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How to do influencer outreach with free tools

by | Feb 9, 2024 | Marketing Tips

Do you know how to do influencer outreach? 🤔

The global influencer marketing market value stood at $21.1 billion as of 2023.

Want your slice of the cake? 🤤

Influencer outreach is the key to success.

At Click Analytic, we’ll show you how to do influencer outreach with an easy step-by-step example. 

We’ve even included free tools and templates to help you get the most out of your influencer marketing campaign.

Ready?

Let’s roll. 👇

Did you know influencer outreach is a lot simpler than marketing managers marketing thinking?.

What is influencer outreach?

Influencer outreach is when brands connect with influencers to promote their products or services to a broader audience.

Think of it as asking someone famous to tell others about your product.

Why do influencer outreach?

👉 Because it helps get the word out online. 

While there are many benefits of influencer marketing, the main reasons you want to reach out to influencers are:

✅ Trust: People believe their favourite online stars.

✅ More eyes: More people see your stuff.

✅ Active fans: More likes and chats about your brand.

✅ Saves money: Often cheaper than big ads, especially with smaller influencers.

So, influencer outreach is just about teaming up with influencers to help tell more people about your products in a natural and friendly way.

Did you know an influencer database is the ultimate tool for finding influencers?.

How to do influencer outreach (A real example)

Ready to do influencer outreach?

Follow this step-by-step guide.

We will show you how to do influencer outreach for a pretend brand. Use these insights to guide your next influencer outreach strategy.

Let’s start. 👇

Step 1: Lay the groundwork

Say hello to “EcoGlow,” our pretend brand.

Imagine EcoGlow is all about natural, earth-friendly skincare products.

They want more people to know about their incredible, sustainable products.

First things first, EcoGlow needs to know what they want. 

Maybe they aim to:

🎯 Get more website visits.

🎯 Increase sales of a specific product.

🎯 Grow their Instagram followers.

Having clear goals helps decide what to do next.

Next, we must identify the target audience.

Who loves EcoGlow? 

🎯 Probably people into healthy living and the planet. 

EcoGlow needs to think about who these folks are, what content they consume, where they hang out online, and what matters to them.

Then, it’s time to match our brand with the right influencers.

Now, EcoGlow looks for influencers who care about the same things. If an influencer loves talking about sustainable living, their followers probably do, too. 

That’s a good match! 😁

💡 Here’s a pro tip: Always try to create an influencer persona before you do outreach.

This is like drawing a picture of the perfect influencer for your brand. 

EcoGlow might consider influencers who:

Loves nature and talks about it.

Uses and likes eco-friendly products.

Has followers who ask about sustainable living.

EcoGlow wants influencers who fit this picture because they will likely be interested in what EcoGlow offers.

By following these steps, EcoGlow lays a solid foundation for reaching out to influencers. 

They know what they want, who they need to talk to, and what kind of influencers can help them reach their goals. 

Now, they’re ready to start reaching out in a genuine way that matches their brand’s vibe.

Influencer marketing quotes: Did you know? working with the wrong influencers can damage your brand's reputation.

Step 2: Finding influencers

Let’s help EcoGlow find the right influencers to spread the word about their sustainable skincare line. 

We’ll use simple, straightforward tools and strategies.

First, let’s look at free tools for finding influencers.

🔎 Instagram Search:

Use Instagram’s search bar to find influencers by keywords like “sustainable living” or “eco-friendly beauty.

This lets you see influencers discussing sustainability and engaging with a community interested in eco-friendly products.

🔎 Twitter lists:

Search for public lists on Twitter or other websites, like this list of the top 23 Brazilian influencers to follow. Of course, EcoGlow must ensure it’s related to sustainability or skincare. These lists often include influencers passionate about these topics.

🔎 Google Alerts:

Set up alerts for keywords like “sustainable skincare brands” or “eco-friendly beauty influencers.

Why? 

Because you can get notified about new content or influencers discussing related topics, helping you discover emerging voices in the niche. 

Yes, niche influencer marketing is a powerful strategy.

So, how do you get the most out of these free outreach tools?

Keywords are key. Pun intended. 🤭

Think about what words or phrases someone passionate about sustainability might use. Use these as your search terms.

Dive into hashtags. 🤿

On platforms like Instagram, hashtags like #SustainableSkincare or #EcoBeauty can lead you to influencers who are a perfect fit for EcoGlow.

Always follow the trail. 🐾

When you find an influencer you like, see who they follow and interact with. This can lead you to more relevant influencers.

But wait, there’s more. 👇

You must always vet influencers for authenticity.

Yes, fake followers, like fake Instagram followers, are a thing. 

⚠️ A bad thing you want to avoid.

So, how do you vet potential influencers for outreach?

👉 You check their content. 

Does it consistently reflect sustainable and eco-friendly values? 

