How to dm influencers on instagram
How to Contact IG Influencers like a Millennial + Templates
Influencer marketing is now one of the best ways to gain attention online.
Did you know that 4 in 10 millennials say their favorite influencer understands them better than their friends? Those are some deep connections being forged purely on social media.
If you’re more facts than feelings, consider that Visual.ly found influencer-shared content to get 16 times more engagement than company-owned content.
If there’s so much to gain through influencer marketing, why don’t more people do it?
The simple answer: they don’t know how to get started.
It’s such a new and unique niche that business-owners just don’t know how to contact Instagram influencers or how they work. They don’t know how to reach out in a way that’s meaningful and memorable, or what to expect in return.
Fortunately, we’re here to help with tips and even templates to get your foot in the door.
How to Contact Instagram Influencers: The Basics
Influencer marketing is a little …complicated.
The SOCE found that influencers are becoming increasingly particular about the kind of content they share and the brands they work with. Unfortunately, this means that most of your top picks on Instagram will delete your DM with barely a skim. #TrueStory
The good news is that if you can make the right first impression (and second, and third), you can unlock the power of influencers in no time. All you need to do is get your direct message templates right and play the numbers game.
Here, we offer steps that will guide you to connect with social media influencers. Before anything else, remember this golden rule — whatever you send, make sure that it’s:
- Brief
- Clear
- Memorable
Ready to start being influential? Let’s go!
Step 1: Find Your Influencers on Instagram
As anyone who has worked with a 3rd party to create content can guess, the right influencer makes all the difference.
You need someone who’s going to speak to your target audience. Generate a list of 20 Instagram personalities who you think can do that. Include anyone from minor celebrities to local micro-influencers with a decent following.
Once you have your list, research each person in depth. Check out their social media pages on other platforms. Visit their websites and also see what people are saying about them in other forums. While you’re researching, make sure they meet your criteria. For instance, ask yourself:
- Are they currently trending in my industry?
- Are they a good fit for my products or services?
- Have they interacted with brands like mine before?
According to one study, 49% of consumers rely on recommendations from influencers. So don’t miss your shot by getting the wrong people on your team, people that might not get you or whose audience can’t use your services.
Once you’ve narrowed your list to no more than 10 influencers, make sure you follow all of them on Instagram and their other social media platforms.
It helps to start commenting or liking some of their posts before ever direct messaging them so that slowly but surely, they notice you.
You’ve been following a few influencers who best fit your marketing strategy. Now it’s time to reach out.
The first email or DM you send is an important first impression, but just an initial introduction. It should simply establish contact and build familiarity with your brand.
You don’t need to speak to your influencer about sharing content in this email. Instead, just break the ice. Let them know you’re interested in building a relationship. You can say something like:
Hey, [First Name] – I love your page! Especially that [specific content] you shared. [Emoji] I’m reaching out from [Your company] to see if we might be able to collab on something. Let me know if you’re interested!
This DM accomplishes a few key things.
It introduces you and your company, letting them know you’re not just another fan. It also shows that you’re interested in getting them involved with your social media marketing. However, it isn’t pushy and follows the golden rule.
Step 3: Promise Value in Exchange for Influencer Marketing
If your influencer gets back in touch, that’s the signal to reel them in.
The best way to do that is to promise value.
You can even do this in your initial outreach message if you’re feeling confident. Influencers on Instagram get dozens of messages every day. If you want their attention and help boosting your word-of-mouth marketing, you might need to try a little bribery.
Remember that influencers love being on top of the latest trends. If you can offer them the chance to try something before anyone else does, they’ll appreciate it.
Don’t worry about giving freebies away. It pays off! Influencer marketing campaigns earn about $6.
50 for every dollar spent.
Once you’ve made that first round of correspondence, try upgrading your direct message templates to offer a specific value, like this:
Hey, [First Name] – We think you’d look awesome in one of our latest hats. [Include a pic] Like it? If so, we can send one your way!
Once they get back in touch, remember to follow through on your word and send the item ASAP. Your influencer won’t want to wait around.
Send them another quick message letting them know when it’s been shipped. You can even include a picture of the package. Some extra contact or tracking information is useful, in case the parcel goes missing.
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Step 4: The Follow-Up DM
Influencer marketing works – but it’s not like hiring a consulting firm and it only works if you do it properly.
If you want to work with influencers, you can’t be put off whenever you don’t get an immediate response, and you need to accept a certain amount of apparent flakiness.
A follow-up message can be a good way to check up on a pending #ShoutOut. Or just remind your influencer that you’re still around. If you’re following up on a possible celebrity endorsement, try this:
Hey (First name)! Just following up to see if you want those freebies! All we need is an address. Hit me up!
If you’re following up when you’ve sent an item already, try:
Hey (First name)! We just wanted to make sure you received our stuff.
Hope you like it!
Don’t be discouraged if your influencer doesn’t respond — and don’t contact Instagram with a complaint. That’ll just give you a bad reputation. Instead, move onto the next influencer on your list. Hopefully, you’ll have better luck this time.
How Not to Contact Influencers
Before we sign off, we thought we’d share an insight into what kinds of messages can bore or turn off influencers on Instagram. It’s not our first rodeo (an interesting metaphor for connecting with these personal-brand promoters) here at Jumper, so here’s what we’ve learned from a case study or two.
