It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
Reach out to influencers in your industry. Get them to spread the word with their followers. Watch your traffic, conversions, and brand recognition skyrocket overnight.
Only it’s not that easy. In fact, it’s damn hard. But you know that.
Since you’re reading this, you’ve probably tried it and failed. You reach out to the influencers on your list and… nothing. Not even a “Thanks, but no thanks.” It’s as if your email went into a black hole or wherever it is all my mismatched socks end up after going into the wash.
Why are influencers ignoring you? Clearly, you’re doing something wrong. Chances are it’s one of the following.
You’re coming off like a jackass
Picture this:
You’re at a party. People are having a good time. You’re laughing with some friends you haven’t seen in a while, when a stranger walks up and introduces himself.
You extend your arm to shake his hand. But instead of hearing “Nice to meet you,” or some other pleasant greeting, he immediately asks you to do something for him.
Some nerve, huh? Who does this guy think he is? And what makes him think you should do anything he wants when he doesn’t even know you?
It sounds like an absurd scenario. But that’s exactly what a lot of people do when reaching out to influencers. And it makes them look like jackasses (or a stronger term if you prefer).
What to do instead.
Build relationships with influencers and provide value before you want or need something from them.
This isn’t just the polite thing to do. It will also increase your chances of getting influencers to do what you’re asking of them.
Robert Cialdini, perhaps the world’s top expert on persuasion and compliance, claims that all compliance tactics fit into six psychological principles. Two in particular are especially helpful when dealing with influencers.
According to Cialdini, “People prefer to say ‘yes’ to those they know and like.”
Think again about the party scenario, but replace the stranger with a friend. Aren’t you more likely to help them out with a request?
So how do get influencers to like you?
Here are a couple of things you can do.
Give honest compliments. Everyone loves flattery. Even people who are already admired by thousands of their peers and followers.
This is easy to do in today’s connected world. Simply shoot an email to the person or do it in a more public way by mentioning them on social media or leaving a comment on their blog. But don’t just write “great post” or some other generic compliment. Let the influencer know specifically what you liked and how it will help you or your comment will be seen as a BS attempt to kiss his or her butt.
Find common ground. We bond with people who are similar to us. So if you can find and mention something you have in common, you have a better chance of forming a bond.
The second principle of influence you can use to get influencer’s help is reciprocation. When someone does something for us, we feel indebted to him or her. If you get a Christmas card from someone who isn’t already on your list, don’t you make sure to send her a card, too?
For this reason, it’s important to do something for the influencers you’ve identified before you ask for anything. Share their work with your network. Feature them in your content. Provide a testimonial. Make an introduction to one of your contacts. There are a lot of ways you can add value.
Jason Quey offers a great guide on how to do that.
You’re aiming too high, too fast
Influencers are busy people. And the more in-demand they are, the more competition you face for their attention. Neil Patel illustrates this well in this page of QuickSprout.com.
Influencers need to prioritize when they get this many requests. And if you aren’t well known or personally connected with them, you aren’t likely be very high on that list. But there is a way to fix that.
What to do instead.
Target mid-tier influencers and work your way up. There’s a little less competition for their time. And the best part: Influencers are often on other influencer’s radars. So once you start having success with these people, you have a better chance of getting noticed by even bigger influencers.
Think about it like this. If you had a political cause you’re passionate about, how much luck do you think you’d have trying to go straight to the president?
But if you start by rallying community support, that could get the attention of local politicians. And if they spoke out about the cause, you could gather support of state representatives. And it could eventually build like that all the way to the top.
Look for influencers who have a larger active following than you currently have, but not as many as the mega followers. But it’s not just the size of an audience that makes someone and influencer. Try to find people who actively engage their audience.
Build relationships with these people. Then, slowly work your way up to connecting with mega influencers over time.
Your outreach emails suck
How you ask for what you want is just as important as what you’re asking for. And I don’t mean just saying “please.”
I mean being friendly, authentic, personal and respectful. And far too many aren’t.
“But I use a great template,” you’re saying to yourself. “It worked gangbusters for the person who shared it with me.”
It may well have worked for them. But once everyone starts using it, influencers recognize it for what it is. And they delete it, as Tim Soulo of Ahrefs explains, without remorse.
Can you blame them? An obvious template says that you’re too lazy to take the time to reach out with a personal email. Or that you don’t respect them enough to do it.
Often the templates themselves suck, too. They provide no value to the influencer. Instead, it’s all about the person doing the outreach.
What to do instead.
First, focus your strategy. Instead of spamming every influencer you can find, identify a handful of people who would truly get value from your outreach. Make sure that reason is specific to each person. No generic “their audience would love it” or “they’ve written about something similar” is going to cut it.
As you craft your email, imagine you are in their shoes. Why would you share, link to or do whatever it is you’re asking of them? Again, make it as specific and unique to each as possible.
Don’t be pushy. Nobody likes to be told what to do. Some marketers say they have more successes asking influencers if they would like to view the content rather than sending it in the initial emails and asking for a share or link.
Be concise and make it easy for the person to do what you’re asking. Remember, these are busy people who receive a ton of email.
Rand Fishkin provides a good framework in this Whiteboard Friday.
Conclusion
I’m not going to lie and say that building relationships with influencers is easy or quick. It takes time and work. But the results are well worth the effort.
The key is to start making connections before you need anything from those people. After you’re done reading this sentence, make a list of the influencers you want to connect with and figure out the best ways you can add value for them.
Feature Photo credit:Peter Alfred Hess / Foter / CC BY
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