How to Get Influencers to Promote Your Product: 6 Easy Steps
Did you know that product launch promotion is one of the main reasons marketers work with influencers?
It’s not surprising, is it?
Getting influencers to promote your product offers a lot of benefits. These include:
- Access to a targeted audience
- Improve brand awareness
- Get qualified leads
- Boost conversions and ROI
The best part is that influencers can promote your product in a way that doesn’t come across as pushy. They are expert content creators, so they know how to weave a story around your brand.
Here is an example of how wellness influencer, Niomi Smart, plugs in a brand mention for a fitness brand, Myprotein while discussing her love for yoga:
Image via Instagram
Pretty subtle, right?
If you want to grow your brand, you should leverage influencer promotion too. Before you get started, make sure you know what you need to do.
In this post, we’ll cover all that you need to know to get influencers to promote your products. Here is what you’ll learn:
- How to conduct influencer background checks
- How to get influencers to notice your brand
- How to contact shortlisted influencers
- How to negotiate with influencers
Let’s get started.
How to Get Influencers to Promote Your Products
A lot of work goes into creating a successful influencer marketing campaign.
First, you need to shortlist influencers and conduct a thorough background check. Next, you need to reach out to them to discuss campaign requirements.
There is a lot to take care of from shortlisting relevant influencers to doing a thorough background check and finalizing campaign terms.
If you aren’t well prepared, it can all seem overwhelming.
To help you get started, we’ll discuss all the steps in a detailed manner. Here is a quick guide on how you can get influencers to promote your products:
Step 1: Do Your Research Thoroughly
The first step to creating a successful influencer campaign is to find influencers in your niche.
It’s easy to get swayed by a big follower count on influencer profiles. However, many social media influencers are notorious for inflating their count with fake followers.
While shortlisting influencers, look beyond just the numbers.
While the total number of social media followers matters, other factors take precedence to create successful campaigns.
According to a survey, quality of content, target audience, and engagement rate are the top three determining factors.
Even aesthetic, budget, and location are important factors to consider when choosing influencers for your campaign.
Image via Mediakix
For influencer evaluation, you’ll need to invest a lot of time in online research. Pay attention to the number of likes and comments on influencer posts.
But that shouldn’t be the only thing you look at.
Try to gauge an influencer’s values and overall aesthetic from their social media profiles. Ideally, you should collaborate with someone whose style and beliefs align with your brand.
If you tick these checkboxes, it’s likely that they also cater to the same target audience as your brand.
As a result, their posts are likely to resonate with your audience.
That’s not all.
You should also check if an influencer has their website. If they do, make sure you look up the amount of traffic that they get.
These metrics can give you an idea about their level of influence.
Finding multiple influencer profiles and then comparing their metrics can seem like a tedious task. To make the process easier, you can reach out to Americanoize with your requirements.
We have a large database of influencers across different niches and social media platforms. We can help you connect with the most relevant influencers for your brand.
Step 2: Engage With Shortlisted Influencers
Don’t be in a hurry to shoot an email to every influencer you’ve shortlisted.
Before you reach out to influencers to promote your products, make sure that they know about your brand. You need to familiarize them with your brand.
But how do you do that?
It’s all about getting their attention and building a relationship with them.
To get on their radar, start small. Like their social media posts and comment on them. However, don’t leave generic comments like, “Wow” or “Awesome.” Such comments can come across as insincere.
Instead, just let them know that you appreciate their work. Praising their work can be a great way to break the ice.
Take inspiration from Seattle-based company Chef’n Corporation. They left a comment on food influencer Ida Frosk’s profile appreciating her work.
Image via Instagram
You could also share their posts on your social media channels and tag them. To dial it up a notch, you could engage with them on multiple social media platforms.
All of these activities will get them to notice you.
However, don’t make the mistake of discussing a potential collaboration publicly. Your brand can come across as unprofessional.
Step 3: Understand What Your Chosen Influencer Values
When it comes to influencer marketing, not all influencers are solely motivated by money.
Before you reach out to an influencer, make sure you understand what motivates your chosen influencer. Based on that, you can create a customized outreach plan that appeals to them.
Here are some common motivations for influencers:
Most social media influencers will be motivated by multiple factors. It’s your job to figure out what motivates the influencer you’re interested in collaborating with.
Wondering how to go about it?
To understand what motivates an influencer, you should check out their social media content closely. Their profile can hold subtle clues about what they value. To get more clarity, here are some questions you can ask yourself:
- Does their feed seem aspirational?
- Are they passionate about a social cause?
- Do other brands give them products as gifts?
- Do they attend exclusive events?
While money is important, some influencers may be open to barters or special arrangements.
Even if you don’t have a big budget, you can provide them with other perks that they are likely to find attractive.
In fact, you can even create a special campaign around what they value.