An example of one of the direct message templates that didn’t work at all for a client:
Heyyyyyy, so I think you’d be a perfect fit for a project I’ve been working on. We’ve got these cool new dad hats and are looking for up-and-coming influencers to snap some photos in our hats and post on their Insta with our hashtag.
What do you think? I can definitely send you one of the hats if you’re interested!
The reason this didn’t work is simple. It’s too long.
It’s a fine line, but you want to make sure you get right to the point with influencers, so they know exactly why you’re contacting them.
Should you contact potential influencers via email?
First, ask yourself if you have their email address. Sometimes you can get it directly from their instagram account (if they have a business profile).Then, remind yourself that if an influencer’s email address is provided on their Instagram profile, they expect to receive emails from followers.
If an influencer has a business profile, they will have a link to contact them via phone or email in their bio section. Then, all you have to do is click on their email address and it should direct you to compose an email.
If you decide to go the email route, make sure you’re straightforward, just as you would be if you were sending a DM through Instagram.
However, since you aren’t contacting them through Instagram directly, make sure you tell them that’s how you found them. You can say something like:
Hey (First name)!
My name is (your name) from (your company). I follow you on Instagram and love your posts!
I wanted to see if you’re interested in collaborating with us. Take a look at our page and see if we’d be a good fit for your content (link to page).
Talk soon,
(Your name)
This template is friendly, yet straight to the point. The influencer knows who you are, how you found them, and what you want. If you do link to your Instagram page, make sure it’s the only link and extra information you include. You don’t want to overwhelm them with too much information before you’ve even found out if they’re interested in doing business with you.
How do I reach out to top influencers? (The Secret Trick to get a Response)
When reaching out to top influencers, remember that their inboxes are bombarded with pitches, comments from followers, and other offers.
So, you need to find a way to stand out and make your presence known.
The trick is to start engaging with your influencers weeks or even months before you make direct contact. This includes liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts. You can even give them a shout out as experts in their niche so your followers can follow them, too.
This works because you’re boosting their engagement levels while assigning them more value as experts in their niche.
If you’ve posted about a particular influencer, then a smooth way of sliding into their DMs is to let them know you featured them on your post. This gives them the opportunity to share your post and give you a shout out for the love.
Once you decide to contact a top influencer about a possible collaboration, make sure you make it about them. Tell them how a collaboration can help boost their engagement and bring in more followers. Because you’ve already steered traffic their way, they’ll be more inclined to believe you.
If you don’t get a response, then figure out alternative ways of contacting them.
And while some influencers are bad at checking their DMs or emails, they’re very good about responding to comments on their posts. After commenting something relevant to the post, let them know that you messaged them about collaborating. If an influencer is highly active on Twitter, then shoot them a tweet letting them know you’re interested in working with them.
The secret is to be straightforward, but not too pushy.
How can I find brand ambassadors for Instagram?
Brand ambassadors are similar to influencers in that they represent your brand through their posts. However, brand ambassadors are hired for long-term representation, while an influencer is like a contractor who is hired for a short-term campaign. You can compensate brand ambassadors monetarily, through discounts on your product/service, or with free products/services.
There are a few different ways you can recruit brand ambassadors, and most of those ways don’t involve anything more than looking through Instagram and a few strategic posts.
The first thing you have to do is pay attention to your followers. Who’s constantly hyping up your brand by liking, sharing, and commenting on your posts? Reach out to them and ask them if they’re interested in becoming a brand ambassador for you. They’d be stoked at the opportunity!
To reach out, you can say something like:
Hey (First name), we love that you love (Brand)! Would you be interested in representing us as a brand ambassador?
You can also create posts on your Instagram or on your Story letting your followers know you’re looking for ambassadors. Of course, keep the message simple, and then redirect anyone who’s interested to your website for more information, including how they will be compensated.
There are several benefits to having brand ambassadors. First, because you have a long-term commitment with them, you can use them for ongoing campaigns. Second, because you work with them on ongoing campaigns, you have more say in what they post and when they post it.
This means you have more opportunity to get quality content to reach existing and potential customers. Check out more on finding brand ambassadors here.
Where to Find Instagram Influencers to Contact
Don’t know where to start when it comes to influencers? No worries, there are easy and free ways to find influencers who fit your niche.
The first thing you can do is see if any influencers already follow you. Look for fans of your brand who have commented, liked or shared your posts. Check out their profiles to see what they usually post and what their following is like. Are their followers usually engaged with their posts? Do they get a lot of likes and comments? If they seem like they’d be a good fit, then reach out!
The easiest route to finding influencers is by using free online tools designed specifically to connect businesses to potential influencers. These tools are great because they can help you find influencers in your niche, some of them help you find influencers who are actively looking for business.
It’s one thing to find an influencer, but it’s another to find one who’s interested in getting more business.
Some of these online tools include:
- HypeAuditor: this website helps you find top influencers with high authentic engagement rates. This tool will also tell you what the influencer usually posts about and what country the majority of their audience is from.
- Influence.co: This website serves as an influencer profile directory, which makes it easier to search for influencers in your niche. You can also check their engagement rates and other stats.
- BuzzSumo: This website has all sorts of content marketing tools for you to use, but for the purposes of this article, the content research and influencer research tools are your best friends. The content research tool help you discover popular content for specific keywords while the influencer research tool helps you match relevant keywords to influencer profiles.
