Influencer marketing is becoming increasingly popular. The demand for good influencers is correspondingly high. In turn, they are bombarded with endless messages and can’t keep up with responding. In the meantime, separate agencies have developed to offer communication between influencers and companies.
But does this even make sense and what is the best way to write to influencers? We provide an insight into the process and explain how to write to the best influencers for collaborations. Because there are a few things you need to bear in mind.
The correct procedure is illustrated using a practical example with a screenshot and a subsequent sample or template.
The most important points at a glance
If you want to do influencer marketing and have already found the right influencers, you need to write to them. There are a few things to bear in mind, because first impressions count. If you make a bad impression with your first message, you will lose potential cooperation partners and the chance of a successful campaign.
Just like on dates, business appointments or generally when meeting an important person for the first time, first impressions count. Online, the whole thing is even more important, as the person doesn’t even have to respond or write back. This is also the main problem that many people have with influencer marketing – they don’t even get a first response.
Influencers are people
The most important point to remember about influencer marketing is that they are people, not machines. In contrast to advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads or Google Ads, influencer marketing requires social and interpersonal skills.
In addition, influencers always have a reputation to lose and are accordingly cautious when it comes to choosing collaborations. This should not only be respected but also clearly taken into account when contacting them. The contact should be polite, respectful and understandable – even if it’s just an Instagram direct message.
Individual & personal cover letter
Accordingly, messages should also be individualized and personalized. Prefabricated messages a la copy & paste are usually a waste of time and convert much worse. Logically, because everyone does it.
It is best to be as individual as possible and really address certain points that only apply to the influencer. This makes the whole conversation more personal and ultimately seems more genuine.
Thinking on both sides
In a successful cooperation, both sides should always win. This is exactly what you should bear in mind when writing to the influencer in question. This should be obvious, but many companies only think about themselves and their own profit. However, it is particularly important to work together in the interests of the influencer, especially in the long term.
This should also be communicated accordingly. In addition to direct remuneration, one of the most important points for influencers is the long-term opportunities that arise. For example, influencing product development or revenue sharing on certain products, etc.
Thinking in the long term
Short-term shoutouts are usually not particularly lucrative. Long-term collaborations are not only more pleasant for the influencer but also more lucrative for entrepreneurs. From an influencer’s point of view, it makes much more sense to work with a few brands in the long term than to constantly be the new web face for new companies – this damages integrity.
That’s why you should clearly consider a long-term collaboration and communicate this accordingly. This shows honest interest and builds a bond.
Odds game and money
At the end of the day, however, it remains a game of odds and you won’t always be successful. Patience is also an important factor in influencer marketing and you should write to as many influencers as possible. Sometimes the chemistry is right from the start and sometimes you don’t even get a reply.
To find out, it is ultimately important to write lots of messages and invest time in making contact.
Cooperation example
Here is an example of how we recruited influencers for our watch campaign. The contact was very personal and individual right from the start. The aim was to win Torre Washingotn, a well-known model from America, for our brand. Not only for short-term promotions but also for a long-term collaboration. The first messages seem almost friendly and hardly business-oriented, but that is exactly what works particularly well.
At first, we exchanged several messages that had nothing to do with the product at all. This allowed us to gain trust and show interest in an authentic way. Egotism is out of place. A conversation is always about the other person, even if you ultimately want to sell something yourself.
Torre was clearly delighted and thanked us several times after the watch arrived. Negotiating the price then went very quickly and the collaboration immediately felt authentic and informal. The subsequent result was impressive, as the post was also well prepared.
Cooperation request sample template
Even if many people ask us for a pattern, there is no such thing. There are just a few points that you should bear in mind. This results in a process that can be broken down into certain steps. Here is a simplified representation on which you can base a conversation.
- Small talk (How did you come to the topic XY?, What motivated you?, What else do you plan to do?)
- Approach (Are you generally open to working together? If so, what are your requirements and motivation?)
- Ask specific questions (What do you think of our products? Would you like to test our products? What do you like and what don’t you like?)
- Offer test package and send products
- If the answer is positive – we would be delighted if we could work together.
- Mention benefits (What do you think of a long-term collaboration? You will get paid XY, receive remuneration or a share etc.)
- Draw up a contract and get started
The most important part is definitely the beginning and building trust. If you then ask for an honest opinion or interest in your own products in a natural way, you have already created the basis. If the feedback is positive, you can then send out the first products for testing and then (of course only if the feedback is positive again) make a concrete offer.
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More InformationInsider tip: Free product – no promotion
Give the influencer a product of their choice and don’t oblige them to do anything. No promotion. No amount of money. Not even a mention. Excuse me?
