How to contact influencers ?

Great, you have finished your search 😍! Now that you've established a list of influencers to contact, the question is how to do so. Don't panic, here are 4 steps to boost your chances of closing up your partnerships ! 🤝‍

1. Establish a relationship of trust

First of all, we must keep in mind that influencers are over-solicited, so it is not always easy to get answers from them.

Most of the time when you receive an email from an unknown sender, you don't open it. An influencer will do exactly the same with you, even on his pro email. That's why it's super important to establish a relationship with him beforehand. Knowing the person and understanding what they really want to share with their community is the key to differentiate yourself from rivals! 🙌

Even if the follow on its social networks remains the basis, you can also for example :

• Like / Comment his publications / React to his stories → incite discussion
• Share their posts when they are related to your activity 
• Mention him in articles or posts (tagging them to make sure he sees it)
• Ask one question in dm by bouncing on his activity or on a subject that interests him (this works best if you contact him with your private account)

Of course, the goal is not to get into spam but simply to draw its attention regularly so that it can recognize your name or logo when you'll contact him later. 📲

Once you have established this first relationship with the influencer, you can now initiate a real professional contact. 👨💼
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2. Choose the right communication channel 

Direct solicitation : 

🚨 Don't harass the influencer from all sides 🚨

If the influencer publicly indicates his pro mail, then he prefers to be contacted through this channel. In this case, follow this scheme: 

‍Solicitation by an intermediary :

The introduction by a contact that you have in common can be very effective because you are introduced by a trusted person to the influencer. An alternative to this would be to quote the person you both know. 💬

3. Write a clear and personalized offer 📝

66% of influencers refuse partnerships, so take the time to write a relevant email!

• Personalize your approach

As you would do for a cover letter, it is important to be well informed about the activity of your interlocutor before asking for a partnership. That is why mentioning the content, values or background of the influencer as well as explaining why you chose him or her will make the difference: it will show that you did not just send them a simple copy-paste.

• Work on a specific offer

Before you even contact them, you need to know what you expect from them and how they will benefit from the partnership. This offer should be clearly stated in your message.

• Be clear and concise

Don't go into all details of the partnership, the aim is not to drown them in information but to arouse and confirm the interest of the influencer. Go straight to the point and offer to make contact by phone or video to explain the project in more detail.

Sample emails 📩 

Example :

Hello [first name],

I am [first name] from [company]. I've been following you for a while, and I really appreciate your [relevant content] and the editorial line you've developed on [social network account].

We are a [specialty] company and we will soon launch a campaign dedicated to [describe the purpose of the campaign]. To do so, we invite our favorite influencers/content creators to [describe campaign concept].

We would really like to collaborate with you on this campaign, because we believe that [develop one or two reasons why this collaboration is relevant to the influencer and their audience].

This campaign would take place [add campaign dates] and would be paid for [add a range or projected amount].

Would you be interested in discussing this in more detail by email or phone?

I would be happy to discuss this proposal in more detail.

I look forward to hearing from you,

[Your name, your company, your role, your contact]

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Some important points :

👉 If the partnership can be a long-term one, mention it

👉 It is possible that your email may have gone unnoticed. You can then restart, but you will have to modify a little the content of your mail (change the angle of approach or the proposal). If you still don't get an answer, you will have to let go of the case.

👉 Don't stress them: give the influencer time to appropriate the product before taking action.

👉 Do not comment on his publications to inform him that you have contacted him elsewhere, it is very intrusive!

4. Maintain the relationship for long term links 🤝

As we already know, it is harder to generate new customers than to retain existing ones. Following this logic, it is in your best interest to maintain the relationship with your influencers, especially if you enjoyed working with them! 

First of all, don't forget to thank the influencer for their collaboration, and keep them informed of the impact they have had. 🙏

Keep this habit of liking/commenting here and there, it will be very much appreciated. You will then have a more particular link with the influencer and therefore, a head start on your competitors! 😎