How to Improve the Instagram Influencer DM Open Response Rate
Since influencers are used to getting pitches, they learn how to identify messages that could be worth their time.
Before opening your message, most influencers will probably look at your profile to see what you’re all about. If your brand doesn’t seem like a fit for their niche, then they’re more likely to ignore your message. So, make sure that your brand is on-brand with their brand before reaching out.
Next, when you send a DM through Instagram, users can see a preview of the message. So, if you haven’t taken the time to personalize the message, influencers are going to catch on pretty quickly, and most likely ignore you.
As stated multiple times in the article, make sure you’re message is straight to the point, while focusing on what’s in it for the influencer. This includes how you plan to compensate them.
About the Word “Collaborate”
If you’ve been reading closely, then you’ve probably noticed that we’ve used the words “collaborate” a lot. Here’s the thing: a collaboration implies that both parties are supporting each other and working together for a common goal.
That common goal is building a loyal customer/follower base. You want customers who are not only interested in your products/services, but who are interested in maintaining a connection with your brand so they come back for more. Influencers want followers who trust them and believe in the products/services they swear by.
Furthermore, you and the influencer collaborate because you have equal roles. You are responsible for increasing the influencer’s repertoire while the influencer can help build yours.
Good Luck Wrangling Influencers!
Ourselves included, 22% of professional marketers consider influencers to be the best way to obtain customers.
The value of this marketing tactic grows every day. After all, consumers feel more comfortable with their Instagram influencers than a traditional brand promoting itself.
Remember, you won’t get a response from every influencer you contact; don’t panic. Not everyone’s going to want to work with you, even if you get your message right.
But by putting a little extra effort into deciding who you contact and how you’ll end up ahead of the game.
For related content, listen to our podcast, Under the Instagram Influence hosted by Ian Ryan, episode “How to Contact Instagram Influencers and Get Their Attention”
Have you found a DM template that works for your influencers? Let us know in the comments!6 Email and Instagram DM Templates for Influencer Outreach
The influencer outreach process sets the tone for your partnerships. Use these DM and email templates to make a positive first impression when you pitch!
We get it: influencer outreach feels like a huge hurdle for brands.
Because you only have one shot to make a fabulous first impression.
You don’t want to sound clingy or desperate in the DMs. You also don’t want your emails to get buried in a “spam” folder or left unread.
That’s why it’s so important to level up with a proven pitching strategy.
Not sure how to nail influencer outreach or make your messages land? We’ve got you covered!
Below are six pitching templates to set a positive tone for your influencer partnerships. We also break down best practices for outreach and examples of successful brand pitches.
Skip to Section 👇Read This Before Sending Emails or DMs to Influencers!
16 Real Influencer Pitches That Actually Got an Answer (and Some That Didn't) Sample Subject Lines for Influencer Outreach Emails FAQs and Best Practices of Influencer Outreach on Instagram |
Email vs DMs for Influencer Outreach: Read This Before Pitching!
Is it better to reach out via email or DM (direct message)? The short answer: it depends!
Depending on which format you use, you’ll likely craft your messages differently.
Emails can be longer and more detailed than DMs. Use emails to give a more in-depth explanation of your brand or products. Explain the campaign you’re running and why you think the influencer would be a good fit.
Instagram DMs allow you to be more casual and direct. DMs should be short, sweet and to the point. Be clear about your intention to collab. Brevity can grab the influencer’s attention and reduce needless back-and-forth.
Keep in mind too the way the creator wants to be pitched. Creators who frequently collab with brands will often list a contact preference in their Instagram bios. If they specify wanting a DM vs an email request for collabs - take your cue from that.
With that out of the way, let’s dive into the templates!
General Collaboration Pitch TemplatesThese templates are for general outreach to creators about products. This includes requests for product feedback and reviews.
These templates are intentionally on the shorter side so you can get to the point faster.
| Subject line: [Name], we love what we’ve seen on Instagram! 👀 |
| Hey [insert influencer name], We've been following your Instagram account and really love your post(s) about [insert topic]. [Insert personalized compliment about their content]. My name is [insert name here] and I'm the [position] at [insert brand name]. We [insert summary sentence of your product/service and unique selling proposition]. Since [insert what the influencer is passionate about or how their content aligns with your brand], I wanted to see if you'd be open to doing a collaboration together. We'd love for you to test our [insert product] and share your thoughts. Let me know if you are interested and I will send more details! Thanks! [insert your name] |
| Subject line: Julie, we love what we’ve seen on Instagram! 👀 |
| Hey Julie, I have been following your profile on Instagram and really love your inspirational posts showing your fitness journey. My name is Kristen and I work for Flex. We sell organic protein powders and shakes created by women, for women. Since you are passionate about sharing your fitness journey, I thought I would reach out to see if you would be open to testing our product and doing a collaboration together! Let me know if you are interested and I will send more details! Thanks! Kristen |
Not to mention your dog, Waffles, is sooo cute!| Hey [insert influencer name], My team and I loved your post about [insert description of related post]. At [insert brand name here] we [insert summary sentence of your product/service and unique selling proposition]. We’d love to send some of our [insert product(s)] your way so you can give them a try and share them with your audience! Let me know if you're interested and thanks! - [insert your name here] |
| Hey Erica, My team and I loved your post about your favorite pre-workout essentials. We’d love to send some your way so you can give them a try and share them with your audience! Let me know if you’d be interested. Thanks! - Kristen |
At Flex, we make organic protein powders and shakes for women.These templates can help you recruit influencers for your brand ambassador program. Be sure to review your program’s perks and benefits before reaching out.
