand, can be a great ally for increasing brand awareness, given their massive audiences.
When you have your goals in mind, it’s easier to know who to target.
In other words, identify who you want to work with. Based on your campaign goals, it’s easier to set specific criteria to see what influencers make sense for your campaign.
For example, if you have a vegan make up brand, your criteria could be:
Example: An influencer who regularly posts about vegan lifestyle choices and cruelty-free beauty products.
Example: An influencer with 10,000 followers but an average of 500 likes and 50 comments per post is more valuable than one with 50,000 followers and minimal engagement.
Example: An influencer whose followers are primarily women aged 18-34 who are interested in vegan beauty and sustainable living.
Example: An influencer who creates professional-looking videos and photos that align with the clean, modern look of your vegan makeup brand.
Example: An influencer who actively advocates for animal rights and ethical consumerism, consistently sharing content that reflects these values.
Overall, you want to collaborate with influencers who share your brand's values. This alignment makes it easier to connect authentically and organically with your target audience.
In this case, working with a beauty influencer who occasionally shares vegan makeup products is different from partnering with a vegan influencer who has a dedicated, tight-knit community and regularly shares her latest vegan beauty discoveries. The vegan influencer's recommendations will likely resonate more deeply and drive more meaningful engagement.
Find influencers the right way:
There are two ways to go:
1) Manual Search
With a spreadsheet, you can start researching in different platforms for influencers that match your campaign.
Following the previous example, you can look for specific keywords like “vegan influencer,” “vegan makeup review,” “vegan beauty,” etc. Based on that and your criteria, you can define the type of influencer that makes sense and add it to your list.
2) Using AI
71% of marketers believe that using AI is the best way to find influencers for their brand. With platforms like Influencer Hero, through its Influencer Finder feature, you can easily find the right influencers using detailed filters that include location, audience demographics, lookalikes, engagement rate and much more.
You can select the criteria that matter most to you, and within seconds, you can browse through thousands of influencers who might be ideal for your campaign.
This way, you can easily start managing your outreach campaign by sending personalized bulk emails to many influencers, increasing your chances of establishing the right partnership.
Pro tip: Make sure to thoroughly evaluate an influencer’s followers and engagement rate to ensure their account isn't inflated with fake followers. Authentic engagement is key to a successful partnership.
Once you have defined the type of influencers you’re looking to work with, it’s time to introduce them to your brand.
Before pitching directly, it's useful to establish a relationship with them by following and engaging with their content. Interact through likes and thoughtful comments, especially on posts that align with your brand's values and aesthetics.
This strategy works best when targeting a select few influencers you're keen on partnering with. However, if you're aiming to collaborate with many influencers, it can be too time-consuming.
Pro tip: Check your brand’s social media following list. Some influencers might already be following you, indicating a potential interest in partnering with your brand.
While you can reach out to influencers through DM, your message will likely get lost in the sea of their inbox. Macro influencers, in particular, receive thousands of DMs per day, making it challenging for your message to stand out.
Emails, on the other hand, offer a more professional and scalable approach. Furthemore, using AI email writers can further enhance your outreach by crafting personalized and engaging messages efficiently. Here are some of the main benefits of conducting an email outreach:
Is reaching out to micro and macro influencers the same? No. Given their different volumes of followers, the outreach approach can vary significantly.
Micro influencers typically have a highly engaged and niche audience, so outreach methods often involve crafting personalized messages that acknowledge their specific content and community. Offering products, experiences, or smaller monetary compensations can be more appealing to them.
Macro influencers, on the other hand, have a broader reach but may engage with a less targeted audience. Your outreach methods should include a clear value proposition that highlights the benefits of the collaboration, often involving substantial monetary compensation. Additionally, due to their volume of work, macro influencers prefer streamlined processes with clear, actionable steps and deadlines.
Sometimes, finding Instagram influencers is not the problem, but knowing how to reach out to them is. While email is usually the preferred method of communication, for influencers with smaller followings, you can use Instagram’s features like DMs and story replies for initial contact.
The key is to avoid sending generic outreach messages. For this, you can reference specific posts and explain why you believe they are a great fit for your campaign. Clearly outline the benefits of the collaboration, whether it’s monetary compensation, free products, or exclusive experiences.
One of the most important aspects of learning how to reach out to influencers is personalization. Research shows that personalization boosts response rate by 32.7%.
You want to show in your influencer pitch deck that you’re deeply interested in collaborating with that influencer and why. Additionally, in this first interaction, it’s best to write a clear and straightforward message of what you’re looking for. Nothing frustrates influencers more than receiving proposals that don’t really say anything about the partnership.
A well-structured outreach email has seven key components:
So, what does this actually look like? Here’s an influencer outreach template:
SUBJECT: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} – ENTER YOUR BRAND NAME Partnership
Hi {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }},
{{personalized_sentence}}
My name is ENTER YOUR NAME and I’m from ENTER YOUR COMPANY NAME. We are ADD ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION ABOUT YOUR BRAND.
We are looking for potential partnerships and we love the content on your account {{influencer_handle}}!`
It would be awesome if you could test our ENTER YOUR PRODUCT.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR USP AND YOUR PRODUCT IN ONE SENTENCE.
I’m happy to send you one ENTER YOUR PRODUCT for you to test. We also offer a 20% commission or a discount code to give out to your followers. Please get back to me if you are interested in this opportunity.
