How Influencers Choose Which Brands To Partner With?

The Most Important Factors In Securing Influencer Brand Partnerships

Just like brands, influencers look for mutually beneficial partnerships that are a good match, meaning there’s alignment between interests and values. While these insights may come as no surprise, it’s helpful to get a clear view of what influencers want and how they determine which brands to endorse. There are eight main categories:

From the graph, you can know that relevance, trust, and brand affinity are of utmost importance. Another prominent theme includes creative freedom.

The least mentioned aspect is money. It’s important to have multiple streams of income when you are an influencer, and there are so many ways to monetize if you have a large enough audience. The key is developing quality content and engaging with your followers. Influencers may simply turn down brand deals that do not offer adequate compensation. So money is a qualifier, not a distinction.

Influencers take their responsibility and commitment to their audience very seriously and don’t feel comfortable putting just any content on their channels. They often choose the brands that interest them and fit their audience the most. If they like the product or service or think their audience would enjoy it, then they are generally open to working with them. They’d rather not pitch something to their audience that they know they won’t like because not only would it be a waste of time for the brand.

When working with brand partners on sponsored content, communication is the key to a successful collaboration. Each influencer has his or her own unique style. They know the types of content that will most engage our audience, so they appreciate it when they have input in these types of decisions. 

Some Dos and Don’ts for Influencer Collaborations

• Make a list of influential people who can help you develop your brand. Don't just go with the flow. Make sure you reach out to relevant influencers in your field.
• Don't sell by email. Focus on interacting with influential people and connecting with them. Building real connections with influencers will benefit your brand in the long run.
• Add some personal touch to your email. Use their names. Mention their past work and express your appreciation. Again, keep it simple, short and simple. It works best.
• Many brands make the mistake of not adequately compensating influencers. You need to offer a fair compensation -- it shows how much you value their efforts. Compensation will depend on the number of followers, overall coverage, engagement, number of posts, turnaround time, the complexity of the campaign, and the sales they drive.
• Specific brand guidelines that let influencers know what you expect from them.
• Influential people value creative freedom. According to TapInfluence and Crowdtap research, influencers are more likely to collaborate with brands that create freedom for them. You shouldn't set too many restrictions or strict editorial guidelines when working with influential people. Creative freedom ensures that their readers can relate to the articles they write for your brand. This will drive greater participation.
• Take your time and give your influencers plenty of time to create active content. However, make sure you have a deadline and communicate it clearly.
• Create an influencer collaboration agreement. It should provide the answers to who owns content rights, what are the expectations from the collaboration, and so on.
• Don't expect influential partnerships to boost your sales overnight. Successful influencer collaboration takes time to increase engagement and sales.