3. Brand Ambassador Email Template| Subject line: [Name] — Want to be a [Brand Name] VIP? 💎 |
| Hey [insert influencer name], My name is [insert name here] and I’m with [insert brand name here]. We've been following your Instagram and love your posts on [insert topic]. I wanted to personally invite you to join our brand ambassador program! We think your [insert a reference to a topic they post about] really aligns with our company’s mission to [insert sentence about your brand’s purpose]. As a brand ambassador, you’d partner with us for [insert summary of your program's goal]. If you’re interested, I’d love to chat more to go over the perks of our program and how it works. Thanks! [insert your name] |
| Subject line: Lauren — Want to be a Flex VIP? 💎 |
| Hey Lauren, My name is Kristen and I’m with Flex. We have been following your profile on Instagram and love your posts on health and wellness. I wanted to personally invite you to join our ambassador program! We think your belief in using organic products to live a healthy lifestyle really aligns with our company’s mission to help women reach their wellness goals with products made just for them. As a brand ambassador, you’d partner with us for social media campaigns and content featuring our organic protein powders. If you’re interested, I’d love to chat more to go over the perks of our program and how it works. Thanks! Kristen |
We would provide you with your own affiliate code for your followers to get 20% off their first Flex order!| Hey [insert name here], We’re launching a brand new campaign for our [insert product here] and would love for you to be a brand ambassador for [insert brand name here]! Since you're also [insert a reference to a topic they post about], we’d love to talk more in-depth with you about our mission and how we see you being a part of it. If you’re interested, please email me at [insert email here]. We’re so excited to have you join our team! [insert your name] |
| Hey Mariah, We’re launching a brand new campaign for our “Shake It!” organic protein shakes and would love for you to represent Flex as an ambassador! Since you're also focused on healthy living, we’d love to talk more in-depth with you about our mission and how we see you being a part of it. If you’re interested, please email me at [email protected]. We’re excited to have you join our team! Kristen |
These outreach templates can help you promote your next Instagram giveaway. Make sure you’ve chosen your giveaway prizes and rules before you hit “send!”
5. Giveaway Collaboration Pitch Email Template| Subject line: [Name] x [Brand Name] collab? 🤝 |
| Hi [insert influencer name here], My name is [insert name here] and I work for [insert brand name]. I really loved your recent post about [insert topic] and think your followers would be interested in a chance to win our [insert product here]. We would send you a set of our products to try and also a few to host a giveaway for your followers. The rules to win would be simple, [insert giveaway rules]. If you’re interested, I’d love to chat more with you about the details! Thanks! [insert your name] |
| Subject line: Gina x Flex collab? 🤝 |
| Hi Gina, My name is Kristen and I work for Flex. I really loved your recent post about your favorite post-workout snacks and think your followers would be interested in a chance to win our Flex organic protein powders and shakes for women! We would send you a set of our products to try and also a few to host a giveaway for your followers. The rules to win would be simple: they would just need to follow both of our accounts and tag 3 friends in your Instagram post about our product. If you’re interested, I’d love to chat more with you about the details! Thanks! Kristen |
Giveaway Collaboration Pitch DM Template| Hey [insert name here], We love your [insert topic] content and think you’d enjoy our [insert brand name and products]. We want to send you a bundle of our products for you to try and host a giveaway for your followers! Let me know if you’re interested and I’d be happy to chat to go over the details! Thanks! [insert your name] |
| Hey Emma, We love your fitness content and think you’d enjoy our Flex organic protein powders and shakes for women. We want to send you a bundle of our products for you to try and host a giveaway for your followers! Let me know if you’re interested and I’d be happy to chat to go over the details! Thanks! Kristen |
16 Real Influencer Pitches That Actually Got an Answer (and Some That Didn't!)
Need more inspiration for your messages? Don't sweat it!
We've put together a list of sixteen real influencer outreach pitches that can help.
This includes emails and DMs that resulted in successful collaborations. Oh, and we also break down a handful of pitches that fell flat. Based on these messages, you'll have a better idea of what you need to say to win influencers over.
Sample Subject Lines for Influencer Outreach
Subject lines are crucial when it comes to email outreach.
Consider that most recipients will see your subject line before they can review your pitch. Fact: one-third of recipients will open an email based on the subject line alone. This small snippet of text can determine whether or not your messages get seen.
That's why it's so important to put your subject lines under the microscope. The goal of your subject line is two-fold:
- Grab your reader's attention ahead of other emails and collab requests in their inboxes
- Make your recipient feel like your message is personalized and written just for them
Below are some sample influencer collaboration email subject lines you can swipe.
- [Name], we love what we’ve seen on Instagram! 👀
- [Name] — Want to be a [Brand Name] VIP?💎
- We want you to be [Brand Name]’s featured creator! ✨
- Loved your latest Instagram post, [Name]! ❤️
- [Name] x [Brand Name] collab? 🤝
Personalization is key here. Consider how referring to the influencer by name or using emojis can have a positive impact. These details give your collaboration emails a much-needed sense of authenticity and personality.
