Influencer marketing is not a new concept, and as the number of marketers interested in this type of advertising grows, it gets harder and harder to reach influencers. Sometimes, even the most well-crafted email with an interesting offer gets lost in their inboxes. Or, even worse, it goes to trash unopened.
If this situation sounds familiar, there are a couple of tips that should help you reach more influencers and write better-crafted emails. For starters, you should understand that any email sent to a stranger is a cold email by default. Writing cold emails that hook people is an art all by itself. And, if you consider how many of those cold emails influencers get every day, you will clearly see that the competition is steep.
Here are a few things marketers can do to outrun this competition.
Use specialized email finders
First things first. Influencers get so many cold emails that most of them keep their addresses private. While all influencers have established accounts on social media, reaching out to them over these channels is often challenging.
Luckily, there are special tools like SignalHire, designed to pull practically anyone’s contact details with simple Chrome or Firefox plugin. Most often, they are used by recruiters to find employees data or pull contact details of qualified professionals that suit their job openings. But then again, quality recruiting is not that different from marketing. So there is no reason not to try this tool out while searching for an influencer’s email.
Now that you have relevant influencers’ contacts, the real challenge begins. How do you make your email stand out from the competition?
Do your research and stay patient
While it may be tempting to send bulk emails to individuals you do not personally know, such an approach is usually a waste of time when targeting influencers. They get so many cold emails following the same pattern that any spam-like message gets immediately deleted. So, it’s best to take some time and try to establish at least some kind of relationship with a person you are trying to contact. Observe them on social media, comment on their posts, try to engage them in an online conversation. This takes time, but the effort pays off.
Even if you cannot engage an influencer in any online conversation before crafting your email, no worries. You can still get to know more about this person, which could give you a better idea of how to make your pitch.
Most cold emails influencers receive follow the same pattern: generic flattery and an offer. To avoid this cliche, use something you learned about the recipient on social media. Congratulate or compliment the person on some of their recent work. Show them that you are one of their real followers who understands this influencer’s specialty. That is already a great start.
Make your offer clear
Many influencers point out that the most frustrating thing about cold emails is not their number, but the simple fact that people who send them don’t put too much thought into phrasing their offers. Often, influencers cannot understand what it is the sender asks them to do. Don’t make this mistake and always be very specific when emailing a stranger.
The only way for a cold email to work is when you have something very clear to offer and something very clear to ask for. Do you want a blog or video post related to your product or service? Just say so without beating around the bush. Getting thousands of emails a day is overwhelming enough so don’t expect the influencer to try and read between the lines.
Emphasize mutual benefits
Conveying what exactly it is you want from the recipient is great, but not always enough. Put yourself in the influencers’ shoes — they get hundreds of offers like this a day. So, your next logical step is to emphasize the benefits of your collaboration. Here, we have to go back to the step where you research the recipient on social media.
For example, if the person you need is a vegan, you cannot expect them to advertise your steakhouse. However, if you do your research right, you can avoid emailing the wrong people and find creative ideas on conveying your message across. For example, if you know that the influencer is a green activist, you can easily highlight the benefits of your organic products.
Build your own presence online
This is not something that can be done overnight, but the effort always pays off. If you carefully target your influencers, making your offers both clear and appealing, most of them will want to research you back.
Make sure they can find the information they are looking for and that this info is consistent with the message you sent. Of course, there is always a chance to keep your personal, friends-only profiles private.
Still, your business-related public accounts should be consistent with what you do and how you do it. If you succeed with all of the above tips, most influencers who share the same vision will gladly collaborate with you.
Stay creative & don’t despair
The above tips are the backbone of any influencer outreach program. Still, remember that no magic formula works all the time. So, instead of simply doing everything by the book, think of more creative ways to convey your message.
Everything we’ve mentioned above is a good start for an influencer outreach campaign, but the actual details may vary depending on your business niche. So, if things don’t go smoothly, never despair. Just let your imagination run wild and look for more creative means to attract influencers. Good luck pitching!
