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The term “influencer” gets thrown around a lot. To me, it’s a pretty vague term. 

An influencer can be a videographer, blogger, podcaster, freelance writer, journalist, and so on. There are so many folks out there in the online space, and so many people can call themselves an “influencer.” There’s no clear measurement—not even the “blue checkmark.”

In my opinion, an influencer is anybody who your prospects watch, listen to, and pay attention to. And, as their name suggests, they can influence potential clients to buy your products or services by recommending them. They also can add serious credibility to your brand if they choose to promote it. 

This is the essence of “Influencer Marketing.” And you’re here because you want to know how to collaborate with those influencers and utilize influencer marketing. As promised, here’s a quick how-to guide for collaborating with influencers so they can, in turn, promote your brand.

Offer a Favor

Influencers are constantly being asked to pull strings for companies, people, and everything in between. And while they may be pitched offers daily, they’re not always offered favors. Naturally, an influencer is more likely to respond to being offered a favor so long as you don’t make the offer seem inauthentic (we’ll get to that later). 

So, think of a favor you can offer. What’s something you can do for an influencer that won’t take tons of time and energy on your part? It can be a box of chocolates or, optimally, something that’ll blow them out of the water. 

You might be wondering: why should I stick my neck out for random influencers? What’s in it for me?

Well, if we can frame the conversation around how we can help them, we’re bound to start the relationship off on the right foot. That’s important. From there, once we’ve proven ourselves to them, we can engage in a mutual partnership and the value will be flowing both ways. The idea is to earn their respect in the hope that they’ll be impressed enough to return the favor.

Think Pragmatically

Once you discern what you can offer to influencers, you’ll need to get them to accept your favor. This is going to require some creativity and, more importantly, pragmatism. 

Play to your strengths—don’t overestimate your current status on the “totem pole” of social media hierarchies. The influencer you’re trying to partner up with can’t have way more clout than you. Just as importantly, they must belong in a relevant industry. 

If you’re running a construction company, for example, a big-time makeup artist likely won’t care about promoting your products and/or services. You’d be better off going to an influencer relevant to construction and without a huge amount of followers. Maybe that means an Instagram account that drives a sizeable degree of online engagement with a consistent flow of entertaining home improvement videos.

And if you have zero followers, you’ll be better off going for someone with no more than a few hundred followers. Likewise, if you have thousands of followers, you’ll have more success with direct messaging an influencer of the same caliber than someone with hundreds of followers.

“Batter Up!”

Let’s say you have a thriving side gig as a basketball card trader. You’ve discovered a secret formula for making money in that market, and you’ve built a steady following on Instagram where you show people the tips and tricks of the industry. 

There’s a local sports podcaster who also has a solid following—his podcast isn’t super famous but he’s a low-key influencer. He wants downloads, clicks on his show notes, introductions to helpful guests, and so on. If you want to build a relationship with that podcaster, you can then offer to help them grow their influence and network by sharing them with your followers. 

From there (if they accept), you might go so far as to ask if they’ll feature you on their podcast. If you can appear on their podcast, people who listen in might follow you on Instagram because they want to try trading basketball cards. See how it works? It’s a quid-pro-quo.

If you have a good deal of followers, that podcaster is more likely to decide you’re worth their time. If you have under a hundred followers, they might not see tons of value in sitting down for an hour to interview you—unless you can come up with a really good pitch. It’s a harsh reality, but influencers have especially busy schedules. 

Using the Right Tone, Delivery, etc.

Asking an influencer to enter that sort of partnership with you might seem like a shot in the dark. I’m not talking about getting in touch with Joe Rogan or somebody crazy famous, though. I’m talking about basic influencers. 

The key is in framing your message the right way—showcase the value of working together. And start the conversation with an offer rather than an ask—they’ll be much more inclined to take you up on that. 

It’s so important that you’re clear about your offer being a two-way street. Otherwise, you might come across as suspicious. If your intention isn’t clear to get both ships to rise higher, they’ll likely wonder what’s in it for you and be tentative about moving forward. You want to settle any concerns that you’re anything but a trustworthy host with good intentions. Be transparent that you’re in it to capitalize on an opportunity for boosting both of your audiences.

These principles go beyond podcasting, too, of course—the same goes for blogs, Facebook groups, and whatever other platforms you or they have an audience on. Help each other get seen and heard and you’ll both build your brand.

Collaborate on Joint Projects

Once the relationship has been established, the two of you can move forward to more important projects that deliver even more value. You could collaborate on a book, a video, podcast episode (see above), blog, a side gig, and so on.

This is a great way to multiply hype surrounding any launch—no matter the project. An influencer is bringing a larger audience to the table, meaning you can get your voice heard by prospects and leads alike. 

You’ll also create a better end-product because it will be the result of two minds working together. They’ve achieved their success through their blood, sweat, and tears—they’ll likely have great ideas and double the expertise. 

Refer Clients to Each Other

Your clients will have tons of problems to present to you because they know you have solutions. Sometimes, though, we don’t have all of the solutions. That’s fine. Referring them to somebody else doesn’t mean you lose business. It means you gain an ally. You create a referral network. 

If you help an influencer get clients, they might do the same when their client presents a problem to them that they know you’d be able to solve. Having a referral network strengthens your brand, too, as it builds you a reputation as a connected resource.

If You Help Others Grow Their Business, They’ll Help You Grow Yours

Collaboration with influencers is one of the best ways to build your side gig’s brand. You each help each other out to get seen and heard. You both share your audiences to double your reach. There are a lot of benefits to collaborating with others, and building your brand is one of the best of them.