How Do Brands Decide to Work with an Influencer?
This post is one in a series about influencer marketing, specifically on what brands look for when sponsoring content with a blogger or influencer.
If you’re typing, “How to get sponsorships as an influencer” into Google, this post is for you!
There are a number of points that brands analyze when scouting influencers, here are some of the top things a brand looks at:
(Street Cred: I’m a lifestyle blogger, influencer marketer and I coach influencers. This is my JAM.)
Point #1: Brand Fit with Influencer
The first thing a brand will look is….
YOUR CONTENT!
Does your content fit in with their brand?? Smart influencers analyze the photos and content from the brands they want to work with, and then set up their Instagram feed (and other content channels) to fit in with that content.
A brand views an influencer’s content as part of their own content marketing. If you’re advertising products or taking photos that would look out of place on a brand feed, the brand isn’t gonna sponsor you.
(Special Note: I’m a sex-positive feminist, and I support women doing whatever the hell they want with their bodies! But I find it strange when an influencer, who posts a lot of photos in bikinis/lingerie, wants to partner with large corporations. If your images would look out place in their catalogue, the brand will likely send you free product to review — but that’s it. Is this right/just/feminist? Nope. Do brands do this? Yep.
Are you going to loose all possible sponsors by posting a bikini pic? No. Are you going to need to make other content that shows less skin to be more acceptable to larger brands? Yes.
Alcohol and cannabis can also turn some sponsors off, so make decisions about these product categories with INTENTION.)
Point #1b: Where does sponsored content fit on your feed?
A brand is going to look over your channels, and they’re only going to want to sponsor you if it’s clear where sponsored content fits in.
Are you doing reviews? Are you finding ways to cleverly incorporate products into your feed?
If your feed is all OOTD posts, but you want to work with a car company, we have a problem. I need to look at your feed and be sure you can create promotional content that goes beyond holding a product up to your face for a selfie.
Yep, I said it!! Before you get sponsored posts, I recommend you pick a few favorite products and create content around them. This shows a brand you know what’s up!
Point #2: Engagement
The next thing a brand will look at is your engagement rate. How many of your followers are liking your posts, and how many are COMMENTING? We also look to see if the influencer is commenting back and forth with their followers. Replying with “❤️❤️❤️” to every comment doesn’t show a strong relationship with followers. Full sentences and conversations back and forth are important.
Influencer marketing is about relationships, and it comes off as disingenuous when an influencer is just replying with emojis, or worse, “hearting” comments.
3% engagement rate is considered industry standard by many.
Point #3: Cross Platform Promotion
If you hang out with me on Twitter, you’ve seen me talk about how important it is for influencers to go beyond Instagram.
We’re going beyond The Gram in 2019, babe!
Here’s why: If a customer searches for a review of, let’s say, a Dyson vacuum they’ll type in, “Blogger review Dyson vacuum” into Google search.
Instagram posts don’t show up in Google searches. But blog posts, Pinterest pins, YouTube videos and (sometimes) Facebook posts, DO.
A brand is going to want to sponsor content on more than one platform. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket with Instagram.
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Point #4: Demographics
A brand will likely want to see the demographics of your following before sponsoring. What’s the gender and age breakdown, what cities are your followers in, etc.
The brand will analyze your following to make sure it overlaps with their target customers. If I’m a brand trying to sell bicycles to women over 45, I’m going to work with influencers who have that following!
Point #5: Impressions/Views
- Instagram: A brand will also likely look at your views on your IGTV posts, to get a feel for how popular your IG story is. They will also ask for screenshots of your “Insights.”
- YouTube: A brand may ask for average watch times and channel demographics.
- Blog: A brand may ask for a screenshot of your Google Analytics dashboard form the last month, specifically looking at unique monthly views.
- Pinterest: A brand may look at your # of monthly views, and average engagement on your pins.
Point #6: How Easy Are You to Find?
A brand is going to have to, you know, find you! If you want to work with brands in an industry, make sure you’re creating blog posts or YouTube videos about it.
For instance, if I’m a blogger who wants to get sponsorships from amusement parks, I’d create content like:
- “Amusement Park Blogger: My Top 10 Favorite Rides”
- “Top Disney Cruise Tips from an Amusement Park Blogger”
- “Best Shoes for Amusement Parks | Recs from a Blogger”
All of these posts will show up when a brand googles, “Amusement park bloggers” if you’ve created your content correctly.
Being on influencer partnership platforms is also critical (Fohr, AspireIQ, etc).
Finally
Going back to #1, the best way to get the attention of brands is really high quality and thoughtful CONTENT. You must have a “content first” mindset to get the attention of brands. Consistent posting with quality content (remember 1b) is critical to your success.
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I’ve coached a TON of people on how to become an influencer, and I found tht people had the same questions:
- How do I make an invoice as an influencer?
- What do I charge as an influencer?
- How do instagram influencers make money
- How do I plan a photoshoot?
- How do I pitch brands as an influencer?
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