How can you provide feedback to influencers without damaging the relationship?

If you have a well written brief and signed contract detailing all the expectations this part should be easy, where you are simply highlighting the miss, in a positive way and assuming it was just an oversight and not an intentional lack of desire to fulfill the commitment.

I firmly believe that feedback should serve as a guiding light for an influencer's growth, aimed at nurturing their potential rather than criticizing their endeavors. Beginning with positive aspects, acknowledging their expertise, employing a constructive tone, and delivering feedback privately are essential strategies. By embracing these approaches thoughtfully and respectfully, we not only strengthen our relationship but also provide invaluable support for their development as influencers.

For efficiency and to avoid confusion or frustration, deliver your feedback in a single conversation instead of treating them as piecemeals over multiple emails or calls. This will help the influencers understand your expectations and make the necesscary edits more efficiently. It will also foster a positive and long-term relationship with the influencers, as they will appreciate your clarity and respect.

You can absolutely provide feedback to influencers without damaging your relationship. This is actually an opportunity to forge a partnership with the influencer that can extend beyond the single brand deal that you may be discussing. One way to do this, is to share the rationale behind your feedback, and how it not only helps!the brand content perform better, but also may improve the influencers approach to branded content. Additionally, making sure that the creative brief that is provided to the influencer is reviewed prior to their commitment to creating content is key, so they don’t have to do too many reshoot, or commit time to editing, etc. By connecting prior to shooting, expectations are set leaving room for confusion or mistakes.

You can simply avoid issues like the one mentioned in the example (the influencer missed the key features of the product) by having a clear brief and approving the content BEFORE publication.

Consider the best medium for delivering feedback. While some creators may prefer written communication via email or Whatsapp, others might appreciate a more personal touch through a phone call or video meeting. Choose a method that aligns with their communication style.

To avoid situations like this, before spending hours filming and editing, I always send a detailed brief to the client. That way, they can provide feedback on the brief, and we can find a solution before proceeding with filming and editing the content.

Something like “We really liked the post, let’s try xxxxx next time to increase the views?” This not only gives them clear direction for the next post, but also let’s them know what you’re looking for. It can also serve to create a sort of AB testing model that can confirm your strategy.

In influencer marketing, timing is everything. Especially if it's about feedback. Use a specific channel for all chats. Keep all the records in one place. Be clear; no room for guesswork. This isn't just feedback; it's showing you’re all in with a clear strategy. Remember, brands that stay on the ball are the ones that score big.

As an influencer, I really appreciate it when the person in charge of the campaign is responsive and gives me timely feedback and answers to my questions. This also applies when asking about the time of the payment.

The majority of brands I've worked with come with briefs with extremely tight timelines and expect it to be worked out. However, doing so is a 2-way road. If a collaboration has to be executed end-to-end in 3 days, don't take 2 days to get back with feedback and put the onus of still meeting the timeline on an influencer. Show punctuality to get punctuality.

Encourage a two way dialogue by expressing that you want their opinion on your feedback and that you'd like it to be a collaborative effort. Invite the creator to share their thoughts and ideas. This will create a more open environment where both parties can contribute to the improvement of the content or concept.

As an influencer, I appreciate it when the person in charge of the campaign is flexible and allows me the freedom to be creative and come up with new ideas, instead of sticking to a fixed brief.

I've had campaigns that went well, and the client was happy, leading to future collaborations. However, there were also instances where the feedback was positive, yet we didn't work together again. In those cases, I would have appreciated honest feedback on areas where I could improve for future collaborations.

Frame your feedback in a constructive manner. Instead of focusing on what went wrong, emphasise what you would like to see more of. Use phrases like "consider trying" or "exploring alternative approaches" to convey suggestions positively and be sure to include examples of how they've previously done something similar.

If possible, offer your support to help the creators implement the suggested changes. This could include providing more content inspo or offering assistance in any areas where they may need support e.g. shooting and editing.

The best collaborations were the ones where I communicated with the campaign manager as if I were talking to a close work colleague or even a friend.

Balance professionalism with a personal touch! Be human; your influencers are people, too. Maintain the boundary of professionalism, but adding your personal touch is always helpful. Being Friendly, Kind and adding some empathy can go a long way into understanding your influencers and maintaining a positive relationship.

Collaboration. This is the only way to achieve the best results. Both parties need to invest time, thinking and effort to make it a success. Creating a space to share ideas, review concepts and talk things out means the final result will be in line with your expectations.

It's of course great to have a framework for giving feedback as outlined above, but it's important to keep in mind that people have different personalities and will respond to feedback differently. Behavioural science principles can be applied (either manually or with the help of AI tools) to identify an influencer's personality type and communication style preferences. For example, assessing whether they are ranking high on e.g. openness or conscientiousness will help determine how to best communicate with that particular influencer.

After providing feedback, be sure to follow up to see how they are incorporating the suggestions. This demonstrates your commitment to the ongoing success of the collaboration and reinforces the collaborative nature of the partnership.

It is important to have scheduled follow-ups of the influencers posts to understand reach, conversion rates that the influencer shares

A few things to keep in mind: - Don’t believe you know everything, be accepting of different ideas and solutions - Create a relationship that works and is not a burden or difficult to handle. If it is, it’s not the right choice - Provide suggestions and encourage input. Micromanaging never works

Detailed feedback in line with the creators natural content and brand expectations. Willingness to understand different perspectives and experiences in order to better align. Establishing clear KPIs that reflect the goals and values of the brand Willingness to adapt brief, sometimes often rarely the idea is better on paper. Patience to educate - as the marketer you are tasked with being the patient teacher and educating various teams on the best practices