In the wildly competitive world of influencer marketing, it’s essential for influencers, micro-influencers, and nano-influencers to reach out to brands that align with their persona, values, and audience. Working together on a paid partnership on social media can be mutually beneficial for both parties, exposing the brand to new and often engaged audiences, and elevating the personal brand of the influencer.
Before we get into it, let’s look at the levels of influencers, according to current digital marketing standards.
Nano-Influencers have 1k – 10k followers
Micro-influencers have 10k to 50k followers
Mid-Tier influencers have 50k to 500k followers
Macro-influencers have 500k to 1 million followers
Mega-influencers have more than 1 million followers
Whilst it might be disheartening to fall into a seemingly lesser bracket, remember that what the marketing industry is talking about more than ever is the value of the nano-influencer.
Brand managers are not as inclined as they once were, to be spending huge amounts on securing the signatures of celebrities to share themselves with a photograph of a product, and it’s the nano-influencer and the micro-influencer that are benefitting more than ever.
The audience size of the influencer is no longer deemed the vital aspect, it’s the level of engagement that the audience has in what the influencer has to say and do. By presenting yourself as an expert in your field, whether it’s health and fitness, beauty and cosmetics, or sport, you have a greater chance to maintaining an engaged audience. The greater engagement you have with your audience, the more appealing you are to brands.
With that in mind, here are our 10 great tips for reaching out to brands as an influencer of any level.
Identify Brands That Align with Your Personal Brand
Before reaching out to any brand, it’s crucial to identify the ones that align with your personal brand values and the preferences of your audience. Start by making a list of brands that share your values, have products or services that interest you, and cater to a similar target audience. Brands are more likely to work with influencers who share their values and can genuinely promote their products to a relevant – and ideally engaged – audience.
Use Social Media to Discover Brands
Utilise social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to discover brands that align with your niche. Look for brands that have a similar aesthetic, message, and target audience as your own. You can search for relevant hashtags or check out the brands that other influencers in your niche are partnering with.
Engage with those Brands on Social Media
Before reaching out to a brand, engage with them on social media. Follow their accounts, like and comment on their posts, and share their content. This will not only help you understand the brand better but also increase the chances of being noticed by their brand manager or marketing team.
Create High-Quality, Engaging Content
To catch the attention of potential brand partners, you need to showcase your ability to create high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience. Focus on your content creation skills, storytelling abilities, and the unique aspects of your personal brand that set you apart from other influencers.
Invest in Professional Photography
High-quality images and video are essential for successful influencer campaigns, so invest in working alongside a photography studio that has access to the best cameras, lighting, and editing software. Better still, invest in working with a photography studio that understands social media, marketing strategy, and user-generated content.
Master the Art of User Generated Content
User generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool for influencers because it shows brands how your audience engages with the content you create. Focus on creating content that encourages your audience to share their experiences with the brand’s products or services. This could be through challenges, contests, or simply asking your audience to share their thoughts and tag the brand.
Develop Your Influencer Media Kit
A media kit is a document that showcases your personal brand, audience demographics, social media analytics, past collaborations, and the services you offer. It’s essential to have a professional and comprehensive media kit to share with potential brand partners. Not only does it present your brand as understanding of your field, but it highlights your dedication to maintaining that professional presentation. If you care about your own brand then you will be perceived to care about theirs.
Include Important Metrics and Demographics
Your media kit should include key metrics like follower count, engagement rate, and audience demographics such as age, gender, and location. This information helps brands understand your audience and determine if it aligns with their target market.
Showcase Your Past Collaborations and Testimonials
Highlight your past successful collaborations with brands to show potential partners your experience and the results you’ve achieved. Include testimonials from previous brand partners to add credibility to your influencer portfolio.
Craft a Personalised and Compelling Pitch
When reaching out to brands, it’s crucial to craft a compelling pitch that highlights your unique value proposition and explains why a partnership would be beneficial for both parties.