EcoGlow needs influencers who walk the walk.

👉 You check their engagement rate. 

Look at the comments on their posts. 

Are followers engaging in meaningful ways? This shows the influencer’s genuine impact.

👉 You check their brand alignments. 

Have they worked with similar brands? 

Make sure their past collaborations feel right for what EcoGlow stands for.

Finding the right influencers is like matchmaking. 

You want someone who talks about sustainability and lives it, reflecting EcoGlow’s ethos. 

Using these free tools and tips, EcoGlow can find influencers who align with their brand, ensuring any partnership is authentic and effective.

💡 Our insider tip: Ditch the manual labour and let intelligent software do the work for you. Our influencer marketing platform can help you find, vet and launch influencer campaigns. Quick and easy.

How to spot fake Instagram followers

Step 3: Craft your influencer outreach strategy

Now that EcoGlow has found potential influencers, it’s time to reach out. 

Here’s how they can build genuine relationships and craft messages that get noticed.

👉 First, build genuine relationships.

Engage first. 

Before asking anything, start by engaging with influencers’ content. 

Like their posts, leave thoughtful comments, and share their work. This shows you’re genuinely interested in what they do.

👉 Do your research. 

Understand what each influencer cares about. 

For EcoGlow, this means identifying influencers passionate about sustainability and eco-friendly living.

👉 Then, connect on common ground. 

When reaching out, mention how EcoGlow’s mission aligns with their values. 

This isn’t just about selling a product; it’s about joining forces to promote sustainability.

Now, it’s time to craft some personalised influencer outreach messages.

Here’s what you must keep in mind: 👇

✅ Use a personal touch. 

Always use the influencer’s name and reference specific content of theirs that you admire. 

For example, “Hi [Name], I loved your recent post on reducing waste in beauty routines. It’s so aligned with what we do at EcoGlow.

✅ Introduce yourself.

Briefly explain what EcoGlow is and its mission. 

Keep it short and sweet, like “We’re a sustainable skincare brand committed to earth-friendly products.”

✅ Highlight those shared values.

Make the connection clear. 

We noticed your passion for sustainability, and we feel there’s a natural synergy between our ethos and your content.

✅ Make an open offer.

Invite them to collaborate creatively instead of pushing for a specific kind of promotion. 

We’d love to hear your ideas on how we could work together to spread the word about sustainable skincare.

✅ Always provide an easy out.

Respect their right to say no. 

If you’re interested, great! If not, no worries. We’re just happy to connect with people who share our commitment to the planet.

👉 And always emphasise creative freedom.

State your flexibility. 

Make it clear that you value their creative input.

We’re all about creative partnerships and would love to incorporate your ideas and style.

👉 Point out the benefits. 

Explain how this freedom can benefit them, too, such as by enhancing their content or offering their audience something unique. 

We believe this collaboration could offer your audience fresh insights into sustainable living, all while staying true to your voice.

By following these steps, EcoGlow can craft an outreach strategy that feels personal, genuine, and respectful of influencers’ creativity and autonomy. 

Influencer marketing for small business is a powerful and affordable strategy.

Step 4: Use these influencer outreach templates

Let’s craft some simple, straightforward influencer marketing email templates for EcoGlow to contact influencers. 

Plus, I’ll share some tips to help boost those response rates.

📧 Initial contact email templates

Subject: Let’s Make a Difference Together 🌿

Hi [Influencer’s Name],

I’m [Your Name] from EcoGlow, a brand dedicated to sustainable skincare. I’ve been following your journey and am inspired by your commitment to [specific interest related to sustainability]. It resonates deeply with our mission to offer skincare that loves the planet as much as our skin.

We’re reaching out to see if you’d be interested in collaborating to spread the word about sustainable living through beauty. We admire your authenticity and would love to hear your creative ideas for a potential partnership.

Looking forward to possibly making a difference together!

Best,

[Your Name]

📧 Follow-up email template

Subject: Just Checking In 😊

Hi [Influencer’s Name],

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to touch base regarding my previous email about a potential collaboration with EcoGlow. We’re really excited about the possibility of working together and believe that our shared values could create something special.

If you have any thoughts or need more info, I’m here to chat. No pressure, I just love the idea of teaming up if it aligns with your vision, too.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

📧 Collaboration proposal email template

Subject: Let’s Create Together with EcoGlow 🌱

Hi [Influencer’s Name],

Thank you for considering a collaboration with EcoGlow! We’re thrilled at the prospect of joining forces to promote a more sustainable lifestyle.

We believe in giving our partners creative freedom and would love to discuss how you envision this collaboration. Whether it’s through product reviews, an IG live series about eco-friendly beauty, or any other format that excites you, we’re all ears.

Let’s set up a time to chat about your ideas and how we can support them. Looking forward to possibly working together!

