Steal the strategy I used to get LeBron James as an influencer for a brand without paying a cent:

I ran the influencer program for @QALORing from 2015 to 2018. After months of work, I got LeBron to wear and rep QALO. LeBron makes $90M a year from sponsorships. 0% of that came from us. Here’s how.

All good things come to those capable of creating valuable relationships with valuable people. It all started when I created a relationship with an A-list NBA player during All-Star Weekend 2017, a player who was close with King James.

I gifted a few QALO Rings to this player when I met him at an event. Every few weeks, I’d keep in touch with him and ask if he needed any more rings, just in case he wanted to share some with his friends and family. Because of this, he shouted us out on Twitter for free.

In 2017, he got traded to the Cavs — LeBron’s team at the time. I then asked if I could send a big box of QALO Rings for the team. He accepted. This is when I realized a very important and valuable lesson.

Generosity at this scale gives you access to people you would NEVER get access to. Through this player, I had access to the entire Cavs locker room. QALO had an influencer who was influencing other influencers on our behalf. There’s nothing more powerful than that.

Because of the relationship I’d built with this player who was having an incredible season, this picture of LeBron wearing a QALO ring came across my desk a few months later.

Photos like this are worth millions. You can use it for PR placements, leveraging relationships with retailers, etc. Images like this got QALO into Dick's Sporting Goods, REI, Target, and more. It is the greatest form of social proof you’ll ever get.

The most important thing is this: I never asked ONCE for this player to shout us out on Twitter, share the product with his team, or represent us as well as he did. It was a genuine relationship that was built over time, requesting nothing in return.

Of course, it’s not my first day on Earth. I *knew* that generosity would end up benefitting the brand eventually, but it was never expected, nor was it even implied. It’s the long game of give, give, give, give… And THEN ask.

Is this scalable? No. You can’t do this 500 times a month like we do with our seeding strategy. But did it pay off more than 10,000 micro-influencers? Yes, it did.

If you want to replicate this, do this:?

1. Be kind & respectful to everyone.?
2. Don’t be needy in front of valuable people.?
3. Be selfless with your brand.?
4. Don’t expect overnight returns. This takes time.?
5. Attend All-Star Weekend next year (duh).

If this thread was helpful, feel free to share or retweet to help others out!

If you want my Influencer Marketing agency to get you results like this, just like we’ve done for 100+ DTC Darlings…my DMs are open.

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