Mention Your Connection to the Brand
Show the brand that you’ve done your research by mentioning your connection to the brand, such as your love for their products or how their mission aligns with your own values. Think of it as a job interview, the ones who have done their research about their prospective employer will usually be looked upon favourably.
Propose Specific Collaboration Ideas
Instead of sending a generic pitch asking for money or free product, be sure to suggest specific collaboration ideas of content you want to make, strategies you want to explore etc. This will demonstrate your understanding of the brand and how you can help them achieve their marketing goals.
Be Professional and Persistent
When reaching out to brands, it’s essential to maintain a professional tone and be persistent in your communication. Remember that the biggest brands will receive numerous pitches from influencers, so standing out and being memorable is key.
Follow Up on Your Pitches
If you don’t receive a response from a brand after your initial pitch, don’t be afraid to follow up. Sometimes, your message may have been missed or overlooked, so a gentle reminder can help keep your pitch on their radar.
Be Open to Feedback and Negotiation
When discussing a potential partnership with a brand, be open to feedback and negotiation. This shows the brand that you’re flexible and willing to work together to create a mutually beneficial collaboration.
Utilise Influencer Platforms and Networks
There are various influencer platforms and networks available that can help you discover and connect with brands looking for influencers to collaborate with. Platforms such as Social Cat, UpFluence and Grapevine, or YouTube BrandConnect (formerly Famebit) are all super-popular platforms for influencer marketing. Joining such platforms can increase your chances of securing brand partnerships that align with your niche and audience.
Attend Industry Events and Build Relationships
Attending industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities is a great way to meet potential brand partners in person and build relationships. Face-to-face interactions can make a lasting impression and increase your chances of securing a collaboration.
Seek Long-Term Partnerships
Rather than focusing on one-off collaborations, aim to build long-term partnerships with brands. This not only provides a more consistent income but also helps you create a more authentic connection with your audience as you consistently promote brands you genuinely believe in.
Exceed Expectations
To secure long-term partnerships, ensure that you exceed the expectations of the brand in your initial collaboration. This includes delivering high-quality content, meeting deadlines, and achieving the agreed-upon results.
Stay in Touch with Brands
Even if a brand doesn’t immediately agree to a long-term partnership, stay in touch and regularly update them on your progress and achievements. This can increase the likelihood of future collaborations and help build a strong relationship.
Collaborate with Other Influencers
Collaborating with other influencers in your niche can help expand your reach and introduce your content to new audiences. This strength in numbers approach can increase your visibility and make it more likely for brands to notice you and want to work with you.
Stay True to Your Personal Brand
As you reach out to brands and work on collaborations, it’s crucial to stay true to your personal brand and maintain your authenticity. Only partner with brands that align with your values and resonate with your audience. By staying genuine and consistent in your partnerships, you’ll build trust with your audience and increase the likelihood of successful influencer campaigns when you secure those partnerships.
Professional Photography is an Influencer’s Best Friend
As we have mentioned, high-quality images are essential for successful influencer campaigns, so investing in working with a professional photography studio is the best way forward. Sure, it can be tempting to break out the iPhone 14, or the latest Samsung – which do admittedly have great quality lenses in their cameras – a professional photographer will understand the essentials of lighting, editing and positioning, to make you look your absolute best. No matter whether you’re having a photography session at home, on location in the city, or in the photography studio, a professional outfit like Picture Perfect Photography is the perfect partner to you as you build your personal brand.
We have worked with countless influencers of all levels over the years, helping them to deliver pristine UGC and brand-partnership content. We offer a start-to-finish service, which means we will work with you to understand your goals and vision, then help you to develop a content strategy before we create shot lists and mood boards. Then we will deliver a high-quality photography session that aligns with yours and your brand partners’ colourways, personalities and values.
We offer one-off sessions, and discounted monthly retainers for influencers and their partnered brands, so get in touch to discuss your needs by calling 01226 872517 or dropping us a message on 07458 099039. Alternatively, just add your preferred date and time on our calendar and we’ll be in touch.
