Manage influencer requests with panache.
A simple system to direct incoming influencer requests to your website and manage enquiries objectively and efficiently.
How to manage burgeoning influencer requests in style.
If you’re here, we’re guessing you get a regular wave of social media influencers seeking pro bono products or services from your company. Regardless of your and our views on this practice, it’s now well-entrenched and not going away any time soon! Having a simple content page on your website to direct enquires to as well as a robust, fair system to manage requests will save your team valuable time and mitigate any negative backlash if you have to decline influencer requests.
Genuine Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) can be valuable. No different to hosting genuine celebrities with the commensurate media attention and the positive downstream business that their exposure heralds.
But it can be time-consuming to deal with all these constant influencer requests without being subjective, or alienating individuals who might otherwise be useful to your business. Think it this as another advertising channel. Assign marketing cost and measure results accordingly.
In 2021 we provided advisory services and documentation to a number of our clients. For instance, we assisted South Island-based Southflyfisher (specialist fly fishing media company) to set up their influencer team and secure new commercial clients in the global sports fishing community they operate within.
We’ve produced some generic online content below for you to cut and paste into a page on your own website. Just edit the email address, your company and product/service details, actual ‘influencer offer’ details and influencer connection quantities, as you wish.
Then point any enquiries to your influencer page and promote the link on your social media pages regularly. Be thoughtful about your posts as you don’t want to alienate your regulars, trade customers, or in the case of travel tourism, your full-fare-paying passengers.
Here’s the content to copy to your own website and use in social media:
ARE YOU A KEY OPINION LEADER OR INFLUENCER?
Key Opinion Leaders and Influencers: If you can influence the positive behaviour or opinions of others through social channels including YouTube Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or write for major blogs, vlogs, specialist industry media, please read about how we can help you.
We really want to support you to help us tell everyone about how awesome <our product/service> is.
<Our company> is frequently presented with great opportunities to support key opinion leaders (KOLs). We genuinely want to accommodate everyone.
Before you contact us, please review our three influencer options below to determine which category you might fall into, and the level of support we can offer you in terms of our marketing budget, available resources especially the limited time we can offer you. Unfortunately, because of the volume of requests we now get, we need to be pretty firm about these terms of trade, and we’re hoping you’ll respect this position. If you think you can make a special case outside these terms, please email us to <shop@patchwork.nz> and mention you’ve read this page before outlining your position. That will help us give it consideration.
We offer three options for influencers who wish to approach <our company> and who are looking to experience <our products/services>. Please determine which option fits with your profile before contacting us.
1. KEY OPINION LEADERS (KOL’s)
We recognise you as a high-level influencer with a large following across numerous channels, who is well respected within your industry and can authentically act as an ambassador for <our company> and <our products/services>. You will be highly experienced and have a following of over 150,000 across each of your major social channels (excludes new or experimental channels).
We will invest <our products and experience> at no expense. Email us with any thoughts, possible dates and your intentions. We will discuss the best way forward and get back in touch.
2. IMPORTANT INFLUENCERS
You are influencers on the way to the top, with a well-established following of over 100,000 followers per platform. Your follower group is growing fast and you’re experienced at working with professional companies like ours.
We can provide <our products and experience> at up to 55% discount. Please email us with your request <for tourism operators: your expected arrival date so we can make sure we have someone to meet you onsite> and your intentions on how you can support us. We will get back in touch to confirm the details.
3. RISING INFLUENCERS
On the way up, you’re already active across a minimum of two channels that have a following of over 50,000 fans per channel.
We can provide <our products and experience> at up to 30% discount. Please email us with your request <for tourism operators: your expected arrival date so we can make sure we have someone to meet you onsite> and your clear intentions on the support you are offering. We will reply as soon as possible to confirm the details, or clarify your request.
HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED AND WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO IN RETURN?
Each influencer must provide the following in return for a discounted <product/service>:
- 4 high quality images for our social media/marketing purposes that include our branded product;
- A channel mention that must contain active links to our website and/or our social media channels.
- At least 3 supporting social media posts to include appropriate tags/hashtags/handles (we’ll give you these by email) of which one must precede your visit or receipt of our product.
All of our awesome KOLs and Influencers must have a confirmed acceptance email from us to validate our arrangement. Our confirmation will be at the discretion of the company’s management and in accordance with our own marketing plans, launch strategies, or <product/service> availability
If you feel you meet the above criteria and are interested to experience our products, please contact us at <shop@patchwork.nz> stating what influencer tier (1|2|3) you are. Please include links to your social channels and websites, along with which product you are looking to experience <and the date you are wishing to book>.
If you think you have unique circumstances, please get in touch to outline your offer, confirming that you have visited this page in your email to us and include the appropriate links and sufficient information for us to consider your request adequately.
Thanks for supporting our business. We really appreciate your interest.
Just cut and paste the above content into a fresh page or post in your own website, and update the copy with:
- You company name/division,
- Products or services being offered,
- The levels of influencers you are working with and their expected audience size,
- What level of investment you can provide at each influencer level, and
- Your expectation of publicity and materials provided in return.