For example, Toms designed a special social media campaign for Instagram influencer, Blair Imani.
She is a strong advocate of LGBTQ rights. In multiple interviews, she has mentioned that she would only collaborate with a brand that cared for the LGBTQ community.
This makes it clear that for Blair the social cause is very important.
For their collaboration, Toms made sure that their LGBTQ staff members were a part of the planning and marketing.
In addition to this, they pledged to donate a certain percentage of their sales to bettering the lives of the LGBTQ community.
Image via Instagram
Step 4: Decide on Campaign Compensation
Before you reach out to social media influencers for a collaboration, you need to have clarity on what compensation you are willing to offer.
Influencers put a lot of time and effort into building their personal brand and promoting other brands. That’s why they expect partner brands to appreciate their efforts and compensate them in a fair way.
As a brand, it’s up to you to decide what seems fair to you. You don’t want to undervalue an influencer’s efforts.
At the same time, you also don’t want to stretch your purse strings beyond your comfort.
The problem is, coming up with the right price is tricky. There are multiple factors that you need to consider while deciding on the compensation.
Here is a quick overview of everything you need to keep in mind:
Let’s take a look at how each of these factors are important for your campaign proposal.
1) Campaign Requirements
The overall budget of your influencer marketing campaign will directly depend on your overall requirements. Before you fix a price, make a list of the deliverables that you want.
The kind of effort that influencers need to put for each deliverable will differ. Keep that in mind while deciding on a fair compensation.
For example, influencers need to work harder to produce a long-form video than a photo. So, be ready to shell out more if you want them to produce longer videos.
Similarly, if you want multiple backlinks from blog posts, you’ll need to increase your campaign budget.
2) Content Format
Another important factor that you will have to keep in mind is the content format and the social media platform you’ve chosen.
YouTube and Twitch make it possible for you to create long-form videos. On the other hand, Instagram is great at creating Stories, live videos, and sponsored posts.
3) Industry
If your brand is in the travel or fashion niche, expect to pay more than you would in the art space. That’s because you’re likely to be selling experiences or luxury goods — both of which come with a premium price tag!
Rates can vary widely among different industries. Invest time in research to make sure you know what is the accepted norm in your industry.
4) Follower Count
When you are deciding on the total compensation for sponsored posts, an influencer’s following will carry a lot of weight.
As a general rule, the rate for a sponsored post is equal to one percent of an influencer’s follower count. For every 10K followers that you add, expect your budget to shoot up by $100 per post.
5) Engagement Rate
A high engagement rate means you are going to get more likes, comments, and shares on sponsored posts. This can be an indicator of the fact that you are likely to get more high-quality leads. As a result, you can expect your sales to shoot up as well.
6) Exclusivity
While working on your influencer marketing campaign, do you want influencers to only work with you? If exclusivity is what you’re after, you need to make sure you are compensating influencers for it.
When you restrict influencers from working with other brands, they are likely to lose out on another source of income. So, they are likely to demand a higher fee.
If you don’t have a big budget, refrain from adding an exclusivity clause.
7) Influencer Rate Card
For influencer negotiations, rate cards can act as a great yardstick. It can give you a ballpark figure to go ahead with.
If your budget is on the lower side, you can add in some freebies or give access to special events.
Step 5: Contact Shortlisted Influencers
At this step, you’ve got everything in place.
You’ve engaged with chosen influencers and even decided on the campaign compensation. The next step in your overall influencer outreach strategy is to contact them.
There are two ways to contact them: DM and emails.
Direct Message
Leave a short message into an influencer’s DM to tell them about your brand. You don’t need to give out all the details. All you need to do is to communicate that you are interested in a collaboration.
Not sure what to begin?
Here is a sample message that you can use as a reference:
“Hi [Name of Influencer],
[Name of your brand] loves your content! Our company specializes in [Write your niche]. We’d love to work with you.
What do you think?”
To discuss specific details about the collaboration, you should move the conversation over to the email.
But how should you write emails that get responses?
Let’s discuss.
When reaching out to influencers, make sure you personalize your emails.
A generic message does not make you come across as professional. If you add a personal touch, it shows that you truly care about collaborating with them.
Of course, it’ll take a while to craft a more personalized message. But it will show the influencer that your interest in them is genuine.
While writing the email, make sure your tone is polite. Don’t beat around the bush, just get straight to the point.
Firstly, you want them to know immediately what you have to offer. So, make sure your subject line highlights what is in it for the influencer.
Mention how they can benefit from the collaboration.
In the content, discuss your expectations. Make it clear what type of content you want and what you’d like to achieve.
Still not sure what to write?
Check out the template below:
Email Template
Hi [Name],
I am [Enter name] from [Enter company name].
I came across your post on [Enter post topic] and I loved [Describe what you like about the mentioned post].