FAQ for Brands Conducting Influencer Outreach
To wrap things up, we’ll answer some of the most common outreach-related questions we get.
“How Do I Decide Between Emails and DMs?”
Again, the "right" answer here isn't one-size-fits-all.
Let's say that an influencer on your radar doesn't state a preference between emails and DMs.
What should you do? Refer to the table below:
| Email Outreach | DM Outreach |
|
|
Most creators have a preference in terms of how they’re contacted. Then again, some don’t.
Source: @pixelhearts
Consider that you might end up using emails and DMs during outreach. That’s okay!
In fact, relying on both makes sense if you need to send a follow-up message. Covering both channels ensures that your messages are can’t-miss. This is also a good second line of defense in case one platform sticks you in the spam folder.
“How Long Should My Collaboration Messages Be?”
When in doubt, keep your messages short and sweet.
Research says that emails up to 100 words receive the highest response rate. Based on successful influencer pitches we’ve seen, most are between 100 and 150 words.
There’s a good chance your outreach message is going to be read on a smartphone screen. This is another reason why brevity is important. Messages that require recipients to scroll are too long.
Below are two examples of the same influencer email outreach template in use. The left was sent via email and the right was adapted and sent via DM.
For reference, this message is ~150 words. This is pretty much the max word count before your message cuts off.
“What Should I Do if an Influencer Won’t Respond to My Messages?”
There are plenty of potential reasons why influencers don’t answer your emails.
Don’t assume the worst, though! Just because an influencer doesn’t message you back doesn’t mean your partnership is doomed.
Not by a long shot.
Remember: many creators treat influencer marketing as a side hustle. Some might set aside a certain time per day or week to reply to brands. In that case, you’ll just need to be patient.
Wait a week or two after your initial outreach message. If you haven’t received a reply, follow up with a short check-in message. Response rates during outreach campaigns can vary wildly. That’s why brands should try to cast a wide net of relevant influencers.
“Where Can I Find Influencers’ Email Addresses?”
So much of how to ask about a collaboration on Instagram is doing so on the creator’s terms.
Source: @absoblondie
Want to message a creator but don’t know their email address? You likely don’t have to look hard. Here’s our recommended order of operations:
- Look at their bios. This information is often found front and center.
- Review their bio links and social media landing pages (like Linktree)
- Check to see if they have an active “Email” button on their profile (see below)
Source: @itsellawalton
Influencers typically aren’t shy about sharing their email addresses.
If you can’t find one, stick to DMs.
"How Many Influencers Should I Reach Out To?"
This really depends on your bandwidth and goals.
Do you want to reach a few specific influencers? Or do you want to send PR packages to dozens of creators? Assuming you’re personalizing your emails (and you should be!), pitching will take time.
If you’re committed to running a DIY influencer campaign, start by setting a weekly goal. For example, “I’m going to reach out to 20 creators this week.”
Then, see how long it takes you to craft your messages. Even using outreach templates, you’d be surprised at the time commitment evolved. Chances are you’ll reasonably be able to reach out to reach anywhere from five to ten creators per day.
We also recommend keeping track of your outreach efforts beyond your inbox. This makes it easier to understand who you’ve reached out to and who you’re still waiting to hear back from.
Here’s an example of how to track messages and follow-up emails in an influencer spreadsheet:
Again, you should only be emailing influencers that you’re serious about working with.
Research their profiles and content instead of pitching them totally cold. Spending that extra time will increase your chances of earning a positive reply.
Ready to Nail Your Instagram Influencer Outreach?
Reaching out to influencers may seem daunting.
But using a template can make the process so much easier.
We hope our samples and best practices can help! Again, keep in mind which platform you’re using to connect with potential influencers. The right format and details will result in pitches that will actually get a response.
Need help connecting with the right influencers for your brand? Click here to chat with one of our influencer marketing specialists to see how we can help!
This article was first published in July 2019. It was last updated November 21, 2022.
How to become an influencer on Instagram: a step-by-step guide
Instagram has long turned from a platform for sharing photos and impressions into a business platform and an opportunity to monetize your business or yourself as a brand.
In 2021, as in 2020, influencers are still at the helm and it is through them that huge arrays of advertising will pass.
More than 80% of Instagram users follow company pages. This means that brands will continue to actively promote services and products through bloggers. Brands will spend around $15 billion on influencer marketing by 2022, according to Mediakix. In 2019year the amount was only 8 billion dollars.
According to Business Insider, 79% of brands use Instagram for influencer campaigns, 46% use Facebook, 36% YouTube, 24% Twitter, and 12% LinkedIn.
Today, being an influencer is not only pleasant in terms of communicating with subscribers and forming your own cultural or social layer, conveying your ideas, but also trite because it is profitable. In the US market, influencers charge between $75 and up to $3,000 per post.
And if earlier large advertisers used to advertise only on the profiles of celebrities (stars, actors) with a million audience, today brands are increasingly turning to nano-bloggers, influencers in specific narrow niches for help.
How to Become a Successful Instagram Influencer
One of the fundamental principles that is always important to keep in mind if you plan to be an influencer is that you must be trusted by your followers. Gather a high-quality, albeit small, audience loyal to you and your ideas.