Can I send you one of the ENTER YOUR PRODUCT
Thanks!
Best,
ENTER YOUR NAME
Customizing emails when you’re working with hundreds of influencers is time-consuming. However, with tools like Influencer Hero, you can create drip campaigns with automated follow-ups, ensuring each email is personalized to maximize your reply rates. Our AI looks at the 3 last posts on social media to generate a personalized message.
When you start your influencer outreach campaigns, don’t be afraid to talk about compensation. In order to consider your proposal, influencers want to know what’s in it for them.
Here’s where you need to be clear about what you’re offering (ex: a product) and what you expect from them (ex: an Instagram story post).
It’s common for influencers to request a flat fee or a paid partnership. However, we recommend - even if you are interested in a paid partnership - to ask for a “test” post first. The main reason is that sometimes influencers don’t bring the results you expect (even those with millions of followers).
As you don’t have any data to base your negotiation on, you can’t know for sure how the influencer will perform. But with a test post you can identify high performers and then establish a long-term partnership that includes paid collaborations.
Keep in mind that a test post doesn’t mean you’re asking for free work. You can offer them benefits like free products and/or affiliate commission.
Check out our negotiation email templates that will help you build successful brand collaborations.
Influencer marketing is about getting creative. If you’re starting out to manage influencer campaigns, you’ll soon identify one of your main challenges: Agencies and managers.
Often, they’ll directly decline your proposal without possibility of negotiation when you don’t accept their fees.
In this case, it’s where you need to think of other alternatives, especially when you’re looking forward to collaborating with a specific influencer.
Strategies to Consider (h3)
Example: How a Postcard Resulted in $64K Influencer Marketing Sales (Case Study) (h3)
At Influencer Hero, we managed a brand in the home and lifestyle sector that wanted to collaborate with influencers to increase its ROI and brand awareness.
We offered them a product plus a discount code and affiliate commission in return for an Instagram story. Through this, we were able to identify one high performer that, within one story, generated $5-6K in sales.
We saw this as a potential long-term collaboration, but when we wanted to continue the negotiation, she had hired a management team that wouldn’t let us contact the influencer directly.
The solution? We opted to send her a simple, personalized handwritten postcard explaining our wishes to continue collaborating with her. Without any message from her, the influencer decided to share our offer with her audience, showing the postcard and sharing how she valued brands that go the extra distance. She posted in total 3 times which led to total sales of $64K.
Recognizing and nurturing high-performing influencers is crucial for long-term success in influencer marketing. Once you identify influencers who have worked exceptionally well, demonstrated professionalism and driven impressive sales, it’s key to continue building a strong relationship with them.
Here are some ways you can do this:
Show your gratitude for their hard work and dedication by sending them thank-you notes, gifts, or personalized messages.
Collaborate with high-performing influencers on exclusive giveaways. These events not only increase engagement and brand visibility but also strengthen the influencer’s connection with your brand and their audience.
Consider turning successful influencers into brand ambassadors. This long-term partnership can include exclusive deals, early access to new products, and a deeper involvement in your brand’s campaigns.
Invest in paid partnerships with influencers who consistently deliver results. Compensating them fairly for their efforts ensures a professional relationship and motivates them to continue producing high-quality content for your brand.
Collaborate on content creation, allowing influencers to bring their creativity and unique perspective to your campaigns. This approach not only diversifies your content but also makes influencers feel more invested in your brand’s success.
The key to reaching out to influencers is having a strategic and well-thought-out approach. By implementing methods like personalized outreach and using specialized influencer marketing software, you can enhance your chances of forming successful collaborations.
By maintaining a focus on mutual values and continuing to engage with influencers who demonstrate professionalism and drive results, you can cultivate a network of advocates who genuinely support your brand’s mission and goals.
When writing an email to an influencer, start with a personalized subject line that captures their attention. Introduce yourself and your brand, mention what you admire about their content, and clearly state your proposal, including the benefits for the influencer. Keep the email concise and professional, and make sure to include a call to action, such as scheduling a meeting to discuss further.
Begin by expressing genuine appreciation for their work. Mention specific posts or content you liked and explain why you think they would be a great fit for your brand. Clearly outline what you are proposing (e.g., a sponsored post, product review), the compensation, and any other relevant details. Ensure your message is enthusiastic, clear, and respectful of their time.
The best way to contact influencers is through email, as it is more professional and allows for detailed communication. You can find their email address in their social media bios or websites. Avoid direct messages on social platforms unless explicitly stated by the influencer that they prefer this method. Building a relationship by engaging with their content before reaching out can also increase your chances of a positive response.
To increase the likelihood of a response, personalize your outreach by mentioning specific reasons why you want to work with them and how it aligns with their content. Ensure your email is clear, concise, and outlines the benefits for the influencer. Following up if you don't receive a response initially can also be effective. Providing a clear call to action and making it easy for them to reply can further encourage a response.
If an influencer does not respond to your initial outreach, send a polite follow-up email after a few days. In the follow-up, reiterate your proposal and express continued interest in working with them. Mention any deadlines or time-sensitive aspects of your campaign, and offer to answer any questions they may have. If email follow-ups are unsuccessful, consider reaching out via social media platforms like Twitter to catch their attention.
Schedule a Demo with one of our media experts below.
.png)
.png)
