Are you looking for ways to grow your business or reach a wider audience?
One effective way to do this is by reaching out to influencers. They can help bring attention and recognition to your brand, leading to increased exposure and sales.
And, who’s the MVP of influencer marketing? With more than 90% of influencer marketers preferring it over all other platforms, it’s Instagram all the way!
In this article, we'll show you how to reach out to influencers on Instagram so you can capitalize on the power of their supremacy.
Table of Contents
- What Is Influencer Outreach?
- Brief History of Influencer Marketing
- Why You Should Collaborate With Instagram Influencers
- How To Reach Out to Influencers on Instagram
- Bonus Tips on How To Reach Out & Collaborate With Instagram Influencers Successfully
- How To Reach Out to Influencers on Instagram: Key Takeaways
What Is Influencer Outreach?
Influencer outreach is a marketing tactic used to connect with influencers in various industries to promote products and services.
It involves researching and connecting with industry-specific influencers—such as bloggers, vloggers, celebrities or opinion leaders—to create mutually beneficial collaborations that result in increased brand awareness and new sales opportunities. Influencer outreach programs typically entitle things like sponsored posts, giveaways, product reviews, brand ambassadorships, interviews and more.
Influencer outreach seeks to harness the power of influential personalities via their content. It helps build trust between a brand and its target audience by establishing personal connections through authentic storytelling and conversations.
The goal of influencer outreach is to develop long-term relationships with influencers which will help create a strong online presence for a business while also providing valuable insights into their industry.
Brief History of Influencer Marketing
Given people’s obsession with social media, influencers have become a driving force in the success of any business. So much so that, now, influencer marketing is a legit job. But, the core of influencing is impacting people’s decision to take the desired action. Put like this, influencer marketing is not exactly a new thing—it has been around since Roman times.
In (relatively) modern history, Lillie Langtry—a famous actress and producer, is often considered the pioneer of influencer marketing. Back in 1882, she was the first woman to endorse a commercial product.
Nowadays, there are between 3.2 and 37.8 million influencers globally on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok alone—and there are alternative social media platforms that are looming large in recent years. The role of a social media marketing agency becomes crucial Out of these, Instagram influencers account for 20,000 to 37 million.
The influencer phenomenon cannot be stopped—influencers hold godlike power. Back in 2018, after Kylie Jenner tweeted she barely uses Snapchat, the social media platform’s stock fell 3% in just a half-hour, which ultimately led to an estimated loss of between $1.3-$1.6 billion.
Likewise, in 2019, Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage x Fenty started its campaign known as #SavageXIRL. They used micro and macro-influencers to promote the new collection, generating brand awareness and sales—the collection was sold in just a couple of hours.
Nowadays, 93% of marketers have used influencer marketing at some point.
Moreover, 97% of marketers name Instagram as the most important social media platform for influencer marketing.
Why You Should Collaborate With Instagram Influencers
If you don’t know why social media is important for your business, the simplest answer is that there are tons of benefits of social media marketing—collaborating with influencers is a surefire way to unlock many of them. When you work with influencers, you get to create an effective and successful marketing campaign for your business.
It allows you to tap into their already established audience of engaged followers—who trust them and consider them experts in the field—and effectively reach a larger audience than you could achieve alone.
Influencers also have the power to shape public opinion. By partnering with them, you can take advantage of this by creating positive messages about your brand, product or service. Collaborating with influencers helps build trust and credibility in your brand as it demonstrates you value the opinion of others and are open to feedback from people outside your own circle of customers.
Of course, influencers have personal stories that many potential customers can identify with which makes them more likely to trust your brand and products. By working alongside influencers, you also gain access to fresh ideas, contacts and trends while optimizing limited budgets.
Moreover:
- 60% of marketers agree influencer-generated posts outperform branded posts
- 51% believe their collaboration with influencers helps them get better leads and customers
- Businesses can generate 11x higher ad ROI through influencer marketing than with banner ads
- 80% of consumers have bought something after a recommendation from an influencer
Considering the Instagram explore page is viewed by 200 million accounts a day and 60% of Instagram users discover new products on the platform, you know where your focus should be.
Plus, 18% of marketers say Instagram brings the highest influencer marketing ROI.
How To Reach Out to Influencers on Instagram
Reaching out to influencers is a great way to expand your network and reputation. Before anything else, follow them and engage with their content. This shows you are supportive of their work and will likely encourage them to interact with you in return.
Commenting on their posts, liking their photos or mentioning them in yours can create a strong connection between you that could lead to collaboration and opportunities further down the line.
Make them feel appreciated and that you are genuinely interested in understanding their content so they can respond positively when you contact them for collaborations or promotions.