Try to be honest, open and unique in your profile. Communicate with your audience as equals. To create a trusting relationship with the audience, you have to work hard. Get ready to devote a lot of time, effort and energy to your Instagram, carefully select topics and posts, post content regularly. You will have to show dedication if you really want to become an influencer.
In the heyday of Instagram blogging, many people mistakenly assume that becoming an influencer is mega easy. But it is not so. Anyone can become an influencer, but it takes effort. Blogging is not just an abundance of emoticons in the text, a photo of your breakfast and coffee. To Become an Instagram Influencer:
- Use your personal photo as your profile photo.
It's the first thing subscribers see. It is advisable not to change the avatar too often and be recognizable on it, so that subscribers can easily see whose content they are consuming. - Build and maintain your personal brand. In particular, identify yourself. Are you a travel blogger, dog lover, party animal, wine connoisseur, body positivity advocate, or seafood lover? Choose a couple of things, characteristics that make you different from others. Some personal touch. There are a lot of dog lovers, but you have to find something to stand out from a new angle. Perhaps you are a zoopsychologist or you travel with a dog by car to non-trivial places.
- Be clear about who you are and what you're talking about in your profile header. And if something has changed, be sure to update the text. If you cannot form in a couple of lines what you and your profile are about, then you have not decided for yourself. Then the logical question is: what needs of subscribers will you cover? To figure out what your profile might be about, ask yourself: what do you like the most? What are you good at? What could you write about just like that, without even getting paid? What is important and interesting to the audience?
- Have frank conversations with your audience, find out what they like.
- Never resort to gray or black methods of cheating subscribers. Inactive bot accounts will ruin your statistics and results in the feed.
- Don't forget to post your face regularly. People prefer to see a real person in profiles, and not just beautiful photos or great texts. And even if you, as it seems to you, have the most ordinary life without adventures, travels, career achievements, remember that you can always find your audience and become popular if you show your personality and find your own peculiarity.
- Be clear about who your target audience is. Who are these people, what are they, what are they fond of, what ideas do they support. And starting from this portrait of a potential audience, try to give them the content that they need. If you want to be an Instagram influencer, and not just run a page like a personal photo diary, then you must first give content and topics that are interesting to your audience. This does not mean that you should adapt and write on uninteresting topics, but keep the needs of the audience in focus.
- Be open and honest with your audience so that you have a strong connection.
- Engage subscribers in a dialogue, ask them to comment, express their opinion. Reciprocate them, don't skip reactions or comments. Go to your followers' profiles and give them feedback too.
- Create a content plan, keep stories or texts in reserve in case there is no inspiration or fresh updates. Get serious about creating and posting content on a regular basis. Get inspired by other profiles, Pinterest pictures or people's stories. If you need help, use the content posting planners. This will free up time and make the feed more organized.
- Work on the aesthetics of your profile. Use some photo editing software. Create a unified blog style. If possible, select photos for posts so that they look harmonious in the overall grid.
- When your profile becomes interesting to advertisers, don't betray yourself and your audience with inappropriate rude advertising. Collaborate only with those profiles that really resonate with you, that the audience will like and will not cause confusion.
Agree, if you are a childfree who lives with two cats and likes to drink pinot noir in the evenings, it is unlikely that advertising for children's toys will be adequately perceived by your audience. - Keep a balance of advertising and non-advertising content. Even if partner brands are great for your audience, do not forget that there may be too many ads.
- If you are not ready to reveal any details of your personal life or secrets, then feel free to set boundaries, clearly, but without aggression, clarify with subscribers what questions you definitely should not ask. An influencer has the right to personal boundaries and is not obliged to turn the soul inside out.
- Learn how to competently interact with haters, determine the edges when you just need to block. If you see a frank hater - do not enter into long discussions with him, most likely he is not here in search of answers and the truth, but to merge his negativity.
- Remember to post regularly to stories.
Stories on Instagram sell, increase awareness and reach. - Write good texts. Do not just write unsubscribes or long reads. Take a copywriting course or analyze the texts you like in terms of the writing techniques used. Read more of those posts that resonate with you to train your skills.
- Choose the right hashtags. Don't choose too high volume, use a combination of hashtags with different search volumes from 10,000 to 1 million. But definitely not more than a million.
- Go to a business profile to access analytics. Add email, contacts, so that it is easy for brands to contact you.
- Use Instagram's analytics tools. Analyze the audience, popular posts.
- Inspire your audience. For example, for challenges, revision of habits or ideas, for healthy eating or for solo travel and exploration of the world, yourself.
- Interact with the audience regularly. Add links to projects, materials that you want to share in the header. Use calls to action.
- Create a community, a safe space where there will be common interests, support and an interesting exchange of resources and ideas.
- Tag your favorite brands/places for free.
- Interact with other influencers. Arrange general broadcasts, share the audience.
- Invest in paid promotion to attract your audience.
- Decide whether influencership is your main income or additional income and interesting pastime. It is important to understand the goal and, based on it, build your profile.
- Estimate yourself: how much is advertising in your profile. To do this, you need to study the engagement statistics, analyze the audience, average prices in the market.
- Create an interesting and unusual pitch for advertisers.
- Invest in a phone with a good camera, lighting, photography equipment. On Instagram, visuals are very important.
- Live and enjoy real life. This way you will be more likely to produce interesting, relevant content for your audience.
