You know who the influencers are in your industry, but getting them to share your content can be hard. Getting their attention is one thing, but convincing them to share it with their followers is entirely different.
After all, these people are followed because they’ve made it clear that they aren’t interested in promoting any random brand or product. They only want to endorse products they appreciate and value.
But why would any influencer not immediately say yes when you ask to share your content? Because influencers get asked all the time and often feel like unpaid PR agents for every brand out there.
The audience trusts the influencer’s content and it’s the influencers sole responsibility to ensure they don’t share any content that doesn’t align with their interest or values. As such, you must be willing to go the extra mile if you want their help promoting your content.
“Remember influencers are professionals and approach them as one”
Have Great Content
This may seem obvious, but it’s the first step to getting any influencer to help you promote your content. If influencers think your content is not worth recommending, they will not share it even if your monetary benefits are more than their expectations.
Influencers have standards, and they expect you to put in the work to create content that’s of high quality.
What does this look like?
- Your content should be relevant to your audience
- Should solve a problem identified
- Provide a lasting takeaway for your audience
- Well-written, mix of visuals and videos
Your content should also be timely and on-brand. If you’re promoting an event, for example, make sure it’s happening soon and you’re not posting about it months in advance.
Keep Your Account Ready for Influencer Research
Influencers are not just going to take your word for it that you’re the next big thing. They’re going to look into your brand thoroughly. How?
Social media, of course.
They’re going to see,
- The kind of engagement your posts get
- Your follower numbers
- Even do a quick Google search
In fact, you should expect that influencers are going to do this by the time you request their help.
You can take a step ahead and prepare a campaign brief presentation to show them the types of campaign that you have run in the past. And about your current content that you want their help sharing. This will give them an overview of what they’re getting into.
Don’t Ask for a Shout Out Only
This is a big one. Influencers are not getting into the business to sell products and services they don’t believe in or respond to any unprofessional approach.
You won’t get far if you approach asking them to share your content only to mention your brand name in the caption and link to your site.
However, it’s best to ask them only when they’ve used your product or service. If not, there’s a product launch without direct collaboration with an influencer but you want them to only share the post, then mention it about your product, benefits, and why you think the particular influencer should share it.
You can’t just say, “Hey, can you post this on your page and tag us?” because this kind of generic and straight forward approach would make them feel you aren’t genuine.
Instead, draft a personalized email to approach influencers in a professional way.
Don’t be a Seller
Just like asking influencers for the sake of a shout-out is a no-no, so is selling your product in your initial emails to influencers.
Yes, you want to get your name out there and want to make sure people know your brand, but you need to do it in a way that’s not “in your face”.
Again, you need to do your research. You need to know who these influencers are, what they talk about and what their style is. You need to know how they prefer to be approached via DM’s, emails or talking to their talent managers.
If you want influencers to share your brand’s content don’t just send cold emails with links to your website and a sales pitch in the body.
Instead, follow and send a DM on Instagram saying how much you love their content and drop mail along with your pitch. This way it shows you’re interested in bringing the influencer onboard and your professional effort might actually convince them to share your brand’s content.
Give Something in Return
Many brands take this lightly. Yes, you want influencers to help share your content, but you also need to remember that they have a job like everyone else, and they should get paid.
You need to acknowledge this and be willing to give back when you’ve gotten their help in promoting your content.
You can do this in a number of ways. You can offer them paid compensation, free products, invite them to an event you’re hosting, or invite them to guest post on your site.
Be Creative and Strategic With Your Promotions
You’ve followed all of the above strategies and asked an influencer to help you promote your content. Now what?
Well, now you need to actually give them something worth sharing. This means you need to be creative with your promotions.
For example, if you’re hosting an event, put together a promotion where the first 100 people who RSVP get a special gift. You can create a video or a thought-provoking article that gets people excited and shares the event’s details. You can also create a quiz or a fun challenge to get people talking about the event.
Mention Influencers in Your Content
Consider this to be a bonus. In addition to following all the steps meticulously, you can try this one too.
The way you engage with the influencers even before you have an idea of working with them shows your brand/ company is interested in their content. This creates a positive impression of your brand when they research when you ask them to share your content.
One effective way to get an influencer’s attention is by featuring them in your article especially when you are not able to manage a guest post with them.
It can be something as simple as highlighting their positive attributes. If it’s high-quality content, they would love to share it. Mentioning an influencer in your article is a great strategy, basically for new relationships.
Engaging with the influencer on their blog is a great way to associate with them, especially if they respond to comments actively.
Conclusion
Getting influencers to share your content can be challenging, but it’s definitely worth it. When done correctly, this can be a great way to reach a new audience and increase brand awareness.
It’s important to remember that influencers are selective about which brands they endorse. You need to have great content, be thorough in your research and be creative with your promotions to get influencers to help you.
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