Best,

[Your Name]

Now, let’s share how to improve your chances of success. 👇

First, personalisation is critical. Always customise your emails with the influencer’s name and reference their work. This shows you’ve taken the time to genuinely engage with their content.

Timing matters. Send your emails when they’re likely to be checking their inbox, such as early in the week or late in the morning. ⏰

Always follow up wisely. If you don’t hear back, send a follow-up email about a week later. But limit yourself to two follow-ups to avoid coming off as pushy.

Be clear and concise. Keep your emails short and to the point but warm and personal. Make it easy for them to say yes by being clear about what you’re offering and what you admire about their work.

Remember, the goal is to establish genuine partnerships that benefit both the brand and the influencer, all while promoting a cause you both care about.

Influencer marketing email templates: Two men in business suits with the words did you know?.

Step 5: Manage and nurture your influencers

After EcoGlow has successfully partnered with influencers, it’s crucial to keep those relationships strong and positive. Here’s how:

🥰 Keep the communication open.

Send messages or emails to see how they’re doing, not just when you need something. This keeps the relationship warm.

Share how their content is performing and what your audience thinks. It shows you value their contribution and are paying attention.

🥰 Remember to show appreciation.

A simple thank you goes a long way. After a campaign, send a personalised note or small gift as a token of appreciation.

💡 Pro tip: Share their work on your brand’s channels. It’s a nod to their effort and exposes them to your audience.

🥰 You must also plan for the future.

Talk about future collaborations. If the first campaign went well, let them know you’re interested in working together again. Encourage them to share their thoughts on how you can improve or explore new collaboration ideas.

🥰 And always be supportive.

Engage with their content, even if it’s unrelated to your brand. It shows you care about their success, not just your own.

If you can, provide them with information or tools to help them grow or improve their content.

Managing influencer relationships is about more than just overseeing an influencer marketing contract

It’s about building a genuine partnership where both your brand and the influencers feel valued and supported.

Influencer marketing challenges - The biggest problem.

Step 6: Measure success and adjust

After EcoGlow runs its influencer campaigns, it’s crucial to understand what worked and what didn’t. 

How do you do this?

You must track influencer marketing and monitor your influencer marketing KPIs.

Look at the numbers. Check how many likes, comments, shares, and views the influencer’s posts about EcoGlow got. More engagement usually means more people are interested.

Then, analyse your website traffic. Use tools like Google Analytics to see if there was a spike in visits to EcoGlow’s website during the campaign.

Also, look at your sales data. Did EcoGlow see an uptick in sales of the promoted products? 

That’s a direct measure of success! 🤩🥳

Finally, check for audience growth. 

Check if EcoGlow’s social media followers increased after the campaign.

Let’s use EcoGlow’s campaign data as an example. 👇

Let’s say EcoGlow noticed that posts about their new eco-friendly sunscreen got a lot of likes and comments but didn’t lead to many sales. 

Here’s what they might consider:

📊 Content type: Maybe the posts were engaging but didn’t include clear calls to action. Next time, EcoGlow could ask influencers to highlight the product benefits more clearly and include a link to buy.

📊 Audience match: Perhaps the influencer’s audience cares about sustainability but isn’t specifically interested in skincare. EcoGlow might look for influencers focusing more on beauty and skincare in their content.

📊 Timing: If the campaign ran in winter, that might explain the low sales for a sunscreen product. EcoGlow could plan to rerun the campaign in spring or summer.

Based on what they learn, EcoGlow can tweak their approach:

📊 Refine their influencer selection: Choose influencers whose audience aligns more closely with their target customers.

📊 Change their campaign goals: Focus on raising awareness or educating the audience instead of direct sales.

📊 Alter the content mix: Test different types of content (like videos, tutorials, or giveaways) to see what resonates best with the audience.

Measuring success isn’t just about celebrating wins. 

It’s about learning from every campaign to make smarter choices in the future. 

By tracking the right influencer marketing metrics and being willing to adjust your strategy, you can continually improve your influencer outreach efforts for better results over time.

A man in a lab coat is holding a clipboard with social media icons.

Conclusion

And there you have:

How to do influencer outreach with free tools and an epic step-by-step example.

What’s your next step? 

Grab this free trial of our influencer marketing platform. Use it to find influencers and launch your first campaign. Quick and easy.

FAQs about influencer outreach

Still here? Got some burning questions about influencer outreach?

Check out these answers.

👇

What is influencer outreach?

Influencer outreach is when brands connect with influencers to promote their products or services to a broader audience.

Why is influencer outreach important?

It builds trust and extends your brand’s reach to potential customers through a voice they already like and trust.

How do I choose the right influencer for my brand?

Look for influencers whose audience aligns with your target market and who share values similar to your brand.

How can I measure the success of my influencer outreach campaign?

Track engagement rates, changes in website traffic, sales data, and social media growth before and after the campaign.

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