We also recently looked at how much Instagram influencers actually earn.
How an Instagram Influencer Finds Advertisers
According to a Morning Consult survey, 54% of Gen Zers and millennials would like to become social media influencers. Members of this generation themselves trust influencers more than just celebrities when it comes to online content.
Millennials are willing to "sell" the brands they like at a relatively low price. This state of affairs makes nano-bloggers and influencers even more in-demand businesses. Brands are increasingly targeting the average user and less and less the exorbitantly expensive celebrity ads.
Rakuten Marketing conducted a 2019 survey showing brands spending 40% of their annual brand spend on micro-influencers and 28% on stars.
Most often, brands focus on the reach of your profile and niche. That is, if you have a small but active audience that shows high engagement, then the chances of attracting the advertiser's attention are very high.
In addition, the niche you occupy is very important for companies. If your niche fits perfectly with your marketing strategy, then a partnership is very likely.
But don't forget that you have to match the brand, its values and hit the tone of voice. Relatively speaking, even if your audience suits a certain brand, but, for example, all your posts are with humor and slang, then it is unlikely that a Swiss watch brand will approve of your writing style. In this case, if you write an absolutely serious selling post that is not typical of your profile, then the ad will obviously not be native. Think carefully about partnering with brands.
Research brands you like and share values with and be the first to partner with them. Most likely, companies will be keenly interested in your profile.
In times of a pandemic, influencers and their content are even more important to business than before. Studio licked advertising shootings “come” to buyers sitting at home many times less than “domesticated” advertising.
And although the cost of influencers has decreased by 3% since the beginning of last year, by May 2020 they have returned to normal.
10 rules for working with Kazakhstani influencers on Instagram
Since 2016, the number of advertising posts on Instagram has more than doubled and amounted to more than 21 million. You have probably also noticed ads from your favorite bloggers: from language schools to underwear. Kazakhstani children dream of the glory of Instagrammers and YouTubers, and every adult strives to find out how much influencers earn from advertising.
According to Anastasia Nemtsova, Chocofamily's PR manager, a year or two ago, the cost of a post was equivalent to the number of subscribers (in tenge), while today the price depends on engagement. A PR manager gives an example: “A blogger with 1 million followers can have 1.5 million views.” Other bloggers ask prices "from the ceiling." Anastasia gives an example from stories: “There is a blogger who has about 140 thousand subscribers, and one story costs 400 thousand tenge.
The guys attribute the price to the quality of the audience, but the statistics that Instagram gives are not deep enough to check this for sure. The issue of pricing remains open.
Bloggers are raising the bar, and marketers are forced to pay to "hit" the target audience. What if they only want part of it? Is it possible to pay for an advertisement for a restaurant in the capital, which is posted by a blogger with a diverse audience, only for Astana residents? Anastasia believes that “sooner or later we will come to the conclusion that we will pay only for what we actually get”, but for now the proposal of such pricing is perceived by bloggers “with a smile”.
Last year, advertising on Bayan Yesentayeva's page cost $2,700, while the average salary in Kazakhstan in the second quarter was about $459(at the exchange rate as of 07/31/17).
However, companies are willing to pay for placement. And all because bloggers help increase brand awareness and increase audience reach.
We talked to marketers and formed 10 rules for working with Kazakhstani influencers on Instagram.
1. Choose the right campaign goal
Chocofamily has worked with many Kazakh influencers: Yuframe, Birzhan Ashim, Eldana Forais and Zheka Fatbelly. Based on her experience, Anastasia believes that bloggers do not provide high conversion rates, but they do provide reach. “Compared to targeted ads on Instagram and Facebook, we see that the targeting performance is much higher than that of a blogger with a million followers. These conclusions are subjective and relate to our product,” says the PR manager. In other words, working with bloggers to build awareness is more effective than reaching out to them. The latter can be achieved cheaper by other tools. “Understanding the goal allows you to soberly assess whether the game is worth the candle,” says Nurbolat Tileu, Head of SMM at Eurasian Bank.
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Alisher and Madina Elikbaeva for LITEHOUSE
2.
Find a blogger that suits you Study his behavior in social networks. “We observe many bloggers, read their publications, comments and evaluate their digital behavior in social networks. We also pay attention to how they interact with their audience: inspire, provoke, activate or manipulate it. For our team, the number of subscribers does not matter, we are not after that. Engagement, coverage and original presentation of the material are important to us, ”Nurbolat says.
In addition, personal acquaintance is important. “Working with a blogger is working with a person. First you need to understand what kind of person he is in real life and whether you can work with him, ”says Anastasia.
a) Statistics
“Each blogger has his own internal statistics about subscribers, but it only shows the age and geographical location of the audience. To a greater extent, we look at these indicators. The backbone of the audience of most bloggers is people aged 18-24, up to 20% of the audience is aged 25-34,” comments Chocofamily PR manager.
In addition to the statistics provided by the bloggers themselves, there are services for checking accounts for cheating subscribers, likes and other parameters used by large companies. For example, Live Dune. “The availability of tools that allow you to check the honesty of maintaining profiles in social networks helps to understand whether the services of a blogger are worth as much as they ask,” says Nurbolat.