We have multiple products in the niches of [Enter niches] that might interest your target audience. I wanted to check if you’d be willing to work with us for a promotional campaign.
We’d like you to collaborate with you for [Enter content format].
I’d love to send you a sample of our products to get you started.
If this offer interests you and you’d like to discuss more details, please respond to this email. We could also schedule a phone call later this week if you’d like.
Best,
[Enter your name]
Let’s be honest:
You may not always receive a response from an influencer right away.
They receive tons of emails in their inbox. So, it’s possible that they may not even have checked your email.
To make sure you get their attention, you should send a follow-up message. Typically, wait for 2-3 days after sending the first email.
If you don’t receive a response, then write another email gently reminding them about your offer.
Wondering how to word your follow-up email?
Check out the template below.
Email Templates For Follow-ups
Hey [Name of Influencer],
I am [Enter your name], [Enter your designation] at [Enter name of your company].
I know you’ve got a very busy schedule and receive multiple requests. I just want to make sure you haven’t overlooked my last email that mentioned a potential collaboration.
I believe that this opportunity is mutually beneficial.
If you’d like to know more, please respond to this email. We could also jump on a call to discuss the possibilities.
Looking forward to your response.
Thank you!
[Enter your name]
Step 6: Negotiate the Terms of Contract
Once an influencer shows interest and is willing to work with you, it’s time to negotiate terms of contract. For the final proposal, you need to ensure that you are laying down all the expectations clearly.
This way, there is no scope of a misunderstanding at a later stage. In the final proposal, here are some of the details that you should mention clearly:
- Campaign deliverables
- Campaign duration
- Terms of exclusivity (if applicable)
- Compensation
- Perks (if any)
- Contingency plan
- Terms of cancellation of contract
- FTC guidelines
While the rest of the requirements are self-explanatory, the last one is a bit more complex. Let’s discuss that in detail.
Your campaign may not always go as you had planned. That’s why you need to prepare for a solid contingency plan.
To cover your bases, here are a few tips for you:
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA): This type of an agreement ensures that you can protect brand-related information. Adding a NDA ensures that influencers can’t reveal any of your trade secrets or information related to their payment and perks.
- Conflict Resolution: Define how you plan to handle any potential conflicts that may arise. Lay out a framework clearly so influencers know how to go about conflict resolution.
While it is important to lay down all the ground rules openly, you should also leave some wiggle room.
When you are negotiating with an influencer, they may want some terms to be tweaked to match their requirements.
Be flexible in your approach because the point of a negotiation is that you want to close the deal at the end. For that, you will need to accommodate demands of an influencer that seem reasonable.
If there are any terms that are non-negotiable, you should state those clearly as well. Make it clear for the influencer what is flexible and what isn’t.
FAQs
1. How do you ask an influencer to promote your product?
Here are the steps you need to follow to ask an influencer to promote your brand:
Engage with them on social media: Show appreciation for an influencer’s content by liking their posts and commenting on them.
Send them a DM:Tell them you’d like to work with them via a quick DM.
Send them an email: Send a personalized email stating how you’d like to collaborate with them.
2. How do you get influencers on Instagram to promote your product?
You can get influencers on Instagram to promote your product in the following ways:
- Send them free product samples
- Collaborate with them for sponsored posts
- Work on affiliate marketing campaigns
3. How much does it cost to get an influencer to promote your product?
The total cost to get an influencer to promote your product will vary based on several factors, including:
- Campaign requirements
- Content format
- Social media platform
- Industry
- Follower count
- Engagement rate
- Exclusivity terms
- Influencer rate card
4. In what ways can an influencer promote your product on social media?
Here are some ways in which influencers can promote your products on social media:
- Social media giveaways
- Sponsored posts
- Reels
- Stories
- IGTV
- Long-form videos
5. Which is the best way to get an influencer to promote your product on social media for free?
To get influencers to promote your products for free on social media, you should send them free samples. Alternatively, you could also give them access to exclusive events.
Summing It Up
Crafting a successful influencer marketing campaign takes a lot of planning and effort. The first step is to find relevant influencers in your niche.
Before you reach out to an influencer, you should also engage with them on social media. This will help them get a sense of your brand.
The next step is to craft a campaign proposal. If you want them to seal the deal and promote your products, you need to keep in mind what they truly value.
Then, contact them via DM or email and tell them you’d like to collaborate with them. If you don’t receive an immediate response, don’t be shy. Shoot a follow-up email after a couple of days.
If they show interest, you can negotiate the terms of contract with the chosen influencer.
While it’s important to mention what you absolutely find non-negotiable, make sure you leave some wiggle room open for minor changes.
That’s all that you need to do to get influencers to promote your products.
Ready to reach out to influencers now?
Do you have any questions about influencer product promotion? Please feel free to mention them in the comments section.