Yes, you read that right, simply give great influencers a gift with the clear message: “Pick a product of your choice and if you like it, you are welcome to keep it. We would appreciate honest feedback, as you are an expert in this field or have been working with it for years. Of course, you don’t have to post anything or mention us. Think of it as a non-binding gift and a small thank you from us to you :)”.
This may sound completely illogical because as a company you don’t earn a cent from such free gifts. But at the same time you gain something much more important, namely trust. Trust is the key factor that many neglect when it comes to cooperations and the sale of products of all kinds. The more trust cooperation partners and customers have in the company, the better the marketing works.
At the same time, you take the pressure that is exerted on many influencers and leave the monetary aspect out of the equation for the time being. However, if the product has been well received and the feedback has been consistently positive, you can make the offer of a joint collaboration or paid cooperation. The response rate is then usually much higher and the cooperation is much more organic, as trust is built up first and the monetary aspects are only addressed later.
What to do if the influencer doesn’t write back?
In view of the aspects mentioned above, there are many reasons why an influencer does not write back. But what should you do if you really don’t write back to the influencer and you still want to win them over to your company or brand? Here is an overview of the most important points for attracting an influencer’s attention.
Analyze news
If you have already sent messages, there are two possibilities why the influencer has not written back.
- The news was really bad. In this case, you should be honest with yourself and accept this. Influencers get 100 messages a day and if you have sent one of many generic copy & paste messages you don’t deserve a response. The demand is simply so high that you need to make more of an effort and fulfill all of the above points before sending the message.
- The message was overlooked or ended up in spam. In this case, you can simply write to the influencer again and politely point out that you would be happy to receive a reply and ask if the old message has not ended up in spam. This is also often the case and even if your first message is bad and was ignored, you can make up for it with another personal message.
Diversified cover letter
It is also important to use several channels. You don’t always get an immediate response via one channel. That’s why you should consider all options and take it step by step. If the influencer has YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and a website, there are four channels that can be used to make contact.
Of course, you shouldn’t use all channels at the same time, as this comes across as a bit spammy. But you can switch to the next channel step by step if you have not yet received a message. It is also important to note that there are several options for each channel. In addition to direct messages or emails, you can also comment on and like posts. You can also tag the influencer in your own posts to draw attention to yourself.
So don’t give up immediately, but really use all channels to make contact.
Goal: Clear acceptance or rejection!
You should repeat these steps until you have received a clear acceptance or rejection. Because as long as you do not receive a reply, there is still the possibility that the message has not been read. Especially with larger influencers, there is the possibility that they simply did not receive the message or overlooked it.
Therefore, remain persistent until you have received a clear ACCEPTANCE or REJECTION. Just as with the application process, you should show a certain amount of ambition and perseverance to achieve the desired goal.
Automate or individualize?
Many people are now asking themselves whether it will be possible to automate the process at some point. After all, it is extremely time-consuming to write to each influencer individually and build trust step by step. Possibly, but we don’t recommend it.
If you really have the time, you can approach the entire contact individually. Although this is a bit tedious, you can tailor the messages to the influencer. As a result, you usually get more responses. It can therefore be worth investing a little more time in personal and individualized messages at the beginning.
If you have absolutely no time and would like to outsource the process professionally , you can commission agencies to do this. This may cost a little, but it can make sense with a higher budget. Or you can use an inexpensive tool.
Tool tip: MASSGRAMER
However, if you want to automate the process cleverly, you should definitely use Massgramer in any case. The Instagram marketing tool offers a variety of options to automate numerous processes. Starting with postings, engagements but also messages (!). It is currently the tool of choice for Instagram marketing of all kinds. With just a few clicks, you can conduct outreach on a large scale and reach hundreds of influencers.
Summary
Influencer marketing will become increasingly difficult in the future, but it is still one of the most lucrative methods of social media marketing. That’s why you should learn how to do influencer marketing and that starts with the right cover letter or contact.
This process not only decides whether you are accepted or rejected, but can also have a massive impact on prices. In the same way, you can override other competing companies if you choose the right approach.
The most important point here is humanity. Influencers are people and not automated advertising platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads. That’s why you should approach them in a human way. Automated copy & paste messages are an absolute NO GO. Instead, you should focus on individualized and personalized messages. This has a much more organic effect and the response rate is much higher.
In addition, you should always think about the influencer and their interests. Selfishness is out of place. Successful campaigns are always based on reciprocity and the offer made to the influencer should also be lucrative and interesting for both sides in the long term. It may also make sense to offer something for free first in order to build trust.
