Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy to reach and engage your target audience, but how do you find the right influencers for your PR campaigns? In this article, we will share some tips on how to evaluate and select influencers based on their credibility, authority, and relevance to your niche.
Before you start looking for influencers, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach. What are your PR objectives and key messages? Who are your ideal customers and what are their pain points, interests, and preferences? Having a well-defined goal and audience will help you narrow down your search and focus on the influencers who can deliver the best results.
Once you have your goal and audience in mind, you can start researching and identifying potential influencers who match your criteria. You can use various tools and platforms to find influencers, such as Google, social media, blogs, podcasts, industry publications, and influencer databases. Look for influencers who have a strong presence and influence in your niche, who share relevant and engaging content, and who have a loyal and active following.
The next step is to evaluate the credibility and authority of the influencers you have shortlisted. Credibility is a measure of trustworthiness and authenticity, while authority is a measure of knowledge and influence. To assess these factors, you can use metrics such as engagement rate, reach, reputation, and relevance. Engagement rate is the amount of interaction the influencer generates with their content, such as likes, comments, shares, and clicks. Reach is the number of people the influencer can potentially reach with their content, such as followers, subscribers, and visitors. Reputation is how the influencer is perceived and respected by their audience and peers, such as reviews, testimonials, awards, and endorsements. Relevance is how well the influencer's content and style align with your brand, message, and audience, such as topics, tone, values, and aesthetics.
This step is key. Do not move on to pitches, until you have identified the right influencer. The right influencer has reach, audience, and a good tone of voice. They know how to market and sell anything. They can carry themselves well and represent a brand. Identify a solid list of who matches these values, then work on how you will get them on board.
After you have evaluated the credibility and authority of the influencers, you can contact and pitch them with your PR proposal. You should approach influencers with a personalized and respectful message, explaining who you are, what you offer, and why you want to collaborate with them. You should also outline the benefits and expectations of the partnership, such as the compensation, deliverables, timeline, and guidelines. Be clear and transparent about your goals and terms, and be open to negotiation and feedback.
Leverage LinkedIn to connect with and pitch influencers as many are already on here scouting for business opportunities. When pitching influencers, I've found that my most casual messages that aren't so drawn out and detailed are the ones influencers respond to the most. Get the conversation started first. The best way to make your pitch stand out? You! Influencers put a lot of time and energy into their content, find something that you can relate to and use that as your way of warmly connecting with them. Influencers want to work with like-minded people. It's worth the effort to show them you appreciate their work if you want them to work with you.
The final step is to monitor and measure the results of your influencer PR campaigns. You should track and analyze the performance and impact of the influencer's content, such as the reach, engagement, traffic, conversions, and sentiment. You should also collect and report the feedback and testimonials from the influencer and their audience, such as the satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. You should use the data and insights to evaluate the return on investment and the relationship with the influencer, and to optimize and improve your future campaigns.
I agree with collecting and reporting feedback. Data collection is essential to knowing what is working versus what is not working. Measuring analytics provides valuable insight.