There are millions of influencers out there. Finding ones to work with is a matter of narrowing it down to the ones who are the right fit for both of you. When pitching to influencers, you want to do so in a manner that won’t send them scurrying the away from you.

 

Follow these tips to pitch to influencers.

 

• Take the time to get to know the influencer before pitching them. Study them carefully. Observe their behavior, activity, how the talk (jargon) and learn more about their work.

 

Doing this will help you understand them and their values, interests, and personality. Knowing them better gives you a better idea of how to approach them. In addition, it gives you a better idea of how well they will fit into your own marketing campaign.

 

What kind of jargon do they use? Which channel do they use the most and would be effective for connecting with them? What benefits can you highlight to make a compelling offer? Do they engage often with their fans? Is their values and voice in alignment with yours?

 

• Create a compelling offer based on what you learned about the influencer, on your campaign budget, and the requirements you need. Personalize the offer for each influencer. This allows you to avoid over-compensating some influencers and low-balling others.

 

You can highlight the financial aspects of your offer but customize it to the interests and values of each influencer. For example, maybe you are reaching out to an influencer who has a passion for saving wildlife. You can talk about how your brand donates a dollar from every purchase towards wildlife rescue groups and how a partnership with you can help save more wild animals.

 

• Begin reaching out to potential influencers through email or direct messages on social media platforms. One way to do this is to use influencer-marketing platforms to automate the process and customize their outreach templates.

 

Your message or email should include the following:

• Start with recognition or appreciation of their work.

• Introduce yourself and your brand you represent in a line or two.

• Use two sentences to tell them why you are reaching out to them. Tell them why you chose them.

• Introduce and talk about your campaign and the offer. Describe the main goal of the campaign, such as driving sales or promoting a new product. Then make your offer while highlighting the biggest benefits of working together on the campaign.

• Close by offering to talk to them about the specifics if they are interested. Alternatively, share a link or document with more detailed information.

 

• Pose the pitch as to how you are benefiting them. Is it more traffic, to be well compensated, or some other reason?

• Be specific but to the point. Influencers receive a good number of pitches every day, often not having the time to take 10 minutes or more reading a long email or message.

• Set a deadline for them to respond to your offer.

• Think about the long-term ROI of working with an influencer. Create a long-term strategy with them.

• Be patient. Don’t be pushy expecting to build a relationship after one email or post. Continue to build a relationship, interacting with them on social media but not in a stalker kind of way.

 

Pitching influencers is both an art and a business. You need to be assertive in making yourself visible but not overly aggressive to the influencer. You need to be seen where they are but not be stalking them. Use these tips to pitch influencers the right way.