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Aziza Aybadullina for FOREO
b) Reputation
“When choosing a blogger, we calculate the risks. If a blogger has an ambiguous reputation, then we do not offer him cooperation. Intelligent bloggers also assess their risks. Not every blogger will agree to work with a bank. After all, banks also do not have the best reputation among the audience of social networks: the population does not have confidence in banks and the necessary financial literacy.
There are bloggers who do not want to delve into financial terms, work with objections and negativity that may arise in the comments under the blogger's posts. If we come to a common denominator with a blogger, then during the period of cooperation, our team does not leave the blogger "one on one" with his audience, since we are partially responsible for the reputation of the blogger we work with. Some comments and questions from subscribers are answered by our employees,” says Nurbolat.
c) Ad Frequency
It is unlikely that you will get good performance by advertising with a blogger who posts paid posts every day. “Now many bloggers tell subscribers if this is promotional content and people decide for themselves whether they want to watch it or not. Yes, there are bloggers who give too much advertising and do it not “environmentally”, but this is a question for their audience, who is not tired of looking at advertising posts, and for advertisers who are not afraid of such bloggers,” Anastasia comments.
View this post on Instagram Now you can pay for your purchases in a few seconds and surprise passers-by) Link Bank CenterCredit @centercreditkz cards of the MasterCard international payment system and get a welcome bonus and 10% cashback And I already went shopping at @esentai_mall
Tavat for Bank CenterCredit
3. Keep an eye on what is going on around you and look for newsbreaks
“External factors can greatly affect the results. If on the day the blogger’s post was published, another newsbreak was relevant (“deputy” with a half-bare chest, jumps in the tenge exchange rate and statements of akims), then such a post will not bring high results. Conversely, a published post on time can easily fulfill the intended reach and sales plan.
For example, we talked about the benefits of the Gold card and the possibility of online ordering with free delivery at a time when customers of two large banks were having problems with their current cards due to system integration. So, in the first two days alone, we received more than 1,000 orders for issuing a card, while on average we issued 50 cards for online orders,” says Nurbolat.
4. No pre-scripted scripts
“When I first started working with bloggers, I had this experience: they sent me a script, and I corrected it and said exactly what I needed. The bloggers filmed the video the way I asked, but in the end I got "no" coverage. From that moment on, I clearly understood that only the blogger himself knows his audience and its desires. Basically, it happens like this: if it’s a video, then they come up with a script, we discuss it, and after shooting, we make minimal adjustments. Speaking of stories, I don't check them at all. I say: "Guys, you need to show that you are using the application" (and they really use it) and that's it.
They post stories and we don’t check anything,” says Anastasia.
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Eldana Satybaldieva for Chocotravel
5. Work with micro-influencers
Chocofamily once conducted an experiment with a major blogger (more than 500,000 subscribers) and a micro-influencer. Each had their own unique app download link that they posted. According to the results, the indicators of the micro-influencer were 3 times higher than the indicators of the macro-influencer. “We came to the conclusion that guys with a smaller audience have higher engagement and their audience trusts the blogger more,” says Anastasia. Nevertheless, the company continues to cooperate with bloggers with a diverse audience. The Chocofamily pool includes influencers with 20,000 to 1.5 million followers.
In other words, the number of subscribers is not always proportional to the results of the campaign. In any case, if you have a limited budget, you only need to aim and choose a blogger with your audience.
6. Appreciate the work of bloggers
It is generally accepted that viners are idlers who make funny videos and earn money from scratch. But we miss the fact that there is a whole team behind every major blogger or viner. According to Nastya, if compared with Russian bloggers who “shoot videos on their phones”, Kazakh bloggers “make high-quality production”. “If you order a commercial from an agency or studio, it can cost several tens of thousands of dollars, while for viners it comes out dozens of times cheaper, but cool and high quality. Such videos can even be played as the main advertisement.
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Yuframe for Samsung
7.
Set clear deadlines According to Alexander Matveev, head of the Internet marketing department at Kolesa Krysha Market, there were weekly delays in working with bloggers. “Bloggers have a lot of orders, but it is important to meet deadlines. They may be approached by a big client who spends a little money at first, but if he likes it, he will continue to work with him. If bloggers are not service bloggers, they are not in a hurry and do not take the issue seriously enough, they will not work with them further, ”he believes.
8. Rest assured that everything is in order on your part
“We had a case where a blogger published a promo code for a discount in his stories. Everything worked fine all day, and at night an error occurred in our system and the promotional code stopped working. As a result, the blogger received dozens of messages with insults that “poured out” personally on him,” Anastasia shares.
If you run a contest and choose the winner yourself, please make sure that the procedure is transparent.
If you are promoting a complex product that needs to be told to the audience, follow the example of the bank: “We tell everything about the innovation or current products to the blogger, set up meetings to tell and show what works and how. In addition, we provide files with product descriptions, answers to frequently asked questions and media content (photos, visuals or videos) for a complete presentation of all the unique commercial advantages of a product or service,” says Nurbolat.
9. Build good human relationships
We've already talked about the importance of getting to know each other, but when you develop friendships with bloggers, they can give you certain discounts. However, Anastasia warns: “You can’t abuse it. You need to understand that this is their bread and work.
10. Remember that advertising with bloggers is not a panacea
For example, more than a year ago, Wheels Roof Market actively worked with several bloggers, but the results of the campaigns did not meet the expectations of marketers.
