What not to do when working with Influencers and Bloggers

Looking to work with Influencers and Bloggers to promote your business? Here’s what not to do …

When it comes to work relationships they often involve a lot of give and take as well as mutual respect. This is no different when it comes to working with Influencers and Bloggers.

Planning your first outreach campaign can certainly be a bit tricky to figure out where to start.

Whether you’re looking for Instagram content, Blog Posts or traction on Twitter making sure you create a clear outline of what you expect from the start is key to success.

Deciding on and agreeing on a budget from the start is also a must.

With the above points in mind, you can then start reaching out to your target list. There are lots of posts on the web about how to work with Influencers and Bloggers but when it comes to the etiquette of outreach, there isn’t as much.

So, here are some things you shouldn’t do …

Send out bulk emails …

When an Influencer gets an email which has been sent to hundreds of people, it’s pretty obvious.

If you don’t use their name, specify any details about them, etc it becomes pretty obvious pretty fast that it is a bulk send out and this will likely end up in your email simply being deleted.

Spending the time to reach out to each individual personally, even if this takes you longer, means you’re more likely to achieve results leaving you better off in the long run. Research the Influencers you’re looking to work with, find out things about their site, their likes and dislikes – this will then allow you to send a much more genuine opening email resulting in far better results down the line.

Don’t send the wrong information to the wrong person …

Sounds obvious right? Well, you’d be surprised how often this occurs through simple lack of concentration.

Using the wrong name, website or information on their niche is, quite simply, insulting. So if you’re sending to a large database of prospects make absolutely sure you have a system in place to get it right every time.

Don’t demand a lot for a little …

Many Influencers and Bloggers make their sole income from their platform so asking them to work for free is pretty much guaranteed to get you blacklisted!

Also, if you’re wanting to gift an item or product, it’s worth speaking to them about this first so they can tell you their policies, etc. This also ensures that you’re not wasting your time and money sending things to people who quite simply don’t want them.

Don’t advise them against ASA guidelines …

One of the biggest no-nos when it comes to working with Influencers and Bloggers is asking them not to disclose their paid work with brands.

The reason brands can ask this is so their promotion looks more natural and fitting as opposed to, well an Advert. If you’ve gifted an item or product in return for a post or monetary compensation this needs to be declared when promoted/shown.

The general rule is that the person viewing the content needs to be able to tell instantly. Whether it is promoted as #AD at the start of a social media post or this is advertorial content, hiding the fact that it is an AD is misleading and as of September 2018, it’s illegal not to disclose when you’re sharing an advert.

If you’re interested in learning more about disclosure when working with influencers, the ASA has provided a guide to make things easier.

We hope you’ve found these tips useful and if you’re unsure how to get started with your outreach programme, or feel like you’re not getting anywhere with it then simply Get in contact and we can assist with this.