Once you set the ground up, it’s time to get down to business.
Step #1: Identify Relevant Influencers
Start by researching potential influencers in your niche, those who influence the same audience as yours. They have to align with your brand values and aesthetic—if possible, search for influencers in the same geographic area or using similar hashtags to yours.
Explore online conversations and find out who has the most engagement, likes and comments on their posts—make sure they are active and have a large enough following. Check out their engagement rates and pay attention to their interactions with fans.
Next, create a list of the influencers that appeal most to you, then narrow it down further until you find the right match.
Step #2: Prepare the Pitch
Beginning to approach influencers on Instagram can feel intimidating but it is an important step in building relationships with them. A pitch can help you break the ice and feel more confident contacting them.
You can’t skip it, as a pitch explains why you are reaching out, what kind of collaboration you're looking for, what value the influencer would provide, and how the relationship would benefit both parties.
Researching the influencer's interests and followers will help you tailor your pitch accordingly. To prepare a winning one, begin by understanding the influencer’s target audience and writing content that resonates with their brand.
In addition, a successful pitch should:
- Include an introduction. Share some details about yourself, a clear description of your product or service, the benefits and value of your offering, and the potential partnership that could be created by working together.
- Explain why they are the perfect candidate. Provide easy ways for them to share their opinion on your product offering, and demonstrate how their collaboration will lead to mutual benefit.
- Offer value. Include clear examples of the results they can expect if they choose to partner with your organization.
- Be concise. Outlining the product or service you are offering and the value it brings to their audience.
Step #3: Start Reaching Out
Now that you have your pitch ready, you can now start to message influencers on Instagram and capture their attention.
Provide examples of previous work or collaborations so they can get a clear understanding of what type of partnership you're looking for. Include helpful links that highlight your work and explain what kind of content you expect them to produce for you if they accept your proposal.
Keep your message short and sweet—influencers have limited time for reviewing pitches.
Oh, and don't forget to track responses and measure results over time—there are plenty of social media management tools that can help you gain invaluable insights.
Another option is to send out emails, but note that only 8.5% of outreach emails receive a response. That’s why it’s crucial you ensure your email is personalized, professional and clearly outlines the details of your offer.
Bonus Tips on How To Reach Out & Collaborate With Instagram Influencers Successfully
To make your collaboration a smooth sail, you should:
Be Willing To Give Without Expecting To Receive
Providing samples of your product help kick-start the relationship, but it's important not to have any expectations of the influencer. By doing this, you create a positive relationship with them, showing you appreciate the work they do and offering them something of value in return.
Ensure messaging is simple and straightforward, with information about the product, why you think they might be interested in it, and how you'd like them to use it. Offer a friendly reminder that there will be no strings attached if they choose to share feedback or a review. Respect their time and flexibility by providing timelines only when necessary.
Of course, make sure to thank them for even considering your request before sending off the sample.
Let Them Do Their Job
Allowing influencers to have creative control over their content and marketing approach will help build trust and establish a meaningful relationship as they will be more likely to believe that you value their insight and expertise.
Furthermore, it allows influencer to be unique and use their creativity in crafting posts that are authentic and engaging for their audience. Doing so also allows your brand or campaign to benefit from their network's trust, as followers will recognize the post as coming from a trusted source.
Remember, you choose the influencers you’re going to reach out to, so give them the creative freedom to express their ideas and allow them to make choices on how they want to portray your message.
Needless to say, influencers are very knowledgeable about their platforms, so you need to trust they know their stuff better than you do. Offering them creative freedom will ensure better engagement from their followers and will lead to a more successful collaboration overall.
However, keep an open dialogue throughout the collaboration and provide feedback after each campaign in order for both parties to understand what worked well so that future collaborations can build off of that success.
Discuss Compensation Details Upfront
When making contact, you should always share compensation details upfront—this allows the influencer to evaluate if they are interested in working with you and makes the entire process more transparent.
Be clear about the terms, including how much they will be paid, what type of collaboration you are looking for and how long the collaboration will last. This helps ensure the influencer has an understanding of what they are getting into before committing to any partnership with you.
Discuss all potential partnerships so any ambiguities are taken care of early on and everyone is on the same page when it comes to budgeting and payment schedules.
How To Reach Out to Influencers on Instagram: Key Takeaways
Reaching out to influencers can be a great way to increase your brand's reach and audience. With the right approach, polite demeanor, and by following the tips discussed above, you too can create relationships with influencers who will add value to your business.
Make sure your pitch is consistent with their interests, goals and values so that they are more likely to accept it and work with you. Doing this will bring success not only in terms of brand awareness but also in terms of conversions.
